Question about Calorie Intake and Exercise - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

CTripp924 · 03-03-2008, 01:39 PM

I went to a website and put in my current weight, goal weight etc. and it told me this:

If you reduce your current caloric intake to 1568.6 calories per day you will lose one pound per week without exercise.

If you exercise for 30 minutes each day, you will be able to reach your goal weight with 2163.9 calories per day.

Today marks the beginning of my 3rd week exercising. Right now I'm doing 30 minutes of bike riding a day, nothing more. So out of the past 15 days, I've exercised 10 of them. Usually Mon-Fri. Anyway, I'm wondering how effective it would be to reduce my calories to 1568 a day as I'm exercising 30 minutes most days of the week. Is this safe? Or am I really supposed to eat the 2163 a day since I'm exercising?

I ask because though I've been exercising I've been much more slack on my eating habits and have gained 3 lbs in the 3 weeks. So I'm really paranoid about gaining rather than losing.

Also, any idea how long it would take to lose the 27lbs left until my goal weight, if I do 1600-1800 calories a day with 30 minutes of exercise?

srmb60 · 03-03-2008, 01:46 PM

Try to keep the two seperate. Just keep doing what you're doing with the bike. That's fabulous!

As for calorie intake ... try putting what you normally eat in a day into a calorie counter of some sort. It'd be really good if you could remember three or four days. Then ... cut back ... we'll help you do that.

CTripp924 · 03-03-2008, 01:50 PM

I've started over at fitday, adding things in. Hopefully I can stick with that too, seems like a really good way to count everything and hold myself accountable. I just hate giving foods up. I love my pasta, love my sweets. It's really just keeping control over it all. With exercising, I'm hungrier. And more likely to splurge.

I've never had to fight with my weight before, it was having a baby that put me here, gaining way too much weight, and now my body's hanging onto it, so this is all still new to me.

jillnicole03 · 03-03-2008, 02:38 PM

2000 calories seems like a lot for someone who's 5'5 and wants to lose weight even with 30 minutes of exercising. I mean if it is saying 2163 a day with exercise or 1568 without that's basically saying your exercise is going to burn 600 calories in 30 minutes, and you really are only burning usually about 100. That seems so weird! I'm taller and weigh more than you and I would never eat that many calories unless I was trying to maintain my weight and was exercising a whole lot!

Have you tried anything yet to help you learn about healthier eating? Weight Watchers? Anything like that? Or if you are calorie counting you should check out the Calorie Counters Forums to get a better idea. I personally do Fat Smash diet which is a book and I love it! Really helped teach me more about a healthier lifestyle.

Well good luck!!

CTripp924 · 03-03-2008, 02:45 PM

Yes, I recently was on South Beach and lost about 10 lbs on it. The problem isn't always keeping on a diet, it has a lot to do with not being able to cook all the time/afford healthy foods. I'm getting ready to start a full time job on top of having a 1 year old and I really don't have time to cook every single night. I might have to look into Weight Watchers because I know that your points allowed don't have to come from a specific source. I guess the only reason I don't do it is just because I don't want to take on so much all at once between starting exercising, and leaving one job and going to another and starting my baby in some kind of childcare, starting a new program just seems to add something else that's changing and I don't think I have the stamina for it right now, even it is for a good thing.

I suppose I'm holding onto my comfort foods because of everything else going on? I'm trying to stick to around 1600 calories a day, and I've already had 1200. I'll be going to work tonight and no break, so I'll have to eat something there, and I'm at Starbucks so the only things there are pastries. Doom.

baffled111 · 03-03-2008, 04:48 PM

Jill is right: you're not burning 600 calories in 30 minutes of exercise. That's why it's best to keep the food and exercise separate, unless you're working out very intensely (which you are not). 1600 cals is a good number to start with.

As far as food goes, well, while we all have busy lives with stresses and responsibilities, the fact of the matter is that weight management means making good food choices a priority. You can't lose weight if you order pizza 3 nights a week. Besides, there are tons of healthy, low-cal meals that don't take much more time than cooking junk would. You could throw together a veggie and chicken stirfry with some rice in no time, for example.

Calorie counting and weight watchers are the same in that your calories/points can come from anywhere. But one does rather quickly learn that in order not to starve to death, it very much helps to eat large quantities of vegetables and moderate quantities of lean protein (beans, chicken, fish).

