Hello NatalyaW.
How have you arrived at the figure of 1200Kcal?
The reason I ask is that the figure is incredibly low, particularly when it comes to ensuring that your body is provided with sufficient energy (calories) that allows your metabolism to continually fire.
If you’d not guessed by now, I’m suggesting that you need to eat more daily calories than you currently do.
By severely restricting calories in your quest to drop the pounds, you soon create a slowing of your metabolism, as your body simply isn’t provided with sufficient calories on a daily basis.
Depending upon starting weight, whilst such a severe restriction may initially allow a certain level of progress, that progress won’t continue indefinitely, as an evolutionary trait of the human body is eventually brought into play, a trait that cares little for your desire to shed your excess.
That evolutionary trait, brought about by a slowing metabolism, emerges in order to maintain your existence. As such, the calories consumed on a daily basis are used to simply provide your body’s various systems with the energy required to repeatedly perform their designated roles.
Granted, the excess weight you possess is also used as energy. However, as the excess is utilised as energy to perform vital functions, very little of it is expended by the body during periods increased activity, meaning that those periods of increased endeavour cannot be sustained for very long, leaving you with a feeling of lethargy soon after you begin.
Metabolism can be considered in very much the same way as a burning flame. What happens to that burning flame when its energy source (oxygen) is removed?
The same thing happens to your body’s metabolism when its energy source (calories) is removed or restricted; it slows to smouldering cinders.
I can appreciate that you may be left wondering just how you increase your metabolism sufficiently, that it continues to fire, yet begin to enjoy weight at the same time.
The key to attaining both is that of energy balance.
In order to achieve the afore-mentioned aims, if you’ve not done so, the first step is to ascertain your daily calorie requirements through the use of a BMR calculator, since the calculation is largely accurate, based upon your current measurements and activity level.
Once you know your numbers, achieving the goal of energy balance (and ultimately weight loss) becomes far easier.
Having obtained your both your resting and active BMR, you have a greater idea of the numbers required to maintain weight (active BMR) and the numbers required to ensure that your metabolism continues to fire (resting BMR).
By introducing a daily calorie deficit (from your active BMR), provided that deficit doesn’t take you excessively below your resting BMR, you’ll lose weight. The deficit can be achieved through a combination of calorie restriction and exercise.
As you currently possess excess energy (stored in body fat), by ensuring that the deficit introduced falls to around or just below your resting BMR, you will lose weight, since the energy stored in your body fat fuels your endeavour.
In terms of expected weight loss, don’t be too disheartened if you only lose between 1-3lbs per week, NatalyaW.
Given that a lb of fat contains 3500Kcal, by consistently losing 3lbs per week, for example, you’ll have expended roughly 10,000 calories in order to achieve that level of loss, thus, attaining an energy exchange between calories consumed and those already stored.
Granted, there will be the odd fluctuation along the way, but a largely consistent weekly loss of the above figures will allow you understand that you’ve got balance and exchange of energy largely correct.
Most importantly, though, by accepting that the excess you may currently possess wasn’t gained overnight and that it’s not going to be lost overnight, either, you’ll hopefully develop a sense of perspective upon your journey towards attaining your goal. That sense of perspective also reduces the level of expectancy you may have placed upon yourself.
As for the inclusions/exclusions from your diet, maintain your increased protein intake (consuming around 1g of lean protein per lb of body weight), in addition to eliminating refined carbohydrate.
However, don’t wholly eliminate carbohydrate from your diet, since they provide a means with which to replenish your depleted glycogen reserves following exercise.
Concerning exercise, stick with your Pilates, due to its rehabilitative benefits but I’d suggest trying to introduce resistance training into your schedule, even if it’s something as simple as body weight exercises, concentrating upon the lowering (eccentric) phase of each movement in order to develop strength and shape in the muscles worked.
When it comes to cardio, as your level of fitness improves, aim to increase its intensity. I’m not immediately suggesting that you attempt HIIT, but by gradually introducing harder intervals into your cardio sessions (eventually progressing to HIIT), you’ll increase the uptake of fat and glucose throughout your endeavour, leading to increased levels of fat loss and improved levels of insulin sensitivity.
However, in order to achieve the above, it all begins in the kitchen, chiefly in ensuring that your energy balance /exchange is largely correct, NatalyaW.
I’m sure that I may have provided you with much to process. However, if you seek clarification or further advice, feel free to message me or respond in your thread.
