how many calories are you eating? How much are you losing a week?
 

Just curious....I'm doing 1200 calories and hoping to lose 2 a week. Currently at 150 hoping to get to 138. I did get to 149 on Sat but indulged in cookies...sigh...then went to 151 now working it down again......I hear that since I only have so few to lose it will be slow....is 2 pounds unrealistic?

2 pounds a week may be a little unrealistic, especially since you are not considered overwieght. I am also 5'6, so I know that for our height 155 and above is overweight. I'm getting close!

I am eating 1400-1500 calories per day and losing roughly a pound a week which I am happy with. I think if I went down to 1200 calories I would actually lose LESS weight instead of more, as our bodies need calories to function well and therefore lose weight.

I started at almost exactly where you are - I was 147, 5'5.5" started at 1250-1350 per day. I was targeting 1200, but didn't have a food scale so was going a little higher than I thought... When I got my scale I started averaging 1200 per day more accurately, but didn't stick with that low number. I just did an average and I averaged 1268 per day for the 15 weeks, some days went as low as 1150, some were as high as 1800. Two weeks out of 15 I lost 2.3 pounds, both weeks where I exercised seven out of seven days in the measurement period, one of those preceeded by a loss of .8 pounds, the other by a gain of .2 pounds. All the other weeks I ranged from 0.9-1.7 pounds per week.

Once I hit 125.5 I started maintenance and upped to 1500 calories, still lost 1 pound per week for four weeks. I just maintained last week at the same weight for two weigh-ins and that was at an average of 1700 calories per day.

How old you are and how often you exercise will influence your number of calories, but I will tell you that you should never go below 1200. I found that with that as a starting point I wouldn't have anywhere to go in case of stall - I started the calorie restriction first then added in the exercise after a few weeks.

I'm consider obese and I eat around 1,200 calories a day. Sometimes less, sometimes more (usually around 1,400). I lose 2.5lbs a week and I lightly exercise for the time being. I hurt both my arm and hip, so I just walk right now. Hopefully within the next week or so, I'll be fine to go back to regular exercises.

I am 37, 5'7" and I currently weigh 150. I have lost 32 lbs., and I have been eating a range of between 1400 to 1700 a day throughout the course of my weight loss. I do resistance training every other day, ride my exercise bike everyday for 30 minutes and walk 3 miles 3 days a week.

In the beginning, I was eating 1200 calories, but the weight was coming off too fast -- at around 3 pounds a week. So I upped the calories to around 1600 or so most days. I am currently losing at 1.2 or so a week -- a better speed. Remember -- 1% of body weight a week is considered safe so for both you and me that means 1.5 pounds each week at this point.

i weigh 215lbs and i eat 1700 calories a day. i started off eating only 1500 calories per day and doing 30 minutes of step aerobics during the day and speed walking for 30 minutes at night every day but i saw NO results. which i thought was weird. so i upped it by 200 cause i read sometimes when you deprive yourself of so much so quick your body thinks it's starving. so now i eat 1700 calories a day and my only work out is 30 minutes on the eliptical machine 6 days a week minimum and i've actually been losing 1 or 2lbs per week.

Thanks for the response guys! I think I'll stick to 1200-1300 calories. That seems to work for me. I eat a lot of fiber which helps me to feel full. You gotta try high fiber wheat bread, it really fills me up!

I do cardio for 1 hour on my treadmill 3 days a week and then do weight training 2 days a week. On the weekends I rest my body...I used to work out 6 days a week but my knees were always hurting, my hubby told me I needed to allow my body to rest so that my muscles can repair. I feel so much better.

Today I weighed in at 149.6!!!! I'm just gonna have to fight till I hit goal. It's so hard with kids at home....but I'm determined...

85 lbs in 16 weeks, walking daily and eating 800-1000 calories!

Can you explain how medifast works? How do you not collapse eating so few calories? Is it all shakes or real food?

How Medifast Works!
 

Hi 3Kiddos!

Glad to explain how Medifast works!

The Goal of Medifast is to get each individual into a VERY Mild State of Ketosis.

This is a fat burning state that is perfectly safe and decreases your HUNGER significantly and gives you amazing amounts of ENERGY!

Now the first 3-5 days, is less than enjoyable but OH So Worth it! Once you go into this mild state of Ketosis, YOU are no longer hunger, at least I have NOT been all the while on plan! Which for me is NO small Miracle!:D

So it makes it VERY easy to stay on plan and the Scale continues to motivate.

Now, most follow the 5&1 Plan, Which is 5 Medifast Meals which consist of Soups/Stews/Chili/Oatmeal/Puddings/Bars and Yes, Shakes! :D

Then each day you have a meal on your own, it's called, Lean and Green! You can have it for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner, whichever you prefer.

You are to eat Breakfast within 30 minutes of rising to get your metabolism Going! Then every 2-3 hours throughout the day eating your other meals.

