I had sent a PM to you, but you may have missed it. I am 171 # and 41% BF and 54 years old. My first goal is to get to 30% BF. How many calories should I be eating? I lift with a personal trainer twice a week for 30 min. and try to get 30 min. of cardio in 5 days a week. Either treadmill, ellip. or walking. I didn't know how else to get ahold of you, and since you guys are maintaining I thought someone should know the answer. Oh, what about ratios of P/C/F?

Thanks
Mary Ann

Hi Mary Ann! I got your PM but just haven't had a chance to answer due to a huge backlog -- I'm so sorry!

The number of calories you should eat would only be a guess on my part - how many are you eating now? Are you gaining, losing, or maintaining at that rate?

When I weighed what you do, I had dropped down into the 1200-1300 calorie/day range, but started out around 1600 and dropped when I stalled. Your body may be completely different, though.

As for the ratios, I lost best on a 45/25-30/25-30 (P/C/F) but again it's going to be different for everyone.

If you hang around here at the Maintainers Forum (and we hope you do! ), you'll find out that there isn't any one size fits all way to lose weight or to keep it off. Most everyone here devised their own weight loss plans and tweaked them as they went along. The important thing is to discover a way of eating and exercising that you can continue for your whole life. Don't be afraid to experiment! As long as you're journalling and weighing regularly, you'll soon find out what works for YOU!

I haven't really kept track of calories because I was trying South Beach. As soon as I finished phase 1, I lost control and gained back what I lost. A typical diet. It works as long as I work it. I'd like to be able to eat if I want to and not be so obsessed with gaining. I'm going to try to zig zag my calories and see if that works. I just keep gaining and gaining. Did you follow a plan like WW, or just start out more like a BFL plan? I'd like to stay with this thread if it's ok. I'm trying to lose but I'm doing more maintaining than anything. I saw your FitDay. You use Grow. Do you prefer that over other Protein powders? I was using Beverly Muscle Provider. It taste like Nestles Quik. I became bored with the chicken and fish and salads. I didn't allow myself a cheat day (or is it meal?) Probably why I couldn't stick with it. I really appreciate any input you can give me. Thanks for you help. BTW, awesome pictures!!

Mary Ann

Let me try to answer ...

I didn't follow a plan. I'm probably the only person in the world (or at least my gym) who's never read BFL. I'm just not a plan person and don't do well with other people telling me what to eat. I simply counted calories and focused on clean foods - lean proteins, good carbs, good fats, no sugar, as little processed food as possible.

I never cheated and never took a cheat/free meal (I just do better that way ). Now that I'm maintaining, I have a free meal about once every month or two.

I really do believe that we all need to find out what works for us as individuals. You're so right - a diet works only so long as you stick to it. So the key is to find something that you - Mary Ann - can comfortably do for the rest of your life. If you're sick of salads or chicken or whatever, play around with some alternative menu ideas. I only eat what I like and I look forward to and enjoy every meal. Do you think you could plan a weekly menu like that? (within a certain calorie limit, of course! ) If you use Fitday, track your calories and see how you do at a certain level, say 1500 to start?

One last thing - instead of Grow, I've been using Champion Nutrition's Low Carb Ultramet packets for protein shakes. I just like the taste better.

Thanks for the information. When you started with a personal trainer, did they give you an idea of how many calories, or just recommended foods? I know what to eat, just not how much. I work swing shift and alot of 12 hour days, but I'm going to try it and see how it goes. If I start with say 1500 calories, I should try to burn 500 calories a day to lose 1 lb. right? It all sounds so easy. I just need to make the commitment. BTW, I saw that you're from the Pittsburg area. I'm near Harrisburg (but closer to Hershey). Thanks again, and I'll here on this thread. I need all the help I can get

Mary Ann

I'm having problems getting my protein up and my fat intake down. Where can I find a list of foods that would be high in protein yet low in fat?

Lowfat/no fat cottage cheese (the world's most versatile food)
Egg whites (a close second)
Skinless chicken breast
Skinless turkey breast
Ground turkey breast
Pork Tenderloin
Lean beef such as London broil
all fish and shellfish- grilled, baked or broiled

Mel

Boy, am I glad that I DON'T live near Hershey!!

Yep, you cut 500 calories every day from your maintenance level to lose a pound a week and cut 1000 to lose two pounds per week. And you can add exercise to create part of that deficit, so 500 fewer food calories + 500 calories of additional exercise = 1000 calories/day deficit.

In one sense, losing weight is 'easy' because most of us know what we should do. But the hard part is in the actual doing and that's why I think that 98% of weight loss happens in our heads, not our bodies.

As for me, I worked with a trainer and he suggested 1600 calories to start, when I was 257 pounds. I dropped by 100 each time I hit a plateau and it worked out pretty well. You're working with a trainer too, right? What does he/she suggest for your calories?

She really didn't suggest calories. She just asked what I was eating and said it sounded good. I filled out my FitDay for tomorrow. I'm going to try to post it. Only problem is I filled it out on todays date. Tell me what you think.
Here goes...http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJ...?Owner=odirish

Mary Ann

So, I'm not Meg, but I have some questions about what you're eating. For veggies, I see only some salad greens and a serving of corn. And are you really eating 2 TBSP of oil? And 8 oz of chicken? Or is it just an error in Fitday? And 8 eggwhites? No fruit... Yes, the calories come out fine, but - and this is just my opinion - you could eat much better for the same or a few more calories.

Edit to say that I just noticed the banana. Sorry.

I'm open to suggestions . I was always told that fruit contains sugars. Berries are ok though. What would you suggest?

Mary Ann

I don't limit fruit at all due to the wonderful taste and excellent health benefits. Specifically, I would recommend: pomegranates, blueberries, oranges, mangos and watermelon.

I tried to add my Fitday for tomorrows meals, but it only comes up for today.
I think it looks better though. How do you add the My Fitday?

Mary Ann

To add the My FitDay to your posts (I assume you're talking about adding it over at the left, under your post count), go to User CP, then Edit Profile. You'll see a section called "Additional Information" and the third box down is where you would put your FitDay user name.

Thanks. Hopefully it will show up.

Mary Ann