Is anyone out there 5.3 and trying to lose 30 pounds?

I was 169 pounds.  I am trying to lose some weight and have started counting calories.  My daily intake has been 1000-1200 calories per day.  I have been enjoying keeping a daily log.  Its gonna be a long process but I am commited.  

  I have been eating 3 meals per day trying to eat more calories during breakfast and lunch more so than dinner.  I eat dinner around 5pm and dont eat after.

  I am drinking about 96oz of water per day.  So far I have lost 4 pounds.  

Can anyone offer some inside scoop or advice?  Has anyone been in these shoes and succeeded.  I could use the motivation.

T

heya im also 5ft3, im hoping to lose 21lb so almost the same. how long's it took you to lose those 4lb? when i was doing pretty much the same as you are i lost a fair bit of weight so sounds good :) what exercise are you doing?

Hey Jessicakait,

  I am in week 2 now.  I figure there was a lot of water loss in the first 4. I am hoping for 1-2 pounds a week.  I am trying to run/ brisk walk for 45 min 3 times a week for now.  I have a bizzare work schedule and it can be difficult to find the time (not to mak excuses).  How much have you lost and over how long?  How much do you exercise?   

I'm about 5'4 and trying to go from 175 to 145.  I've only really just started.

If I can give you advice, it'd be to eat a few more calories.. 1200 is really too low.. and try to eat 5 small meals rather than 3. If you continue eating so few calories, your metabolism will slow down and it'll be harder to lose weight further along the line, and you'll just have to keep cutting down, etc.

The minimum calorie count supported (and I mean bare bones minimum) is 1200. Calorie Count is all about healthy weight loss. That's the first thing you can do to make your weight loss plan sustainable and healthy!

Why eating only 1200 calories or undereating doesn't work

http://caloriecount.about.com/wont-lose-faste r-eat-calories-q3127

In the long run, you won’t lose weight faster by eating 1200 calories a day.  Under-eating deprives your body of essential nutrients and leads to muscle breakdown to provide energy.  With less muscle, you require fewer calories and you reach a weight low plateau more quickly.  Restrictive dieting also places you at risk for binge-eating which can lead to weigh gain and a life of yo-yo dieting. 

Will I go into starvation mode if I eat 1000 – 1200 calories a day?

http://caloriecount.about.com/starvation-mode -eat-calories-q2046

Your body will not selectively burn stored fat because your central nervous system needs glucose and you can’t make glucose from fat.  But protein can be converted to glucose, and so the body breaks down your muscles to provide it.  Ultimately, you lose lots of muscle along with fat, and that drives down your calorie requirements because muscle burns calories but fat does not.  You then maintain a higher weight on less food making weight gain inevitable.  For best results, eat the number of calories prescribed by the Calorie Target calculator in the Tools section.

You need to increase your calories. Will you?

^^^ pay attention to that, it's really important info.

But as for motivation, I'm 5'3 and have lost 80lbs by counting calories, staying in a healthy range (for me that was 1500-2000 with all the exercise I was doing) and working out. So just stick with it, it gets hard and frustrating at times but it's so worth it. Try to break your meals up into 5 a day if you can, I found that helped with hunger and didn't lead me to eat too much at my next meal.

HI  im 5ft4 and trying to get down to 145  im at 236 now,,, I use to weigh 300, but I got stuck at the same weight for last year,,didnt know why until I joined this site and found out that I wasnt eating enough ,,only taking in around 800 cal a day,,,and I recieved alot of messages on here telling me to eat more,,so now Im at 1200 cal a day and did drop 12lbs,,now im hoping to really start dropping it off,,,,I walk every morning for an hour of more and yesterday I did 30 min of dance aerobics,,that was fun but when I checked the cal burned it was not as much as walking for an hour,,,hmm  I really want to lose this weight by july,,it will be my 2nd wedding anniversary and I want to look better then ever for that day,,Im very happy married to a wonderful man and feel he deserves a thin wife,,he says he loves me as I am but I know he wants me to lose,,,

       &nb sp;               &nb sp; I hope you make your goal,,and maybe we can give support to eachother,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,nasima

No doubt!  I appreciate all the comments so far.  Its hard.  But I need to stay focused, and start eating a few more calories for sure.  I need to exercise more as well.  

  I have tried the smaller meals more frequently in the past but it never worked for me.  My biggest problem was not eating during the day.  I am now committed to breakfast lunh and dinner and finding that a struggle.  

  I dont work a desk job and am out and about all day. I work in sales and travel a lot, I find it a hard to eat healthy when I eat out all the time.  But so far so good.  I am larning.  I was one of those people who drank coffee all day and just ate dinner. Which over 5 years gave me 45 extra pounds. :(

   I hope that there wil be more loss this week.  Even a pinch will make me happy!

