I woke up today feeling very ready to start changing my lifestyle of eating. Ive decided that being fat isnt cute not to mention healthy. So im going to start slow and watch the weight come off slowly. I just need a lil help. Would it be okay to start at 2000 cals per day? or is that too high? I want to make a little change for now so that I dont strugle getting there and can make it a lifestyle change. I plan on working out but only cardio for 30-45 mins so that I dont over due it. I think im always in such a rush that I kill myself and start to low on cals that I wana give up. I want to really try to cut out soda. its my weakness. I have this thing with not allowing myself to eat white bread, or have something, that I just crave it more. I love veggies so that isnt a problem. Im italian so im good at cooking pasta but not very good at cooking meals for myself. i get sick of grilled chicken. im gonna buy the perfect portion chicken at the supermarket. They sell individul chicken in a vaccum sealed bag so that I can just take a piece out to defrost in the morning. its easier for me then to cook several pieces. I hate leftover chicken.
Anyways just thought id share and get some insight from my fellow fat chicks
Hi Breanna. Slow and steady is my preferred weight loss method too. I figure that I'll have to continue eating healthy for the rest of my life if I want to keep the weight off, so I have a manageable calorie goal of 1700 a day, on average. I combine this with at least 30 min. of moderate to intense exercise 6x a week though. Your goal will depend on your weight, height, age, activity, so you'll have to find what works best for you, but I use Livestrong to track my eating and figure out what my calorie goals should be.
If you have some things you want to reduce consuming, it may be easier to tackle one thing at a time. Find a healthy substitute and slowly use it as a replacement until your cravings subside or put limits on how often you can consume something like 1x a week or never in the house but ok at a restaurant. I crave ice cream like no one's business so now I limit myself to one of the mini cups once a week. It became easy to stick to if I only bought one every week and didn't feel like I was depriving myself.
I think 2k cals sounds perfectly reasonable for you. You may even find it's not that slow of a start, weight-loss wise. Do you know approx how many cals you eat on a daily basis now, before weight loss? That starting point would give you a good idea of the deficit you're creating with 2000 cals.
Your plan sounds good. Slow and steady. You can amp it up later if you want, if you're feeling strong, but no need to deprive yourself of everything and go crazy. Good luck!
Definitely use a site to figure out your recommended calories for you height, weight etc. I agree with ricepapr, don't cut out everyone all at once, that's a surefire way to fail. Slow and steady really does win the race. I also used to have the mind set that when I rule something out completely, that's all I think about until I eventually give in. I still eat everything that I love, but either modified (thin crust homemade pizza with a big salad instead of half of a stuffed crust from Pizza Hut) or a much smaller portion. Even though it can be more expensive to buy individually wrapped items, it really helps with portion control. Also, make sure that you're drinking enough water. I still struggle with that and by the end of the day, I have wicked cravings when in reality, I'm really just dehydrated. Hope that helps
It sounds like you have a good start to a new plan! I'm so glad you didn't give up! A leaner, healthier body is soooo worth the effort!
About the soda~ my hubby lost all his extra weight by cutting sodas ... only! Granted, it was his first weight loss effort ever so that played a part too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I like Lose It for calorie counting - it's free and they also have an iPhone app so you can track things on the go, if that works for you.
In the past I have had success with cutting out trigger foods. Chocolate used to be my vice, but one summer I made a pledge that between the last day of school in May and the first day of school in August, I would consume NO chocolate at all. I ended up unknowingly eating one or two things that contained chocolate, but fortunately it was only an ingredient so it didn't set me off. So in the end I didn't *consciously* eat any chocolate that summer.
Nowadays my cravings for it have subsided quite a bit. I can eat it once or twice a week in modest amounts without wanting to binge on it (or on something else). For me, having ANY of it used to trigger binges on unhealthy stuff, so I decided to go cold turkey because otherwise I knew I'd continue to crave it all the time. Cutting it out completely was the best way to calm my brain down and weaken that trigger.
This isn't for everyone, but if you have big problem foods, you might give it a try. Start small if you like… don't have any of this food for one day. Then work up… don't have any of it for three days. Then eventually… maybe go for a month without it. Then three months. You may see your cravings fade. It's hard in the beginning, but the longer you can stay away from your trigger foods, the less you will miss them.
You know what the best thing to do, to start out if you have no idea how many calories to eat? Just eat normally and log your calories. See how much you eat in a day. The act of having to log your calories might cause you to start to think about what you're eating anyway.
Either way, if you find your maintenance calories all you'd have to do is subtract a certain amount depending on how much you want to lose. 250 for half a pound a week, 500 for a pound a week and 1000 for two pounds a week.
2000 calories would probably start you off losing at a healthy pace, but you may be able to eat more than that and still lose.
I agree with everything everyone has posted. Slow and steady is the way to do it, and don't give up when you hit a plateau, just come here and enjoy finding all the motivation you need to keep going.
I dont drink hardly any water which could be a big part of why I want to eat so much at the end of the day. Soda is my weakness. I hate it. and I hate diet soda. So i may start by letting myself have some everyother day until I get off of it. I think my problem is cutting things out all together. it makes me crave it more than I did when I was allowing myself.
I dont drink hardly any water which could be a big part of why I want to eat so much at the end of the day. Soda is my weakness. I hate it. and I hate diet soda. So i may start by letting myself have some everyother day until I get off of it. I think my problem is cutting things out all together. it makes me crave it more than I did when I was allowing myself.
Have you tried club soda with a little bit of cranberry or another strong juice? I know it doesn't sound awesome, but even my four year old child and her siblings have loved it since they were very small. It doesn't have the aspartame flavor, it has the bubbles, and it's low in calories.
To drink enough water, I usually have to tell myself to finish a bottle with lunch, finish one with dinner, and one at night when I'm going to bed (which I often finish early in the morning). It keeps me full through the day.
I sound like a broken record, I know, but planning ahead has been my key to feeling satisfied and eating on track.
Just when I thought I was gonna give up.....
.
