Taking the first step

[kate<3]

So I just recently joined a gym

and I am pretty excited about that! I feel as tho I have taken the first step
to getting to my goal. I have been on this site since i think 2007 and have not done ANYTHING!! I feel almost ashamed of that. Ive been wanting to lose weight since i was 18..im 22 now! I feel like Im trapped in my own body.

I weiged myself the other day and im 200ibs....how the hell did I get here? I can probly think of a few things...

Ive always heard people say "there will come a point when you just realize that you need to start losing weight and getting healthy.." and the other day was my breaking point.

My goal is to lose 50ibs, which I think is reasonable?? (iam 5'5)
And to reach that hopefully by may/june.

So im just excited that im finally taking the first step, and I cant wait to see changes.

1) What sort of thinks do you guys do to keep motivated??
2) Is eating 1300cals a day reasonable?

THANKS
-kay

 

[Mad4Chillas]

So I just recently joined a gym

and I am pretty excited about that! I feel as tho I have taken the first step
to getting to my goal. I have been on this site since i think 2007 and have not done ANYTHING!! I feel almost ashamed of that. Ive been wanting to lose weight since i was 18..im 22 now! I feel like Im trapped in my own body.

I weiged myself the other day and im 200ibs....how the hell did I get here? I can probly think of a few things...

Ive always heard people say "there will come a point when you just realize that you need to start losing weight and getting healthy.." and the other day was my breaking point.

My goal is to lose 50ibs, which I think is reasonable?? (iam 5'5)
And to reach that hopefully by may/june.

So im just excited that im finally taking the first step, and I cant wait to see changes.

1) What sort of thinks do you guys do to keep motivated??
2) Is eating 1300cals a day reasonable?

THANKS
-kay

Hi Kay,

First off props for you on joining the gym! It always feels good to make the first step to keep you motivated on achieving your goal.

Second there are a lot things that I find keep me motivated. The idea of new clothes or looking toned in a swimsuits always nice, but I have a lot of intrinsic motivators as well. I want to protray a good example for my clients by being healthy and I cant do that if Im not aware of how much im eating or exercising. Also being attractive to the opposite sex is always a plus. I hate feeling chubby and I think thats the biggest thing for me to change what Im eating or exercising. I like feeling healthy and good about myself. A goal I have for the near future is to recieve my personal training certification so in order to do that I have to kick my butt into gear and tone up, because no one wants a fleshy trainer

3rd 1300 calories seems about right according to my calculations... (the mifflin st. jeor) your BMR is around 1,835 kcal/per day in order to maintain your current weight. If your looking to lose 1lb per week you need to cut 500 kcal/day from your BMR (3,500 kcal/1lb fat), so that wuold put you around 1335 kcal/day. However that is pretty low...the lowest we suggest anyone to go except for those who are morbidly obese would be 1200. I would suggest a range anywhere from 1300-1800 kcal. If you are just starting your diet you are more than likely to experience more of a weight loss than just 1lb a week due to water retenion and the calorie defecit. In most cases many people are overeating much more than their current BMR and so they experience a minor defecit by just counting their cals, so they experience more weight loss in the first few weeks....

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, nutrition related Im more than happy to help

 

[KaraCooks]

3rd 1300 calories seems about right according to my calculations... (the mifflin st. jeor) your BMR is around 1,835 kcal/per day in order to maintain your current weight. If your looking to lose 1lb per week you need to cut 500 kcal/day from your BMR (3,500 kcal/1lb fat),

Mad - I don't know what your qualifications are, but your terminology and numbers are not correct.

First of all, BMR = Base Metabolic Rate. That means the bare minimum that someone needs to survive if they do nothing but lie in bed all day and breathe. BMR is NOT the same as one's maintenance calories, which take into account daily activity. Subtracting weight loss calories from BMR is not correct and can result in a much too low figure.

To figure maintenance calories, you take someone's BMR and multiply it by an activity factor. The Harris Benedict equation (the most commonly used one) is as follows:

1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : BMR x 1.9

Then you subtract the 500 calories per day from THAT total.

Kate - based on the information you gave, I do come up with a BMR of about 1840 for you. Then multiplying that by 1.375 I get a maintenance figure of 2533. That's the number of calories you'd need to eat if you wanted to stay the same weight.

Given that you want to lose weight ( ), then you should cut around 500-700 calories per day from that figure. At 200 lbs, you could easily be losing weight on 1700-2000 calories per day. (As a comparison, I weigh 170 and I lose weight on 1600 calories per day, and working out 3x per week.)

Eating 1300 calories is far too low for you at this weight, and especially if you plan to work out at the gym.

