Help With My Calories and Cardio Please!

Hi all, I've lost 41 pounds since the beginning of January but for the past month or so my weight loss has slowed dramatically- it seems like it started slowing when I started doing more cardio (60 minutes 5x a week versus 40 minutes 5x a week). I'm hoping to get some input regarding my calorie intake since I know I'm not supposed to be starving myself, which I haven't been or at least I don't feel starved. I'm just tired of working my @$$ off 5-6 days a week and not seeing any drop on the scale. Here's my stats:

- 30 year old female
- Height: 5'9" Current Weight: 225
- I work full time from home so I sit at my desk a good portion of the day, but I am in the gym every morning for at least an hour and 15 minutes.
- I use a Polar FT7 during every workout so I believe my calorie burn is pretty accurate- I normally burn anywhere from 800-1000 calories during my workouts which consist of cardio, weights, and ab work. My cardio usually consists of high intensity on a Precor 100i Adaptive Motion Trainer
- Diary is open for viewing- I didn't however I had some bad eating this past Friday and Saturday- I was fed up with not losing so I had a little pissed off fit for a couple days LOL
- According to fattofitradio:
- TDEE: 2814
- BMR: 1816

How much should I be eating a day? My first guess according to what I've seen on the posts is around 2500 but I don't even know how I would go about getting in that many calories! Even at 2000 a day I feel stuffed most of the time. I've also been working on getting my net calories up, but that's easier said than done when your calorie burn is higher from working out. It's not as much of a problem on the weekends when I don't work out.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and suggestions!

Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,990 Member
    Hi all, I've lost 41 pounds since the beginning of January but for the past month or so my weight loss has slowed dramatically- it seems like it started slowing when I started doing more cardio (60 minutes 5x a week versus 40 minutes 5x a week). I'm hoping to get some input regarding my calorie intake since I know I'm not supposed to be starving myself, which I haven't been or at least I don't feel starved. I'm just tired of working my @$$ off 5-6 days a week and not seeing any drop on the scale. Here's my stats:

    - 30 year old female
    - Height: 5'9" Current Weight: 225
    - I work full time from home so I sit at my desk a good portion of the day, but I am in the gym every morning for at least an hour and 15 minutes.
    - I use a Polar FT7 during every workout so I believe my calorie burn is pretty accurate- I normally burn anywhere from 800-1000 calories during my workouts which consist of cardio, weights, and ab work. My cardio usually consists of high intensity on a Precor 100i Adaptive Motion Trainer
    - Diary is open for viewing- I didn't however I had some bad eating this past Friday and Saturday- I was fed up with not losing so I had a little pissed off fit for a couple days LOL
    - According to fattofitradio:
    - TDEE: 2814
    - BMR: 1816

    How much should I be eating a day? My first guess according to what I've seen on the posts is around 2500 but I don't even know how I would go about getting in that many calories! Even at 2000 a day I feel stuffed most of the time. I've also been working on getting my net calories up, but that's easier said than done when your calorie burn is higher from working out. It's not as much of a problem on the weekends when I don't work out.

    Thanks in advance for any thoughts and suggestions!
    If you're using your HRM to track your lifting and ab work, the numbers will end up being exaggerated. Strength training burns WAY fewer calories that what an HRM would indicate.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • lizaboots
    lizaboots Posts: 43
    What would you suggest I do? Not log my strength training as exercise? Cut the weight lifting calories it gives me in half?