Helppp females!!!

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  • Thanks at least Im not the only one having a hard time I mean I usually eat 1400 calories a day I wouldnt have thought 200 would be so much of a difference.

    200 x 7 = 1400 calories - that's almost half a pound a week that you are cheating yourself out of! If you feel you need the extra calories go for a half hour walk a day, or exercise while watching the tv.

    As it's only been a short while you have not put it back on as fat - most of it will be water - you have to give your body time to adjust - every so often I lose nothing at all and I just stay there and then my body decides 'fine you win' and carries on losing. So long as you stick to the basic math of more calories out than in you WILL lose weight - it just takes time, every body is different but hang in there!!
  • itzjulz
    itzjulz Posts: 57 Member
    Read the book "the anderson Method" by Bill Anderson. I have lost 28 pounds doing the anderson method. I am 52, not very active, but now I look like a 20 year old in my jeans. OMG I wear size 5. In my whole adult life I was never this small. I love it!!!! Hunger is in the mind. Tell yourself that when you are hungry you are actually burning fat. So this is a feeling to be MUCH DESIRED! Just like you feel sore after a good workout, or you are tired after sex. When you are hungry you are burning actual fatty tissue. It is such a good thing. You can do it, really. If I can, you can. I am sure of it!

    While I congratulate you on your success, I wanted to add a note of caution for the original poster, because I believe that teaching young women (she's only 19) to desire the feeling of hunger can in some circumstances lead to dangerous results (e.g. eating disorders). This isn't to knock your success, but younger women, especially on a college campus, are much more susceptible to heading down that path.

    You can and should be able to love food, and be satiated by it. Allowing yourself to go hungry will put your body into starvation mode.

    I'm a law student, so I've been both on a budget and in school for a LONG time.
    -Another poster mentioned flax or chia seed -- add them to your oatmeal in the morning! A package of ground flax is only a few dollars
    -Scope out the grocery store sales papers BEFORE you go to the store. Most larger chains will let you view their ads online if you don't get the paper in the mail. When you see healthy staples on sale, stock up! (assuming you live at home and not in a dorm, so you have freezer space) I fill my freezer with frozen veggies and fruit, chicken (buy fresh in the family pack when they're on sale for under $2/lb and freeze into individual ziplock baggies--cheaper and better tasting than buying the pre-frozen ones). If you have competing grocery stores in your area, check both ads -- I often make 2 separate lists and stop at both places!
    -Invest in a crock pot. I make a huge pot of chili or soup for just a few dollars (and mostly easy-to-find, cheap canned or frozen ingredients). The best part is that you can toss everything in in the morning before you go to school and it'll be ready when you get home!
    -Keep healthy snacks on hand: baby carrots, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, nuts. Preportion snacks like nuts into sandwich bags so you aren't tempted to eat more than one serving
    -Drink lots of water! Make sure you're drinking 8 glasses a day! I've found that I'm hungrier on the days that I don't have my water bottle parked at my side. If you don't have a high quality water bottle, try the Contigo brand -- they usually run about $10 and will last! Fill it up for free at the drinking fountain before class, sip through class and before you know it, you'll easily be drinking your daily water requirement.

    Do you drive to school? Can you park further away from the building your class is in? It's cold out now, but on sunny days, bundle up and go for a walk during a break between classes. Making time to work out is my biggest struggle during the schoolweek, but I've started to evaluate where I'm spending my time. If you spend 1/2 hour on facebook or watching a TV show, you have time to work out. Do you have cable? If you have on-demand programming, check to see if they have an exercise video section! There's lots of great free stuff there.
  • amymarie8709
    amymarie8709 Posts: 329 Member
    I usually only get to work out 3 times a week for about 20 mins do to college and this snow isnt helping much...and the gym at my college cost about 75 dollars a month and I just cant swing the extra costs right now.

    Go to Walmart or somewhere similar and get some workout DVD's Jillian Michaels DVD's are amazing!! Try getting up a half hour earlier or do it before you go to bed. Good luck!!! And all this advice is amazing!!! I was going to add something about food and water, but everyone else said it perfectly!
  • gaily_68
    gaily_68 Posts: 11 Member
    I started out at 175lbs. My ultimate goal weight is 125lbs. The first couple of times I tried to use MFP, I didn't stick to it. This time I decided to MAKE it work. Like some others have said...oatmeal is a good start...cheap, filling, low-fat & low calories. I also use apples slices with a little peanut butter spread on them as a snack (cheap & filling & curbs the sweet craving). Fresh veggies are the best, but like you, I have limited budget so I use the store brand frozen veggies. If you buy fish & unbreaded chicken in the frozen meat section in the bags it is cheaper & you can get out only what you need when you need it. Also, I made myself start exercizing on January 2nd.....started out very slow. Started with riding a stationary bike for 20 minute per day....every day. I have gradually built it up & now do a variety of exercises for 60 minutes per day. I was told if you make yourself do something daily for 3 weeks it becomes habit. Worked for me! :-) I'm down to 164 now...got a long way to go, but off to a good start. Hope this helps. Good Luck!
  • meg7399
    meg7399 Posts: 672 Member
    1200 is a really low amount! Consider upping it and eating healthier. If you are indeed working out, you body NEEDS more calories to jump start metabolism and burn fat!
  • lauehorn
    lauehorn Posts: 183
    As others have said, it's totally normal for your weight to fluctuate due to hormones, etc. Do not be discouraged! Just staying on track and keep pressing forward.

    On a budget, I would recommend buying things in bulk when they are on sale (Be aware of the shelf life, though) and stick to whole, fresh or frozen foods. You can make great meals on the cheap, much cheaper than buying packaged foods. Also, try incorporating some vegetarian meals into your diet. Legumes and lentils are much cheaper than buying meat and they are still very nutritious and filling.

    For working out, head over to the library and check out workout DVDs. They may be older, but who cares? They are free! And you can swap them out for a new one as often as you like, so you'll never get bored. There are many that you can do without equipment of any kind - yoga, pilates - or head over to a park for some basic weight training sans weights - push ups, pull ups, lunges, step ups, etc.

    MPF usually sets your calories low, IMO, so 1400 calories may not be a problem. It's important that you feel full and satisfied, and you may need to make some healthy food swaps to ensure you are maximizing the nutrients in your calories. Eating a healthy balance of good carbs, protein and healthy fats for each meal will ensure you are satisfied and won't be starving again in two hours. Feeling hungry is not a good thing and it's your body's way of telling you it's not getting the nutrients it needs. If you are at your calorie goal and still hungry, look at what you have been eating and see if there is a way to improve it.

    Good luck and feel free to add me or message me. I'd be happy to help support your journey.
  • Heyy heyy,

    I started my weight loss journey on the 11th of feb and have so far lost 6lbs, I was aiming for a 2lb a week lost , around the time of month this weight is water weight so i wouldnt worry about it, just keep exercising and remain positive!! :wink:

    Now on the case of eating 1200 and not being satisfied.... I was exactly the same i found i was grouchy and run down and hunger pangs were kicking my *kitten*...its your bodys way of telling you to eat/sleep etc

    So what I have done and its working for me is...first found out my BMR using http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/...once i had found that out i deducted 500 cals a day from that and it gave me a daily calorie limit.

    I changed my diet settings on MFP to a 40/30/30% set up and I train 3 times a week aiming for atleast 700 cals a session this means i am eating a high protein moderate carb diet.

    So in theory (and is working every week) a 1lb will be lost through calorie change and 1lb will be lost through exercise....hope this makes sense :smile:
  • Ps Add me if you want ill always be happy to help....took me ages to get it right :) xx