Quote:
Originally Posted by morethanmom
I'm increasing my exercise, but I wonder if 20 points is just too much. I'm trying not to obsess about this, but I'm finding it is occupying a good deal of my "head space" as I try to figure out how to make this work.
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You probably need to EAT MORE THAN 20 POINTS A DAY especially if you are exercising.
Weight loss needs to have fuel based on a Basal metabolic rate so it can function and lose. When you drop down in calories, i.e., points, and your body needs more fuel so it can function and live rather than less.
W/W isn't a really high calorie diet plan as you will see by the 'approximate' calories to points:
20 = 1150
21 = 1200
22 = 1250
23 = 1300
24 = 1350
25 = 1400
26 = 1450
27 = 1500
28 = 1550
29 = 1600
30 = 1650
31 = 1700
32 = 1750
33 = 1800
34 = 1850
35 = 1900
But remember this can be up or down based on fat and fiber and DOES NOT include the 200-250 calories a day that W/W built into the program for free veggies.
You need to find or at least get close to what your basal metabolic rate is and the next article is pretty good at getting you close to that:
How may calories do you burn in a day?
It's important to know your metabolic rate so you can balance enger in (the food you eat) with the energy out (how active you are). Because of different activity levels, each person's metabolic rate is different. Follow these steps to calculate the the amount of caloires you burn in a day. Remmeber, if you eat more than the calculated amount of calories, those extra calories eventually get stored as fat.
1. Convert your weight from pounds to kilograms by dividing by 2.2 (2.2 pounds = 1 kilogram). So, a 130-pound woman would weight 59 kilograms.
2. Women: Multiply the results of Step 1 by .9 (59 x .9 = 53). Men: Skip this stpe and go directly to Step 3.
3. Multiply the results of STep 2 (or Step 1 if you are a man) by 24. This gives you the minimal number of calories you need to survive, or your RMR (resting metabolic rate) (53 x 24 - 1272 calories).
4. To calculate the extra calories you need in order to perform your normal activites, you must calcualte a certain percentage of the RMR. Then add it to the RMR for that day's calorie needs. For example, a relatively sedentary day--say, a lazy Sunday spent watching TV or laying around--would require only a 20 percent increase in caloire expenditure (1272 x .20 = 254 extra calories). So, 254 added to 1272 equales 1526 calories.
Activity levels vary depending on how vigorous an activity it is and how long you're active. Here is a general rule of thumb based on nutritionists recommendations for energy.
Sedentary (sitting, standing, watching TV) = 20-30 percent
Light activity (housecleaning, golfing, garage work) = 50-60 percent
Moderate activity (skiing, bicycling, dancing) = 60-70 percent
Heavy activity (football,s occer, basketball, jogging) = 90-100 percent.
Additionally, low calorie diets (under 1200 for women and 1400 for men) are not the way to go because you don't get enough folic acid, magnesium and zinc along with putting your body in a perpetual state of starvation.
1 point is approximately 50-75 calories depending on fat and fiber content. The free veggies also have calories which have been already been "accounted" (for lack a better term) so there are really more calories for each point range than you think.
But my suggestion is to eat more, utilize your APs and all of your FPs for at least 3-4 weeks, if you are still not losing decrease your FPs a bit and but still do most of them for another 2-3 weeks. My bet is if you feed your body you'll start losing pounds.