Need help creating a weight loss plan

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locke1

New member
Hello, I've posted here before a while back requesting help with a plateau. When I first started losing weight I did about zero research jumped right in cut calories to 500 and slowly increased physical activity from practically nothing to 2hrs basketball. Yes I lost weight 80ish pounds it was nice then I hit a brick wall. I struggled to continue but it slowly came to a halt when I stopped losing weight after about a month of continuing my method. Then winter came and its next to impossible to play basketball in that type of weather so I just stopped and said I would lose weight again in the summer/fall.

So here I am now a new fresh start I don't want to dwell on the past thought I would show where I am coming from so people can get a background. Now I am starting my summer semester of college and I am going to have quite a bit of free time for at least the next two months. So this would be the best time to start I figure and it is beautiful out this time of year beside the rain.

What I need help with is creating a healthy weight loss plan, every detail possible. Calorie intake, amount & types of excerises, and foods I should be eating. I' am far from rich so I cant spend tons on special types of foods and equipment. I have a street to run/walk play basketball on, a weight set, and a jump rope.

I am not lazy or asking for a handout just a decent plan, If someone could deliver a healthy weight loss plan that works I would be in your debt.

I am a 19 year old male, 5'10ish and 295-300 tried to different scales get in between that range.

thanks in advance
 
Spend some quality time reading the stickied threads - especially in On Topic, Exercise and Nutrition.. that will give you a running start to help yourself...

There is no one size fits all plan...

You n eed to figure out a calorie range that works for you (read the stickied threads in nutrition to give you a good range) Record in a food diary everything you put in your mouth... and adjust if necessary - but staying at the higher end of calories is better (reading around the forum will tell you why)'

The exercise stickies will give you a solid starting point for a workout routine - AFTER reading -ask questions on what you don't understand
 
I have read most if not all stickies, I understand the basics but I used a calorie calculator and I get this.

For an exercise level of 3 times/week

Maintenance: 3279 Calories/day
Fat Loss: 2623 Calories/day
Extreme Fat Loss: 2400 Calories/day

Normally even if I am not exercising I only eat about 1200-1500 and a day and a day when I go all out I could maybe eat 2000. This is where I get confused shouldn't I be losing weight then even if I didn't exercise. Also I usually exercise everyday so my maintenance level would be even higher. So I am lost.

Can anyone shed some light on the subject.
 
I would definitely bump up your calories - 12-1500 for your current weight is just too low to sustain long term - I don't personally buy into the whole starvation mode idea -especially at higher weights -but you do need a realistic calorie range to work with.

What are you currently eating? Have you put your food into a site like - and kept track of sodium/fiber/etc.

How long has it been since the scale hasn't moved
 
I have not tried a journal yet, but I eat just regular stuff try to stay away from sweets and fast food, and drink plenty of water. The scale has moved up during winter when I did not exercise but back when I was eating really low and exercising the scale didn't move for a month or more. The lowest weight I got to was about 280 gained about 15 pounds.

thanks for the responses also
 
If I increased my calorie intake to say 2000 wouldn't I gain weight what would be a good range to stay in I don't wanna go to extreme right off the bat like last time.
 
When I was over 300lbs, I thought I just ate "regular" stuff too, but I never took into account the exact nutritional information of what I was consuming. You need to be honest with yourself and calculate exactly how many calories a day you're eating rather than guesstimating. You'll be surprised just how many extra calories a day you're consuming with the juice and/or pop you're drinking and the snacks that you have but you're not honestly calculating.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not calling you a liar, it's just that without diligently counting, there's really no way of knowing for sure. If you eat the amount of calories you say you're eating and you exercise as much as you say you do, you should be dropping weight too fast to maintain lean muscle. You should at least be losing a few pounds a week at your size. If you're not losing anything, it's fairly safe to say you're eating more calories than you need to lose weight.

Calculate everything out in for a week and see what you come up with. Check the nutritional information on EVERYTHING you eat. If you go to a fast food place, go to their website and get the information from there. It's important that you're honest with yourself or else you'll never be able to change things.
 
If you are being totally honest with yourself and you are still sitting at this weight even with exercise you should see a doctor. I am a nurse, and while I can't diagnosis anything, I know that the human body when healthy will not hold onto that much extra weight with low calories and good exercise. Did you put the weight on quickly or is something that has always been there. If you are and have been at a 1200-1500 diet and added this weight there may be something out of balance in your body. I would recommend a good checkup with your doctor just to make sure everything is alright.
Now if you did eat to excess while putting the weight on and are now just trying to loss at the lower calorie level then you are most likely not dropping because your body is in a starvation mode. In this mode you will not drop any weight you will either hit a wall or begin to go back up. Your body will hold onto everything it can because it does not believe it has enough to survive on. Try upping the calories and maintaining the exercise.
And above everything love yourself enough to be honest with yourself. Because we all try to tell ourselves that the little bites here and there don't count. I am just as guilty as everyone else on that.
Get a group of nurses together and the saying goes, "If I eat it at work it doesn't count." That is why I am 80 lbs over where I need to be and I KNOW better. :willy_nilly:
 
thanks for the responses, to be honest I rarely eat fast food once or twice a month if that. I never drink soda if I do its diet soda, things I drink on a daily basis are water and milk. Only time I drink milk is with my cereal. I have made an account with FitDay going to start logging everything tomorrow.

What would be a good calorie limit to stay around, I am going to try to play basketball at least an hour a day and jump rope 15+ mins.
 
According to the Harris Benedict Equation my total number of calories to maintain my current weight is 4098 (2644 X 1.55). If I reduce my calories by 15% that would be 3483. I am lost, I like exercising if I continue doing what I am doing now my deficit will be to low, should I try to eat 3000 calories and not exercise? that seems stupid and not effective. Need help desperately I want to get a solid plan and run with it.
 
as i understand 2644 is your basal metabolic rate.But what about the 1.55 multiplier?isn't it for heavy jobs or something?i currently use 1.2 and i am a student.i may be wrong but i think it should be something lower.
 
You can spend days/weeks/months guessing at how many calories your body is burning and how much you should be eating. Even lab testing won't tell you the exact figures as they are changing all the time.

However, there is a simple solution -

If you track your weight over time, the long term changes in your weight will tell you exactly how many calories your are burning or storing on average each day.

An average weight loss of 0.5lb per week = 250 calories burned a day.
An average weight loss of 1lb per week = 500 calories burned a day.
An average weigth loss of 2lb per week = 1000 calories burnd a day.

The same works in the opposite direcition -

An average weight gain of 0.5lb per week = 250 calories stored a day.
An average weight gain of 1lb per week = 500 calories stored a day.
An average weigth gain of 2lb per week = 1000 calories stored a day.


Note that it is the long-term path of your weight, not short-term fluctuations, that tell you how much you are burning / storing. Obviously if your weight stays the same then you are eating the same amount as you are burning.
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