Posts by kateveeoh

No idea if it has another name, but I did find nutritional information on here :)

You can expect a weight loss of about 0.5 - 2 lbs. a week if you're sticking to a 500 - 700 deficit (this seems to be the most efficient deficit), so it should be doable by November :) Losing up to 1% of your body weight a week is definitely possible.

I'd try not to go for a deficit that's too steep (even though it might not be over a 1000), slow but steady weight loss is the key to efficient weight loss. If the weight comes off slowly, it's more likely to stay off. You can't rush weight loss.

And don't worry, there might be weeks where you see the weight go up (TTOM, water retention, even something as silly as not going to the toilet before you weigh yourself etc.) or stall, but don't give up, you're making a lifestyle change after all :) Try to weigh yourself in the mornings, and don't weigh yourself again a couple of hours later as your weight can fluctuate immensely in a day.

So if you're burning 3000 cals a day, shoot for 2300 - 2500 and see how you fare. Good luck!

At our cafeteria, nine times out of ten it's pollock, but like thmheh said, it could be cod or tilapia.

Was the fish quite thin? Then it could have been sole or plaice, but these fish tend to run on the expensive side so you're less likely to get these served at your standard cafeteria :/

Oh ok, that somewhat clarifies it, thanks :)

I was just thinking that you needn't go overboard with cutting down carbs, as you need fuel for your body and carbs keep your brain going. I've porridge or toast and eggs with a serving of fruit/veggies for breakfast most mornings, keeps me going until noon.
There are a lot of other complex carbs you can have though, if you're looking for whole grains, things like wheat grains, quinoa etc. are good options too, legumes are great for protein and carbs...variety is the spice of life eh :)

Bummer :/
I did some googling though, and CVS apparently have chewable tablets, lozenges and powder; Walgreens have chewable tablets and 'fizzy drinks' (it also has ratings and online ordering for the vitamins).

Sorry I couldn't be of any real help :/

You're welcome :D

Have fun experimenting, a roasted red pepper (so good in salads) tastes very different from a raw one; like you said, try to 'hide' some of them (savoy cabbage in mash, mmm!), do bakes, stews... If there are vegetables or fruits you really don't like, you don't have to force yourself to have them. Tastes do change over time, so if you hated cauliflower as a child, you might find yourself loving it now.

Good luck :D!

Everyone who starts dieting loses a bit of water weight first, but your very fast weight loss is mainly due to undereating. Your body is used to say, 2500 cals daily, and all of a sudden your cutting that back to a meagre 600 - 900 cals. You might be able to keep this going for a short while, but you will experience real problems with this if you keep it up.

Have a read here, here and here, maybe this can clarify it a bit more :)

People under 21 need more cals than adults, as they are still growing (internally too). A girl shouldn't eat below 1500 cals, a boy shouldn't eat below 1800.

For healthy weight loss at a rate of about a pound a week, you need a deficit of around 500 cals daily. So if your daily burn is 2500 cals, you should eat 2000 daily. Your deficit should never go over a 1000 cals (which is very steep already), you should try to keep it between 500 and 800.
You are already at a perfectly healthy weight (calculate your bmi here if you're under 21), weight loss will go much slower anyway, and to be honest, your body really won't want to lose much anyway.

To maintain, you need to up your cals slowly, just eat around your maintenance number. This can be a bit hit and miss, you just have to find the number that works best for you :)

Hope that helps!

Have you been eating around 500 - 700 cals for quite a while? This might be the reason why you're not all that hungry and quite satisfied. Your body might have adapted to surviving on less energy, but that doesn't mean it should keep living on a very low energy intake. There's a discussion here that you might like to read :)

Having made the mistake myself of eating less, exercising more I can tell you your body will get sick of it haha, it doesn't want to keep expending energy from its own stores when there aren't enough calories coming in to replace those stores; so just up your cals and see how you fare - you'll get more nutrients this way too :D

If you feel stuffed after eating 1000 cals, try going for 'calorie-dense' foods: foods of which you only need a small portion but which are relatively high in calories. Drizzle some olive oil onto your salad, throw some almonds into your oatmeal, have some cheese...You don't have to live solely on vegetables, bread and whole-grains are a great way to get carbs too. Basically, you can eat anything, as long as it's in moderation and you get enough carbs, protein and fats :D

Good luck with the 2 kgs!

You're probably not feeling too hungry because your body has adapted to surviving on 500 - 900 cals daily. The fact that it's adapted does not mean it's all it needs to function properly. Severe undereating over a long period of time will cause your body to shut down all kinds of functions and processes it deems 'less necessary'. It will do everything to keep your heart beating and your brain going, but other than that, it will shut down. I know that sounds like an overreaction, but this is basically what happens when you deprive your body :/

Calculating your bmi, you're now around 35. Getting to a healthy weight ( bmi 20-25) takes time, but it's wonderful you decided to get healthy :D
With your stats, your bmr (what you burn just existing) is 1890 cals. Remember, this is what your body needs to function. If you're sedentary, your daily burn is 2270. If you're lightly active, it's 2600.

So if you've been lightly active over the past couple of months, you've been needing 2600 cals daily to maintain. This means you've been undereating by 1700 - 2100 cals daily. That's a huge deficit :/ Your deficit shouldn't be larger than a 1000 cals; severely overweight people can start off with such a large deficit, but soon it will have to be made smaller.

