All those who are under 160lbs

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Replies

  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    I'm 5'6" about 163-4. Started at 185 and my goal is about 120-30 so I've still got a lot of work to do.

    I just do what works for me and ignore all of the fads, there are different schools of thought for just about everything weight loss related, find what works for you and do that.

    I aim to net about 1200, but sometimes I go over and sometimes I come under. Eating at my BMR doesn't really make any sense to me and I'm not going to stress over it because I don't know my bmr and an online calculation isn't guaranteed to be correct. And honestly, if you're losing weight, your body's overall calorie net is always negative, that's just how a deficit works!

    Feel free to add me if you're looking for new friends!
  • suzikay12
    suzikay12 Posts: 150 Member
    I'm 5'8 and currently 170. I eat 1500-1700 calories a day M-F, weekends probably at least 2000. I usually burn about 400 calories a day on exercise. This has worked for me over the past couple months. I lose 1-1.5lbs per week.

    I think my plan falls somewhere in between the eat more to lose people and the eat less to lose people. The back and forth battle on this website just confused me, so I made my own decision.
  • btretiak
    btretiak Posts: 23
    OK...as someone who didn't understand this for a long time:

    Your TDEE has ALREADY taken into account the exercise level you gave it. So, if you are exercising as much as you say you are, DO NOT EAT YOUR CALORIES BACK. People who are looking at net cals are just plain incorrect and most of them aren't losing weight. If you eat your calories back you are literally eating them twice. If your TDEE is 2000 (assuming you put in some level of activity other than sedentary), you eat 2000 cal/day. That's your goal. Period.

    The only time you should ever eat back your calories is if your net cals after exercise fall below your BMR (what your body needs to literally perform it's life functions). Anyone who continuiously eats below their BMR will definitely lose weight, as their body is cannibalizing its own tissues and compromising its organ function in order to simply live.

    Hope this helps.
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    OK...as someone who didn't understand this for a long time:

    Your TDEE has ALREADY taken into account the exercise level you gave it. So, if you are exercising as much as you say you are, DO NOT EAT YOUR CALORIES BACK. People who are looking at net cals are just plain incorrect and most of them aren't losing weight. If you eat your calories back you are literally eating them twice. If your TDEE is 2000 (assuming you put in some level of activity other than sedentary), you eat 2000 cal/day. That's your goal. Period.

    The only time you should ever eat back your calories is if your net cals after exercise fall below your BMR (what your body needs to literally perform it's life functions). Anyone who continuiously eats below their BMR will definitely lose weight, as their body is cannibalizing its own tissues and compromising its organ function in order to simply live.

    Hope this helps.
    That's only true if you consider your exercise as part of your daily activity. I base my daily activity level on what I do in a day besides exercising so that's why I add those calories back when I do workout.

    Especially because TDEE is an estimate, from a website. At least when I add in my exercise from my heart rate monitor it's more custom to me (not totally accurate, but better).
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    I'm 5'8 and currently 170. I eat 1500-1700 calories a day M-F, weekends probably at least 2000. I usually burn about 400 calories a day on exercise. This has worked for me over the past couple months. I lose 1-1.5lbs per week.

    I think my plan falls somewhere in between the eat more to lose people and the eat less to lose people. The back and forth battle on this website just confused me, so I made my own decision.
    I hate the name of the "eat more, lose more" idea. I ate more and gained more before coming on here...not eating isn't my problem! lol.
  • kmumansky
    kmumansky Posts: 119
    I didn't read all of the responses, just thought I'd tell you about myself.

    I'm 5'1.5'' and 139 lbs. My Grandmother always told me with my small frame a woman should be 100 lbs at 5 feet and then 5 lbs for every inch. For most my life I've kinda gone between 110 & 125 lbs. In highschool I was 103-110. Obviously I've gained weight these past 4 years and now I'm 139 trying to get back down to 120 (and more if I find that it's going well). I do the 1200 calorie thing. Anytime I've ever tried to lose weight 1200 seems to be the key # for me the aim for. I eat back some of my excercise calories, but not all (incase my heart rate monitor is off). Obviously some days are better than others and if I eat 1300 or 1400 calories I still loose a little weight but 1200 calories will get me the healthy loss of 1-1.5 lbs a week.

