Am I doing it right???

sjpowell24
sjpowell24 Posts: 7 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok, So I am new to this site.. Be gentle :D

I want/need to loose about 15kg, I am a stay at home mum to a 4 month old boy, so have plenty of time on my hands but my lazy-ness gets the better of me... I have the biggest looser DVD's which I can use but fell down some stairs a week ago and hurt my foot, so have done nothing since. I really love weights and running at the gym but at the moment $$$$ is tight....

I put in to loose 2lb a week and gave me 1200cal a day, which is not alot but I can do it.... I know it is recommended to loose 1lb a week but the calories seem very high as I have read to maintain weight we only need around 2000cal a day, so only reducing 350 cal a day doesn't seem alot. Advice please :)

Someone please explain the whole calorie deficit to me in english terms lol

Feel free to look at my diary and give any advice.... But remember be GENTLE on me lol :P

Replies

  • bprague
    bprague Posts: 564 Member
    First, I should point out that the website starts everyone out on a calorie budget that is very low. Use a Basal Metabolic rate calculator such as http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ to determine how much energy your body spends to keep itself going when doing absolutely NO work. This means that you should not go lower than this rate EVER (until it changes). Now factor in your everyday activity. http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/. For this I would avoid factoring in your exercise. Anything you do exercise-wise is then taken into account when you log it. Once you get this number- that is what you need to maintain your weight. Since you want to lose weight, reduce your calorie intake by about 10-20%. That is your built in deficit. Eat your exercise calories, because you already have a deficit built into your calories.

    As for exercise, no gym membership is ever needed to run. The weather may be ugly, but find a park, a less busy road, anything and you can run if you want to. No excuses- you can do this: you gave birth to a baby- hell you can do anything! :D

    If you want any advice as you progress, I'd be happy to help. Just add me and ask away.
  • sjpowell24
    sjpowell24 Posts: 7 Member
    First, I should point out that the website starts everyone out on a calorie budget that is very low. Use a Basal Metabolic rate calculator such as http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ to determine how much energy your body spends to keep itself going when doing absolutely NO work. This means that you should not go lower than this rate EVER (until it changes). Now factor in your everyday activity. http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/. For this I would avoid factoring in your exercise. Anything you do exercise-wise is then taken into account when you log it. Once you get this number- that is what you need to maintain your weight. Since you want to lose weight, reduce your calorie intake by about 10-20%. That is your built in deficit. Eat your exercise calories, because you already have a deficit built into your calories.

    As for exercise, no gym membership is ever needed to run. The weather may be ugly, but find a park, a less busy road, anything and you can run if you want to. No excuses- you can do this: you gave birth to a baby- hell you can do anything! :D

    If you want any advice as you progress, I'd be happy to help. Just add me and ask away.


    Awesome, Thank you, worked out to be around 1500 cal a day at 500 under my maintenance.... I know there is no excuse for running just hate it on the open roads lol, always find I stop and slow my pace down, as where on a treadmill I just seem to keep going and love interval training.

    What do you think are the 5 best food groups to record? Carbs, fat etc etc
  • bprague
    bprague Posts: 564 Member
    hmm... well, I haven't recorded my diary in ages (I found I actually did better when I listened to my body and ate what I wanted (within reason)) but when I was recording I recorded my sugar (all sorts of evidence suggests that sugar is a sizable culprit in weight gain, and my fiber (I have to watch it at about 35 grams a day or I have some tummy troubles) as well as fat, calories and carbs.

    If you find you eat a lot of processed food, I would think about watching my sodium. Really, I like to think of the diary as a tool to remind you of what you're actually eating.


    I am a big believer that it doesn't matter how fast you run but that you run at all. (mind you I am very slow). If you don't like running on roads, if you have a track near you (school perhaps?) you might think about running intervals on that.

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