Hi
I'm getting tired of my body being the way it is, and I'm dedicated to making some changes. Over the past 4 months, I've been fad dieting like crazy. In the beginning I lost a lot of weight, but of course, it never stayed off and I was always hungry.
Now I'd like to stop fad dieting, and focus on losing weight in an extended and healthy period of time as opposed to starving myself and seeing results quickly (because they never last anyway!)
I'm carrying an extra 13 pounds, and since I'm just over 5 feet, it really shows. I'd like to lose these pounds in the next 3 or so months if possible.
I've read that I should be eating between 1,300 and 1,800 calories a day. I do a lot of circuit training and pilates. I don't eat over 1,000 calories on most days, and I burn a lot of it off with my exersize.
Does anyone know how I can get on a diet that allows me to lose these extra 13 pounds and a slow and steady pace that uses a 1300-1800 calorie a day plan? I'm new to *healthy* dieting, so I'd like any advice or information.

Thanks

Are you not losing with that amount of calories and excercise plan? How long have you been doing it? Try www.fitday.com to journal your food to make sure you are accurately counting your calories. Also this website has a calorie counter under the diet tab. Make sure the foods you eat are counting well especially with that low of calories. Avoid processed food if you can help it. Eat small all throughout the day.

I have the slowest metabolism pretty much ever...and I've lost a lot but then it just stopped. I'm just stuck at 123.5 and it hasn't budged in almost a month

How tall are you and what is your goal weight? That seems like a good number to me. Lots of people hit plateus when they get down to the end and it takes a while for it to move.

I'm 5'2 and I weigh, on average, 125 pounds. I just got down to 123 pounds during the last few weeks, and my goal is to be back to the 112 pounds I was happiest and fittest at.

How old are you now and how old were you when you were 112? Have you had children?

I'm 22 now and I was 21 when I was 112. I've never had children

I ate around 1400 calories today, but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to eat more if I plan on exercising. Stuff like that really confuses me, because I don't understand how eating more to make up for the calories you lost exercising wouldn't cancel out and make weight remain the same. I had to push to eat so many calories, I usually don't eat that much. I thought I was eating a lot before. Another question I have is if you're supposed to eat 1,500 calories or whatever number, does it make a difference what those calories come from? If someone was to eat 100 calories worth of vegetables or 100 calories worth of a bag of chips, would that make a difference in their diet, other than one being a good choice and one being a bad choice? I really want this weight off, but I want to be able to maintain it once I lose it. I also don't want to go hungry, so I want to be able to eat and exersize in order to lose it steadily. Fad diets just take the pounds off quick but then you end up regaining it and then some..I just want to be able to eat without going hungry and to exersize, but I don't know the whole science of dieting.

Compared to many on this forum, I'm no expert. I will say it does matter where the calories are coming from. Both ways will lead to weight loss, but our bodies use different macronutrients differently. In order to have optimal health and weightloss it is better to eat with a "will this give me nutrients" goal in mind. Don't stump your toe though if you have something once in a while. I personally don't add food on the days I excercise, but if you do weight lifting or resistence training (to gain muscle) eating more protein on those days supposedly helps. Water, Water, Water, Water.

DeafinlySmart has given very valuable advice. If you have a fitday.com account, you'll be able to track all the intricacies of nutrition.
Most importantly, you will see each day that you have a calorie deficit. You have to use more calories than you take in, then your body will use fat for fuel. (that's pretty simple but ya know what I mean)
Keep asking questions we're right here for you.

i'm worried that since i've consistently eaten just above 1000 calories a day that i will gain weight if i eat over 1000 calories. i've heard that if you eat less than 1300, then it slows your metabolism and you don't lose quickly. i want to have a good metabolism so i can keep losing the weight, but from an uneducated point where i am, i thought eating more would gain weight rather than lose it. fitday says i need to lose 0.978*lb per week to meet my goal, but i don't know how to do that. i know i must sound really dumb, eat less exersize more is what i should already know, but i just don't know the specifics. if i eat 1500 calories a day and happen to burn 250 or some number, would that mean that i would have to eat 1725 calories? from what i've read thats what i'm supposed to do, but i don't think that makes much sense. i really wanna do this!!

According to fitday.com my basal metabolic needs are 1360 calories. I'm 5'3" and quite slight, small boned. So the 1300 cal rule is for some imaginary average person that nobody has ever met.

Do you have a fitday account?

Never JUMP calories if your body is used to that number. You can and maybe should try to slowly increase it 100 every 2 weeks. If you start gaining (more than your normal flunctuations, then drop it back down. This won't cause you to lose at first, but it'll make it to where you have room to move and where you are not always on 1000 for the rest of your life. Plus it is hard to get enough nutrients at that level. That's important too. Try searching for a post called zig zag. It's informative about not keeping your calories at the same spot every day.

this is what I got from the calculators on this site...

Your body needs approximately 2019 calories during a typical day, to maintain your current weight. To lose weight, reduce calorie intake and increase exercise.

You must burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound of fat. Many experts recommend cutting caloric intake by about 500 calories per day. Don't cut back too much or you will alter your metabolism and burn fewer calories than you might have. Make sure you are eating nutritious meals and not restricting your calories too much - eating too little or losing weight rapidly can be unhealthy and dangerous.

If I need 2019 to maintain weight, and it takes 500 to burn in order to lose, and with my typical exersize regimen I burn 250 calories a day, does that mean I should eat 250 calories less that 2019 and exersize off the other 250? Or does that mean I should cut back 500 calories from eating and the additional 250 I lose from exersize?


pleeease help

sorry, another question. i've read around the forum and if some people can't lose weight with exersize and 1400 calorie a day diets, how will eating a little less than 2019 help me lose weight?