Will I really lose any weight?

Options
I really have a lot of weight to lose (I,m aiming for 20kg but to be honest id really like to lose 25)
Ive started on a 1200 calorie goal, and aiming to do at least 30 minutes exercise 5-6 days a week (at least for the first 2 weeks then ill review, and so far thats been my bare minimum),
I wasnt really doing much exercise before so anything is an improvement i guess,
but i dont really feel like my lifestyle has changed that dramatically, im a little worried because it makes sense to me that dramatic weightloss will require dramatic changes...
«1

Replies

  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Options
    1200 is too low for working out that many times a week.

    How tall are you?
    How much do you weigh?
  • Kirsty_UK
    Kirsty_UK Posts: 964 Member
    Options
    1200 is too low for working out that many times a week.

    How tall are you?
    How much do you weigh?

    could have meant 1200 net
  • militarydreams
    militarydreams Posts: 198 Member
    Options
    Eat enough to support your new routine. Your new routine will cause water weight gain in the form of glycogen (bound to water) and the muscles take on water to protect them while they repair. Bottom line is stay the hell away from the scales and break out the tape measure for the first 2 weeks of any exercise program.

    Will you lose FAT? Yes of course you will. WEIGHT maybe not but that's perfect.
  • seekingstrengthX2
    Options
    I would like to gently point out a few things if you don't mind. You're looking for honest feedback, right? :)

    1. Your attitude has to change. Your title is negative, as is your post. You have to BELIEVE that you will SUCCEED. You are setting yourself up to fail from Day 1. You Achieve What you Believe.

    2. Your profile says you want to lose weight "so my son's father will want to be with me". THAT has to change. You have to want it for YOU.. ... not for someone else.

    3. I hope you understand that 1200 is a NET number, So if you are working out for 30 minutes/day, burning.. what... 200-250 calories during that time? You need to actually be eating around 1500, I'd say. And, honestly, if all you are doing is cardio, 30 minutes isn't going to cause the weight to drop as quickly as what I suspect you would like.

    Good Luck.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Options
    1200 is too low for working out that many times a week.

    How tall are you?
    How much do you weigh?

    could have meant 1200 net

    Still too low.
    Unless shes 4'10".
    Or
    If she doesnt care about lean mass and just wants to shrink and keep the BF%.
  • sloanie1
    sloanie1 Posts: 276 Member
    Options
    Yes you are correct, it will require some changes but it is a lifestyle change so you have to determine how you want to live your life in terms of being healthy......everything comes at a price unfortunately...Ive been at it for 18months and still not there yet...consistency is the key to success.....by eating 1200 calories and exercising you will definately lose weight, just remember to incorporate veggies, fruit and protein and keep the processed food to a minimum...its about replacing old habits with new healthy choices...:o)
  • sloanie1
    sloanie1 Posts: 276 Member
    Options
    1200 is too low for working out that many times a week.

    How tall are you?
    How much do you weigh?

    could have meant 1200 net

    Still too low.
    Unless shes 4'10".
    Or
    If she doesnt care about lean mass and just wants to shrink and keep the BF%.

    I disagree, there are plenty of healthy foods you can fit into 1200 calories, only you know your own body and what some people class as too low is not necessarily for others....its about experimenting and if your body needs more food it will surely tell you, someone is not going to starve on 1200 calories...:o)
  • sunshine45356
    sunshine45356 Posts: 78 Member
    Options
    This is exactly what happened to me. I woke up and I had gained 3 lbs! I let my body repair and rest for a couple days ate a little more. Got up this morning and the 3 lbs was gone!
  • ebony__
    ebony__ Posts: 519 Member
    Options
    im 173cm (5"8) and currently weigh 94 kgs.
    1200 is my goal not my net > im not starving it feels like plenty enough food most days.
    do i need to dramatically up my exercise to get the result i want?
  • Luka1636
    Luka1636 Posts: 5
    Options
    1200 is too low for working out that many times a week.

    How tall are you?
    How much do you weigh?

    could have meant 1200 net

    Still too low.
    Unless shes 4'10".
    Or
    If she doesnt care about lean mass and just wants to shrink and keep the BF%.

    I disagree, there are plenty of healthy foods you can fit into 1200 calories, only you know your own body and what some people class as too low is not necessarily for others....its about experimenting and if your body needs more food it will surely tell you, someone is not going to starve on 1200 calories...:o)

    Everyone is different. I cannot do 1200 calories but my husband can and does. The healthier the choices the better. My husband and found many of Walden Farms 0 calorie products to be good and help if you feel the need to indulge in dressings on salads. This cuts many empty calories. This is my First experience dieting and have a difficult time but being aware of what you are eating helps. Don't be obsessed with the scale, look at how your clothes fit. They are right you need to make your changes for you. That is what made me want to lose my 30 lbs of baby weight. I want to keep up with my 3 yo. Cardio seems to work best for me to lose weight. we do 30 minutes to 45 minutes everyday. Something that makes you sweat. I wish you the best of luck.
  • nperumal
    nperumal Posts: 2
    Options
    I think you're looking for this process to be instantaneous. Weight loss is not like that. If you crash diet & exercise your body goes into shock and does all it can to "hang onto" the extra fat in your body.

