Help losing 15 lbs for someone who can't exercise a ton
KumoriNixie
Posts: 11 Member
Hi everyone! I am 5'5" and currently weigh 150 lbs, I only want to lose about 15 lbs but am finding it so difficult! Over the last couple years i have repeatedly lost like 5 lbs, but it always comes creeping back up. I have decided to start logging calories again but one thing that I struggle with is having a limited calorie budget of about 1250, I can't increase that much by exercising more as I have some health issues that make exercise difficult, though I am trying to do a bit here and there. I also love to snack, if anyone has advice for keeping their calories low while eating lots of snacks I am here for it 😁 please share any low cal meals or snacks that have helped you too! Or any other advice!
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Replies
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Snacking and not using a food scale are the two reasons why I could never get below 140 pounds. Now I eat two bigger, filling meals and stopped snacking. I’m sorry, that may not be the answer you are looking for.3
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Why is your calorie budget set so low? You didn't say how old you are, but unless you're well past retirement age, 1250 is below your BMR so no wonder you struggle.
Since you only have 15lb to lose, redo the guided setup and set it to lose 0.5lb per week. You cannot lose 2lb per week at your size, it's not safe or sustainable. I know you want that excess body fat gone yesterday, we all do, but as you've already seen, trying to lose that fast is not working for you.2 -
KumoriNixie wrote: »Hi everyone! I am 5'5" and currently weigh 150 lbs, I only want to lose about 15 lbs but am finding it so difficult! Over the last couple years i have repeatedly lost like 5 lbs, but it always comes creeping back up. I have decided to start logging calories again but one thing that I struggle with is having a limited calorie budget of about 1250, I can't increase that much by exercising more as I have some health issues that make exercise difficult, though I am trying to do a bit here and there. I also love to snack, if anyone has advice for keeping their calories low while eating lots of snacks I am here for it 😁 please share any low cal meals or snacks that have helped you too! Or any other advice!
What do you have you desired rate of loss set at? It's likely you can lose weight on more than 1250 calories. That's pretty bottom of the barrel for a sedentary female and usually an aggressive goal of around 1.5 - 2 Lbs per week, which you don't really have the fat to lose to go at that kind of rate. The more aggressive the weight loss target is, the more "painful" it will be.
As exercise goes, what can you do? Regular exercise doesn't have to be some kind of sufferfest workout to be productive or beneficial. Can you walk? Walking is great low impact, low intensity exercise that is really good for your body and health and has the added benefit of increasing your energy expenditure to some extent. I personally rarely "workout"...only a couple days per week in the weight room and then a couple of days per week on my bike doing a structured workout...but I walk pretty much daily and I love it and the rest of my exercise is pretty much just "playing". If you can go for regular walks, I'd highly recommend.1 -
what @goal06082021 said:
If you've had trouble "DIETING" in the past (that is, seriously restricting your calories to a level that is not sustainable and doesn't help you build healthy long-term habits) why not try a LIFESTYLE CHANGE instead?
I didn't really find success until I set my weekly weight loss goal more reasonably--which gave me a much more satisfying calorie budget--AND I stopped thinking of the way I ate as a temporary "diet thing" that I'd just ditch after reaching my goal and then immediately start gaining the weight back again because I didn't really change my relationship with food.3 -
L1zardQueen wrote: »Snacking and not using a food scale are the two reasons why I could never get below 140 pounds. Now I eat two bigger, filling meals and stopped snacking. I’m sorry, that may not be the answer you are looking for.
Yes that would be hard for me! I think i prefer to eat a few smaller meals and I also tend to get bloated if I eat a lot at once, thanks for the advice though! I am definitely going to try to reduce snacking1 -
goal06082021 wrote: »Why is your calorie budget set so low? You didn't say how old you are, but unless you're well past retirement age, 1250 is below your BMR so no wonder you struggle.
