[law1010]

Hello...I'm trying to lose the last 10 pounds by 12/31 to reach a 96lbs weight loss goal for 2007. I'm eating 1200 calories a day and walking twice a day (morning & evening) to burn 600+ calories per session...Total of 1200+ calories burned in 1 day. I do this program 3 days a week & the remaining 4 days I will burn 600+ per day. I thought I would be losing "more" quickly, like 2-3 lbs per week.... Instead I'm losing 1 - 2 lbs per week. This week I have actually gained a pound ......ugh... What is wrong with this approach?
I appreciate your thoughts...TIA

[elisa822]

First of all congratulations on your weight loss so far! That's amazing.

Well, I am no expert but I think you're way overestimating on the calories burned. I don't know the weight you're at now but I think you would have to be walking at a brisk pace for many hours to burn 1200 calories.

I think you're probably in a great spot eating 1200 calories a day and losing 1-2 lbs. per week is great, especially if you're close to your goal weight. It sounds like you're on the right track and maybe your wish to lose more isn't realistic. Even at your current weight loss you could definitely make your goal by the end of the year.

And, the odd gain of a pound just seems to happen sometimes...my body is a mystery to me in many ways!

There are a lot of great people on this site with a lot more knowledge than I have. I think if you wanted to post a sample of your daily food, maybe people could help identify ways of improving.

Good Luck!

[law1010]

Thank Elisa for your thoughts I appreciate it. It is always to helpful to have others thoughts & opinions....especially when I'm so stumped. My walking is done at our local YMCA on a treadmill. I have the incline set at 9 with a speed of 3.8. Which is a burn rate fo 10.3 calories per min. I'm going by the treadmill calorie counter, which indicates 623 calories burned in 1 hour with a 5 min cool down. I hope this information is helpful.........

[Darby1]

How long have you been doing this particular workout? Do you ever change it up? If you've been doing this same workout, chances are your body has become efficient at it, and you will no longer get the results you had been getting.

I agree with elisa822; often the treadmill overestimates calories burned. You might try some HIIT (high intensity interval training) a couple of days a week. If you google "hiit" you'll find lots of articles about it. I noticed that when I added hiit to my workout schedule, I started losing weight more quickly. You can't do it every day, though. You definitely need to take rest days.

Also, most of the articles talk about hiit in terms of running or jogging. I do it at a fast walk. You can also do it on an exercise bike or any type of cardio equipment really.

Good luck, and congrats on how far you've come!!

[ChristinaC]

Originally Posted by law1010

Thank Elisa for your thoughts I appreciate it. It is always to helpful to have others thoughts & opinions....especially when I'm so stumped. My walking is done at our local YMCA on a treadmill. I have the incline set at 9 with a speed of 3.8. Which is a burn rate fo 10.3 calories per min. I'm going by the treadmill calorie counter, which indicates 623 calories burned in 1 hour with a 5 min cool down. I hope this information is helpful.........

Juat a small suggestion...there are easy to use heart rate monitors you can get them at that "W" or the red bullseye store with out the chest strap pretty inexpensive.@$49 for the one touch you use before, during, and after your work out there is a calorie counting setting on there also...b/c calories are burned depending on your output of energy ( how hard you are working ) even if you do put your age and weight in there you won't reach your "zone" calorie burning heart rate until maybe 1/4 of the way through...the machines don't compensate for just getting warmed up. Plus as mentioned above you may want to change it up...your body becomes used to what you are doing. Interval training like walking at your pace for 15 minutes..get off and jump rope, try a cardio workout 1 day a week instead of walking. It is amazing that you have lost so much! You can loose those last 10 lbs and 1-2 lbs per week is good! don't beat your scale up just yet