    Each pound of fat equates to 3500 calories. So to burn 1 pound of fat a week you need to burn 3500 calories a week. I.e. 500 calories per day. This can either be through deficit of food and/or exercise. As a rough guide through aerobic exercise (cardio rather than weights) you will burn approx 10 cal a min. If you are deficitting your diet by 800 calories and doing approx 30mins exercise you should expect to loose about 2-2.5lbs a week.

    Remember to not only do cardio, doing some sort of weights will tone & build muscle. Remember the more muscle you have the more calories you burn a day (that is why men are allowed more calories a day than women as they generally have more muscle mass)
  • SMK715
    SMK715 Posts: 108
    Options
    You need to eat more. And incorporate some weight training. Like someone already said, you are just going to shrink and keep the same bf% with your routine and diet
  • BattyMama
    BattyMama Posts: 136 Member
    Options
    Eat enough to support your new routine. Your new routine will cause water weight gain in the form of glycogen (bound to water) and the muscles take on water to protect them while they repair. Bottom line is stay the hell away from the scales and break out the tape measure for the first 2 weeks of any exercise program.

    Will you lose FAT? Yes of course you will. WEIGHT maybe not but that's perfect.

    Yup I went through this and lost 3 inches but gained 5 pounds i kept with the plan even when the junk food was calling and the 5 pounds was gone one day and the inches kept coming off!
  • mrritz
    mrritz Posts: 2
    Options
    I've been on the 1200 calorie goal for 4 weeks this coming Sunday and have lost 7.5 pounds (3.4 K?). If you really track everything you eat as accurate as you can (error on the high side) you'll probably find it hard to only eat 1200 calories (I'm probably hitting 1500-1800 per day). I have been amazed at how much the "little" snacks I have add up. The cardio exercise entries give you credits towards the calories. I've been doing 50 minutes of eliptical or treadmill at a walking pace (3 mph) at a 10 degree incline (that burns more calories for me than running and I can actually do it). So if you stick at it you will lose weight and feel better from both the exercise and diet. The weight doesn't just fly off and if you're like me you will have a few days with a little uptick in weight but keeping at it does work. Good Luck Ebony!
  • ebony__
    ebony__ Posts: 519 Member
    Options
    I would like to gently point out a few things if you don't mind. You're looking for honest feedback, right? :)

    1. Your attitude has to change. Your title is negative, as is your post. You have to BELIEVE that you will SUCCEED. You are setting yourself up to fail from Day 1. You Achieve What you Believe.

    2. Your profile says you want to lose weight "so my son's father will want to be with me". THAT has to change. You have to want it for YOU.. ... not for someone else.

    3. I hope you understand that 1200 is a NET number, So if you are working out for 30 minutes/day, burning.. what... 200-250 calories during that time? You need to actually be eating around 1500, I'd say. And, honestly, if all you are doing is cardio, 30 minutes isn't going to cause the weight to drop as quickly as what I suspect you would like.

    Good Luck.

    Yeah i totally want honest feed back ,
    so i dont want this to sound like retaliation because its not, the more honest the better, but ive come to this with a positive attitude, i just also want to loose the weight and this is my first time dieting so i dont really know whats best for me and if im doing enough, so id rather not start working really hard at a plan that isnt right and wont do anything.

    for the second point that is just one of my reasons, my initial reasons are for me, but i also think missing someone you love is good motivation and Im being honest about it.

    I have 1200 as my goal number not my net number ( i think,,, im still getting the hang of it) for 2 reasons, a good friend was really succesful at that goal and reccommened, and 2 because i eat healthy food anyway so 1200 feels comfortable for me

    would you suggest i up my cardio?
  • temp666777
    temp666777 Posts: 169
    Options
    (1) if you're going to track your input, you have to be INCREDIBLY accurate - mindbogglingly accurate - in tracking you input. you need super-accurate scales EVERYWHERE. you MUST weigh literally EVERY SINGLE THING you eat, even butter used for cooking - whatever.

    (2) 1200 is probably way too low - it's silly

    (3) note that IT IS SIMPLY ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE to state WHAT number of calories you should eat. it's that simple. what you must do is:

    (4) pick some value like say 1500 per day. try that for two weeks. see what happens. it might be too low or two high. adjust. try again for two weeks. that is THE ONLY WAY for a given individual to find out what number of cals they shoudl eat for weight loss. there is, quite simply, no other possible way to determine the number.