For Example.
I have my meals at 6 a.m. 9 a.m. Noon 3 p.m. 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

There are tons of recipes for Both Lean and Green meals and Medifast meals.

The options are endless and the bonus is the Medifast Meals are VERY tasty!

And the longer on plan, the Better they taste!

So, that is the Readers Digest Version of the plan. Hope it helps!

First Weight-Loss Program I have been able to actually Stay on in 11 years!

Have a great night!

Dan-O

I consume on average 1200-1300 daily. I was losing 2.5-3 lbs weekly for a while however weight loss has slowed down a fair bit (I'm 131 lbs, 5'3 now). I see huge changes using the measuring tape method and only very slight changes on the scale, are you measuring with the tap also?

I am 5' 5" and currently at 199. I eat anywhere between 1100-1300 a day. And I lose usually 1-2 lbs per week. I do not excercise yet, I'm holding out till I hit the plateau so I can kick start the weight loss again!

I take it you two are not on the 5&1 plan????

Not I.

I do eat five/six small meals daily.

I try to stick to about 1200-1300/day and I am able to lose anywhere from 1-4 pounds a week. I'm noticing now that I am drinking a TON of water, I am losing less, though. I think if I lose more than 1.5-2 pounds a week it is due to dehydration which is not true weight loss and can make you feel really sick and gross. So I am drinking lots and lots of water and feeling good about that 1-2 pounds per week, knowing that it's real. :)

Good luck!

i do about 800 calories a day and i've lost 36 lbs since september 26. now that i'm close to goal i shoot for 2-3 lbs a week. i know that's a little lower than a lot of u but what my dr recommended for my height/weight. i eat really often during the day just super lowfat/low cal foods.

I weight 141 and eat between 1400-1500 a day. Exercise wise, I run 30 mins (12 min/mile) 3-4 times a week.
I haven't really been losing that much so I'm happy about this topic - it seems that on average you guys eat a little less than I do.
But *wow* Danielle - 800 cls? Thats impressive. How do you not faint?!

I average 1500 calories with a range of about 1300-1800 depending on the day and level of exercise. My weight loss started out rather quickly but in the last 3 months I average about 1/2 lb per week but because I feel full and am enjoying my new whole foods diet and have been able to stick with my exercise I have to accept that it might take 2 months to lose the 4 lbs I have left.

Great topic! I'm 5'10" at 164 and want to lose 20lbs more. I checked my fitday averages and for the last month I have eaten 1865 calories, but I haven't been losing at that numbers, so for the last week I've averaged 1550 and I think I'll have better results now.
I am doing the 30DS and throw in yoga and walking/running whenever I can.

neeka an average day for me is
bfast-
egg beaters w veggies and fat free cheese and a pc of toast with smart balance butter <196 cals>

lunch-
half of a sandwich and a spinach salad <230 cals>
or
cup of soup and a spinach salad <200 cals>
or
small grilled chicken salad <160 cals>

snack-
baked scoops and salsa <135 cals>
or
diced fresh pineapple <it's good to keep from bloating> <74 cals>
or
yogurt <80 cals>

dinner
always a lean meat <turkey, chicken, fish, or shrimp i will have steak if it's a "cheat day" but only a lean cut and only a 4 oz portion> <app 200 cals>
a green veggie <broc asparagus or green beans> <50 cals>

and i might do another snack but if i do one at night it's much lighter than my midday one usually a banana or a pickle or something <between 5-10 cals>

i used my highest cal choices for the day and got 821. that's assuming i eat that after dinner snack which i usually don't. but as u can see i'm eating often and a decent amt of food i just make good choices.

I went from 150-160lbs (I was too scared to look) to about 115lbs doing 1200-1400 calories a day along with light cardio. It took me a full YEAR to lose however, it came off in a healthy way and has stayed off for four years now. I now eat around 1600-1800 calories because I do heavy weight lifting (often more than my own bodyweight).

Just my person opinion, but I don't agree with losing weight in an unsustainable way (such as ~1000 calories) because it is generally not a realistic long-term option. THE BODY NEEDS NUTRITION! Long-lasting health and a proper weight comes from developing long-lasting lifestyle habits.

You didn't gain it overnight, you can't lose it overnight. If it were so simple, everyone would be slim. It takes time, effort, and work. But the results are worth it.

I just started a little less than a week ago, but am aiming for <1500 cal. per day. So far my average has been about 1450 or so (I don't use a scale, nor do I carefully measure everything, so it's an approximation...but I try to estimate a little high rather than a little low). I also have worked out 4 out of 5 days (alternating a cardio and yoga DVD) along with twice-daily walks with my dog for about 20 minutes each. I've already lost 2 lbs! Although I'm drinking tons of water, so that's probably just water weight, but it's enough to keep me motivated!

