Iv just decided to start dieting again after about a year. Right now Im 235 pounds. Iv decided to try just watching my calories and Im shooting for about 1000 - 1200 a day. I know it doesnt seem like that much for my weight, but I dont get alot of excersize and to be perfectly honest it still seems like Im eating way too much in a day. This is normally how a day goes for me in terms of food:

Breakfast: 1 cup ceral, 1/2 milk
Snack: 3/4 cup frozen fruit (Field Berries)
Lunch: 1 cup of Onion broth soup
Snack: 3/4 cup frozen fruit (Raspberries)
Dinner: Veggy Burger on a bun
Snack: 3/4 cup frozen fruit (Raspberries) (but the snack is a few hours before bed)

I have only started since monday, but I havent lost much weight at all only about 2.5 pounds since then. One of my bad habits is weighing myself every day when Im dieting. I never know for sure if Im doing things right so I like to check. Any weight lost gets me excited but going up just a little bit when I have stayed on track gets me a bit discouraged. So I have decided to come to this forum and ask everyones opinion on my diet plan. Do you guys think Im doing things right? Any tips and opinions you have would be greatly appreciated

thanks a bunch

I'm surprised you think that's a lot of food. I don't think I could function on that, especially just onion broth for lunch. Eek! We're all different, of course, and I do exercise a lot so I need more fuel, but here's something to think about:

If you start out with such a low calorie budget, you have nowhere to go. When your weight drops, you'll need to lower your calories in order to keep losing weight, but you can't do that if you start out at 1200 or below. If, on the other hand, you start out at a 1600-1800 range, you can still lose weight (usually -- you'll have to try it and see) but you can then drop the calories and keep the losses going.

I'd also STRONGLY urge you to get into exercising. It's good for you whether you're trying to lose weight or not, and you can burn tons of calories of course. It's also a good plan for future maintenance, because if you're addicted to working out it will help you keep those pounds off after they're gone.

Also, I just noticed you're kind of lacking in veggies there. You might want to throw in a big salad at lunch. It won't add many calories but it'll add lots of nutrients that your body needs.

Hi Amanda, and welcome! This is a wonderful place to find support and ideas during your weight loss journey, so keep coming back and posting so that we get to know you!

Firstly, you're right - 1000-1200 calories is very low - in fact, it is not enough. I appreciate that you want to lose weight FAST, but the weight that comes off too fast goes right back on, sugar. I promise.

I am a little concerned that you think you "haven't lost much weight" at 2.5 pounds - since MONDAY!! That's a LOT of weight in a very short time, and it won't be fat loss. You do need to aim for between 1-2 pounds PER WEEK, but it will probably come off a little faster than that for the first week or two. Be happy with the 2.5 so far - not disappointed!

I think following this plan, you will be disappointed (you already are, four days in!), so try to find a plan that works that you can stick to - I know I couldn't eat broth for lunch and not be STARVING. Add protein (lean chicken breast, cottage cheese, chick peas) and vegetables - keep the veggie burger, skip any mayo or anything more than a light spread, and top it with tomato and lettuce or spinach.

This is a journey, Amanda - you MUST expect that not all days you will lose weight - that doesn't mean you WON'T... you WILL - and you CAN do this!!!

Let us know how you are getting on, and Good Luck!

Heather

PS - I totally agree with Lisa - there is nowhere for you to drop your calories to if you hit a plateau, and it might drive you to 'give up'... and exercise - I started out losing by counting calories and doing nothing, then added walking... then running, and now weight training as well. It has to be a way to live, or we'll all just end up back where we were!

Yup--what they said I ssuggest more protein, more veggies (although I understand lacking in this area, as I HATE 99% of veggies), more dairy (1/2 cup milk with your cereal is less than 1 serving), and more fat (we all need fat in order for our bodies to function, and aside from maybe a few fat grams at breakfast and possible in the veggie burger, you're not getting much at all!).