    (5) the number of grams of CARBOHYDRATE you eat per day is of overwhelming importance. You will never burn off fat unless you control that.

    I won't say "good luck" because there is zero luck involved! it's easy to lose weight IF you follow step (1) precisely and step (4) precisely
  • ebony__
    ebony__ Posts: 519 Member
    Options
    I think you're looking for this process to be instantaneous. Weight loss is not like that. If you crash diet & exercise your body goes into shock and does all it can to "hang onto" the extra fat in your body.

    Each pound of fat equates to 3500 calories. So to burn 1 pound of fat a week you need to burn 3500 calories a week. I.e. 500 calories per day. This can either be through deficit of food and/or exercise. As a rough guide through aerobic exercise (cardio rather than weights) you will burn approx 10 cal a min. If you are deficitting your diet by 800 calories and doing approx 30mins exercise you should expect to loose about 2-2.5lbs a week.

    Remember to not only do cardio, doing some sort of weights will tone & build muscle. Remember the more muscle you have the more calories you burn a day (that is why men are allowed more calories a day than women as they generally have more muscle mass)

    I know it's going to be a long road, just want to start out on the right track :)
  • ebony__
    ebony__ Posts: 519 Member
    Options
    (1) if you're going to track your input, you have to be INCREDIBLY accurate - mindbogglingly accurate - in tracking you input. you need super-accurate scales EVERYWHERE. you MUST weigh literally EVERY SINGLE THING you eat, even butter used for cooking - whatever.

    (2) 1200 is probably way too low - it's silly

    (3) note that IT IS SIMPLY ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE to state WHAT number of calories you should eat. it's that simple. what you must do is:

    (4) pick some value like say 1500 per day. try that for two weeks. see what happens. it might be too low or two high. adjust. try again for two weeks. that is THE ONLY WAY for a given individual to find out what number of cals they shoudl eat for weight loss.

    there is, quite simply, no other possible way to determine the number.

    (5) the number of grams of CARBOHYDRATE you eat per day is of overwhelming importance. You will never burn off fat unless you control that.

    I won't say "good luck" because there is zero luck involved! it's easy to lose weight IF you follow step (1) precisely and step (4) precisely

    Cool ok, Ive tracking my calories as accurate as I possibly can with out letting it take over my like and usually ad a fee extra just to be on the safe side

    Why is 1200 too low if it's a comfortable enough amount for me?
  • deadstarsunburn
    deadstarsunburn Posts: 1,337 Member
    Options
    I would like to gently point out a few things if you don't mind. You're looking for honest feedback, right? :)

    1. Your attitude has to change. Your title is negative, as is your post. You have to BELIEVE that you will SUCCEED. You are setting yourself up to fail from Day 1. You Achieve What you Believe.

    2. Your profile says you want to lose weight "so my son's father will want to be with me". THAT has to change. You have to want it for YOU.. ... not for someone else.

    3. I hope you understand that 1200 is a NET number, So if you are working out for 30 minutes/day, burning.. what... 200-250 calories during that time? You need to actually be eating around 1500, I'd say. And, honestly, if all you are doing is cardio, 30 minutes isn't going to cause the weight to drop as quickly as what I suspect you would like.

    Good Luck.

    Yeah i totally want honest feed back ,
    so i dont want this to sound like retaliation because its not, the more honest the better, but ive come to this with a positive attitude, i just also want to loose the weight and this is my first time dieting so i dont really know whats best for me and if im doing enough, so id rather not start working really hard at a plan that isnt right and wont do anything.

    for the second point that is just one of my reasons, my initial reasons are for me, but i also think missing someone you love is good motivation and Im being honest about it.

    I have 1200 as my goal number not my net number ( i think,,, im still getting the hang of it) for 2 reasons, a good friend was really succesful at that goal and reccommened, and 2 because i eat healthy food anyway so 1200 feels comfortable for me

    would you suggest i up my cardio?

    No you don't need to up your cardio. You need to NET 1200 or simply cook with olive oil or eat peanut butter to reach around 1500. You will lose muscle and can still be unhealthy because you will still have a high BF% if you don't keep up with eating enough. That's great your friend succeeded with what worked for them, but your body is different.
    Most people on here will say you need to eat more.

    Good luck<3
  • seekingstrengthX2
    Options
    I think maybe you are confused about what your calorie goal is.

    If 1200 is your goal, that IS ALSO your net. That means, after all is said and done at the end of the day, you should have consumed and processed 1200 calories.

    So on a day of rest (no exercise), you should actually EAT 1200 calories.
    On a day of exercise (say you burn 300 calories), you should EAT 1500 calories so that your NET is still 1200.

    That part is really important to understand.

    If you eat 1200 all the time, even on days you exercise, you will not be getting enough food.

    If I were you, I would do cardio 3-4 days/week for more like 45 minutes. Do strength training (weights) 2 days a week. Then 1 or 2 days of rest.