    It's going to be different for everyone. Most people think I'm crazy when I tell them I eat around 1200 calories a day. They think I'm starving myself. But through Trial and error I've found that's what works for me. 1200 to loose weight 1500 to maintain. Some people think that I'm crazy that I think 139 is too heavy for me because I'm a size 6. But I am technically over weight, and I am more comfortable in a size 2. It's different for everyone.
  • naomisimpson247
    naomisimpson247 Posts: 26
    Well, I would say yes. You should at LEAST eat your BMR. Google TDEE and you can easily find a TDEE calculator - here is one I use..

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    Once you know your TDEE you should eat say between 500 - 800 cals less. So more than your BMR less than your TDEE, making sure you at least NET your BMR after exercise. I really don't think we should ever go below our BMR. That seems to be reflected in all the responses I have recieved today.

    But - what works for one does not always work for the other. I don't lose much or very quickly on 1,200. I know that much.

    Good luck and I guess when you find something that works for you, stick to it. If you plateau - i.e stop losing, up your calories. :noway:
  • naomisimpson247
    naomisimpson247 Posts: 26
    Ahhh sodium...i.e. salt? Interesting. I'm the girl who will go for salted popcorn over sugar popcorn as, really how many calories are in salt. I've never looked to be honest, but maybe thats where I'm going wrong. Don't get me wrong I'm not a salt junkie, but I see salt as something that affects blood pressure, not weight, and as my blood pressure is OK, I don't really focus on my salt intake the way I would with carbs of fat.

    Thanks for that advice :)
  • osualex
    osualex Posts: 409 Member
    I'm 5'4 and 162, so really really close to being under 160 :smile:

    I was eating 1200 for a while, but I was hungry and miserable, so I upped it to 1500. Since I rarely burn more than 200 calories a day in exercise (lifting and c25k) and I don't have a HRM, I don't eat my exercise calories back, but when I start exercising more, I will.

    Anyone else find that their weight loss doesn't come consistently? Like, I can go 2 weeks without losing and then lose 3 pounds the next week. I'm not complaining, but it sure makes this unpredictable.
  • naomisimpson247
    naomisimpson247 Posts: 26
    I'm 140 just now, and was on 1200 but I've been below that all this week and haven't eaten back my exercise calories.
    Just calculated my BMR and it's 1450!

    I'm confused now...I wouldn't say I've been hungry but should I be eating more?

    Well, I would say yes. You should at LEAST eat your BMR. Google TDEE and you can easily find a TDEE calculator - here is one I use..

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    Once you know your TDEE you should eat say between 500 - 800 cals less. So more than your BMR less than your TDEE, making sure you at least NET your BMR after exercise. I really don't think we should ever go below our BMR. That seems to be reflected in all the responses I have recieved today.

    But - what works for one does not always work for the other. I don't lose much or very quickly on 1,200. I know that much.

    Good luck and I guess when you find something that works for you, stick to it. If you plateau - i.e stop losing, up your calories.
  • btretiak
    btretiak Posts: 23
    IN RESPONSE TO THIS:

    [/quote]That's only true if you consider your exercise as part of your daily activity. I base my daily activity level on what I do in a day besides exercising so that's why I add those calories back when I do workout.

    Especially because TDEE is an estimate, from a website. At least when I add in my exercise from my heart rate monitor it's more custom to me (not totally accurate, but better).
    [/quote]

    If you set your exercise level to sedentary and THEN exercise, by all means eat your calories back. But, again TDEE means TOTAL...ie..it includes and assumes the exercise level you put into the equation. It also already factors in the "what I do in a day" part of your day. The name pretty much explains exactly what it is. You aren't smarter than every TDEE and BMR calculation out there.

    To be blunt, you're right...the BMR is "just an estimate", but that's a poor reason to throw it out the window. Someone who consistently eats below their BMR has no business telling anyone else to do the same. This is 'working' for you because you're still a good bit overweight for your height. Once you hit a healthy weight, your body is going to suffer greatly if you continue to eat 1200 calories a day.
  • Changing2012
    Changing2012 Posts: 11 Member
    I was so happy to see people in the same boat as me! I'm trying to kick it up a notch, but I refuse to go hungry.... going to step up the exercising, they always say the last ten pounds are the hardest to lose.

    Feel free to add me! My diary is open to friends and I'm always open to suggestions. :)
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