calorie counting advice!
 

Hello
I am seriously starting a lifestyle change now, completely overhaulin' my life!:carrot:

So...I have a few questions about calorie counting as it seems like it might be the best way for me...

1) How many calories do you experienced chicks think is good to start on being 5 foot nuffin and being about 70lbs overweight ( :( )?

2) when calorie counting, what else do you count? Grams of fat? sugar?

3) Should i tackle food issues first on their own or dive straight in and start exercising on day one (i do very little physical activity every day!)

Sorry if these are all questions that have been asked a million times over but I am new to this having a plan thing and really want to lose the weight this time. For good!

x

Hello :)

1) What exactly is your current weight? Using a tool like: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-goal.php Helped me figure out how much I should be eating approx. But since everyone is biologically a little different it really is a personal thing.

2) Personally I started with JUST calories but made healthy choices and later on became aware of the balancing act of protein, carbs, and fats.

3) I did food for a couple weeks and then started to exercise to let my body, and myself, not get overwhelmed.

I know you want to completely overhaul everything, but, doing everything at once and eliminating everything no-so-great (caffeine and sugar) can really hurt not only you but your weight loss effort. Baby steps is more manageable and maybe something to consider.

first of all, congrats on making the new changes in your life. go you!

Originally Posted by thegirl:

1) How many calories do you experienced chicks think is good to start on being 5 foot nuffin and being about 70lbs overweight ( :( )?

I am around the same height as you are and I started out around 1200-1500 calories a day, depending on my level of hunger. I found that my weight loss stalled actually if i kept my calories at a steady level for too long, so I just listen to my body and eat how much I want (within the parameters). Of course every body is different, and with enough experimenting you will find the calorie level that best nourishes your body and allows you to lose weight.

Originally Posted by thegirl:
2) when calorie counting, what else do you count? Grams of fat? sugar?

I personally count fiber, and sodium in my diet apart from carbohydrates, fat and protein. I use sparkpeople.com to help me automatically track everything, other people have found different counting websites that suits their needs.

Originally Posted by thegirl:
3) Should i tackle food issues first on their own or dive straight in and start exercising on day one (i do very little physical activity every day!)

Food is definitely the biggest factor that affects weight loss. I lost about 30 pounds before I started an exercise routine, but exercise is important for other reasons as well. It helps with your moods, confidence, and just gives you a general sense of well-being.

I hope that was helpful, and again I wish you the best of luck with your goals!

Hello, and welcome to the forum! :)

Originally Posted by thegirl:
1) How many calories do you experienced chicks think is good to start on being 5 foot nuffin and being about 70lbs overweight ( :( )?

As has been recommended above, if you have a Google for things like "calorie intake calculator" or "calories to lose weight calculator", you'll find masses of websites where you can enter your details (gender, age, height, weight, level of activity, desired rate of weight loss, etc), and be recommended calorie intakes for weight loss. Some of them use slightly different formulae to calculate this, so it's good to try a few, and then just have a go and see how that calorie intake suits you, you can always adjust it up and down as required :) One thing to bear in mind is that the majority of doctors and medical professionals strongly recommend against eating below 1200 calories a day for regular people wanting to lose weight - so I wouldn't recommend going below this!

Originally Posted by :
2) when calorie counting, what else do you count? Grams of fat? sugar?

I track my calories online with the MyPlate tool on the LiveStrong website. Others use websites like Calorie Count and FitDay for similar purposes. I primarily just use the website for counting calories, but it also includes nutritional information so I can also count other things like fat, protein and so on. If you're new to calorie counting, I'd recommend that you just concentrate on calories to begin with, but in the future, you may like to start looking at other things (e.g., protein intake, sodium intake), to make sure you are getting a healthy balance! :)

Originally Posted by :
3) Should i tackle food issues first on their own or dive straight in and start exercising on day one (i do very little physical activity every day!)

This is totally up to you, and how you feel about it :) Many people choose to just focus on their dietary habits (either initially, or throughout their weight loss), because as has been said above, you can lose masses of weight by just eating in a more healthy way. Other people like to exercise as well, because this also contributes to weight loss (although perhaps in not as dramatic a way as restricting calories), but also just because they wish to feel fit and healthy - obviously being slim doesn't mean you are fit! For me, exercise is something that is important to me and whilst I didn't start exercising straight away (I felt too lazy!), it's now something I consider to be really important. My overall goal is better health, and weight loss, as well as physical fitness, are symptomatic of that goal. I don't just want to be slim but not fit!

Hope this helps :)

1) How many calories do you experienced chicks think is good to start on being 5 foot nuffin and being about 70lbs overweight ( :( )?

I'm 5'5 and started at 195Lbs so 50Lbs overweight. I started at 1200 a day but it just wasn't enough! I now stick between 1300-1400 a day and that extra few calories (I eat in oatmeal) keeps me from going to bed hungry.
I use fitday.com to keep track of my calories - again out of laziness :D

2) when calorie counting, what else do you count? Grams of fat? sugar?

I'm lazy so I only count calories. I do tend to eat lots of vegetables and avoid red meats, and refined sugars so I assume It's healthy. I refuse to give up cheese though- even if I only get a little cube of it when I want it! If you have a favorite then find a way to put a little bit in your meal plan. Deprivation leads to frustration.

3) Should i tackle food issues first on their own or dive straight in and start exercising on day one (i do very little physical activity every day!)

I started slowly, I'm recovering from a back injury so for the first 3 months I stretched 30-45 minuets a day, did very light weights and some exercises the doctor suggested to help strengthen my back. I work at a computer all day- and do more work on a comp at home so needless to say I was not active but still lost 16 lbs those first 3 months.
It's important for you to find something you can do regularly. going from 0 activity to running will burn you out and frustrate you. Start with regular stretching and a lighter activity like walking or light bike riding and see what you feel good with. Make your work out slightly more difficult then your current fitness level and bring it up as you get better.

I found the hardest part was patience. before my back injury I was very athletic so it made me want to scream that I couldn't run a block without wanting to die! Expect frustration and allow for it. If you fumble in your plan forgive yourself and get right back on the horse!

Best of luck with your calorie counting welcome to the team! :carrot:

I am 4'10' and started out about 80 pounds overweight, so we are relatively close. I stick in the 1300 calorie range. I am not a big counter on much besides calories, although I do watch the others. Honestly, you will find that by keeping your fat and carbs a little lower than you might be used to, you will be able to eat a lot more and stay at your calorie target number. At 9 calories per gram, a little fat goes a long way towards upping those calorie numbers. I have used dietpower for my tracking since I started. I love the program and will recommend it to anyone. You can try it free for 10 days, then pay, I think, 24 dollars for it if you want to keep using it. Fitday is free, and I used it once, but I think I just got so used to my dietpower, so I didnt want to go back to fitday.

Exercise should start as soon as you are able. More for the increase in your metabolism than anything else. Getting the blood pumping, and making yourself move edges your metabolism up, aside from the actual calories you burn by doing the exercise. I started walking 15-20 minutes per day when I first started. Now I do 45 minutes at 15% incline at 3.75 mph every day, as well as the walk to the gym and back, which adds another 40 minutes of just a casual quick walk on level ground. Add on to that weight training 3 days out of the week, and I actually do a fair bit more exercise than I need to, but I have the time to do it, and I really enjoy it. It is not necessary for you to do that much.