Since you only have 15lb to lose, redo the guided setup and set it to lose 0.5lb per week. You cannot lose 2lb per week at your size, it's not safe or sustainable. I know you want that excess body fat gone yesterday, we all do, but as you've already seen, trying to lose that fast is not working for you.
I currently have it set to lose 1 lb a week, which I think should be doable. So with my current height and weight at 150, and my goal weight as 130 lbs (which is 20 lbs loss, but i would be very happy to reach 15!) MFP has me set to about 1250 calories per day.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »KumoriNixie wrote: »Hi everyone! I am 5'5" and currently weigh 150 lbs, I only want to lose about 15 lbs but am finding it so difficult! Over the last couple years i have repeatedly lost like 5 lbs, but it always comes creeping back up. I have decided to start logging calories again but one thing that I struggle with is having a limited calorie budget of about 1250, I can't increase that much by exercising more as I have some health issues that make exercise difficult, though I am trying to do a bit here and there. I also love to snack, if anyone has advice for keeping their calories low while eating lots of snacks I am here for it 😁 please share any low cal meals or snacks that have helped you too! Or any other advice!
What do you have you desired rate of loss set at? It's likely you can lose weight on more than 1250 calories. That's pretty bottom of the barrel for a sedentary female and usually an aggressive goal of around 1.5 - 2 Lbs per week, which you don't really have the fat to lose to go at that kind of rate. The more aggressive the weight loss target is, the more "painful" it will be.
As exercise goes, what can you do? Regular exercise doesn't have to be some kind of sufferfest workout to be productive or beneficial. Can you walk? Walking is great low impact, low intensity exercise that is really good for your body and health and has the added benefit of increasing your energy expenditure to some extent. I personally rarely "workout"...only a couple days per week in the weight room and then a couple of days per week on my bike doing a structured workout...but I walk pretty much daily and I love it and the rest of my exercise is pretty much just "playing". If you can go for regular walks, I'd highly recommend.
As i mention in my other comment just now, I currently have it set to lose 1 lb a week, which I think should be doable. So with my current height and weight at 150, and my goal weight set as 130 lbs (which is 20 lbs loss, but i would be very happy to reach 15!) MFP has me set to about 1250 calories per day. I'm not sure what their logic is in that...
As far as exercise goes, I am definitely going to try to walk more, especially now that the weather is getting nicer! I struggle with chronic fatigue and chronic pain issues that make it difficult to do more strenuous exercise regularly. Some days I feel pretty good but some days it is hard to get out of bed, so it is just unpredictable. I used to go swimming at the local pool which was great because it was fun and also easy on my joints, but that was closed due to covid of course
Things are starting to open up a bit in my area though with reserved time slots, so I will have to look into that.
Thanks for the reply!0 -
rosebarnalice wrote: »what @goal06082021 said:
If you've had trouble "DIETING" in the past (that is, seriously restricting your calories to a level that is not sustainable and doesn't help you build healthy long-term habits) why not try a LIFESTYLE CHANGE instead?
I didn't really find success until I set my weekly weight loss goal more reasonably--which gave me a much more satisfying calorie budget--AND I stopped thinking of the way I ate as a temporary "diet thing" that I'd just ditch after reaching my goal and then immediately start gaining the weight back again because I didn't really change my relationship with food.
I have tried to do a lifestyle change so many times over the years, with brief periods of success here and there, but it never seems to stick. I just love food!! I think part of it is in my family growing up food was used for everything, if you feel down then get some treat to cheer up! If you get good grades theres some big event, then lets celebrate by going out to eat a big meal! Good or bad, the answer was always food lol, so that has been really hard to break. Counting calories is kind of my last ditch effort now to try to get these extra lbs off0 -
My daughter is your height...and 28 years old... she just lost 22 pounds and did it by going to a diet clinic that has her on a keto type of diet. She paid $400 ....and she had to eat their prepared food for two meals a day and two snacks..and then eat a lean protein and two cups of vegetables for dinner. She weighed in every week and talked with her nutritionist.