In order to lose a pound a week, subtract 500 from your maintenance cals. So 2600 - 500 = 2100 cals. You might even lose more, you can expect to lose 1% of your body weight weekly.
So please, up your cals - you get to eat a lot more, you'll feel much healthier and happier and you'll lose weight.
You might see an initial weight gain if you've been undereating for a while, but this will come off, so no worries.

You can calculate your bmr and daily calorie needs here :)

The key to weight loss is patience I think. 1 - 2 lbs a week is a perfect weight loss rate, and as you're not crash dieting this way, you can sustain the weight loss and it will be much easier to maintain afterwards. It's more of a lifestyle change than a diet, really.

I hope this helps, and good luck!

ETA: added a motivating testimonial ;D

Just try to eat the same amount of cals daily for a while, see how it goes; if 1400 is what you think would suit you for now, give it a try :) 1200 isn't a good number to start on as that's already the lowest you should be eating. If you lose more weight, your daily burn goes down and your deficit will get smaller and smaller :/
Good luck :D!

Well, if you're lightly active (don't set your activity level at sedentary), you still need much more than you were eating. At a daily burn of 1840, subtracting 500 cals would leave you with only 1340 cals to eat every day. This definitely isn't too much. Either up the exercise a little and eat more so you can safely stay at a 500 cal deficit (e.g. burning 2100 a day, eating 1600), or go for a smaller deficit.
Also, as you already are at a healthy bmi, weight loss might go a lot slower. Your body feels comfortable if it's at a healthy weight, and it won't want to let go of any "excess" pounds - because there are no excess pounds.

Do keep in mind that sore muscles retain more water, so if you weigh yourself after a work-out, the scale might not have gone down all that much.

I'd say definitely up your cals and see how you fare :) If you've been undereating for a long time, you might see an initial weight gain, but your body will thank you for being properly fed!

Going on the elliptical daily does burn cals, but if you want to 'tone up' don't forget lifting. If you want to keep doing cardio, it's better to go for HIIT (high intensity interval training) than just going at the same pace for one hour. Read this and see if that helps you out :) I myself have been a complete couch potato since quitting the gym, so for any specific advice on fitness, you should have a gander in the fitness forum.
It will help with your stomach as it burns cals, and burning more than you eat means weight loss. There is no such thing as spot reducing though: if you lose weight, you lose it everywhere. The only thing you can do is firm up your abs etc. through exercise aimed specifically at those areas.

I'm 20, 5'9", 154-155 lbs, basically sedentary and I go for 1500 - 1700 cals daily, and I still manage to lose weight :) So I think (as you said yourself) that upping your cals is the way to go.

Have a gander here and here, see if this helps you out :D

Original Post by jla0610:

 Seriously - since when do you critisize someone for eating an apple?

He's probably miffed that you're succeeding and he isn't :p Maybe he thinks: "If she can eat all day and lose weight, so can I!" Little does he know you're not reaching for the Mars bar but the apple :p

Let him be jealous of your success haha, and keep it up :D!

I personally don't see what's wrong with a piece of chocolate cake once in a while...Obviously it's no good gorging on cake every day - but if they wanted some and they were within their daily cal allowance, then they could have that treat :)
Losing one lb per week is a great and healthy weight loss rate, and they'll probably be able to keep it up, so no sweat, they shouldn't feel guilty in my opinion :D
Good luck with the challenge!

Original Post by nutbox:

kateveeoh why is it you recommend not goin below 1500kcals?

 

If you are young (21 or under), you're going to need more cals as you are still growing - not only getting taller, but internally there are lots of things going on that need more cals. So when the lowest intake for a very short, super-slight inactive woman is 1200, this should be upped to 1500 for younger girls :)

Also, eating under your bmr (what you burn just existing) for an extended period of time can cause your body to hold on to all the energy it can get. Instead of thinking: "But my daily burn is only 1600, how can I get a 500 cal deficit without going under 1200???", start getting a bit more active - even just walking more will increase your activity level and allow you to have a 500 cal deficit without going under your bmr/the lowest intake.

A woman with your stats has a bmr of around 1610 cals. This is what your body needs to exist. I'd say that you are moderately active, which puts your daily burn at 2500 cals. Subtract 500 from that, and you get what you should be eating daily in order to lose about a pound a week. So you could eat between 1900 and 2100 cals and still lose weight!
Also keep in mind that muscle takes up less space than fat, so while you might not see the scale going down all that quickly, you might see the inches (and your body fat percentage) go down. Another thing to keep in mind: if you weigh yourself after a really hard work-out, you might think you've put yourself through all that for no reason as the scales haven't gone down, but sore muscle retains more water, so it could be water weight too.

Honestly, although losing half a stone is fantastic, your body will not keep this up. It will start thinking you're starving it (which you are) and it will hoard all calories you consume. You might see a weight gain as you up your cals, but do it slowly and steadily and you will see the weight come back off again.
In order for it to be a lifestyle change, you need to take it slow. As you said, you want to maintain weight for the rest of your life, not for the holiday you planned this summer :)

Do not feel guilty about food! Your body needs food to survive, feel ok physically AND mentally. You can set yourself goals to keep you motivated (I do that too), but keep in mind that you will eventually reach that final goal and you will have to maintain in a healthy, responsible manner.

If there's anything else I can help you with, feel free to message me (and have a gander at my journal) :D

Good luck!