Quote:
Originally Posted by KathyinAL
In the past, I've always tried "fad" diets. Now I think I'm just ready to do something simple- stop eating so much....sounds like a no brainer now and I don't know why I didn't think of that before, lol!
Anyway, can anyone point me in the right direction? I'm so fat I have a hard time exercising, and I have no idea how many calories to eat. I'm looking for a way to start losing without expecting too much of myself or setting myself up for failure.
Basically I need to figure out how many calories I can eat to stay full, but still lose weight. Also I need to know the minimum I need to be doing for exercise. It's hard for me to do any exercising, but if I set a daily requirement for myself then maybe I can push myself to do it....with a goal of increasing exercise when my current requirement becomes easily doable.
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First, to gain your basal metabolic rate, go here:
http://walking.about.com/cs/calories/l/blcalcalc.htm That's going to tell you how many calories you need to maintain your current weight. Mine stands at 2430/day- to maintain my weight. 1400 calories seems to be the absolute least I can eat without getting hungry and keep losing; any less and I don't lose anything- found that out the hard way!
Second, get to MyFitnessPal, DailyPlate... anywhere where you can log the number of calories you eat per day. MyFitnessPal has a calculator that asks you how much you want to lose per week, then gives you the number of calories per day you need to eat to do that. I'm not sure if Daily Plate does that, but it must do. If you want to shift a pound per week, you need to be in deficit of a maintaining caloric intake. Oh boy, a number geek's dream.
If you're currently gaining a pound a week, you're eating 500 calories over a basal metabolic rate. If mine is 2430, to gain a pound per week, I need to eat 2930. To lose a pound, I need to eat 500 calories less than 2430, or 1950/day. To lose 2 pounds per week, I need to eat 1000 calories less a day, or 1430.
Weight loss, I find, is split between the calories you eat per day and the kinds of food that you eat. You really need "smart carbs" or Low-GI carbs since it takes longer to digest and you feel fuller for longer. The database here is awesome:
http://www.glycemicindex.com/ for low-GI foods. I stay away from carbs after about 5pm, except on the odd occasion.
Aim for 5+ a day- I like fruit, so 2 a day, plus 3 veggies (I'm a salad freak, so sprouts, lettuce and cucumber can easily fill 2 veggie requirements).
Drink lots of water. It's just better for you than Diet Coke. I'm slowly weaning myself off of it (Diet Coke, not water).
Eat little and often. The three squares a day is not my thing; I eat little and often, up to 5 times a day. Not only does it keep my sugars stable (I'm borderline hypoglycaemic/low blood sugar), but it keeps me fuller for longer and more satisfied.
Exercise. Only what you can; an hour a day? Half-an hour? Whatever you can do, do it. Challenge yourself to move up an extra 10% per week until you reach an hour of straight exercise. When you get to an hour, go a little faster. Runners increase their distance or their speed by 10% a week. Aim for that 10% per week. "They" (weight-loss and fitness experts) recommend 20 minutes, 3 times per week for exercise at the minimum to stay healthy.
Can anyone else think of anything?
Where to start?
