My Goal... is it doable?

M

missjeep

New member
Hello! I'm new to the site and relatively new to the 'fit' scene. I had a moment of revelation last week that really smacked me in the face and I've decided to whip my eating and exercise habits into shape.
I am 20 yrs old 5'3 and 150lbs. 141lbs is healthy but I would really like to get down to 130 or less. But, one step at a time. Setting goals generally works for me but I am no fitness buff so the goal I have in mind may be unrealistic- which is where I need help.
If I got to the gym 6 times a week, doing 35 minutes of cardio each time and 30 minutes of weight machines, is it realistic to hope to lose 10 lbs by thanksgiving? maybe more?


Also, I'm trying to limit myself to 1,200 calories a day (healthy ones) and so far I've done fairy well.


The other question I have is this; I have read in several places that you need to burn more calories than you consume to lose weight... does that mean I need to burn at least 1,200 a day?? even after an hour and a half at the gym I only average out at about 400.


Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!!
Thank you
 
Hey Missjeep, welcome to the forum!


First of all, I just want to tell you that no, you do not have to burn more than 1200 calories per day through exercise to lose weight. Your body burns calories throughout the day, no matter what you are doing - this number is your BMR and is by far the largest portion of your calories burned per day. In order to lose weight, you need to create a caloric deficit relative to the caloric needs of your body.


Just a really quick calculation shows that your BMR would be approximately 1500 kcal per day. If you burn approx. 400 kcal through exercise daily, then all together, your body burns about 1900 kcal per day. This is the number of calories you would need to take in in order to maintain your weight, while doing that amount of physical activity (don't forget that is assuming that you burn 400 kcal EVERY day). Typically, it's recommended to create at most a 500 kcal per day deficit, which for you, would mean taking in 1400 kcal per day. 1200 kcal per day is a bit low - you want to make sure that you get all of the necessary vitamins and minerals each day.


Before I go on too long, I'm going to direct you to this link as I think it would help to put it all together for you: http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/


Good luck to you!
 
Thank you both! I got a lot of good information from that link. Another question-

I've been at the gym 6 out of the last 7 days but my weight has only fluctuated from 153 to 150. I understand that you build muscle before you lose weight, but, how much longer will it take until the pounds started falling?


thanks again! I'm off to the gym!
 
Hey missjeep, 3 pounds in one week is actually a pretty good amount of weight to lose. If you're going to use extreme measures to 'make the weight fall off,' it likely won't stay off in the long term. 0.5 to 2 lbs per week is a much easier rate to maintain!
 
I must have worded that wrong. What I meant is that every time I step on the scale, the reading just goes up and down anywhere from 149 up to 154. I haven't lost weight it just keeps fluctuating
 
Oh ok... Well, it's pretty normal for your weight to fluctuate a few pounds each day and even a few pounds throughout the day. Try not to get too hung up on weighing yourself too often, it can just cause frustration. When you do weigh yourself, be very consistent about your routine. The best time to weigh yourself is first thing in the morning, after going to the bathroom, but before eating or drinking anything. Also, I usually recommend weighing yourself no more than once per week.
 
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