[NinaV]

Howdy, everybody,
I’ve been trying to get off a plateau for about 4 months now. I want to try a sort of a jump-start. Cut my calories to about 1200 and see how that goes.
My concern is that at about 280 pounds, this would be a pretty low calorie level for me and I don’t want to go in to a “yo-yo” mode. Any suggestions?

[JayEll]

Hey NinaV,

Give us a bit more information. How long have you been trying to lose weight? Are you following any particular plan? What is your calorie level now? And, how tall and how old are you? Do you do any regular physical activity, aka exercise?

Just offhand, 1200 sounds pretty drastic for someone at your weight.

Jay

[NinaV]

I am 33 years old, 5’ - 5.5”. I have been obese for about 10 years now and as it has a tendency to happen – I have been trying to lose weight ever since I started gaining it. As you can see from my ticker, at my highest I was about 315-317 pounds. I went up and down a bit for years. Then as of last New Year (1/1/2007) within about 4 months I went down to 275-280-ish. I just tried to keep my calories between 2000 and 1800, do my elliptical 2-3 times per week. It worked for a while, but I do have a hard time counting every little thing I eat. I just figured as long as I eat healthy foods (whole grains, fruits, veggies) and keep it under 2000, I should keep loosing. I guess I just started being less careful over the last few months, so I think if I “Jump start” for a few weeks, start seeing some results (5-10 pounds), it should help get me back on track both physically and motivationally speaking.

[JayEll]

Hey again,

I'm not a nutritionist or a physician, and it would be best to check with those folks--I'm just a person like you who's losing weight. So take it with a grain of salt!

Because of your age, your metabolism may still be fairly good compared to an older person of the same weight. I would say, first of all, start counting everything you eat, always. Do you use a tracking program on the computer? You can use one free at FitDay (www.fitday.com) or at The Daily Plate or other tracking sites. They make it easy to keep track because they have a big database of foods and calories.

Second, to jump start, don't go to 1200. You could drop to 1400, in my opinion, and it would be just as much of a jolt!

Third, start taking some walks or getting other exercise.

And the last thing I have to say is, unfortunately one can gain weight on healthy foods, junk foods, or whatever, as long as calories in is greater than calories out. That's why it's important to get more careful with tracking.

Good luck! Go to it! You'll start losing again!

Jay

[NinaV]

Thanks JayEll.
I was thinking pretty much in the same direction. It does help to hear it from someone else though.