Hello! And, I Need Help! LOL

[GhostGirl]

Hello everyone. As you can see I am new here. But, not new to weight loss/dieting. You name it, I've tried it! Anyway, I am trying to lose weight once again (at least 112 lbs.) by eating healthier and exercising. I have done this method in the past, 5 months straight to be exact, and ended up losing ONLY .5 lbs!!! Yes, you read that correctly....half a pound! And, that included going to Curves 5 days a week for 30 minutes each day. Anyway, I hope it works this time around because last time I gave up because I didn't see the scale move. And yes, I've had blood work and everything else done/tested. Everything came back fine which really baffles me as to why I only lost .5 lbs in 5 months. The doc, and my hubby, seem to think that, even tho I am HEAVY, I have a lot more muscle then I think. So, that may be why the weight doesn't seem to going down. I'm not flabby anywhere but for my upper arms and stomach. My legs are solid. So, who knows.

So, as I'm starting all of this again I am trying to get an idea of what I can realistically expect to lose each week based on what "I" am doing. At a sedentary level my BMR is 2655 and my RMR is 2612. Now, I was probably consuming about 3500 calories each day before I changed my diet a week ago. Anyway, I am now trying to keep my caloric intake between 1200 and 1600 a day. I've also been doing at LEAST 30 minutes of intense walking or 30 minutes on a ski machine 5 days a week. As I said, I am trying to figure out about how much I should be losing, based on the above info, each week. Like I said before, I used to consume about 3500 calories a day and had little if any exercise.

With all the calculators and charts and mathematical equations out there I am getting very confused. LOL I know that in order to lose 1 pound a week I would need to either burn 500 calories a day with physical activity or cut 500 calories out of my diet each day. So, by cutting do they mean cutting the amount of calories I USED to eat before I started dieting/eating healthy (3500) or should I use the BMR number? Cause', if I used the BMR number (2655) I've already eliminated 1000 calories there (since I'm staying between 1200 and 1600 calories a day) plus the 300 calories (at least) burned during my exercise (that doesn't include other every day stuff ya do to expend calories). That would bring me to at LEAST 1300 calories burned a day times 7 days a week would come to 9100 calories burned a week. So, would it be safe to say that, if those calculations are correct, I would lose about 2.6 lbs a week? Or, should I take my old 3500 calories I used to consumed in a day and use that number. Which was also the amount of calories consumed that didn't allow me to lose weight??? LOL Phew!!! Hope I didn't confuse anyone and thanks ahead for any input you can give me. And, I'm glad to be here.

 

[Steve]

First, if you were not losing weight initially, I would be willing to bet you were not eating the right amount of calories. It does not matter if you have a lot of muscle or not. If you are in a caloric deficit, your body will make up for that defecit by burning up tissue, which consists of fat AND muscle.

Body composition plays no role in the fact that you WILL lose weight in a caloric deficit.

That said, I would cut your calories by 20% off your maintenance. Remember, maintenance is comprised of your BMR/RMR plus an activity factor. Cutting to 1200 calories seems drastic IMO, and would probably lead to a lot of muscle loss, which is something you don't want.

I would not worry about trying to figure out how much weight you can expect to lose, this varies depending on too many physiological and biological factors to worry about it.

Worry about your calories and food, and the weight will come off.

 

[GhostGirl]

I see what you are saying. However, back when I tried dieting (the 5 months I talked about above) I had been under the care of both a nutrionist and my family doc. Neither seemed to think that I wasn't eating enough. In fact, they both thought, as does my current doc, that 1200 to 1600 is the perfect amount of calories a day for me to consume in order to lose weight. Most times I'm closer to around 1400/1500 anyway. And, I never feel hungry. So, I think the amount is fine.

I was also using free weights and doing a lot of cardio back then (2 days weights and 3 days cardio for at least 30 min to an hour each day). I did notice I was losing inches. Just not lbs. And that discouraged me. I know it shouldn't have but it did.

