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I need help with weight loss

Old 04-06-2010, 04:35 AM
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Default I need help with weight loss

Hi everyone,

I have been following the slim fast diet for about 3 weeks now with no weight loss. I am 44yr & 155lbs. I need to get down to 125lbs. I don't understand the concept of calories in & out. I walk on the treadmill every day at 3.0-3.5mph for at least 30 min. Still no weight loss. Can someone help me to determine what I am doing wrong & how to fix it & start losing some weight?

I have been reading all your success stories & very proud of all of you.

Molly
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Old 04-06-2010, 05:01 AM
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Personally I have never had any luck with Slim Fast. My husband uses the shakes sometimes for lunch, but he's in maintenance mode, a borderline diabetic and never has time for a decent meal. Me, I feel like I'm starving on Slim Fast and so I over due my calories at dinner. If you set a weight goal and time line here on fitday it will take you through a calorie counter to give you an idea of how many calories you need to be eating. After that it's all about measuring and logging your food and your activities. If you burn more calories than you take in you lose weight, and if you eat as many or more calories as you burn you gain.

I'm much heavier than you, currently 186 at 5'-2" and I've had excellent success using a wellness plan called "The 5, 10, 15, 20 Challenge". The numbers stand for 5 servings of fruits and vegetables minimum, 10,000 steps on a pedometer, 15 minutes of strengthening exercises daily (minimum) also if you are overweight 1,500 calories maximum, and the 20 stands for 2,000 of the 10,000 steps have to be aerobic (60 steps a minute or faster).

When it comes to food I stick to the following daily guidelines:
3 servings of fresh fruit, no more no less and all of them at least 2 hours before bedtime.
4-10 servings of veggies daily, ideally from fresh and prepared without oils, salt or sauce.
3-4 servings of protein, very lean meats and at least one of the servings must be low-fat or fat free dairy.
1-2 servings of carbohydrates, low-fat, low-calorie, preferably whole grain.
8-16 8 oz glasses of water.

You may need to increase your workout, at 155 pounds a 30 minute walk you may not getting the calorie burn you need to lose weight. If you log your activities here on fitday, it should give you an idea of weather or not you're burning more than you take in. Also with the SF shakes you may well be putting your body into "conservation" mode. My metabolism is very hardy and starts conserving at anything less than 1200-1300 calories/day. On SF it would be easy to get below that especially if you have strong willpower at dinner.

Last edited by almeeker; 04-06-2010 at 05:03 AM.
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Old 04-06-2010, 05:06 AM
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Hi Molly...

I'm not sure why the Slim Fast diet isn't working for you, but I can tell you why it didn't work for ME. I was way, way, way too hungry on it. I wasn't getting nearly enough calories and I think my body just shut down...went into full blown starvation mode and refused to burn anything at all.

What has worked for me instead? Trying to limit sodium and simple carbs (no soda, no white bread/highly processed foods, etc.)....I eat a lot of lean protein and fresh veggies (mostly raw veggies...but if I cook them, I use those steamer bags)...I eat fresh fruits too but try not to have any after lunch. I don't eat a lot of dairy, but I supplement with extra calcium. All in all, I'm consuming an average of 1200-1500 calories/day...depending on the day. I take a multivitamin...extra calcium..magnesium...D...B...C...etc. I drink lots and lots and lots of water. If I think I'm hungry I drink first.

I can't exercise right now (which you are and that's awesome) because I'm injured...but the pounds are finally coming off at the rate of about 2/week. I'll take it!

Best wishes, Naomi

Last edited by nrh322; 04-06-2010 at 05:08 AM.
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Old 04-06-2010, 05:11 AM
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Hi Molly...

Just a couple thoughts, maybe if you don't mind posting some more info? First, how many calories are you eating? I'm not familiar with the Slim Fast plan. Do you mind posting your height? Finally, try keeping track of your heart rate when you walk to make sure you are in a zone where you can be burning fat and/or getting an aerobic benefit.

For some reason I like this calculator more than the FitDay thingie...Calorie Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs

It takes your info and spells out how many calories you need to eat for fat loss or for extreme fat loss. I think it works pretty well unless you are at an extreme; with 30 pounds to lose, you most likely aren't.

