Should I cut down on calories

momo_1953
momo_1953 Posts: 6 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi I am a female 67 and have been mostly on 1200 calories a day and also doing 1 hour treadmill and 40 mins cycling I have at least 6 stone to lose but find i am only losing a pound a week should i cut back on calories any advice would be welcome thanks.

Replies

  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    nope. 1 lb a week is great and eating less than 1200 to seek an additional half lb loss would put you in serious LC mode. Not worth the damage. Keep it up, time flies and you will look back and know you made the right decision.
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,071 Member
    edited January 2021
    Weight loss be slow sometimes - even when you are doing everything right. I'm a few years younger than the OP and weigh every morsel that crosses my lips To. The. Gram. I work out moderately for 30 minutes on the mini-trampoline most every day. And still, sometimes the numbers on the scale won't budge. This past week, I've lost ONE whole pound. :neutral: It's disappointing to not see wondrous results, especially when you feel you've earned them, but I figure it's still better than gaining.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,244 Member
    A one pound per week loss is a safe rate.

    A daily intake of 1200 calories is pretty low if you are doing an hour on the treadmill and 40 minutes on a bike every day. If you have six stone (80 pounds) to lose, you'll probably have a daily calorie demand of WAY more than 1200.

    How are you measuring the foods you eat? Do you have a scale? Are you brutally honest in logging EVERYTHING you eat and drink? At 1200 calories per day with that much activity, you would probably be losing more than a pound a week. Losing too quickly is unhealthy and can cause your body to digest its own muscles. Your heart is a muscle. It's usually considered a fairly important organ.

    Do you eat back your exercise calories over the 1200 base?

    What does MFP recommend for someone at your height, weight, age, and activity level to lose one (or two) pounds per week?

    As you lose weight, your calorie needs will decrease, but 1200 is kind of a minimum. That's before you start exercising.
  • momo_1953
    momo_1953 Posts: 6 Member
    Thank you all for replies x
  • elmusho1989
    elmusho1989 Posts: 321 Member
    You are doing great! Keep it up safely as you are. I know its slow but you'll get there😊
  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,908 Member
    I lost 90 pounds when I was in my late 50's. For an older female to lose weight, 1200 calories is what MFP gives you to eat. Its pretty discouraging when you read on here about younger people (especially male) being able to eat 2000-3000 and still lose weight! LOL

    But MFP is designed so that you eat back some of the calories you've earned through exercise. Some people eat all of them back and still have success but I found that if I ate more than half of them, my weightloss stopped. Do not go below 1200 calories, but just be sure that you are weighing (food scale) and measuring your food as accurately as possible. At our age every mouthful of food has to be logged!

    It took me three years to lose my weight but during that time I enjoyed birthdays, holidays, and life events in general. I'm glad I did it that way, even though it took longer. But other people just want to get it done and over with, which I totally understand.

    My one piece of advice is to make sure you listen to your body because it will tell you if you're doing too much. Being a little stiff or sore after exercising is fine, but don't ignore any actual pain. For example, I love yoga and decided to do a 30 day program. Years ago I injured my rotator cuff but it didn't bother me anymore at all. Until I was doing downward dogs and planks every day for 30 days and chose to ignore the pain in my arm and shoulder. It tooks weeks and many massage appointments to heal and I learned a valuable lesson: Never ignore what your body is trying to tell you. I now do yoga about twice a week but yes, I'm jealous of people who can do it more often LOL

    Long story short, 1 pound a week is a good amount to lose and you're doing great :)
  • size102be
    size102be Posts: 5 Member
    I’d say you should eat 1500 a day as you lose you’d need to drop more or up exercise

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