I seem to be roughly in the same boat as you Extasee,

Still hard to bring my mind around the thought that I need to eat more in order to loose weight and get out of my platue...


But thanks everyone who has responded, greatly apprechiated...

I have lost about thirty-five pounds since August as well...but I have done it on around 1500 calories a day...and NEVER below 1200. I use moderate cardio and strength training as well. You can lose at a good clip WHILE eating enough. Actually, I recently I upped my intake to 1700 a day, because I have intensified my cardio workouts from 30 minutes to 1 hour, and while my weight loss has slowed to around a pound a week at this point, I am also only four pounds from goal, and I'm typing this, sitting here wearing size 4 jeans, so I am not in any kind of rush...more like sliding into maintenance.

I also have to say that because I have been so careful about my nutrition, and making sure I get enough calories to fuel my body, my lean muscle mass levels have changed VERY little from when I started. I look pretty damn hot naked because of the muscle definition in my arms, shoulders, thighs and abs...thanks to making sure that protein -- enough protein -- plays a BIG part in my eating.

This stuff is important...no more laughing.

Protein was an issue for me as well. When I upped my calories I also upped my protein intake. And just like that the fat started to fall and the muscle stayed (and grew).

It was a surprise to lose the muscle because I was eating 1400 calories a day. Not close to what I thought would have caused that.

Live and learn. I'm more educated about my body now because of that situation.

Thank you. Women so rarely feel good about how they look that I appreciate when someone does and when they express it. I am finding that this journey is more than weight loss for me also. I love that I hardly ever get sick anymore. I am amazed that I get a rush out of working out and that when I am stressed or tired from work (as opposed to lack of sleep) my first impulse is to work out. I love knowing that even with winter setting in and the days so much shorter I am fighting depression every time I work out. And other than TOM, I am never hungry. I still have days where I have to work to fit in all my calories.

I do have one question and this seems a fitting thread to ask it. I started out at 192 pounds and eating approx 1,600 calories a day. I am not at 165 pounds and I am still eating approx 1,600 calories a day. I keep feeling like I should drop my calories at this point, but I am still losing weight. Should I go with the entire 'if it's not broken, don't fix it' theory?

I don't think my excercise level has changed much. It's evolved from long (but slow) 90 minutes walks, to biking 20 miles about twice a week with a third something workout thrown in when I could manage it. Currently, I am hitting the gym about 3 times a week for about an hour of cardio and in the last few weeks I have finally started strength training.

Cdiem - I think you'll find that as you add the weight training, you won't need to lower your calories. In fact when I dropped down into the 170s I dropped my calories down to 1300 and then realized that I needed to bump back UP as I increased my weight lifting. I currently eat around 1500 (+/- 100 cals - I try to give myself a range) and weight lift 3x a week and it seems to be working well for me.

(Um, in all fairness of disclosure, I've *not* been eating as well as I could, and my gym attendance has been spotty, due to travel and work stress ... so my weight loss has totally stalled, but I'm not gaining, so I'm not complaining! )

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Cdiem - I ate about the same number of calories from 182 until I hit around 150. I did some calorie cycling, but basically I ate somewhere around 1500 to 1600 each day on average. I seemed to keep losing weight just fine so I stayed with it -- like you, I figured that since my workouts were getting longer/more intense as I got stronger and fitter, it seemed to work. At 150, I realized that maybe I should actually up my calories a little and slow down the two pounds or so a week to one pound a week or every couple of weeks -- sort of playing at maintenance and learning what I REALLY needed to be eating/could be eating at the increased level of exercise. By doing that, I sort of stalled out for a little over two weeks at 145 (I was eating about 1800a day). So, in the last two weeks, I have lowered that to 1700 or so, and upped my cardio 15 minutes a day, and another 3 pounds has come off so that I was at 142 this morning. I am working at finding my balance, what I can really do exercise wise with three small children, and what I can eat depending on that exercise. I am actually pretty happy where I am, but I am vain enough to admit that having worked so hard, I just kind of want to see 130-something on my scale -- and since I am no where near underweight, it is not like it will hurt.