Also I'd encourage you to pay attention to the nutritional composition of those calories. Making sure you get a balance of carbs, protein, and healthy fats is important. Your weight loss will be more effective if you make sure you're eating healthy calories.

Hope that helps some.

 

[Mad4Chillas]

The Mifflin St Jeor calculation is the standard used by all RD's on how to asess caloric intake. So the calculation that I did is correct. However I know there are plenty of other formulas that people prefer over it, but thats just what I am told to use on all patients because its the standard.

I know what BMR is I have worked at the Veterans Hospital as a dietary aid under registered dietitians for several years and am getting my RD in less than a year. It just depends on how agressive she would like her weight loss to be. And she hasnt mentioned how active she is, so we cant assume that she is sedentary or not it depends on how hard she is exercising.

I realize everyone has their own opinion, I was just trying to help is all. With weight loss there is no one right answer to what works and doesnt work.

 

[KaraCooks]

I'm familiar with the MSJ equations. And the first thing you learn about them is that they're not recommended if the person has changed their diet and exercise recently or if their weight is in flux.

Either way, for a female, the calculation is:
BMR = 10×weight in kg + 6.25×height in centimeters - 5×age - 161

With the MSJ equation, as withe the HB equation, the BMR represents the Basal Metabolic Rate. You still have to use an activity multiplier. The multiplier figures are almost exactly the same for MSJ as they are for HB:

* 1.200 = sedentary (little or no exercise)
* 1.375 = lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)
* 1.550 = moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week)
* 1.725 = very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week)
* 1.900 = extra active (very hard exercise/sports and physical job)

Advising people to subtract from their BMR is a bad idea. It doesn't explain to them the difference between BMR and maintenance and it encourages them to eat too little, which can cause problems.

Know your audience ... it's one of the first rules of giving dietary advice. (or any advice for that matter)

 

[kate<3]

Thankyou both!!!

Im trying to workout 3-4 days a week...but I recently hurt my knee so I have not been to the gym as much as Id like.

I usually do around 45 mins of cardio, but would like to do an hour if im strict enough.

I also try to do 30min of weight training as well.

I know I should be eating around 1300-1800 cals/ day..but somedays I feel im not eating enough during breakfast/lunch and then by the time dinner rolls around im starving and start to gorge on carbs to fill me up lol

Here is an example of my meal for a day

Breakfast- packet of low sugat oatmeal
no sugar added yogurt 1/2 a cup (about)

Lunch- 1 Cup of soup (which has 100 cals)
Cheese String
100 cal snack
Fruit OR soy protien & water

Dinner- Depends..i try and eat a balanced meal but like i said, im so freakin hungry by this time, that im probly filling up on shit.

Ive looked online at meal plans..but Im just having a hard time, I try and cut out carbs and stuff but I feel SO hungry!! And I dont wanna be eating too much either!! I dont understand why im having such a problem with this!!

 

[KaraCooks]

Breakfast- packet of low sugat oatmeal
no sugar added yogurt 1/2 a cup (about)

Lunch- 1 Cup of soup (which has 100 cals)
Cheese String
100 cal snack
Fruit OR soy protien & water

Dinner- Depends..i try and eat a balanced meal but like i said, im so freakin hungry by this time, that im probly filling up on shit.

Ive looked online at meal plans..but Im just having a hard time, I try and cut out carbs and stuff but I feel SO hungry!! And I dont wanna be eating too much either!! I dont understand why im having such a problem with this!!

I would say that the reason you're having such a hard time is that you're starving yourself.

For breakfast you're having maybe 150 calories.
For lunch you're having maybe 300 calories.
And then you're eating nothing else until dinner?
If I were to eat that diet, I'd be starving at dinner as well, and eating anything I could find.

For comparison, I eat about 400 calories for breakfast: That's whole oats, a full serving of yogurt, and some fruit. Plus coffee.

I have a snack midmorning of an apple and some cheese.

For lunch I eat a further 450-500 calories. I usually have a tuna or chicken sandwich on whole grain, some veggies or a side salad,

I have a protein drink after I workout, which is another 120 cals.

That leaves me about 500-600 calories for dinner which is always lean protein of some kind, and lots of veg, but no starches (or minimal starches).

If I make sure to eat enough during the day, then I'm not all that hungry at night and I don't feel the need to binge.

I suspect you're doing what a lot of dieters do is trying to "save" calories for dinner and as a result, you're starving by evening. Instead of saving calories, set aside about 1/3 of your allowance for dinner and EAT the rest throughout the day. You'll find that you're not nearly as hungry in the evenings and so not making those bad choices.