Need to lose 60lbs - where to start

ianparrett3674
ianparrett3674 Posts: 2 Member
edited 5:43AM in Motivation and Support
Hi all,
I’m 54 and need to lose 60lbs to get well within the healthy weight range. A calorie calculator suggested 1600 per day max. I have two lung conditions so running and workouts are difficult.

I know I need to do more than just eat less, but with limited opportunities to burn calories off, show I be setting say 1400 per day as my target?

Any thoughts appreciated

Ian

Replies

  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    edited August 2018
    You don’t need to do more, eat less is the answer. MFP set you up at 1600 calories per day, sounds reasonable to me. If you can’t exercise, then you can’t.

    Welcome to MFP.
  • cowleyl
    cowleyl Posts: 169 Member
    I'm 65. I've lost around 66 lb. I have severe arthritis and have had both hips replaced. I'm having both knees replaced on 27 August (eep). I therefore find it difficult to exercise, but I have found my recumbent bike invaluable in building leg strength and muscle burns more calories. I've found that the weight still comes off, albeit slowly. I am aiming to lose about another 35 lbs.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    ianparrett3674 wrote: »
    Hi all,
    I’m 54 and need to lose 60lbs to get well within the healthy weight range. A calorie calculator suggested 1600 per day max. I have two lung conditions so running and workouts are difficult.

    I know I need to do more than just eat less, but with limited opportunities to burn calories off, show I be setting say 1400 per day as my target?

    Any thoughts appreciated

    Ian

    How many lbs lost per week was the 1600 cals supposed to get you? With 60 lbs to lose, a good rate of loss would be 1-1.5 lbs per week. And as a male, 1500 cals is the bare minimum you should be eating. Faster weight loss, especially if you can't exercise much, will likely cause you to lose more muscle than necessary as you lose weight.

    Just start logging, get a feel for what foods fit in your calorie goal and keep you satiated and which are a waste of calories. Read the Most Helpful Posts threads pinned to the top of each board. Be patient - it's not a race. Welcome and good luck :drinker:
  • JustMeandZ
    JustMeandZ Posts: 45 Member
    Could you just walk? When I lost weight before, walking was the most important exercise I used. I did other things 'later', once I had lost some weight, ...but it all started with walking. Even slow strolls would help (if that's possible). Good luck.
  • ianparrett3674
    ianparrett3674 Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks folks

    I have an exercise bike hiding away - I’ll give that a go - we used them in pulmonary rehabilitation, so worth trying.

    Cheers

    Ian
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,534 Member
    edited August 2018
    Exercise has a lot of benefits. But it’s vastly overrated as a weight loss strategy.

    If you’re using the MFP calculator, why don’t you trust it? Your activity level is taken into account when MFP gives you a target. Why do you want to start off with a 12% cut from target?

    If you think this will get you to your goal weight faster, it might. But it also might make your life so miserable that you quit.

    You need to start the process by conducting some experiments. One of them is to see if you lose weight eating at your target. Another is finding out how to live with it. There’s a pretty long calorie counting learning curve. Give yourself a lot of time to learn the process. Keep your food diary no matter what. The process is more important than the numbers.

  • Healthydiner65
    Healthydiner65 Posts: 1,552 Member
    Make small changes at first so you don’t get overwhelmed. Weigh and measure everything you eat. 1600 is a lot of food. Start with 1400 and watch your net carbs(carbs minus fiber). Good luck and send me a friend request if you would like mutual support!
  • AyameShimitsu
    AyameShimitsu Posts: 25 Member
    I would try walking for an hour a day. It’s easy on your body and if you walk at a decent pace you can burn off quite a few calories. Moving around throughout the day will help too. I recommend an activity watch that will notify you if you’ve been inactive for too long.
  • samuelgina91
    samuelgina91 Posts: 158 Member
    The advice here is great eat above the 1500 cals a day, focus on the food at the weight will come off. As for exercise it sounds like those lung conditions are fairly exhausting but you can do a bunch of light exercises focusing on the basics like walking for an extra 500 steps and gradually build from there as your body adjusts to the cardiopulmonary conditioning. You can also do low impact activities walking is one, so is pool time and even lifting low weights will help you burn the excess glucose and lower your insulin levels. Beginners yoga or even stretching into your day can help too. Also try looking on YouTube for activities that require exercise while sitting using your body weight. The calorie goal will help you lose the weight it is everything else that will help a with your breathing.
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