How am I supposed to do this?

1) You need to exercise. Whatever calories you burn will be added to the total you can eat.

2) After only yogurt and PB&J you only have 420 calories left? That doesn't seem right. How much of both did you eat and what kind of product did you use? When I make PB&J I use whole wheat bread, natural crunchy peanut butter and one serving of preserves. It's only around 350 calories.

The first week I started, I felt like I was going to pass out every day because my blood sugar was so low, and my stomach was growling every night. Because I was curious, I entered what I'd eat on a normal day BEFORE I started counting calories, and realized it was close to 4000. Dropping from 4000 to 1500 calories that suddenly was making me feel like crap, so for a few days I just ate at the level I needed to maintain, THEN dropped to the level I need to lose a pound a week. It was much easier to do it that way!

Rome wasn't built in a day, yadda yadda

I totally agree with easing into the weight loss goal. My first day was pretty rough too, so I backed mine down to something I could live with for that first week. Good luck!

Multigrain bread may have more nutrients but it doesn't have fewer calories, unfortunately. This comes down to two things: 1) food choice and 2) portion size. If your calorie allotment is low, you have to choose foods that are pretty filling in relation to their calories, and a PBJ isn't always the best choice. And you have to watch your portions, so instead of a 200-calorie, 2-tablespoon serving of peanut butter, you go with 1 tablespoon.

Your first day doesn't have to be perfect! If you need to eat more than 420 calories tonight, go for it, just learn from it and do a little better every day. And--what is your calorie target, is it 1200? You may want to slow down your goal so you can eat more.

Also, it really helps me to divide up my calorie allotment into meals, and always aim for that amount for every meal. For example, I get 1600 calories. That means a 200-calorie breakfast, 400 calories for lunch, 200 for midday snack, 600 for dinner, 200 for evening snack. Every day. It really really helps me stay on target because I only have to think of a meal at a time, and I know if I stick to that breakdown I won't be stuck at the end of the day with not enough calories for dinner.

The first few days are usually the hardest, but you can do it!! I eat a lot of veggies and fruit to get me through the day. You probably need to take a look at what you are eating...what kind of yogurt? I like greek yogurt better than the reg yoplait yogurt. It seems to fill me up a little better and has more protein which is good. Regular peanut butter and preserves have a lot of calories in them. So take a look at your labels....even some bread has a lot of sugar/calories even if it it 12 grain. Try to stay away from processed foods if at all possible. Chicken breast is always a good staple.
You will have to play around a little with what you eat and what seems to be satisfing you.
Good Luck and stay with it...you can do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :happy:

This is interesting I am struggling to get to 1900 calories plus . But thanks to reading this blog I realized that increasing my weight loss to 1.5lbs per week reduces my calorie intake to 1600 working out 3 times a week. When I workout I will have 1900 when I don't then I will be at 1600. I'm I on the right track?

Ok, don't panic!! That's my first piece of advice. Here are some things to think about.

- You don't have to do everything at once. Trying to change your whole life overnight is a really hard thing to do. I see that a lot of folks are suggesting you do exercise to add more calories to what you can eat. While I completely agree with the advice of using exercise to lose weight, I'd suggest establishing some new eating habits first and then adding the exercise once you feel confident. To much change at once will only intimidate and demotivate.
- Second, I know the starving feeling you can have right at first. However, ask yourself whether your body is hungry or if it is just used to large amounts of food and it is noticing that it isn't getting that. You may find that you are hungry because you are used to eating and not because you are in need of fuel.
- Start to think of this as a process and not a feat of strength. You won't be perfect every day and that's ok. Our bodies are just like any machine. They need fuel to run properly. It's a energy in versus energy out system.
- Now to the food/calorie portion. You've got a slightly more difficult situation than some because you are not only feeding you but you are feeding a family. There are some great recipes that you can look up online that are low in calories and provide you with good nutrition. By choosing the right types of foods, you can handle a 420 calorie dinner and still feel like you actually ate something. However, this is about you and what you want so that might mean that sometimes the fam has pizza and you have a half a tuna sandwich and a cup of soup.
- Also, if it's day one, you've probably got some left over food in the cupboards that you didn't buy with healthy eating in mind. Be mindful of your nutrition labels on those foods cause they can sneak up on you. As you use those up and buy knew, spend some time looking at labels. Two of the same type of items can sit right next to each other on the shelf and have very different calorie counts. I switched to a multigrain english muffin, which I am thoroughly enjoying, and saved myself 50 calories a muffin.
- And lastly remember, you could study the ins and outs of weight management and energy systems in the body but the majority of us don't need that. The important thing to remember is to supply your engine (body) with enough fuel to operate but not so much that it can't use it all and has to store the excess because that's how we gain weight.
- Oh actually, one last note. Keep reaching out for advice. This is a great place to learn and get good support. You don't have to do it all on your own and you'll learn new things all the time. Don't get overwhelmed by the longterm or all the weight loss aspects. Just focus on the basics and ask when you don't know. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!