Good Calories vs. Bad

Raina1

Raina1

New member
Ok.. this may seem like a silly post, but I have been on a workout plan and eating about 1400-1500 cals/day for several weeks (nearly 5). I've only lost 3 lbs. I'm not upset, and I'm certain I'll keep loosing, but I am curious if I have the calories right.

Here's me:
130 lbs - 5'4" ..... age??? 27.

Here's a typical day:

Ride Bike 30 minutes with intervals for 20. (I think I might try that HIIT thing soon)
Kashi cereal w/ff milk = 230
Egg salad sandwich w/WW bread = 300
Yogurt or nuts for snack = 200
Chicken w/pasta and few veggies (salad, broccoli) = 500
popcorn/yogurt/a little snack = 200
Total = about 1430

Also, I'm making a conscious effort to drink at least 60 oz water.

I'm anxious to hear any feedback. I hope this is on track. I hope I keep loosing weight. I just thought I would have lost 1lb/week at this rate. Only 3 lbs in 5. hmmm... are the calories "good"?
 
well at 5'4" do you really need to LOSE any weight or just trim up
 
Maybe you just need to shake up the exercise a bit

Hiya,

You program doesnt sound too bad at all. However, if you are stalling and not cheating when it comes to calories, you may just need to change up your exercise routine a bit. If all you are doing is 30 minutes on the bike each day, your body will quickly become accustomed to it. Maybe all you need is to mix it up and add a few new items, such as some good resistance training to help get you through those last few pounds. I know I made the mistake for years of thinking the exact same 30 minute aerobics video everyday would solve all my problems. For awhile it worked great, then stopped all together, much to my suprise. But now with lots of help from others and heaps of reading, I definitely see the value not just of resistance training, (which really is important your whole life, even if not trying to lose weight), but mixing up routines and challenging your body in different ways. Doing something different on top of or instead of the bike sometimes may be all you need to reach your goal.

Good Luck!

sirant
 
Thanks Sirant!
I definitely need to add resistance training. Do you think your body gets used to the bike when I'm doing intervals??? I thought that would keep my body working hard enough that I could keep the same routine for awhile. I do the intervals on the bike 6 days/week. I'm limited on what I have access to, so I was hoping to see some results before I started worrying about how/what to change things to.
Thanks again for responding!!!
 
I am no expert, but I would suggest increasing your calories and mixing up your workouts. It would be beneficial to add resistance/weight training. Be sure you are getting fresh fruits and veggies, complex carbs, and enough protein. Congratulations on your weight loss so far. Good luck!
 
It just seems to me that 1400-1500 is not enough. I don't have a strong scientific reason why, it's just that this number is probably not too high above her BMR, and if she is living a busy lifestyle and exercising daily she probably needs more calories to sustain her energy and keep her metabolism at its current rate, and to keep her from being hungry. Also, it would probably be difficult to get enough protein and fiber with lower calories. I know that there are a wide variety of opinions about calories in this forum though. I'm just sharing what has worked for me.
 
Casey, I calculate her maintenance calories to be around 2000 per day so for her to eat 1400 - 1500 calories seems about right for the goal of weightloss. Contrary to a recent movement on this forum, increasing your daily calories is not necessarily the best way to lose weight.

Raina, I am not sure what is happening or how to jump start your effort, but one thing I would recommend is to keep eating well and exercising regularly and don't get discoraged.
 
I also have limited resources (I live in a condo and can't afford a gym membership) and I have had pretty good results with a resistance band program that my husband bought for me. Basically, it is a set of bands of various resistance (I will move up eventually but I am still on the first band after 4 weeks! It's hard!) and a 35 minute DVD. You do a strength move and then cardio. I have lost 3 lbs in the last week and half.

Also, for your height it doesn't really seem like you need to lose weight. Maybe your body is at a healthy weight?
 
If maintenance cals are around 2000, a diet of around 1800 cals a day and an extra 300 burned by cardio or weight training would theoretically equal a pound a week of weight loss. Lifestyle and lean muscle mass should probably also be considered when calculating maintenance calories. Every body is different, I was just offering what has worked for me and what in my opinion would best contribute to permanent weight loss.
 
Casey - Thanks for the insight! I don't think you're wrong at all. I am afraid to add more calories right now for some silly reason. I totally fear falling off this bandwagon. At least I have had some results, but I have heard your "theory" before and I might have to reconsider. I know I am right on the bridge of being too low on calories, so your numbers are totally nice to see. Thanks a million!

Fenster - Your numbers are what I came up with as well, thus my current plan. I'm so glad you added your thoughts to this. I really appreciate the support and advice!!!

Allycat - I have never tried the resistance bands before. I may have to give them a shot! I don't do too well with videos, but maybe that is just because I've only done cardio videos in the past. Thanks for the ideas!
 
Raina-
I understand how you feel...a lot of people have the same fear! Perhaps adding on a few more calories each week would work, if you choose to take this route. You need to do what makes you feel healthy, and even if your results aren't as quick as you'd like them to be, you are seeing them with your current system of diet/exercise. Be proud!
 
hey Raina, I took a quick glance at your menu and most of it looks ok. When you eat pasta type foods, try to stick with Whole wheat types. I see you chose that as your bread, so kudos there. you may wanna sneak in a piece of fruit in there for extra fiber/complex carbs. Also, are your fat cals 25- 30% of your total cals? for example, let's say you're eating 1500 cals x .25 divided by 9. you should be eating around 41 grams of fat or so. Remember, you gotta eat fat to keep your metabolism running the way you want it to.

You don't neccesarily have to do HIIT to lose weight, but you can change the way you bike a bit. When you do your biking, can you feel like you can easily carry on a conversation? If you can, then its time to increase the intensity. For awhile i did the same old thing with my bike and nada happened. Only when i did intervals of increasing and decreasing intensity is when I saw the weight come off.

are you taking any supplements? At the very least you should be getting a good multivitamin and maybe some vitamin c and b complex.

and lastly, 130 pounds? are you sure you need to lose weight? ;)
 
Gosh, This has been the biggest help to me ever!! thank you for your responses and thoughts. It has me constantly thinking and working. Dmax, I have been counting fat now all day. I'm not exactly sure how much fat I have in a day?!? I'm not used to counting that. I'll have to pay attention, particularly to dinner.
Also, I do have a multivitamin and fish oil every day. What other supplements would be helpful?
The exciting thing is I am down another pound, and I feel the fever to keep seeing success. Actually, the greatest thing for me is that I have finally figured out that it's NOT about compliments, (although those keep me excited and feeling great), other people, feeling deprived, or a restricting difficult count-down. It's ALL ABOUT ME! I finally am doing this for myself, I am finally not feeling like I am missing anything. I feel like I eat well, not too much, I feel like this is a lifestyle. I CAN maintain this w/o trouble. I know they say that on TV, in books, etc, but I think I finally KNOW what they are talking about.
IT'S AWESOME!
 
thinking successfuly is half the battle. Sorry for sounding like a G.I. joe, but its true.

about the supplements, both are great. If you are feeling a bit run down, try a Super B Complex and Vitamin C (they are cheap health insurance). B complex will turn your urine neon yellow so be warned about that. These are both water soluable so if you look at the bottle and it says 2000% of daily value dont freak out. your body will always flush out extra of these.

about the fat, limit the saturated and trans (i keep trans at 0g because the lack of any health benefit it serves). The poly and monounsaturated are the ones you want. a common misconception is that fat is bad when it really isn't with the right kinds and ratios. any questions feel free to ask..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top