Also, to echo the others, 1000-1200 is extremely low. It is generally not suggested that you eat less than 1200 regularly, and the more you weigh, the MORE calories you need, so that low 1200 level is usually best for those who only have maybe 20 or fewer pounds to lose. I wouldn't suggest that anyone over 200 pounds start anywhere lower than at least 1500-1600 calories (I'm about 300 pounds and can lose even at 2000 without exercise). I know when losing weight, the instinct is to think that the fewer calories you eat, the better, right? But our bodies just don't work that way; you need to eat enough calories for your body to perform its normal daily functions (like making/pumping blood, thinking, operating organs, etc.).

To echo the others even further, 2.5 pounds in less than a week is a LOT. In the future you should expect to lose even less than this each week in order for your weight loss to be healthy and lasting. Those who lose weight too quickly tend to gain it all back just as quickly, so slow and steady really does win when it comes to weight loss.

My suggestion is not to weigh daily. It will be normal for weight to fluctuate it may go up a little bit even tho we are doing everything right.If you weigh once a week you will never know about those fluctuations that can be so bothersome. I used to weigh several times a day . it didn't make me lose any faster and caused a lot of stress.

Hi!

Since you came here for advice, here is mine:

~At 235 pounds, 1000-1200 calories a day is WAY WAY too low. You are in basically the lowest level of calorie counting, which is normally only used to take off the "last few pounds", or for someone who only has 10 pounds to lose...not someone at your weight just starting out.

What you have to understand, is that your calorie needs CHANGE as you gain or lose weight. A woman who weighs 235, and a woman who weighs 135 can both walk the same mile, mow the same lawn, and go up the same flight of stairs-but it takes the larger woman more effort (and she burns more calories doing the same things) because she is carrying an extra 100 pounds of resistance along with her. Think about carrying an extra 100 pounds on your back all day long, and you will then understand how someone who weighs 335 (100 more than you do) would have different calorie needs than yours.

What happens, is that when you start out, you can eat more and lose weight. As you lose weight, you will find that your weight loss will stall at some point. At THIS point is where you need to cut back your calories by 100 a day (If you were at 1700, go down to 1600, etc.) and keep at that level until the next stall.

Something else to think about-is that a healthy rate of weight loss is 1-2 1/2 pounds per WEEK. You have lost 2 1/2 pounds in 3 DAYS, and are not happy with it.

You also admit that you don't exercise.


How many times have you dieted this way, and how much do you lose? How long before you go off your diet, and go back to the way things were...and gain weight back? It is all about mindset, and you really have to change your plan if you want to succeed and lose the weight for good.

It isn't about crash dieting-about losing 10 pounds as fast as you can...and then eventually gaining those 10 pounds back. You don't want to yo-yo back and forth.

The truth is, you didn't get fat fast. Unless there is a pregnancy involved, most people don't gain 3-5 pounds a week, and you can't expect to lose it that fast either. If you expect to lose that quickly, then you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

Healthy weight loss, the kind you take off and keep off-is slow. It takes work. It can't be a "diet"-it has to be a lifestyle change. When a diet ends, the weight comes back. A lifestyle change is for good. If you want to be permanently slimmer, than you have to permanently change the lifestyle that makes you fat.

Plain and simple. Up the calories-because if you start out at 1000-1200 a day now-then you have nowhere to drop it to after you lose 20, 30, 50, or whatever pounds and your weight loss stalls. (And I don't consider 3 days with no weight loss a stall...a true stall more like 3 weeks.)

Stop weighing everyday if it makes you crazy. Pick one or two days a week if daily weighing makes you crazy. There are always going to be little fluctuations, and they don't have anything to do with fat-they have to do with sodium, bloating from your menstrual cycle, whether or not you have gone to the bathroom recently-lots of stuff will make a pound or two variation up or down. You want the bigger picture.

Do SOMETHING for exercise. It isn't just about weight loss-but about your cardiovascular/heart health, your flexibility/mobility, the healthful release of endorphins that relieve stress, weight bearing exercise strengthening your bones and reducing osteoporosis. There are 1,000 reasons to exercise that have nothing to do with weight-consider that just a bonus.

