Newbie - Is this right?

jbean1990 wrote: »

I'm up to 1300 today, is that more like it?

It's better.

A wise rabbit once said "the winner is the one who eats the most and still loses"

AnvilHead wrote: »

jbean1990 wrote: »

I'm up to 1300 today, is that more like it?

At least you're now eating what a completely sedentary, 5'3", 120 lb., 18 year old girl should consider a reasonable deficit for weight loss.

Input your stats into a decent calculator such as the one at Scooby's website: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/ That will give you a reasonable idea of how much you should be eating. Even with an activity level of sedentary and a 20% calorie deficit, Scooby's calculator puts you at 1804 calories to lose around a pound a week.

I'm 4'11", 125lbs, 30 year old active female whose only intentional exercise is weight lifting and I maintain on 2000 calories I lost 1lb a week at 1300.

I second looking at the Scooby calculator.

jbean1990 wrote: »

I know long term it isn't possible, and it's easier to stick to if I boost it. Just worried I'll ruin what I've done so far, I'm joining a running club so will be exercising more too. I struggle to find snacks to eat, any recommendations? (I hate fruit and am a fussy eater!)

Do you think of still lose weight on a 1500 diet then?

Start eating man! I am a 5'10" female and I am losing between 1 and 1.5lbs a week on 1700 calories. At your intake you will end up struggling to eat without putting on weight because your metabolism will adapt to what you teach it. So it pays you to teach it good behaviour. That way you can have a cheat day and not suffer: This weekend I have been so busy I have been feeding on crap and it's not affected me. I haven't cut anything out, I still have alcohol and bad foods, just less of it. And once I reach my goal I intend to reverse diet to get to a maintenance calorie intake of around 2200.

You need to educate yourself on your BMR, TDEE, and how the body works. By eating at such a deficit your body becomes desperate for fuel and will use anything, be it fat or muscle, so ultimately you are losing weight but also strength. I doubt that is what you want.

jbean1990 wrote: »

Shoukd I eat back exercise calories? Say I aim to eat 1660 p/d, but exercise 400 off, should I actually eat 2000? Or stick to 1600?

Set your MFP profile as accurately as possible (size, non-exercise activity level, etc.), set an MFP weight loss goal in that profile that is no more than 1% of your current body weight in pounds, and eat back half your exercise calories, to start.

After 3 weeks or so, look at your average weight loss per week. If your actual loss rate averages more than 1% per week, eat more, adjusting until you stay within the 1%. You can eat more, if necessary, by adjusting your MFP profile non-exercise activity setting higher (from lightly active to active, for example), by eating back more of your exercise calories, or some combination. Or, just set your calorie goal manually to a higher level.

jbean1990 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. When I reach my target what would I need to eat to maintain? I run 5k 6 days a week averaging about 450kcal burned. I'm also a teacher and do a lot of sport/PE.

Thanks

Once you've been losing for a while, you'll have a track record of loss. When you hit your maintenance goal, do 4 things:

1. Look at your average loss for the previous 3-4 weeks, and your net (after exercise) calories for that same time period. Multiply the number of pounds lost in that time by 3500 (because there are about 3500 calories in a pound of fat). Add the calories eaten and the calories lost. Divide by the number of days in the time period you looked at. That's your approximate daily maintenance calories, based on your own personal data, which is more accurate than any calculator, as long as you've been logging accurately.
2. Set a goal weight range, not a single weight. Look at your typical daily weight fluctuations, and set the range around your goal weight a little wider than that. For example, if your daily fluctuations are plus or minus 3 pounds, maybe set your goal range as plus or minus 4 pounds around your target weight. Example: If your target weight was 175, and your typical daily fluctuations are 3 pounds, set your range to 171 to 179 (plus or minus 4 pounds).
3. Increase your eating to eat the number of net calories you calculated in step 1. You can add 100-200 or so daily calories once a week until you get there, if doing it gradually makes it easier. Keep eating whatever fraction of your exercise calories you were eating during your weight loss.
4. If your weight on the scale goes consistently above the upper limit for 3-4 days in a row, eat a little less, or exercise a little more. If your weight on the scale goes consistently below the lower limit for 3-4 days in a row, eat a little more.

Good luck - stay strong & healthy!

jbean1990 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. When I reach my target what would I need to eat to maintain? I run 5k 6 days a week averaging about 450kcal burned. I'm also a teacher and do a lot of sport/PE.

What is stopping you from reading up on all the suggestions given to you on this thread?

If you are in the UK, I suggest you might want to start following Richie Howey from Team RH Fitness. Although he swears a lot, he teaches his followers how the body works and how to tailor your diet and calories to your activity, and how to adjust them / reverse diet. In his method starvation is not an option.

This is something you need to learn yourself, not rely on a load of strangers on the internet. Knowledge is power when it comes to controlling your weight as that knowledge will allow you to lose and maintain weight at a much more manageable calorie level. MFP is a tool, not a bible.

Just reading up about team rh. Going to get my head around it and give it a go. Looking for friends also doing team rh :-) x