Al, I like that 5-10-15-20...easy to remember!
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Old 04-06-2010, 05:30 AM
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Originally Posted by cjohnson728
Al, I like that 5-10-15-20...easy to remember!
Yup, the funny part is that I got it from my little brother. He's basically a body builder, but 5, 10, 15, 20 is a program he does at work. Believe it or not it's mandatory, the company even passed out pedometers to everyone. My brother makes all his numbers pretty easily, except the 5!!! Which is of course the easy part for me.

nrh322, sounds like we're on the same plan doesn't it?
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Old 04-06-2010, 06:26 AM
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Hi cjohnson728 my height is 5'3" & I eat between 1200-1400 calories a day.
I'm not hungry on slim fast & I do drink lots of water. Thanks for the inspiration. It says I need to eat at least 1800 calories a day so does this mean I need to eat 1800 calories to lose weight or do I eat 1300 calories a day to lose weight?
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Old 04-06-2010, 07:43 AM
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I believe the 1800 would be to maintain your weight. Then there are two other numbers there, one should be for fat loss and the other for extreme (quicker) fat loss. 1300 daily will give you about a pound loss for a week. Any combination of diet/exercise that gets you at 500 calories a day consumed under what was burned will have you dropping a pound per week. Make sure you don't go below 1200 or so, because you run the risk of your metabolism slowing to meet your intake and that makes it more difficult to lose. It seems backwards, but you need to eat enough food when you diet! 1200 to 1400 should be okay.

I am also thinking, as was mentioned, that going at 3, 3.5 mph might not really be burning too many calories (about 150, 160 maybe). Maybe if you can up the intensity, it will kick start your system. Also, would you consider some weight training with hand weights (easy at first)? More muscle = more calories burned at rest. Finally, (and you are probably diligent about this anyway), make sure you log everything into FitDay and measure foods accurately.

Keep us posted ! Good luck!
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Old 04-06-2010, 10:50 AM
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Default Great advise everyone

Hi Molly,
I think you came to the right place to ask.

I find that exercise makes the biggest difference for me. So I concur with CJ, see if you can up your activity a bit. The 1800 cals calculated by FitDay is indeed maintenance. As CJ and others noted, to lose weight you need to either reduce the calories eaten and/or increase the activity so that you're eating less than 1800 and/or burning more. .

Exercise has a bunch of other benefits besides just burning calories. It helps you sleep better - which is really important in a weight loss program, it boosts the old endorphins - the feel good hormones - so you have a little more resistance to temptation because you are feeling better about yourself, and it tones muscles so that even if you don't lose a lot of fat, you will look toned and fit. I've known several women who were technically over weight, but rather fit, so they looked great.

Good luck, I look forward to reading about your progress.

Pam
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Old 04-06-2010, 01:26 PM
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Hi! I started using FitDay in November 2009 with about 70 pounds to lose and I lost 15 pounds in a little over a month by logging what I ate, staying under 1300 calories per day, eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day and exercising 30-45 minutes five times a week. Then I got busy and gave up for awhile. I have regained some of my weight, but not all, and I just started today getting back on the right track. Anyway, when I was working out, a friend of mine who is an athletic trainer told me that when you start a new exercise program, your body responds because it is required to make numerous changes to adjust to different workloads. So, your muscles are rebuilding themselves and this consumes all kinds of calories. But, at some point your body will stop adapting to the new workload and, as a result, you burn less calories for the same activities. Don't let your body get used to the exercise. Maintain your body's adaptation period by changing the intensity, duration, frequency and/or the mode of exercise and include interval training if necessary. For example, if you use the treadmill for two weeks, switch to something different like the rowing machine or the bike. Don't forget to make changes in your weight training routine as well!
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Old 04-06-2010, 02:55 PM
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You're going to get a lot of answers and a lot of different ways to lose weight here, so you came to the right place. As it has been said before, we're all different, so there's going to be a ton of ways to go abut this. In my diet, I limit carbs to 50-100 grams a day, mostly from vegtables and some from fruit and I make sure that my Omega-3's are plentiful (lots of fish and fish oil). It's a very different approach to weightloss, but it's worked great for me and my husband. I don't really track my total calorie amount, I just make sure my carbs are in check and i get .75 to 1 gram of protien per pound of lean body mass. I don't eat proccessed foods, grains, legumes or sugars. That's about it. Hope you find what works for you!
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