Ilene · 03-03-2008, 06:05 PM

I don't take too much stock in those on-line calculators... There are so many things they don't take into consideration...Eat health whole foods nothing processed with portion control and I think that's half your battle...

Here are some examples of portions without taking out your measuring cups:

Three ounces of meat = Size of a deck of cards
1 cup of cooked pasta = Tennis ball
Two tablespoons peanut butter = size of ping pong ball
1/2 cup of vegetables = size of baseball
1/4 cup dried fruits = large egg or golf ball
Small baked potato = computer mouse
One pancake serving = compact disc
One serving of cheese = six dice
One serving of fish (app 3 oz) = Checkbook
One teaspoon oil = size of thumb tip

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/lf_h...088_01,00.html

I agree with baffled that 1600 is a good number to start with eventually you will reach a plateau and you'll probably have to bring your calories down a notch to maybe 1500 or bring your workouts up a notch by intensify the biking... You may have to change your workouts too by adding some weight training, some walking or some hicking when spring comes around...

We're all different and we're all an experiment of ONE...

03-05-2008, 01:28 PM

A lb is 3,500 calories. This is the basic number to remember rather than 1,700 something 2,100 something.

So what you need is a calorie defecit of 3,500 a week. Assuming your (rest) metabolism was constant and remained constant you could eat 3,500 calories less in a week or 500 a day or exercise more than you are and metabolize 500 more calories a day via exercise and lose a pound a week.

sacha · 03-05-2008, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jillnicole03

2000 calories seems like a lot for someone who's 5'5 and wants to lose weight even with 30 minutes of exercising.

I'm at 1800-2000 calories with one hour of intense exercise per day (weight lifting, about 350-400 calories) and maintain at 117/5'5. Sometimes I do up to 1 hour 30 minutes if I incorporate cardio after.

2000 with 30 minutes is probably too much. What is your heart rate throughout this? Intensity?

CTripp924 · 03-06-2008, 12:21 PM

I don't know what my heart rate is, and I don't know how reliable mine is anyway. I have a heart condition that causes my heart to beat faster than normal all the time.
I am noticing and increased heart rate and sweating during exercise. My thighs and butt burns but within 30 minutes of stopping, all of that has stopped too.
My calorie intake the past few days has been around 1600-1700, not great, but better. The problem is, I slipped and was allowing myself to eat french fries, and milkshakes thinking that the exercise would cancel that out.
That caused my weight to go up 3lbs in 3 weeks, and I'm on my 3rd week exercising.
I haven't seen the scale budge, and I don't feel any skinnier. I'm making myself go until 8 weeks, and evaluate how I feel based on when I started.
I don't want to be too strict on myself with food, so I'm just trying to make smarter choices. My main goal is to get from 157-158, where my weight is hovering now, to 147lbs by April. I don't think it's possible right now, since it's March but any weight gone is better than none.

hotmomma · 03-09-2008, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CTripp924

Yes, I recently was on South Beach and lost about 10 lbs on it. The problem isn't always keeping on a diet, it has a lot to do with not being able to cook all the time/afford healthy foods. I'm getting ready to start a full time job on top of having a 1 year old and I really don't have time to cook every single night. I might have to look into Weight Watchers because I know that your points allowed don't have to come from a specific source. I guess the only reason I don't do it is just because I don't want to take on so much all at once between starting exercising, and leaving one job and going to another and starting my baby in some kind of childcare, starting a new program just seems to add something else that's changing and I don't think I have the stamina for it right now, even it is for a good thing.

I suppose I'm holding onto my comfort foods because of everything else going on? I'm trying to stick to around 1600 calories a day, and I've already had 1200. I'll be going to work tonight and no break, so I'll have to eat something there, and I'm at Starbucks so the only things there are pastries. Doom.

I'm a law student, so I'm gone a lot and/or busy a lot.
I buy a lot of "grab and go" foods, granola bars/snacks in the 100-150 calorie range, and assorted frozen foods I can just bring to school with me and microwave.

Coryo61827 · 03-10-2008, 01:20 PM

CTripp, what site did you use to determine how much exercise you would have to do to determine how many calories you would need to burn? That sounds interesting and wouldn't mind checking it out myself. Thanks!