hey gals!

I have a question for everyone.....

As you can see in my stats, I am 23, 5'3" and 140 pounds. I've been 140 for 2+ years and try to keep to a 1200 or less daily calorie plan. I eat salads/veggies, and I exercise when I can, however, the weight won't budge!!!
do you recommend I exercise MORE than I am (only 4 days a week now, maybe)? or, shall I try to increase my calories to 1400+, as someone told me to do??

please help!!! so confused!!!

leda

Oh my. The recommended minimum amount of calories is 1,200. If you've been consistently eating lower than that, you've been negatively affecting your metabolism. Try gradually bumping up to 1,400-1,600. You also mentioned eating salads/veggies. Are you getting enough protein?

Admittedly, I've been very similar to you in the past (ex. eating lower than 1,200 cals), and while it worked for a while, it's not a sustainable method of weight loss.

One big suggestion would be to focus more on weight training. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn even at rest. With too much cardio and as little as you've been eating, you'll burn yourself out to the point where you see no progress (it sounds like that's where you are).

You may see a little initial weight gain once you make some changes, but don't let that scare you. It might take some time for your metabolism to level out. Also, remember, muscle weighs more than fat, so don't let the scale be your only guide; watch how your clothes fit.

Our stats are pretty similar. Within the past several months I had focused too much on restricting calories and limiting the types of foods I ate. Though I lost weight, I gained some weight back (right now I'm similar to your current stats...yes, my ticker isn't accurate) since what I was doing wasn't as sustainable as I had thought.

At the moment, I'm eating a lot more (1,700-2,000-ish - you don't have to go this high), working out more (I work out every day), and maintaining a constant weight. From here, I'll gradually start scaling back my calories.

thank you, Goodbye Chubby!!

Although it says 1,200, I usually go over that and well into the 1250s-1300s in the day. Today my protein was super-low in the afternoon, but I fixed it by eating a nice chicken breast for dinner.
I think I'll begin running and doing weight training, and keep the cardio to 1 or 2 days a week. I think with increased weight training, I'll see a bigger improvement.
back when my co-worker used to train me (she has a great bod), she would make me run 1 mile, and then we would do weights in-between running once around the gym. it was VERY effective in making my clothes loose! maybe I'll go back to that, but do it on my own!

leda