It is really a personal thing. You should be losing at best, about 1/2-1 pound per week right now, since you are getting really close to your goal weight. The average lower calorie diets range from 1200-1800 calories per day. Experiment in the midrange right now, say 1400-1500, and see if you lose at about that rate per week with your current activity. If you lose less, than drop it down to 1300...if you ar losing too quickly, then bump it up just a bit. You have to experiment with what works best for you.
See if there is any activity counter or anything online that includes water aerobics and swimming-I am sure the calories burned for those are listed SOMEWHERE. You just might have to dig a little.

Yesterday was cardio day mostly-I did really well. I walked a brisk mile early in the day, and I went to vend items at 2 dance classes last night-beginning and continuing level-and ended up helping my troupe director and assistant director with the classes. I danced total for about an hour of that time-between vending and helping the students. It was fun. I did a little abwork yesterday as well.
Today is strength training day, but I will try to get a little cardio or yoga in as well. Not sure which yet. Three weeks until my 3 year anniversary of restarting my weight loss journey. (After having my last child)

Just checking in my scale was up a little but Tom is due. So I am trying not to get over excited about the wt. I have been busy with swimming, kaykaing last week but no workout at the gym. I hope that the little wt. will come off soon. I will keep an eye on my scale once a week. I don't want my wt. that was gone to ever return again. So before going off to camp it was a wise move to get on the scale. I have packed some healthy choices to go away with but know I will have some extras here and there. I did pack alot of water to go this time. I hope to do some hiking, swimming and kaykaing if its available. Welcome to all the new girls this site is surely hopping! The news is out calorie counting is the way to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Exercising too!!!!!!
Wow just a 1000 calories! That is tough and doesn't sound so healthy. Good luck and eat healthier foods baked, broiled, grilled and fresh fruits and veggies. Try to exercise even if its dancing in your livingroom with your favorite music.

Hi everybodee!

I am only 5'2" so I only eat about 1200/1300 calories per day. My job involves sitting behind a desk though. I don't really get up and move much during my day. I really really want a RMR test done. The problem is that no one close to me does them. They do the tests at all the Bally's gyms but I'm not a member. I found someone about an hour away that can do it, but I am trying to hold out until I'm at my goal weight. I am hoping that it will help me determine what my maintenance calories should be. If I really get stuck on a plateau again I may change my mind.

Big BBQ at my house on Saturday. About 20 guests some with kids so hopefully I will be too busy to snack much. If I can keep away from the alcohol I should be fine. Hubby last night was telling me that I could have a drink or two. I tried to explain that after 2 drinks I forget to care about the rest of the drinks or food. It just makes it too easy for me!

I usually weigh in on Friday, but I have a 1/2 day today so I skipped the gym and will go at 11. Hopefully the time difference won't make much of a change in my weight. I am really really hoping for a non-obese number this week.

For some bizarre reason I thought this forum was related to online calorie counters, you know, the sites where they have the caloric values for "thousands" of foods. Silly me! Because this is where I belong. I joined 3FC on 6/20 and have been posting in the journal community.

My starting weight was 219 and I'm now down to 214. There's a web site where you can see how many calories are needed to maintain your current weight and I use this to adjust my caloric intake to about 500 calories less than that figure. Right now I would need to consume 2,070 calories to maintain 214, but I'm aiming for 1,500 or less per day. Next week, when my weight drops again, I'll recalculate the numbers.

Regular exercise has never been a part of my life, so I'm starting off with stationary bicycling and walking, both good for beginners. Right now, 15 minutes on the bike or 10 minutes walk. Perhaps that should be AND instead of OR, but I'm not ready for that yet. Of course, I plan to increase the duration and difficulty.

Glad I peeked in. No points, no carbs, no South Beach. Calories in, calories out. Eat less and move more. I like it.

Bingo! glad you peeked in also!

welcome, and welcome ALL our new people! Yes, an awesome bunch of ladies here. They're what helped me get the initial load off, and I am s-l-o-w-l-y whittling away more
'
It seems like forever since I've posted! sorry!

have read up the past four or so pages to try to catch up. WAY TO GO for all those losses I read of! and continued exercise!!!

thanks aphil, those online calorie counters say I'm burning almost 2000 cals a day that's insane! but I'm still eating around 1300 cals and haven't lost a bit ... I don't know what's going on but I'm going to try to bump it up a little it's just tough to do when you don't exactly have time to eat I guess I have some experimenting to do

You have done fabulous though, icecreamjunkie. You probably just need to switch things up about to kick your system into gear.

I made the 166 weight in!

I know it was probably way too important to me to make that, but I really was tired of being "obese". I fit into a medium sometimes - that should not be considered obese. So I am now in the land of "severly overweight". Yahoo! Moderately overweight here I come!

I think my next goal is 157, which is the least I have weighed in my conscious memory, about 4 years ago before getting pregnant. After that I want to be 149 so I can move that doohickey on the scale to the "100" mark.

Have a great weekend ladies! I just baked brownies (no pudge) and chocolate chip cookies (the bad kind) and have to make spinach dip (WW receipe) and a veggie tray for our party tomorrow.

