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JennB
New Member
| Joined: | 2 January 2008 |
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| Posts: | 27 |
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Posted: 28 April 2008 05:02 pm |
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| I'm 41, been at 120 lbs for EVER. I'd like to be 110lbs (I'm 5'2"). Actually, what I'd really like is to be a fit and LEAN 41 year old no matter the weight. I have flab on my butt and thighs (I know..."no kidding?") so I'm thinking that if I ramp up cardio that I would lose the flab and be able to see my muscles again? Should I do more cardio, less weights -- or more weights, less cardio --- or equal time at both? I hear about so many celebrities doing pilates - and how it has gotten them fit and lean...but when I do it, I don't feel like I get enough workout. Help.
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 28 April 2008 07:25 pm |
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Your unadjusted RMR is 1163. If you're sedentary you only burn 1396 calories and you eat at 1163 calories (not a good idea to go lower) a deficit of 233 calories gives you one pound lost every 15 days. However luckily you are planning to exercise. The more the better, within reason. I would split your time equally between weights and cardio as they both help (in different ways). With enough exercise you should achieve 1lb per week.
I agree with your observation about pilates.
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JennB
New Member
| Joined: | 2 January 2008 |
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| Posts: | 27 |
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Posted: 28 April 2008 07:32 pm |
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thank you - I did get that 1396 from the calculator too, but couldn't make it work in my head like you did.
so, I burn about 1400 calories if I do nothing --
and if I exercise to burn another (maybe) 300, that's 1700 burned per day--
and if I eat only 1300, I have a deficit of 400--
I didn't know how that fit into how many lbs I could lose in a week.
so thank you very much, I'll go get moving now. 
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 29 April 2008 11:18 am |
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daily 400 calorie deficit:
(400x7/3500) = 0.8lb per week
3500/400 = ~9 (lose one pound every 9 days)
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JennB
New Member
| Joined: | 2 January 2008 |
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| Posts: | 27 |
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Posted: 29 April 2008 12:55 pm |
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I ate very healthy yesterday and after counting calories, I still ate almost 1400! I'm not sure how people do it on a 1000 to 1200 calorie diet. Should I harder try to eat less than 1400 calories a day?
steel cut oats w/blueberries; 2 TB maple syrup
south beach snack bar
1 cup campbells select soup with wheat thins and a sm banana
100 calorie pudding cup
hot dog w/ bun and corn; and a 1/2 bag of M&M's (120 cal)
What do you think?
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 29 April 2008 01:07 pm |
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With the exception of the oatmeal, the banana and the corn, everything else you ate came in a jar or a box with an ingredient list with more than one ingredient. In my (rather extreme) opinion, this is what makes it hard to be satisfied on a small number of calories.
I am having a low calorie day today and my intention is to be very satisfied. To this end, I intend to have a large amount of non-starchy vegetables. The typical non-starchy vegetable has about 25 calories per 100g (this is just a guess at an average) so to eat all your calories this way requires eating about 4.8 kilos (10 pounds). That is a bit much, even for me, so when I feel I have eaten enough I will make up the balance with nuts and seeds. The result is that I will have eaten lots of food, my stomach would be full, and I would have eaten sufficient amounts of protein. Here are some concrete examples of what I ate on such low calorie days:
http://nirmk.byethost13.com/staticfood/day.php?dayid=228
http://nirmk.byethost13.com/staticfood/day.php?dayid=231
http://nirmk.byethost13.com/staticfood/day.php?dayid=234
http://nirmk.byethost13.com/staticfood/day.php?dayid=235
http://nirmk.byethost13.com/staticfood/day.php?dayid=236
http://nirmk.byethost13.com/staticfood/day.php?dayid=240
http://nirmk.byethost13.com/staticfood/day.php?dayid=242
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JennB
New Member
| Joined: | 2 January 2008 |
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| Posts: | 27 |
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Posted: 29 April 2008 01:19 pm |
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That seems so strict - is it something you can keep up on a regular basis or are these just "once in awhile" days? I could do something like that for awhile and get the weight off, but then it seems like it would all come back when i went back to eating like I did yesterday?
Maybe for me it's more about increasing my calorie BURN instead of decreasing my calorie intake?
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 29 April 2008 02:45 pm |
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Looking at the long term, you can only have more calories long term if you also make a lifelong commitment to exercise, and even then there are limits. I do 90 minutes a day and I refuse to do more. In fact if I go back to working full time I may have to cut down on exercise.
Yes I don't do those low calorie days every day. I eat 2000 calories on my other days, but the reason I do feel a bit restricted on those days is that I only eat nuts, seeds and non-starchy vegetables. On my regular days I also add fruit , beans and starchy vegetables. I guess I could add them in limited quantities on 1200 calorie days too (but I neglected to mention I am also trying to benefit from the effect of lower carb intake, hence my particular food selection)
Looking at your menu you are also eating other food groups that I almost don't touch anymore:
sugar (maple syrup)
candy (south beach snack bar, M&Ms)
processed food (soup, pudding cup)
meat (hot dog) - still eat meat and fish but rarely
grains (oat, wheat thins) - I do eat grains but only rarely, as a treat - not an every day thing.
I should explain that I do actually still everything but I follow a 90% rule. So the things I don't approve of can make up to 10% of my calories. So on the 2000 calorie days when I let myself eat vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts and seeds, I can still have up to 200 calories of rubbish if and when I want to.
I went back to your post and I noticed you consider yourself to have eaten very healthy. This just shows how we can evolve our thinking over time. It wasn't that long ago when my daily menu was nothing but pizza, chocolate and ice-cream
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JennB
New Member
| Joined: | 2 January 2008 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 27 |
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Posted: 29 April 2008 02:53 pm |
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I guess "healthy" to me meant NOT eating pizza, ice cream, etc., which I've also been known to do - although not often. Like you said, if you go back to work full time you would have to make adjustments to your exercise schedule. I work full time, and have 3 teens - 2 in sports right now, and all 3 in sports in the fall - so my schedule is very limited but I am getting in 30-45 min of exercise every other day. I get more in on the weekends.
I will begin watching my processed food intake and increase fruits and vegetables. (I had a boiled egg and 5 strawberries this morning at 9am). I'm not too interested in the low carb intake even though I know it works to get weight off, it's just not something I can do long term and I think that's the key to that kind of "diet".
So for now my commitment is increase calorie burn to 45-60 min every other day, decrease processed foods, and increase fruits and vegetables. We'll see where that takes me.
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JennB
New Member
| Joined: | 2 January 2008 |
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| Posts: | 27 |
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Posted: 29 April 2008 03:32 pm |
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Hey Nir - you've been a big help. I've read your diary links and it sounds like you have a lot on your plate every day - and I don't mean food by the way - I mean just STUFF. I just wanted to say thanks for taking time out of that busy day to give me some great advice. Keep up the great work.
JB
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Nir
Senior Administrator
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Posted: 29 April 2008 03:34 pm |
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| You're welcome, I hope something proves useful!
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JennB
New Member
| Joined: | 2 January 2008 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 27 |
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Posted: 29 April 2008 03:36 pm |
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I'll keep you updated as I trudge along my new path.
Have a bright and sunny day.
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Current time is 07:55 am | |
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