Ok, I am at a loss. I have been reading everyone's posts and I am not sure if I am track. I have lost 55 lbs but now have the last 15 to go. I read so many different things here...and either come to conclusion that I am not eating enough, or when I compare to other people my height, sometimes they are eating less than me. I did one of those BMA calculators tonight and it says to lose 2 lbs a week I should be eating 1439 per day...taking into account that I work out VERY hard (approx 2 hours per day/6 days a week on my elliptical and some weights before) But some people have said that amount of calories is too low??? I do allow myself one free night that I don't count my calories. Someone help me figure out what I should be doing??? PLEASE. I am 45 years old/f/5 ft 7 and 1/2 inches and I weight 160 but I want to weigh 145 since my BMI is at the very top of what it should be right now and just one point away from being considered overweight. I know its all pretty much an estimate, but I am afraid of either not eating enough calories and causing my metabolism to slow or eating too many? I have no idea.
I think you should up your calories and just see how it goes. If you start gaining then you know you are eating too much...then, just work your way down. It's going to be a month or two-long process though...just trial and error.
how many calories are you currently eating? also, maybe you should think about switching up your exercise a little bit? the more you do the same exercise, your body becomes more efficient at doing it & thus the less calories you actually burn.
I, recently, started doing the "Olivia Method" that was posted on myfitnesspal, and I've burst through my "plateau" (I was stuck recycling the same 5 lbs between 172 and 177 for months). It took me a couple times of reading it, and rereading it to finally get it, but I implemented it at myfitnesspal.com where I track my cals.. I actually upped my cals from 1200 to 1500.. and started losing the next day.
Well for the past month or so I was eating around 1500 and then having a free day. I gained about 5 lbs!!! I was 155, now 160...I couldn't understand how I could have possibly gained, but I did have a vacation, and maybe just over did my free day too much. The past week, I have been eating anywhere from 1325-1600 and then still had my free day on Saturday. I burn between 1300-1700 calories on my elliptical 6 days a week. I am trying to not eat the same amount everyday or burn the same amount everyday since it seems like my body is getting used to it. I know that my elliptical is not accurate at determining the correct amount of calories burned, so I am assuming because I work out 1/12 to 2 hours its probably more like 900-1200 calories burned per day/6 days a week. I have added doing 5 lb weights 4 days a week too now and some abs and leg stuff. NEED ADVICE!!!??? I just feel so uncertain if I am doing and if I am on the right track.
Thank you Girlsenberry...I checked it out, but I think it will take me a bit to understand, lol. I definitely couldn't wrap my brain around it in one reading. I will have to study :-)
Thank you Girlsenberry...I checked it out, but I think it will take me a bit to understand, lol. I definitely couldn't wrap my brain around it in one reading. I will have to study :-)
It took me a little while, then it clicked. If you, or anyone, wants help I'd be glad to run the numbers and figure it out for you... but I have to do it when I get off work- I'll be back in roughly 11 hours. Either send me a private msg, or let me know here. The system seems complicated, but it really does work (based on my experience), and is easy once you get into it.
Personally, I would get rid of that "free day." I could never do that; but that's just me. I know how easy it is for a truck load of calories to sneak into the most innocent looking foods. That's 4 free days a month - more than enough to gain weight on when you're not really sure what you're eating.
Coffeebrain...yep, I am thinking about doing that. I felt like that free day was the only thing that has kept me on the path of losing 55 lbs though. It kept me from feeling deprived and that is exactly why this diet (after years of struggling) has finally worked for me. But maybe if I really want to weigh 145 I will need to do away with it. However, if it means I will have to do away with it forever, then maybe I should just enjoy my life at this weight. I think its about balance and I am not sure I will be enjoying life without a little wine and food on the weekends or holidays. ;-)
maybe you could incorporate a "free meal" instead of a free day or just learn how to incorporate little treats here & there within your daily calorie allowance. instead of having a free day, i just budget the things i really want to eat within my daily or weekly range
Thanks Delyn...that is pretty much what I have been doing, but I will admit that if I go to a function, I am pretty much grazing throughout the time of the event. I will go back to just 1 meal and see how that works. I just figured since I was keeping my calories pretty low and working out so hard that I had the room. Maybe not. I did some calculations on line and it said my BMR was like 1450 to lose 2 lbs a week and 1900 + to lose lb a week.
I think you haven't made enough posts yet to be able to private msg.. feel free to email me at chitanoni @ yahoo dot com. I'd need your weight, height, and age.. if you don't mind.
"So basically, people who calorie count [frequently] eat too low of calories because they want to lose as much as possible, as fast as possible (often 1200 cals). What [many] people don't [take into] consider is that they need a base amount of calories just to exist each day.. you eat too little, your body goes into starvation mode and stores fat. Even 100 calories under your base calories can cause a stall. For you- your base calories, based off your BMR, is 1399.. (to quote that article) "this is your body's calorie requirements for basic functioning. You would burn this if you just stayed in bed all day. You will be aiming to eat at least this much, or about 100 calories higher per day, whether you workout or not." (My personal base is 1469. I was eating 1200 before, and was stalled for like 2-3 months.. I started eating at, or just above 1500 each day, 2 weeks ago, and I've lost 6 lbs!)
Your maintenance calories are 1818.. (I used the 1.3 rate for "light activity") "you're not going to eat this number, but it will be a marker for how much of a deficit you are creating."
Maintenance cals (minus) BMR (times) 1.3= 581.. if you burn more than 581 calories in exercise per day, you need to eat the surplus (so, if you earned 600 exercise calories, subtract 581= you'd need to eat 19 of your exercise calories back, on top of your 1399-1499.) If you don't earn more than 581 in exercise calories, you don't have to eat any of them back, at all.. just stick to 1399-1499 range.
Now.. this might seem like a lot of work if you're calorie counting "on paper".. I choose to track my food and exercise cals on myfitnesspal.com.... are you over there? If so, I can tell you how to set up you "goals" so that you can easily see where you stand each day... it does all the hard work for you. (And feel free to friend me with this same email address, too.)"
girlsenberry- Thank you for that post!! I've been looking at my BMR and calorie needs more lately, but didn't know exactly what to do with it! LOL.
I jotted the math down and it all makes sense!! YAY!!
For BMR and calorie needs calculations I use this page!
How many calories should I be eating??
