[mrs dorson]

i introduced myself in the sticky but i wanted to say hello!

i have been hanging out in the 100+ board (not posting much but reading) for several months. i pinky promised my DH (serious bad mojo if you break especially on the wedding hand) on april 11th that i would exercise.

and i have EVERY stinking day! yeah me!

and now the time has come to look at my food intake.

i dont wanna!

but i havent lost a pound since august 1. and am exercising 45 minutes a day on days i work and 90 minutes on the 3 days i am off. so it has to be the food.

sigh.

i do eat "heathlier" than i did before but i eat too much of stuff that tastes good. nuts, peanut butter, hummus, and still some junk/crap food. not nearly as much but still too much.

so now i am a calorie counter.

aiming for 1500 a day with the firm knowledge i will go over a bit. A BIT! like 100 calories a day for wiggle room.

[luckymommy]

Of course there's room for one more!!!! I think you're very smart to move on to watching your food intake. That works like nothing else, for me anyway. I just want to say that 1500 is not that much for someone of your weight. I would suggest starting at 1700 calories. That way, you'll be able to slowly decrease when you lose some weight and need to shake things up. Otherwise, there's not much wiggle room. Still, that's just my uninvited opinion, so sorry about that! I'm sure you'll do great but I also think you should give yourself a day off every week with the excercising and maybe add some weight lifting two or three times a week. Again, I'm telling you something you didn't ask. Sorry! I better go sleep and leave you alone! Good luck and I'll see you around!

[Robsia]

Can I just add a tip too - instead of aiming for a specific calorie goal, give yourself a range instead. So instead of saying "I must eat 1500 calories per day", aim for between, for example, 1450 and 1550 - it just gives you a little more flexibility.

Oh, and

[DMNewman]

I agree... 1500 is not a lot for your weight! I started out between 1500-1800 when I was 215 pounds and lost steadily! I'm now between 1200-1500 at 192 pounds. You can do it!!!!

[Shannon in ATL]

There is always room for more! Welcome!

I started out the opposite of what you did - counted calories first, added in exercise later. I absolutely agree that you need a range with a buffer zone... I target 1200, but know that i will range from 1150-1300 sometimes. Keeps me from feeling like I've messed up if I miss the target.

Good luck and welcome aboard!

[Rain Dancer]

There is plenty of room. to calorie counters. It's great to have you.

I agree with Shannon and Robsia; instead of locking yourself to a specific number, try to hit a good range. I aim for 1200, but I am happy if I fall anywhere between 1200 and about 1500.

Do you keep a food journal? Either a hand written journal or an online service like Fit Day or Daily Plate is a terrific tool to help guide you in your efforts and keep you on track.

[bargoo]

Welcome and good luck! Great job on the exercise. I find I must plan my meals ahead of time or I lose track of what I am actually eating. I am a firm believer in keeping a food journal, either online or through the good old pencil and paper method.That is a matter of personal preference but calorie counting works.

[mrs dorson]

thanks for the warm welcome!

i cant remember who said what so here is group reply.


i am very leery of eating more than 1500 calories. super nervous actually. i have NOT succeeded in losing weight below 217 since i was an adult. and using the calorie calculaors does not work. they all appear to be smoking something!

most tell me to lose weight i have to eat around 2000 calories a day. ARE THEY FREAKING CRAZY???? whoops, sorry. just doesnt make sense.

but yesterday i just kept track of my calories; not limiting what i ate. just to get a feel for where i was now. of course as the day went on and the number grew....i did eat less than i normaly would. but i ended at about 1700)(maybe a bit more as i didnt measure anything).

and the scale MOVED!! 233. i have seen this number once in august for exactly one day.

i wasnt hungry last evening *when i cut myself off) but i wanted to snack!

and on weights...i do bicep/tricep curls, incline press and lat pull downs 2 times a week. was doing every 3rd day but kept getting when i was to do them confused and was too sore all the time. and situps on balance ball. except they are in pushup position and you roll ball in. no pressure on my back and i feel them.

and i will be using corinne netzers calorie book and calorieking and the one on here to track calories and i am writing them down in a paper journal. and i have stickers to encourage myself.

i think i answered all the comments and questions. i hope!

i am making chicken veggie soup from scratch. chicken carcass in pot on stove simmering now. then will go in crock pot with some chicken thighs and stock. later today i will drop in a bag of frozen vegs and i have stoup (stew/soup-courtesy of rachel ray) for lunch for my workdays.

time for breakfast and then off to workout and run errands.

thanks again for the welcome!

ps: i am most excited because in the past i was a low carber and the restriction was so hard. i can have anything! just have to spend my calories wisely. kinda like budgeting.

[Redheaded I am]

I wanted to welcome you as well! The others have given excellent advice, as usual, but I wanted to add one thing. I've been measuring and weighing everything before I eat it, and it's helped to keep me on track big time!!!

[cdiem4994]

Woo hoo and welcome! I was excercising like crazy and seeing no change before I found this board. I even went to the doctor to have my thyroid checked! When I did start counting calories, I aimed for 1200-1400 and didn't see much change. I upped my calories to 1600 and the weight started coming off fast.

I soooo know how hard it is to increase calories when you are working like mad to lose weight, but for me at least, I needed more calories to lose weight. I was scared when I started, but I figured if it didn't work, I could always cut back down again.

Good luck!

[BuuBuu]