Hello everyone well another holiday behind us and we have all survived. I went off to camp and thank goodness I took some healthy food too! I didn't do too bad at least I don't think. I had been careful not to consume to much bread. I had some jalopeno humus with cuke slices instead of chips or crackers. It is one of my favorites. Just need to be careful not to have too much hummus those calories add up. I didn't count calories this weekend just tried to make better choices when possible. Not to say I didn't have a few goodies but I didn't go crazy. Holly sounds like your staying right on top of things. Your not far away from your goal good for you. I know you will make it. Just think by having things come off slow they will stay off better in the end , so they say!!!!!!!!!!!! Melissa I know its hard to bake those goodies but as long as there all gone when everyone leaves the party its not so bad. Sometimes when I bake I eat some and then quickly get them out of the house or into the freezer for another time. Good job on your loss. I am trying to get into the groove this week and really watch my intake and exercise level. I have a clambake on the 16th and a wedding on the 22nd its all about preplanning ahead I guess. I will be really trying in between the celebrations to stay on track. I am going to the gym today!

icecreamjunkee-

I do agree that you probably need to change some things to kick things into gear again. Sometimes changing your calorie level does it, other times it doesn't. Revving up your exercise routine does wonders though-even if I don't see a scale loss, when I make a more "advanced" change in my routine-I almost always see results after a few weeks either in the mirror, or in inches when I measure. Things such as going up in weights for strength training, changing getting a new video and alternating it with an older one you already do-if you do an exercise video at home-or increasing the resistance on your cardio machine. You don't have to always work out "longer" to challenge yourself.
I have also found that if I am having trouble, that eating "cleaner" helps. Cutting out processed foods for a while-even if they are low fat or whatever-things like low fat ice cream, or crackers, and so forth. If I avoid them for a while and stick with veggies, fruit, brown rice, lean proteins-then sometimes I see better results, because I am cutting out any junk.


I just got a new journal yesterday-a hardback larger one than the mini spiral notebooks I normally use. I am logging so much more than my calories now-I log my measurements that I take on a page or two (keeping track of my progress over the past 3 years), and I log my jogging-I am just getting into jogging and have built up from only being able to go 1/4 mile in a single interval to 3/4 mile in an interval. I also keep track of my total mileage in my running shoes so I know when it is replacement time-and so many other things-that I need a bigger journal!
This one has room for everything.

Hi ladies,
I'm back from the weekend in Atlanta where my choices had unknown calorie counts and I forgot to keep track. If I want to keep track, I can't eat something with unknown calorie counts. Anyway, I stayed out of mischief and lost a few ounces. Changing the ticker again! Almost under a big notch again.
I'll read up on all of you later, meanwhile, out for the walk.
Elyse

Hello, thank you for the encouragement. I actually forgot to weigh on Monday. It was kind of nice to not be so focused on the scales. I kicked another pound off my bod and it feels great. I already after five weeks feel so much better. Now only 76 to go! I love this site.

wow, it said i havent been on here since may of 2003. well i guess since then, i have been diet hopping and losing and gaining and pretty much staying the same wt. at 5'3, i just turned 40 and am teetering between 190 and 200. right now i am 193. aphil, i dont know if you remember me, but you (and many others) were so supportive of me. i really did appreciate it, but i guess i just wasnt there mentally to do this. i thought i was. anyway i am ready to do it the old fashioned way , by counting calories and excercising and making healthy decisions on what and how much i am going to eat. i hope you will accept me back. i need alot of help, i hope people can be patient and supportive of me. i will try as much as i can to give that support back, it is just that i feel funny trying to give advice and support to people when i am so messed up with myself about losing wt and getting healthy. i am getting used to a whole new work schedule and am very happy with it. i just have to change things right now, which needed to be changed before and my job change and taking chances was a very big first step. i thought once i did that , that my weight problems would dissappear, but again i was wrong. i am still doing all the wrong things when it comes to food. everything else in my life is pretty good. really! i need to change now!!!!!!!!! i just turned 40 in april. and once again i thought i would get it together when my 40th birthday came around. i am at my wits end and really just want to look at the calories on things decide to eat it or not. i went on www. caloriescount.com and filled out the right information and it says i can eat 1565 a day, which is alot more then i thought i could have to lose wt. i am 5'3 and weigh 193 and excercise at least 3 days a week for 30 mins. i know that will increase, i will do it.

thanks in advance for hopefully letting me join again and really getting serious about in now!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Wilbe,
I'm pretty new here and I understand completely what you mean about hesitating to give advice. I've been coasting too long. However, I can say that my weight is hovering at the lowest it's been in 1 1/2 years and I hope the chart continues to sawtooth down.
I still overeat at times, and then try and adjust. The excercise makes a big difference in what I can eat and still lose. I fought it for years - thinking, well, I had the weight off for 7 yrs eating right and following OA. But this is NOW and finally I see that its calories in and calories out, and if I want to be thinner, I gotta burn more.
The folks here are still as supportive as you recall. Please keep reading and writing.
I'm originally from Long Island.
E L Y S E

Welcome, willbethin!

Did that site list 1565 as what you can eat and still lose? Or is that what you should eat to maintain? I am 5'2" and have lost all of my weight staying between 1200/1300 calories per day. I also exercise about 4 days a week, plus strength training. I would say to try it out at 1500 per day and if you can lose 1 pound a week on that stick with it. Good luck!

Willbethin the mind set is a good thing and if your ready then you will do it! I turned 50 last July and I decided maybe I haven't got control over some things but I can try to be a healthier person and take care of myself better. Well I have lost wt., increased my exercise, activity level increased my interest in life. I feel great better than I did a year ago and surely don't feel 50 almost 51 a couple more weeks. So hang in there and keep going forward. This site will help you to learn new things, have support, know your not alone. I belong to a few sites it helps me to keep motivated. Good luck.
Elyse congrats! Your adjusting even when out of town that is great!
Aphil sounds like the new journal will be great. How often should we measure ourselves? I need to get into that I sure haven't in awhile. I know by how my clothes fit that I have tightened up my body! Thank God!
Today I am off to buy a new outfit for a wedding on the 22nd. I went to the Casino the other night with some friends. On a 50 cent bet won 2,000. Wow was I in shock I don't play that often or ever win more than a few dollars. So some will be saved to go to Hawaii next year. I paid my taxes on it already. Going to shop for a few new things!