Ladies 5'4 around 154lb - Eating Advice Pls (for losing weig

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KarinFit4Life
KarinFit4Life Posts: 424 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there.

I'm 33 years old, 5'4 and weighing 154lbs. I've started out at 165lbs and managed to lose 17lbs since October 2011 to End December 2011. (3 months)
Then I went on holiday, stopped my exercising for a bit and ate without logging my calories.... yes...big mistake. Picked up about 6lbs since then and 3 weeks ago I started my exercising routine and healthy eating religiously again.

Now I know I've done this successfully and can do so again...but I've managed to confuse myself with too much reading on this site...haha, yes sounds stupid, but thats what happens when you have info overload.
I haven't seen the scale drop, NOR any cm/inches lost in 3 weeks... :( When I started my journey in Oct '11 I managed to lose weight within the first 2 weeks...so whats going on???

Am I eating too little...or too much...or am I not patient enough this time round?

I've set my calorie intake at 1400 (about the same as I did when I was losing). I eat back most of my exercise calories, yes.
I take additional protein shakes to up my protein after work outs and they are very low in carbs and calories.

I do 30 Day Shred / Ripped in 30 = 5 days a week. And add cardio of 30-40min treadmill (3.5m/ph walking) to that 5-6 days a week. (Average of 400-450 calories burned per day, some days less if I don't do the Circuit workout)
I have three kids of whom the youngest is now 1 year old. They can keep me fairly busy as well.

Now re the "too much reading and info overload" .... It seems to me that there are ladies that are round about my height that are/were able to eat 1600 - 1800 calories or MORE and still lose weight?! And no, they are NOT obese, I made sure.
Therefore my question...am I eating too little for the exercises Im doing??
Then on the flip side there are ladies that eat like 1200-1300 calories per day and also lose well??
CONFUSED!!!

And I'm only so confused because I dont see results this time round even though I'm almost at it for a month now.

Any help would be appreciated.

Replies

  • WalkingFlower
    WalkingFlower Posts: 41 Member
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    Hm, I have the same problem. 5'4'' and now around 154 lbs.
    I've started my weight loss plan at the end of Sept. 2011 and stopped it before Christmas. But because of some diseases in a row.
    Came back to MFP cca 3 weeks ago.

    I've set my net calorie intake to 1100 but I always eat my exercise calories and I eat at least 1200 cals. Now I see, my weight is frozen and I lost 2 lbs in these 3 weeks. In my first weight loss period it was much easier to lose weight.
    But I think, weight loss can't be constant in time. It's going easy at the beginning and it will be harder to lose last extra pounds :)

    Exercises: I count max 180 cals burned in 40 mins of walking. I never count strenght training, but if you have sport tester or you are keeping constant HR around 130 bpm, 60-70 mins of training could be 400-450 burned cals. And childcare burns some extra calories too :)

    Food: Now I am focusing on correct food composition of proteins, carbs and fat (aprox. 30% Proteins / 50% Carbs / 20% Fat).

    So, my advice is to eat correct, to exercise and just be patient. Don't be sad.
    IMHO: If you are sad or confused, your body follows your mind and prepares its own calorie reserves for bad times :).

    Could we be friends? ;)
  • Beata2626
    Beata2626 Posts: 8
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    Hi

    I am in a similar situation. I'm 33 and 5'4". I started off at 152 lbs in Jan and i'm on 135 now.. My intake is set at 1300 as per recommended guidelines to lose 1lb a week. I am losing more though. You can have a look at my diary. I do not starve myself but I do not eat back my exercise calories very often either.

    you can add me to your friends if you want
  • JenaePavlak
    JenaePavlak Posts: 350 Member
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    I'm 5'5" now at 140.5lbs, I used to be 175. The last 10 lbs have been pretty slow but that is normal. As you get closer to your goal weight you should slowly lose so not to be rid of your lean muscle. I found strength training with bursts of cardio have really helped get me past the 150lbs plateau. I also changed when I eat certain meals.. I've found that I have more energy when I don't eat carbs at lunch, but save them around dinner time. Take a look at my diary if you'd like. I eat about 6 smaller meals a day to keep metabolism up. I'd write more but I need to get ready for work!

    My goal is 1510. I eat my exercise calories.. and end up eating about 2000 cals a day.
  • lambertj
    lambertj Posts: 675 Member
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    I can relate to the information overload, the more I learn the more confused I am. I'm 5' 4" too, started at 147 and am now down around 130. I started at 1200 calories a day and just recently upped them to 1400 so we shall see. I also increased my percentage of healthy fat (because I read an article that advised desk job worked to increase fat and decrease carbs). I think it's a bit of trial and error to see what works. I've talked to my doctor as well and told her what i'm doing and she swears the weight will come off eventually. It's been an extremely slow process. Hang in there.
  • sandiburn
    sandiburn Posts: 149
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    First of all I wanted to tell you GREAT JOB!!! Your dedication shows. I am 5'4. But I started at 215. I am now at 170. I have not lost any weight this month. I too exercise, everyother day. My Dr told me to stay around 1000 cals a day. But after being on MFP for so long, I dont think I am taking in enough. I wish I could help you out with your question, but I dont know. Just wanted to say congrats on your loss and keep up the good work.
  • eeebee
    eeebee Posts: 471 Member
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    I'm 5"3 and a half (the all important half!) and I started at 157lb. I have now reached 150 - 151lb.

    It has taken almost a year of lots of exercise (well at least 30 mins 5 x a day, then some days 2.5 hours) and calorie counting but it is definitely paying off.

    Inches, wise, I have gone from a 14 - 16 (trouser size) to a 12 and I am really really pleased with the toning and shape change. A lot of the fat turned has into muscle so the weight hasnt dramatically changed but that's not as important to me as the physical changes which you can see as soon as you look at me.

    I am on 1200 minimum. I always eat over that though, Usually around 1500+.

    I have been reading that you need to eat at least half your exercise calories back and if you are 5"4, 1100cals is definitely not enough. You should be at 1200 minimum too, maybe this will help your metabolism. If you eat less than 1100 your body goes into a sort of starvation mode so it makes it harder for you to lose the weight.

    I am not the biggest expert but MFP has taught me a lot of stuff I didnt know and this 1200+ calories stuff is music to my ears, I love food!
  • camilleesqueda
    camilleesqueda Posts: 45
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    OMG, same here! I'm 22 and 154 and I just CAN'T get the scale to drop despite running 2 miles a day and doing 30 Day Shred. If anyone figures it out, let me know. Feel free to look at my diary and tell me what I'm doing wrong.
  • Jezzabelly
    Jezzabelly Posts: 52
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    I'm 5'4 & started at 155. I was keeping to the recomended calories & exercising 5-6 days a week for 30-60 minutes. I only lost 6 lbs in 3 months & was getting frustrated. I decided to up my protein to 50% of my calories because that is what the Jillian Michaels website said & started to lose again. JM exercises have helped me tone up so I am gonna continue with more healthy protein & see if the fat continues to drop off!!! I have only been back with it for a couple of weeks. I fell out doing December & January & put the lbs I lost back on. I have managed to get them back off & am slowly see the scale go lower!

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