Hello - I just joined

liferestarter
liferestarter Posts: 2 Member
edited November 26 in Getting Started
So I just joined, and I'm looking to see who else is out here, also working on losing some weight. My story:
I was in good shape until I had my three kids. But the baby fat that I accumulated during pregnancy never really came off, and I've been somewhat overweight ever since.

I feel pretty hopeless about it, especially since I haven't had time to exercise over the last few years, and because my life, as a stay-at-home mom caring for young kids, revolves around food. My kids are ALWAYS in the kitchen looking for food and snacking, so what do you think I end up doing?

I have thought about dieting, but I can't do anything that involves staying off carbs, or any other food group, because I don't have the energy to make special meals for myself while also cooking for the family as usual. I have to eat whatever my family eats - and they are definitely carb eaters!

I've felt bad about myself for a long time, but I didn't think there was much I could do about it. This year though, was the first year when I could have done something. My kids are now in school during the day, and I could have used that time to exercise, but so far this year, I didn't. I just didn't get my act together. I got busy with lots of other things, and still felt like I didn't have the time to exercise.

It took me this long, but now I have reached the point where I really want to do something to improve my health, and to finally get my body in shape. I am so tired of looking at my out-of-shape body in the mirror - it just doesn't look like the person that i want to be, the person that I remember being before kids. And by the way, the worst part of gaining weight, for me, is that I gain it in all the WRONG places. I'm not exactly a "pear", I'm more like an "eggplant"!

So I signed up for My Fitness Pal, and I am starting the journey. It feels good to see all these discussions and see that I am not alone, though I might feel like it sometimes.

I am hoping to lose 1 lb a week. But MFP told me to eat 1250 calories a day. I plan to start tomorrow...but 1250 seems like WAY too little! Isn't that a starvation diet? I thought that an adult needed 2000 cals a day. Is 1250 really healthy, or is it excessive?

I'm also starting an exercise routine - until now I've been basically "sedetary", which I realize is really unhealthy.

Anyway, I just want to say "hi" to you all, and wish you all the best of luck! We can do this!!

Replies

  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Hi there.

    You don't actually need to exercise and you certainly do not need to cut carbs to lose weight. You only need to create a calorie deficit which is the number MFP gave you. Depending on how much you actually do need to lose 1250 might be a little too aggressive. If you would like to post your age, height, weight, and how much you would like to lose one of the really smart people here in this forum can help guide you.

    1200 is the minimum amount of healthy calories for a woman so 1250 is not a starvation diet.

    Where exercise will help is by earning more calories to eat each day (plan to eat about half of what you log as they are high).

    The important thing for now is getting started and logging your food correctly. If you have any questions please ask. :smile:
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,282 Member
    You can do this. Baby steps. Lots of forgiveness and understanding for yourself when things go sideways (and they will).

    Find something you CAN do. It might be taking a walk every morning after the kids leave the house. Download a good podcast or some favorite music and take 30 min for yourself. Gradually increase as it becomes more routine. No need for a gym membership, "insane" cardio, or diet with restrictions. Just weigh your food and log it. 1250 is really low. You might want to change to .5 pound per week to allow yourself more calories, or add exercise to give you some room.

    One of the biggest things to help me in my own head was to tell myself that "it's what I do." On the days when I didn't feel like driving to the pool after work, I reminded myself what my new routine was. SO MANY days, I was tired and cranky, but found myself at the pool parking lot after work after driving on autopilot. It became part of my routine. That will help you tremendously when motivation wanes and you have to rely on determination.

    You can do this. If you think loooooong term, it doesn't matter how quickly the weight comes off. All that matters is that you make each decision the best you can. And when you don't, make the next one a good one. :heart:
  • gainer39911
    gainer39911 Posts: 125 Member
    You said "1250 seems like WAY too little! Isn't that a starvation diet?", and in fact it is. That's the point. You are going to eat less calories than you body needs. But instead of starving, you body will replace those food calories with body fat and you will lose weight. You can exercise or not, but exercising has numerous benefits in addition to consuming calories, including mental well-being.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    gainer39911 wrote: »
    You said "1250 seems like WAY too little! Isn't that a starvation diet?", and in fact it is. That's the point. You are going to eat less calories than you body needs. But instead of starving, you body will replace those food calories with body fat and you will lose weight. You can exercise or not, but exercising has numerous benefits in addition to consuming calories, including mental well-being.

