Not sure what to set my "weekly weight loss" or activity lev

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candicejn
candicejn Posts: 458 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all :) Just looking for suggestions. I've been on here almost 3 weeks, lost 6lbs. I'm currently set at sedentary, with 2lbs per week loss desired. I'm finding myself hungry a lot, and going over a little and it makes me feel SO guilty (on average I'm not over more than 200 cals, and not every day) - most days I'm around the 1360 they have me set at. I am a stay at home mom to a 3 year old and 5 year old, I have a part time job I do from home, plus I have all the cleaning and stuff I consider my 'job' since I don't work out of the house. Should I change my setting to lightly active to give myself those extra calories? Or should I leave it alone and see how the next few weeks go? If I changed it to the next activity level it would give me 1550 cals/day. I do eat my exercise calories since I"m set at sedentary.

I'm so afraid this won't work, I don't want to do it wrong or give up because I'm hungry all the time.

Any suggestions? Thank you!!!!!

Replies

  • reddcat
    reddcat Posts: 314 Member
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    Bump. Wish I could help. Been on here since Jan 3 and still play with my settings all the time. I am also a stay-at-home-mom, so it makes it harder to judge my activity level. Hoping you get some good responses!!
  • cassiejoyy
    cassiejoyy Posts: 82
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    You can always just change it to losing 1lb a week.
  • Luckydrd
    Luckydrd Posts: 56 Member
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    Bump it to 1500 to 1700 and I promise you the weight will come off.
    How tall are you? Are you doing any exercising?
  • rudegyal_b
    rudegyal_b Posts: 593 Member
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    sounds like youre sedentary to me, id leave it at that, im lightly active but have a job on my feet for 9 hours a day 5 days a week, and work out seriously 7 days a week

    id keep it sedentary and start working out, also if youre hungry id bump up your food intake
  • groovylittlerockstar
    groovylittlerockstar Posts: 11 Member
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    With a three and five year old to care for as well as the chores you do at home, I have a hard time believing you are as sedentary as you may think! I would bump it to the next level for sure.
  • wildkatt7
    wildkatt7 Posts: 163 Member
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    I set mine to lightly active and wonder sometimes if I should set it to sedentary, but if you have lost 6 pounds in 3 weeks, you are doing just fine... you should lose between 1-3 pounds per week for sustainable loss... and don't feel guilty about feeding your body... it needs fuel. if you are hungry you should indeed eat. Period. it takes time to balance out the amounts... but if hungry try to eat carrots or nuts or things that will fill you up but not hold too many calories....
  • dkvote
    dkvote Posts: 58
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    I was set the same way and starving! A friend of mine on here who has lost over 100 lbs told me to change from sedentary to lightly active to go fro 2lbs to 1.5lbs and to change my exercise form 30 minutes 5 times a week to at least 45 minutes 6-7 days a week...trust me I work out even then to get more calories and YES I eat the exercise calories back. I have been here for 65 days an started my journey 6 days before that, so in 71 (10 weeks and 1 day) days I have lost 24.4 lbs with an average of 2.4 lbs per week...Add me if you like I love supportive motivated friends! :)
  • candicejn
    candicejn Posts: 458 Member
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    Bump it to 1500 to 1700 and I promise you the weight will come off.
    How tall are you? Are you doing any exercising?

    I'm 5'6" and have been exercising at least 30-45 mins 3-4 times a week so far. I have a treadmill and a stationary bike that I've been alternating between.

    Thanks for the replies!
  • saraann752003
    saraann752003 Posts: 65
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    honestly, I will say, I have mine set to sedentary, 2 pounds off of a goal, and no excercise goal. This "gives" me 1200 calories each week. I earn more by excercising. The weeks I stick to what I need to, I do well and generally loose. My struggle is sticking with the plan and not letting life get in the way. I probably should be consuming about 1400 calories a day just to live, so I don't give myself a hard time when I go over, but going over makes me work out a bit more. If you want to be exact, check with your doctor to get help calculating everything exact. Understand that you need to listen to your body. Eat the right foods and they will keep you going longer... (example is oatmeal and an egg for breakfast for me... sticks with me for a while.... versus and egg mcmuffin which has me looking for food at 10 am) Good Luck!
  • candicejn
    candicejn Posts: 458 Member
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    I think I need to train my brain to not see those red numbers (when I go over a little) as failure. In reality, as long as I stay under my BMR (which is estimated around 1900), I'd still be doing ok. I have a feeling that if I was to increase my daily calories I would just have trouble "sticking to those", too. So maybe I should just leave it alone, and not beat myself up if I go over a few days a week. Or make myself exercise more if I want more... Which I am trying to do - the last 3 days have been a little rough though (which is probably what triggered me writing this post - seeing red for 3 days in a row...)

    Thanks for the replies, I do appreciate the different viewpoints :)
  • Luckydrd
    Luckydrd Posts: 56 Member
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    In my opinion, take your time. Don't shock yourself with dieting and exercising all at once. Exercise 3 times a week and change you daily intake to 1500-1700. Try it for 2-3 weeks if the weight doesn't come off lower your calories by 200.
  • candicejn
    candicejn Posts: 458 Member
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    In my opinion, take your time. Don't shock yourself with dieting and exercising all at once. Exercise 3 times a week and change you daily intake to 1500-1700. Try it for 2-3 weeks if the weight doesn't come off lower your calories by 200.

    Thank you :)
  • reddcat
    reddcat Posts: 314 Member
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    I agree with Lucky. The forums are full of posters who hit the diet and exercise HARD right off the bat and did not lose squat. Myself, I was doing the recommended 1200 thing and exercising all the time. Took me 8 months to lose four pounds. Total fail. The fact that you have lost so much already is awesome. Don't be afraid to up those calories.
  • adross3
    adross3 Posts: 606 Member
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    Can you open your food to the public. If your hungry it's probably what you are eating. But, I need to see what your eating. My first suggestion is to fill half of your plate with vegitables. The vitamins and minerals are essencial to organ function and weight loss. The vegitalbles will help fill you up too.

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