new but old to mfp

oliviaaa_x
oliviaaa_x Posts: 10 Member
edited October 1 in Introduce Yourself
I say Im new but old because ive been using this for like 3 months, but only just now have I decided to use it religiously...
Basically i just wanna look nice for prom next year and for my health and to like myself.. need lots of motivation from people though cozz I refuse to tell my friends... I've always avoided this topic with them and would prefer to suffer in silence than tell them Im trying to lose weight... I basically wanna get to 144lbish and I'm currently 196/199, it varies.. but I'm hoping a limit of 1200 calories a day and 2 hours of rowing machine will work? Are there any teenagers on here that have achieved a 50lb weightloss goal that I can use as inspiration? Or anyone that can offer advice on how to lose 50lbs?

Sorry I ramble, much love xxx

EDIT:
I dont know how to reset it so that MFP tells me how many I should be having :( so Ive changed it to 1400 calories..

Replies

  • andreahanlon
    andreahanlon Posts: 263 Member
    2 hours of rowing and only 1200 calories may be overdoing it. Your body might rebel and withhold burning calories if you work out so hard and don't give it the energy it needs. Eating 1200 calories at a weight of 196 will cause you to lose 2 lbs a week without any exercise at all. If you are going to do that much exercise, you need to eat more. Enter your workout into MFP and it will tell you how much to eat. If you follow what the program tells you, you should get the results you want. Don't starve your body! It won't help in the long run.

    Also since your goal is to look good at prom next year, that means you have time to do things right. Just work to make good, healthy choices every day. If you work out really hard, it may be unmanageable causing you to give up. If you have a year, you could lose a pound a week and meet your goal. Slow and steady. Consistent healthy choices will do the trick.
  • TinyMcMassive
    TinyMcMassive Posts: 13
    First, it is definitely possible to lose that amount of weight by your prom. Since you're young, you're likely in the best possible position to do so compared to someone older with a slower metabolism, so definitely use that as motivation.

    Agreed with andreahanlon, what you've described is going to result in your body going into starvation. It may work for shedding the first 10 lbs or so, but you will eventually hit weight plateaus which will cause you to become frustrated if you don't know how to get past them properly. It's easier on your body if you chip away slowly. This site will absolutely give you all of the information you need to do that.

    Start by improving your diet. You should lose some weight just by doing that. Then work on coming up with a reasonable exercise routine. You can do 2 hours of rowing if you want, but make sure you're ready to eat lot of healthy stuff to compensate for that activity. You're probably going to be a lot happier and healthier by doing max 60 minutes of exercise 5-6 days a week. Remember, you didn't gain the weight overnight, you won't lose it overnight. With steady exercise and also eating right, you will lose weight this way, period.

    Use the food and exercise diary to hit your numbers and use these forums to find all of the answers to any questions you have. It works. Good luck!
  • mark03264
    mark03264 Posts: 334 Member
    Only limit yourself to 1200 calories a day if that is the daily calorie goal that MFP gives you. If MFP gives you 1400 then eat 1400 or whatever you are given. In other words eat close to the calorie goal that MFP gives you each day including eating back most of the calories that you burn through exercise. I know that it sounds counter intuitive to eat back your exercise calories but believe it or not it is important to do. If your net calories per day are too low through calorie restriction and/or exercise burn you are likely to slow or even stop fat loss.

    Also, be sure that you do cardio AND resistance exercise on alternating exercise sessions and vary what you do for your cardio and resistance exercises. If you do the same thing all time your body will get used to and more efficient at that exercise and it become less effective at burning fat.
  • foreveni
    foreveni Posts: 2
    You can do this and your goal is very doable in the timeframe you have. My niece is 16 and has lost over 50 pounds. Keep your head up high and love yourself no matter what the scale says.:smile:
This discussion has been closed.

Categories