    I know what you are trying to say but that is confusing. It is a calorie deficit diet.

  • gainer39911
    gainer39911 Posts: 125 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    gainer39911 wrote: »
    You said "1250 seems like WAY too little! Isn't that a starvation diet?", and in fact it is. That's the point. You are going to eat less calories than you body needs. But instead of starving, you body will replace those food calories with body fat and you will lose weight. You can exercise or not, but exercising has numerous benefits in addition to consuming calories, including mental well-being.

    I know what you are trying to say but that is confusing. It is a calorie deficit diet.

    That's exactly what I said: You will eat less calories than your body needs. That is the definition of a calorie deficit. If you continued that indefinitely, you would starve. Presumably the original poster would stop eating a calorie deficit diet when he/she reached a desired weight. How is that confusing?
  • calycanth
    calycanth Posts: 1 Member
    Hi there, I'm new to this community as well, and your situation is very similar to mine (two kids, never lost the baby weight, finally ready to do something about it). :smile: I decided on a goal of 1/2 a pound a week because I know based on past experiences with calorie counting that I am miserable on less than 1500 calories a day. If you find that 1250 isn't sustainable for you, it's totally fine to eat a bit more and lose weight at a slower pace. You'll still lose the weight if you're eating at a deficit. Good luck!
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    Hi. There's 80 million here.
  • amzelda0418
    amzelda0418 Posts: 12 Member
    Hi and welcome! I’ve struggled for years with my weight and now that I have my wedding coming in September I decided that’s it! I’m focusing on Whole foods and a friend introduced me to all natural supplements that are doing wonders for my appetite and my energy!! So far 8 pounds in 8 days so I’m looking forward to seeing that scale move down, down, down :). Friend me and we can stay connected for personal motivation!
  • jo_nz
    jo_nz Posts: 548 Member
    What is your current and goal weight? How tall are you? Those things can help us say if the 1250 might be realistic for you.

    I am 5ft4 and sedentary, so yes, my daily calorie target is 1200 and for me that is seriously what I need to do to lose weight (although exercising more helps make it more achievable by giving me some extra calories).

    If you're not sure, maybe try just logging what you normally eat? It can be quite interesting to just see where we "spend" our calories. And then if you just reduce that amount until you reach a nice, steady rate of loss you will have found the right number for you.

    In terms of feeding the family while losing weight, I am also someone who is not willing to make separate meals. My kids are very slim and my husband is very tall and works a physical job, so they need to keep their calorie intake up.
    I do sometimes remove my serving before adding a sauce or something, but mostly I just reduce my portions of calorie-dense foods and add extra veges to my plate. And I try to eat light for breakfast and lunch so we can enjoy a fairly normal dinner together.
    For snacks, I love air popped popcorn, and just eat mine plain while the kids can add some toppings. Or the kids will eat vege sticks and crackers with dip and I can just have mostly the veges.
    And I try and stick to low calorie drinks - I don't find drinks filling, so try not to "waste" my small amount of calories on juice, soda or hot chocolate, or at least only when I decide I really really want one.

    All the best - it's not easy, but we'll get there!!
  • liferestarter
    liferestarter Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks so much for all your advice! I am really psyched and yes, proud of myself! after going a whole day on this diet - Day 1 done, whoohoo! I managed to survive on 1250 cals, and actually went a tiny bit under. For breakfast, all I had was a coffee (with milk) and one egg. I mostly had veggies all day, since I was saving up my cals for supper time with the family. Supper felt amazing though, finally felt full and really satisfied.

    As far as my details, I'm 5'7", and currently 155. I think I need to lose about 15 lbs to feel (and look) like I'm not overweight, but if I lost 25 lbs, that would put me where I was before kids. I'm not really on a tight deadline for losing the weight, but if I don't see any difference for a long time, it would be hard to stay motivated. If I can keep up 1250 per day for a while, then it is totally worth it, if I see the pounds coming off!
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