I also can't believe that some of you can consume so little (<1000 calories)! I think that I would be miserable all the time, or pass out. But if it works for you, then more power to you.

Good luck to everyone!

Danielle, Im well impressed with you! And that menu doesn't sound too bad at all, I might try it out for week :)

ive been eating around 1400 and am losing 2-3 pounds every MONTH which im soooo happy with lol

And i work out a whole lot as well . i think since we're so close to our goals it gets a whole lot harder to drop any pounds . or even ounces for that matter.

I'm just starting out, as well, but I've been eating between 1220 and 1550 a day, with an average of 1458. I try to drink a glass of 1% milk every day, to help keep my calcium levels up. I'm also taking a mutlivitamin.
So far, I've been walking 25-35 minutes a day, along with about 10 minutes of light strength training and stretching. I'm taking one day off from exercise a week, and I'm going to start adding heavier strength training shortly.
Hope this helps, and it's nice to hear that others are doing similar strategies.

I am at 1500 and run three miles every morning. My loss has slowed but I can do this from now on if I have to. I am happy, content, and not hungry. I feel good.

Do you feel like you will eat like this the rest of your life? Are you exercising or strength training at all?

The last three weeks I didn't do anything, and I felt like I ate a LOT with very little exercise.

And I lost one pound. Funny how that works.

Generally I try to average around 1400/day. But the weekends are more so I usually end a week around 1500/day average.

I live in a big city and don't have a car, so just walking to work I get about three miles. I try to go to the gym 5x a week. Lifting weights and running are my usual workouts.

I eat 1300 cals. a day, I've went over 1x in 6 weeks, and have lost 15lbs so far... I exercise (cardio) 5x week, and need to add on toning/weights now too...

I read this - and similar threads - when I got back on track three weeks ago and decided to account for all of the calories I consume.

I chose 1400 cal to start and 30+ minutes of cardio pretty much every day. (Ha - that makes me sound like such a powerhouse! I mostly just walk, but am throwing in the occasional jog, trying to work back up to running. Looooooong journey ahead in that arena ...).

The funny thing is that after the first week or two, I really lost my appetite for a few days. Not sure what was going on with that. NOT a common problem for me :D I was actually forcing myself to eat some good calories for a few days.

FitDay says my average has been 1325. I think I've lost about 4 lbs so far (hard to know for sure as I switched scales after the 1st week). So that's about right; 1.3 lb/week. I just hope it continues!

According to Nutridiary, my average over the last 28 days has been 1303 per day. I'm running between 12 and 15 miles a week on that and losing between 1 and 2 pounds, usually nearer to 1.

I calorie cycle but my average is always 1500 for any seven day period. I run daily. I lose about two pounds a month and that's okay with me.

Currently I'm about 1200 a day, but let's say it's a "pessimistic" estimate, I don't usually hit it and I stay around 1150. Which is actually a little bit low for my height and activity, but even if sometimes I lack of energy, I'm quite ok with it so far.
When I started, in April, I was eating more, about 1500 calories... but also exercising MORE! Now I exercise less (I don't like to have too much muscle definition.. to be toned is enough ;-)) but I also eat less! With this plan I was losing about 1lb every ten days. With the current 1200 cal I'm losing 1lb every week.

Actually not that big difference... it depends on how much you are able to exercise :-D

I keep getting told on SparkPeople that I am not getting enough carbs, fats, etc. per day...but really, if you are eating under 1300 calories, it's it a no-brainer that you are going to get less of those nutrients as well?

i just rejoined WW and weighed in at 143. and lost 5.2 in my first week. i did gain about 10 pounds in a month and just got back from an intense vacation where the main event was eating, so i expected a big loss. my first time i was on WW i was losing around 2 pounds a week starting from 149lbs. i think it's definitely possible to lose two/week. exercise is probably the most important thing though already being so small.

I'm a "bad" girl. Sad to say, I rarely reach 1000 calories. But I am losing about 1.5-2 lbs per week, so I guess I must be doing something right? I exercise about one and a half to two hours, most days. Always over one hour. Every day. Strength training most days.

MrsLovett

^ are you going to be able to sustain that lifestyle Mrslovett? it seems your weight goals are low for your height...I have a few friends that did that gym thing every day for 2 hours and eating not nearly enough for their bodies to function (1500 calories at LEAST if you are working out intensely)...your metabolism will slow eventually and function on less but do you really like eating that little?

I eat 1200 calories a day and try to do some form of exercise at least 5 days a week. Even if it's only for 20 min. I'm at the beginning so I'm hoping for a good outcome. It seems like a sensible way to go. Good luck:)

I eat no more than 1200 a day. I think I lose around .8 to 1 pound a week respectively.

I am attempting to keep my calorie intake at 1200 cal per day.I just started eating better & working out on June 20 2012 =)