Before this; She was counting calories too..and she exercised..she looked firm and fit..but never thin and couldn't lose more than 5 lbs..just like you.
I was amazed..she did it over the Christmas holiday.. .and by gosh by the end of January she was done. .. she lost more than her goal.. and she's now keeping it off.2 -
KumoriNixie wrote: »goal06082021 wrote: »Why is your calorie budget set so low? You didn't say how old you are, but unless you're well past retirement age, 1250 is below your BMR so no wonder you struggle.
Since you only have 15lb to lose, redo the guided setup and set it to lose 0.5lb per week. You cannot lose 2lb per week at your size, it's not safe or sustainable. I know you want that excess body fat gone yesterday, we all do, but as you've already seen, trying to lose that fast is not working for you.
I currently have it set to lose 1 lb a week, which I think should be doable. So with my current height and weight at 150, and my goal weight as 130 lbs (which is 20 lbs loss, but i would be very happy to reach 15!) MFP has me set to about 1250 calories per day.
I'm 5'4" and when I'm 150 a lb of weight loss per week is NOT possible. I am "lightly active" and maintain weight on 1900 calories, so a 1000 calorie deficit is just not possible with our stats. You need to just slow it down, be consistent, and take your time.4 -
I'm right here with you. 5'1 and 156. I did manage to get down to 140 last year but I couldn't get past it. That was also before COVID, winter, and my 9 year old having severe mental breakdown due to being quarantined for so long. These comments were helpful for me also, I had my budget set to low. I just set it to .5 pounds and I'm going to see how this goes. Let's do this together!1
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elisa123gal wrote: »My daughter is your height...and 28 years old... she just lost 22 pounds and did it by going to a diet clinic that has her on a keto type of diet. She paid $400 ....and she had to eat their prepared food for two meals a day and two snacks..and then eat a lean protein and two cups of vegetables for dinner. She weighed in every week and talked with her nutritionist.
Before this; She was counting calories too..and she exercised..she looked firm and fit..but never thin and couldn't lose more than 5 lbs..just like you.
I was amazed..she did it over the Christmas holiday.. .and by gosh by the end of January she was done. .. she lost more than her goal.. and she's now keeping it off.
Wow, thats really cool! I dont know if I want to do something that strict at the moment but it's awesome she was able to accomplish that!0 -
I understand the 1 lb per week calorie goals at that rate because I did it too — 150 lb to 127ish. I was able to get away with losing fine closer to 1350. But my maintenance is around 1650 on sedentary desk-job days. I ate skinny pop popcorn, grapes, waffle with peanut butter and banana, sliced deli turkey, roasted chicken, sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, avocados, burgers made from 90/10 beef. All weighed on a food scale.1
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Boigrrlwonder wrote: »I'm right here with you. 5'1 and 156. I did manage to get down to 140 last year but I couldn't get past it. That was also before COVID, winter, and my 9 year old having severe mental breakdown due to being quarantined for so long. These comments were helpful for me also, I had my budget set to low. I just set it to .5 pounds and I'm going to see how this goes. Let's do this together!
Oh man, I couldn't imagine trying to do this with a kid, so kudos! We can definitely do it, I've been logging somewhat sporadically this past week, but going to start doing it seriously every day tomorrow!0 -
I understand the 1 lb per week calorie goals at that rate because I did it too — 150 lb to 127ish. I was able to get away with losing fine closer to 1350. But my maintenance is around 1650 on sedentary desk-job days. I ate skinny pop popcorn, grapes, waffle with peanut butter and banana, sliced deli turkey, roasted chicken, sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, avocados, burgers made from 90/10 beef. All weighed on a food scale.
