Thread: I'd appreciate your advice... x

Morning all,


I have a question...


I have been counting calories for almost 4 weeks, but my weight loss has slowed down - in fact, I have had two weeks where I have gained.


Can you please have a look at what I am doing and let me know if you would do anything differently?


Calories wise, I used the Free Dieting calorie calculator to show me how much I should be eating. This came out at about 1450 each day, based on the fact I exercise around 4 times a week. I am 5'7'', age 30, weigh (this morning) 12st 12.5lbs.


On the whole I am staying within my calories - but I am aware that I've had a handful of 'bad days'.


I have added up all the calories I have had in the last 26 days (thanks to MFP!) and my daily average is 1555 a day. Mostly I am under my 1450, but at weekends I have been known to go over by a good few hundred!


- In the first week I 'averaged' 1604 a day, and lost -4.75lbs...


- In the second week I averaged 1664 calories and put on +1.75lbs...


- In the third week I averaged 1610 calories and lost -2.75lbs...


- I have two more days until my weigh in, but this morning I was +0.5lbs up...


...


So, overall, I am losing more than I am gaining I guess - and I know it is swings and roundabouts - but since the first week I have basically been flirting around the same weight - lose some, gain some, lose some, gain some...


Is this the same for other people?


Do you think I am eating enough/too much?


-


Exercise wise I aim to do seven exercise classes a week... but in reality I tend to only get to about 4 of them...


* two body pump classes
* two kinesis classes (high intensity circuit training)
* two pilates class
* one zumba class


Sorry for ranting... I'm not about to just jack it in - I don't feel like I am 'on a diet', and that's lovely... I just want to make sure I am doing the best I can as far as calorie intake/exercise, without putting myself under strain etc.


SD xxx

Hiya,

I could be wrong but I'd say your calorie intake is a little high, I used the mifflin equation for you which most online calorie calculators use, and based on your stats and you being moderately active it's giving me between 1350-1400 calories a day.

So maybe try that for a week and see how you get on? Or if you're prone to bad days, which I am especially on weekends, then you could eat lower calories over the course of the week to allow yourself a maintenance calorie day on say a Friday or Saturday..

Which could be 1200 calories a day six days of the week - and then you'd be allowed 2250 calories one day a week so it could be a treat day. That still averages out at 9450 calories a week which is what you'd eat if you consumed 1350 a day every day.

Hope this helps! xx

Have you always exercised at your current intensity or is it a new thing? When you start a new exercise regime your body will retain water around the muscles to help them repair and this can sometimes show as a gain on the scale. The good thing is after a few weeks it starts to level out.

Are you drinking enough water? This will help with any water retention.

Has it been TOM recently? Some people can gain up to 5lbs in that time.

Are you truly logging everything? Every cup of coffee, glass of squash, dollop of ketchup. Sometimes it's easy to forget these little things but they do add up. Also are you weighing/ measuring your food so you are getting an accurate calorie estimate of what you ate eating?

Well done on your loss so far. Like you said you are losing more than you are gaining and the first few weeks can be a bit up in the air as the body gets used to the new routine. Stick with it and I'm sure you will continue to lose.

Thank you both for the replies

Laurenmay - I will give it a go, eating a maximum of 1300 through the week... then having one day where I can have up to 1650 - therefore averaging 1350 each day... I will try to get nearer 1200 during the week, but I want something that is going to be easy to maintain long term and not send me loopy... so we'll see how I manage!!

Wegle - yes, I have been exercising at this intensity for a few months - not for ages, but certainly for a good month or two before I started counting calories. Water could certainly be an area I'm falling down a bit - I try to get a couple of pints down me during the day, but (as with many other people with weight issues, I bet) I really struggle to get fluid down me if I am not thirsty (which I rarely am). Must. Do. Better!

xxx