Thanks for the compliment, by the way. I think women, in general, are WAY to critical of themselves. It is A LOT easier to do something good for yourself when you learn to like yourself.

Extasee - When someone first starts their weightloss journey, they need to keep it simple and primarily focus on portion control and counting calories. I have seen new dieters become overwhelmed in the first week because they are trying to do too much at once (managing their nutrient %, eating clean, cutting calories etc). That just becomes a recipe for defeat.

So I don't think it is bad that you have initially focused on calories. I find that this alone becomes less successful in the long run and harder to stick with. Remember the goal is eating habits you can sustain for a lifetime.

My eating and exercise plan has evolved over the last 20 months and I expect they will continue to change in the future.

So yes, continue to reevaluate what you are doing or focusing on so that you continue to have success. Best of luck

Do I really need around 1500 cals a day even though I don't exercise? I hate exercising and I know I should, but I'm so busy & I hate it so much I don't do it. All the weight I've lost so far has come from a change in diet only. I have to create a calorie deficit so I can continue to lose weight even though I am not exercising.

No one can tell you that yes, you need X number of calories. You'll have to see what works for you. But I can tell you that most calorie calculators will tell you that at your height and weight, with little to no exercise, you should be eating around 1500 cals a day, yes. Everyone is different and for you that range might be slightly more or less, but yeah, 1500 sounds reasonable.

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I ate 1300 yesterday! The Daily Plate gives me a daily intake of 1,422. That is currently what I shoot for, though I'm sure you know, since you know everything I hardly ever get that high!

If you continue to lose weight and don't exercise then you will likely get yourself into a trap.

You are able to lose weight on your current calorie intake because the bigger you are the more you naturally burn in calories. As you lose weight and get smaller then you will only continue to lose weight if you lower your calorie intake.

However, you are already eating rather low calories so you don't leave yourself much room to go lower. You will either be miserable for too little food or you will hit that infamous "starvation mode" so no matter what you do you won't lose. Basically this is the perfect recipe for hitting a plateau.

Exercise will help you build lean body mass which basically means that your metabolism will increase even though your are getting smaller. You will then be able to continue to lose weight at the same or higher caloric intake.

It was easy for me to stick to 1400 calories for 6 months, it was still easy to stick to 1500 calories for the next 6 monhts. I now eat about 1700 calories and continue to lose - thank goodness. I have been at this for 20 months and the fact that I can still eat, be satisfied and lose weight is what has allowed me to stick to my plan for this long and into the future.

My plan is to reach around 170 and at that point start working out and trying to tone & build muscle. I'll either start around 170 or when reach a plateau, whichever comes first. :-)

Exercise shouldn't be a last resort. The list of benefits exercise provides is insane!

Benefits of Aerobic Exercise:
Increased maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max)
Improvement in cardivascular/cardiorespiratory function (heart and lungs)
Increased maximal cardiac output (amount of blood pumped every minute)
Increased maximal stroke volume (amount of blood pumped with each beat)
Increased blood volume and ability to carry oxygen
Reduced workload on the heart (myocardial oxygen consumption) for any given submaximal exercise intensity
Increased blood supply to muscles and ability to use oxygen
Lower heart rate and blood pressure at any level of submaximal exercise
Increased threshold for lactic acid accumulation
Lower resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure in people with high blood pressure
Increased HDL Cholesterol (the good cholesterol)
Decreased blood triglycerides
Reduced body fat and improved weight control
Improved glucose tolerance and reduced insulin resistance

Benefits of Strength Training:
Increased muscular strength
Increased strength of tendons and ligaments
Potentially improves flexibility (range of motion of joints)
Reduced body fat and increased lean body mass (muscle mass)
Potentially decreases resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure
Positive changes in blood cholesterol
Improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity
Improved strength, balance, and functional ability in older adults


I'm sure this isn't everything, but a good start.

We all need to have regular physical activity to stay healthy!


Links:
http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwfit/benefits.html
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ01676

Excellent post Raw!!!

The fountian of youth starts with brisk fitness and lots of water!! (and dove soap. )

For the record, I hate weight training. I still do it, but I can't stand it. Just thought I'd add that in there.