Staying in your goal

jennydelgado09
jennydelgado09 Posts: 119 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
What works best for you to stay within your goal?
Last week I had set my goals to 1lb a week at sedentary. It gave me 1200 to work with. I ask worked out every day last week and burned between 300-450 calories. I weighed everything I ate. I didn't during the weekend because I went camping at the beach. And then didn't eat much and spent most of the day in the water. I did eat more than the 1200 and exercise cal. More like 1600-1900. Didn't lose anything.
Reset my goals to .5 loss a week. Gives me 1450. So a bit more to work with. But still struggling.

How is everyone else doing it? And even with where I was at shouldn't i have lost something? I gained a lb instead.

Replies

  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Have you only been counting for a week? A gain or a loss in the first week means nothing.
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
    It may be hard to be patient, but you can't hang on these short term results. You can fluctuate as many as 3-5 pounds daily on changes in diet, carb lebel, exercise regimen and TOM in just water weight. But, you shouldn't care about water weight! You could only care about fat loss, and that takes time. Have good habits, trend your results after several weeks, make adjustments based on the results then. Take progress pictures and measurements periodically to see the results.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I got around the lack of food by setting my calories to my goal weight maintenance cals. It's slower going, plus i have very little left to lose which makes it even slower going. But i'm in no hurry, and i don't feel deprived or ravenous doing it this way.
  • dwilliamca
    dwilliamca Posts: 325 Member
    My calories are set to 1200 and about 1.5 lbs. pounds loss per week. I'm fairly sedentary and usually don't eat back too many of my exercise calories (200-300/day) so I'm able to lose 1.5-2 lbs. a week fairly consistently. I am pretty fastidious on my logging and usually keep within my allotted 1200 calories. Remember you need a 500 calorie deficit average per day to lose a pound a week. MFP reports should tell you if you are within your specs. Look especially at the weekly report. It helps me to plan ahead and log my meals before I eat them, that way I'm not surprised. If I do go over, I eat less the next day but try not to do that. I eat mostly wholesome, filling meals and try to keep the macros balanced. Occasionally I reward myself with a dessert or glass of wine which comes out of the exercise calories. I'm rarely hungry even at 1200 (200-250 breakfast/@300 light lunch w/protein/400-500 balanced dinner, 200 healthy snack and 300 extra if I need them). I lost 30 pounds in 3 months this way and now I'm going for 50 pounds. Hang in there!
  • kasiiwhitaker
    kasiiwhitaker Posts: 2 Member
    Definitely don't be discouraged! 1200 is really low! I'd switch up weeks where I'd do 1200 and then maybe 1500-1700 to ensure your metabolism is fired up. (Some diets do this through cheat days or carb cycling days)

    Also, I agree with above - your weight isn't exactly the most accurate measurement - carbs need water to store - so if you're consuming lots of carbs then you will retain more water weight. (Hence why some diets go low carb - which just helps you lose water weight)

    You've got this! Focus more on what kind of nutrition you're getting out of those 1200 calories (sugar and carbs especially), and focus on how you feel! That's like the number one benefit of a healthy lifestyle!
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    I got around the lack of food by setting my calories to my goal weight maintenance cals. It's slower going, plus i have very little left to lose which makes it even slower going. But i'm in no hurry, and i don't feel deprived or ravenous doing it this way.

    This was what I did as well. My thinking was that I wanted to learn how to eat at the calorie level I'd be eating at for the long term. I knew my snacking habit was my biggest problem so I worked on that as well. I've never been set to lose more than 1 lb/wk (during especially active times, I have lost more, but not as a goal). This helped me a lot. I'm down 35 lbs now with about 15 go.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    It's been less than 2 weeks. Keep the course, weigh your food, it will come off with time.
  • kmshover
    kmshover Posts: 41 Member
    I set my calories for 2lbs/wk. I know that I can go 500 calories above that and still be in a losing zone. On weekends if we have a party or something I allow myself to maintenance. In the past I have been way to strict with myself got frustrated and quit. I am just over 60 days of Consistent tracking and have lost 26lbs by doing this. There was even 1 week I didn't track cause I was on vacation.
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