You don't have to run marathons...just find something active that you enjoy doing-and do it. Walk with a friend and gossip. If you have a pool, swim! If you like flowers-plant a flower bed and tend them. Play with your children, and if you don't have any-borrow some! Just MOVE every day in some way.


There is a phrase that says "If you do what you have always done, then you get what you've always gotten". It is true. If your dieting attempts in the past didn't work, then you have to change what you were doing wrong. Stop dieting, and make lifestyle changes instead.

Honestly, it's too low. I am 194 right now and need to eat 1200-1300 to lose 1.5-2 lbs per week. You definitely need to eat more.. it seems backwards, but it's not.

Hi all
Im actually having a hard time figuring out how much I should be eating. I think I'm getting a little parinoid actually. And I also have a problem weighing myself everyday, I know it's bad but I can't help it! lol. I was also wondering if ya'll think riding my stationary bike for 1/2 an hour a day is enough? Should I be doing it longer?
Thanks all!!

Hey Piiper33,

Check out FitDay or The Daily Plate or one of the other sites where you can count calories and work out a program. They have tools for estimating how much you should eat every day, based on your age, weight, and activity, and how much you want to lose in a given length of time. I use FitDay myself.

Also, 30 minutes of exercise bike every day is good, but you need some variety! How about going for a walk a couple of days a week for 30 minutes instead?

Keep with it!
Jay

Get a non-exercise bike. They're much more fun. Get on a bike trail and ride as far as you want to - it's exhilerating.

Also, if any nature trails are near you, go for a nature run... if you're into that type of thing. I know I am. I personally get super bored of exercise bikes and tredmills, but when I'm outside, it's just that much more exciting. I am a big fan of the elliptical and weight training, though, which can't be done outdoors... well... it CAN, but... I'd rather not.

I actually enjoy riding my bike and watching TV, makes the time go faster and I get bored going for walks. I'm odd I know. But thanks you guys!!

The best exercise to do is the exercise that YOU will do.

Everyone has different likes and dislikes.

hi diesirae,

I also think your calorie intake is too low. if it is too low, you will lose weight even slower than if you were on a moderate calorie eating plan. Plus, its a total disaster if you ever go off it, bc your body will be so effiecient at those few calories..
another thing, is, you are going to get bored very fast eating that every day..every snack is fruit? soup for lunch? Are you going to be able to keep it up forever?
for my lunches, I have pita pizza, wrap, chicken pasta salad (light on the pasta), tuna and veggies, wendys chili (only about 220 cals! and very filling)
even had a Lean Cuisine the other day on a bed of greens..it was lasagne and SO GOOD!!!
I often have fruit for a snack myself, but other ideas can be sugar free chocoalte pudding, sugar free yogurt (you could sprinkle fiber 1 cereal in it too for more fiber), small smoothie, homemade bran muffin.

I know you can do it!!!!

It's great that you came here to ask for advice! I agree with everything that has been said. And hey, if you've been sticking to a plan that strict, it shows that you have the motivation and the willpower...following the suggestions here will make it even easier on yourself, so I think you're ready for success.

Congrats on the 2.5 lb. Look forward to seeing you around!

I also agree with everyone. 1200 is the LOWEST anyone should normally go. There are a FEW exceptions, with a doctor's approval. But someone of your weight shouldn't be going below that. You shouldn't even be STARTING there, cause as was pointed out, then where will you go? You need to add some veggies into your day for one, try some different breakfast that aren't always carbs, more protein.

Piper, exercising 30 minutes 3 times a week is like the minimum. So if you do anything more than that, you're doing good. Like someone said, the exercise you will do is the best, but if you CAN do other exercise, its always good on your body to get some different forms in. And if the weight isn't dropping fast enough, increase the amount of time you exercise. I go anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes a day, 5 or 6 days a week.

As for the scale, put it in a closet. Out of sight, out of mind. Or...take the battery out.