I asked about the amount of lbs I can expect to lose a week (based on what I said above) because I don't want it to be too much too fast. But at the same time I DO want to lose SOMETHING! LOL Either way, I've already got the entire family eating better (me, hubby and our son), so I'm sure something will happen eventually.

Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.

First, if you were not losing weight initially, I would be willing to bet you were not eating the right amount of calories. It does not matter if you have a lot of muscle or not. If you are in a caloric deficit, your body will make up for that defecit by burning up tissue, which consists of fat AND muscle.

Body composition plays no role in the fact that you WILL lose weight in a caloric deficit.

That said, I would cut your calories by 20% off your maintenance. Remember, maintenance is comprised of your BMR/RMR plus an activity factor. Cutting to 1200 calories seems drastic IMO, and would probably lead to a lot of muscle loss, which is something you don't want.

I would not worry about trying to figure out how much weight you can expect to lose, this varies depending on too many physiological and biological factors to worry about it.

Worry about your calories and food, and the weight will come off.

 

[Steve]

Well I would like to talk to your doctor, LOL. Just kidding. Well kind of. I find it interesting that he/she is ok with a 1200 calorie per day diet for someone at your size. But I find a lot of things interesting.

Great for you for getting the entire family to eat better! That is simply fantastic, and no easy feat!

The weight of weight loss will vary depending on the individual. That said, if everything is laid out properly, I would suspect 1-3 lbs per week. Anything above and beyond, you can pretty much bank on the fact that you are losing a lot of muscle, which is never a good thing.

You may be able to lose more than the stated amount in the beginning, but after the first few weeks, it should level off to 1-3 lbs per week, closer to 1-2 I would estimate.

Best of luck to you!

 

[GhostGirl]

I actually find myself staying closer to 1400-1500 each day (my target is 1200-1600). Anyway, if I go over it's ok by me because it's not like I'm going over with junk food. If I go over it would be with veggies, fruits, and stuff like that. Things I'm not overly worried about eating. LOL I've been keeping a food journal, as I did before, so it's very easy to keep track of everything.

As for getting the family on board, it's been easier then I thought. Thank God! LOL

Thanks again for your input, kind words and help.

Well I would like to talk to your doctor, LOL. Just kidding. Well kind of. I find it interesting that he/she is ok with a 1200 calorie per day diet for someone at your size. But I find a lot of things interesting.

Great for you for getting the entire family to eat better! That is simply fantastic, and no easy feat!

The weight of weight loss will vary depending on the individual. That said, if everything is laid out properly, I would suspect 1-3 lbs per week. Anything above and beyond, you can pretty much bank on the fact that you are losing a lot of muscle, which is never a good thing.

You may be able to lose more than the stated amount in the beginning, but after the first few weeks, it should level off to 1-3 lbs per week, closer to 1-2 I would estimate.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Steve]

I actually find myself staying closer to 1400-1500 each day (my target is 1200-1600). Anyway, if I go over it's ok by me because it's not like I'm going over with junk food. If I go over it would be with veggies, fruits, and stuff like that. Things I'm not overly worried about eating. LOL I've been keeping a food journal, as I did before, so it's very easy to keep track of everything.

As for getting the family on board, it's been easier then I thought. Thank God! LOL

Thanks again for your input, kind words and help.

One more thing. When you said you don't worry about eating over b/c what you are overeating isn't junk... calories are calories. You may know this, but I am stating just for the general mass' knowledge. You could get fat off veggies. It would be one hell of a lot of veggies, but it is possible, LOL.

I am not talking to you specifically though, b/c IMO you could stand to up your calories a bit.

 

[GhostGirl]

Yes, I know what you mean about calories being calories and how they can come from healthy foods too. I actually thought about what I said once I posted it. But, I figured everyone would know what I meant when I said what I did. Guess I shouldn't have assumed. LOL Thanks!

One more thing. When you said you don't worry about eating over b/c what you are overeating isn't junk... calories are calories. You may know this, but I am stating just for the general mass' knowledge. You could get fat off veggies. It would be one hell of a lot of veggies, but it is possible, LOL.

I am not talking to you specifically though, b/c IMO you could stand to up your calories a bit.