TR

Hi,

I'm 5'2" and down to my last 7 pounds in a 32 pound weight loss goal. I have found, for me, that if I just can't stand it and have to eat something, a Special K cereal bar is great. It is sweet enough to satisfy my sweet tooth without killing my calorie count for the day (they are only 90 calories). The honey nut and cinnamon pecan seem to fill me enough to get me through that afternoon lull as well. They are also portable, so they would be great for you when you're on the road. I'm sure there are better snacks out there (like fresh fruit and veggies), but the bars work when you don't have access to those! :)

Like you, I'm not great with the smaller meals 5 times a day, but I've found that by leaving enough calories for a mid-morning snack and a mid-afternoon snack, I'm less likely to over-indulge at lunch or dinner. I'm also a night owl, so I have to have a late evening snack, too otherwise I'll be starving by breakfast and really cranky!

Hope I've helped a little! Good luck with the weight loss and hang in there! Anna

Hi! I am 5'2 and need to lose 30 pounds. I eat 1200 cals a day. I walk and do light yoga. Lost, 7 pounds already and at a stand still for right now. If, you wanna be buddies go ahead and add me. We can chat whenever.

     Suz

Thanks!  You have helped.  Congrats to you as well on your current weight loss Anna27ofarose!

Original Post by suzosuz:

Hi! I am 5'2 and need to lose 30 pounds. I eat 1200 cals a day. I walk and do light yoga. Lost, 7 pounds already and at a stand still for right now. If, you wanna be buddies go ahead and add me. We can chat whenever.

     Suz

Thanks Suz.  Much appreciated!

Hi there! I'm 5'3"!

I don't really know how much I want to lose. I started at 150 and I'm down to 143. My goal is to keep losing until I find the right place for me and my body. I've been eating about 1250 calories a day. I was shooting for 1200, but I always want a little extra. :) It works though, I've been consistently losing about a pound a week, and I enjoy the steady progress. I don't exercise much (I know...) but when I do it's a nice brisk walk.

Good luck to you Traciered709! I'm eager to hear about your progress!

Hi,

I am 5'1 and trying to lose 30lbs.  After I had my first son( 2 1/2 yrs old) I was 170 lbs and I was able to lose it all, but it took me 6 months.  Now I am trying to lose the weight from my second (he is 11 months) and it is soooo hard this time around.  I am not as heavy as I was after my first but wow it seems like I won't ever get to my goal.  I have hired a personal trainer and I see him twice a week, but I am really struggling with my calories.  I am eating around 1800 because I am still breast feeding but I seem to always go over.  I did it once and I can do it again. 

My advice is to eat more smaller meals take your breakfast and split it in half eat one half and then when you start to get hungry eat the other and do the same for lunch...you will feel full all day long and kick your metabolism into high gear :)

I just wanted to pipe in and say you can do it!  I'm 5'4" and started at 181.4 pounds about seven months ago.  I ate about 1200 - 1500 calories a day while sedentary, more if i did any exercise or was more active during the day.  I'm now 136.6 pounds, 44.8 pounds down!  I was surprised to learn i really could lose weight if i wanted to and restricted calories.  Now i only have a little over 6 pounds left to my goal and i just want to say that while it can be a little overwhelming at first, you can succeed it this!

Original Post by darcyskywolfe:

I just wanted to pipe in and say you can do it!  I'm 5'4" and started at 181.4 pounds about seven months ago.  I ate about 1200 - 1500 calories a day while sedentary, more if i did any exercise or was more active during the day.  I'm now 136.6 pounds, 44.8 pounds down!  I was surprised to learn i really could lose weight if i wanted to and restricted calories.  Now i only have a little over 6 pounds left to my goal and i just want to say that while it can be a little overwhelming at first, you can succeed it this!

Thank you for the kind words!  Its nice to hear success stories.  An awesome accomplishment indeed! And it is overwhelming at times the more time I spend on this sight hearing from people who have been there and suceeded makes me more determined.  Calorie Count is a great site for sure!

  Thanks Everyone!

Original Post by smily6184:

Hi there! I'm 5'3"!

I don't really know how much I want to lose. I started at 150 and I'm down to 143. My goal is to keep losing until I find the right place for me and my body. I've been eating about 1250 calories a day. I was shooting for 1200, but I always want a little extra. :) It works though, I've been consistently losing about a pound a week, and I enjoy the steady progress. I don't exercise much (I know...) but when I do it's a nice brisk walk.

Good luck to you Traciered709! I'm eager to hear about your progress!

Way to go!!  Your not alone, I dont exercise enough either at this point.  Im hoping for a pound a week consistantly.  I will post more as I progress.....because I will.  I have faith!  Thanks for the support!

I'm 5'2 and I'm now 159 lbs. Down 65 lbs from when I started about a year and a half ago. I have about 20 more to go.

Breakfast was key for me. I usually eat yogurt with some 9 grain cereal mixed in. Eating something that doesn't just give you a quick sugar rush is important.

Find healthy foods you like so you don't feel deprived. Find some activity you like and look forward to. I did the C25K running program. I always thought I despised running, but now I kind of like it. I also started playing hockey.

I also like making mini-goals. I celebrate each 5 pounds. For me the number of pounds I had to lose was overwhelming. Breaking it down to manageable goals was sooo much more manageable.