Wow you had basically the same weight goal as me, so thats super helpful! I think I will aim to stay around 1300 a day and see how it goes, i love basically all the foods you mentioned lol, I'm curious for your burgers did you just use regular buns usually or did you try to get "healthier" ones like whole wheat? Also did you usually put some sauces on like mayo, ketchup, mustard? I feel like those (aside from the mustard) are things that could easily add calories0 -
PB out of the jar, no crackers or anything else. this keeps me sated and energetic for at least 2 hrs. I also eat almond butter, I like it better. same outcome. I can spread out the meals and eat smaller portions. And when I eat for snack before tennis (yes, at 70 y.o., I'm still playing singles) it gives me the energy I need.1
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I am 5'5", my current weight is 152 pounds, and my ultimate goal is around 135, too. I started this thing at 190lbs.
Real talk? Probably going to take me longer to lose the last 17lbs than it did the first 38. That's just... kind of how weight loss rolls. The closer you are to where you want to maintain the smaller your deficit will be. I lost 2lbs a week for a bit, then about 5lbs a month, then about 3lbs a month. Right now, lightly active, it's down to about 2lbs a month. It just is what it is. Settle in. Once you're down to 'fine tuning' it's a slow thing.
That out of the way:
I snack a lot 100 calorie bags of microwave popcorn are good. Another favorite for me is mini tootsie roll pops. They're 20 calories each, last a while and keep my mouth occupied.2 -
susanlee53 wrote: »PB out of the jar, no crackers or anything else. this keeps me sated and energetic for at least 2 hrs. I also eat almond butter, I like it better. same outcome. I can spread out the meals and eat smaller portions. And when I eat for snack before tennis (yes, at 70 y.o., I'm still playing singles) it gives me the energy I need.
Peanut butter is way too addicting to me, its one of my favorite foods! And I dont think it makes me feel as full as it should given how much fat and protein it has, so i would definitely overeat it, I'm glad it is working for you! I do love apple slices dipped in peanut butter. I have also been enjoying the little baby bell cheeses lately, it's easy to just grab one to throw in my work bag.0 -
wunderkindking wrote: »I am 5'5", my current weight is 152 pounds, and my ultimate goal is around 135, too. I started this thing at 190lbs.
Real talk? Probably going to take me longer to lose the last 17lbs than it did the first 38. That's just... kind of how weight loss rolls. The closer you are to where you want to maintain the smaller your deficit will be. I lost 2lbs a week for a bit, then about 5lbs a month, then about 3lbs a month. Right now, lightly active, it's down to about 2lbs a month. It just is what it is. Settle in. Once you're down to 'fine tuning' it's a slow thing.
That out of the way:
I snack a lot 100 calorie bags of microwave popcorn are good. Another favorite for me is mini tootsie roll pops. They're 20 calories each, last a while and keep my mouth occupied.
Very true, thank you! I will have to check out the 100 calorie popcorn bags! Tootsie roll pops are a good idea too, I also like to keep my "mouth occupied", so that made me lol
lately I have been making a huge bowl of oatmeal with a mashed banana in the mornings and eating it over the course of a couple hours while I do work at my desk, its so dense and filling it's hard for me ti eat it fast, and it keeps me from seeking out other food for a while haha 0 -
Just some thoughts-sometimes those snacks are to 'keep our mouth and taste buds occupied', rather than to satisfy a genuine hunger. I use the PB (all natural/nothing added) with apple slices when I am genuinely hungry. Sometimes I sprinkle with psyllium husk or rolled oats. I have more to lose than you- 20lbs left, and then I might try to lose a few more-and I keep my low set at 1500. I am super sedentary due to health, and this is giving me a loss of 1.4lbs per week average so far, but it may be beginning to slow. If snacks are not reall hunger-related, maybe try sugar free gum. Extra Polar Ice keeps its flavor longer for me.. More water, or water with lemon helps, too. And there is always the old stand by of brushing your teeth then waiting 20 min to see if you still want that snack:-). Eating things with sweeteners just seems to keep me wanting more, so I do not do diet drinks and use sweeteners very seldom.0
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