Just joined and already worried :((

Hi all,

Just joined up and was feeling so excited about the whole thing until I did my diet profile and found out that I'm only allowed 1600 calories! I've been trying to lose weight for ages and most of the time I've been aiming for 2000 a day and have been failing miserably so 1600 is a bit scarry really but will give it a go. Wish me luck :)))

Good luck to you!

I think you'll find that if you eat "clean"...that is, eating whole, natural foods...you can fit A LOT into 1600 calories. It's when you start eating processed foods that it starts adding up really fast. 

thanks Clampers I think that is the problem I'm a lazy good so a lot of my cooking is processed will have to try to cook more.

Make sure you did not pick an aggressive date (ie. make sure you tried to leave the date blank) and make sure exercise is apart of your weight loss journey. If those 2 are properly done it can be the difference between 'eating the bare min calorie intake to still function' and 'losing at a reasonable rate and eating a reasonable amount of food' (where in some case you don't even feel like your dieting after the initial restriction shock!).

For example for me:

If I put for quickest results with 'no exercise': I have to eat 1200 cals and I'll reach my target at July 20th 2012.

or

Moderate exercise quick results: I can eat 1480 cals reach target July 1st 2012.

or (realistically)

Moderate exercise no date chosen: I can eat 1734 and reach my target by July 24th 2012.

I just want to make sure you don't have to be too strict, so you have a better time during your weight loss journey :D

thanks Hollowness that has made it a bit more realistic. I've changed it to light exercise because i do intend to move more and its now just over 2000 so maybe I've got a chance 

Yeah, re-crunch your numbers after a few pounds lost or a month(s). I do it to make sure I am not over or under doing it :) I found I did no activity at first, then light and now moderate to very :) 8.5 month so far 1.5 months to go, then I plan to be just fitness oriented :D

Useful Links: 1, 2 and 3 (when I re-crunch numbers I also use these and cross reference them so I have a good grasp on my target :D)

Original Post by frankiebear63:

thanks Hollowness that has made it a bit more realistic. I've changed it to light exercise because i do intend to move more and its now just over 2000 so maybe I've got a chance 

You can also keep it at sedentary and then log your activity as you do it and then up your eating to aim for a deficit of 500 cals a day (which would be a loss of 1lb a week, they say try not to lose more than 1% body weight, which means no more than a 1000 cal deficit for 2 lbs if you're >200lbs). This is what I do. That way on days I don't work out I plan to eat a fewer calories than days I do workout, and when I do workout it's motivation to workout HARD so I burn more calories :D (e.g. If I'm going to a sunday family dinner, I plan to have a long bike ride earlier in the day; but on a day I don't workout I plan to have an extra side of veggies not pasta with my dinner)

I think the bottom line is eat less lol, I'm just starting out too and have only made really small changes but have already lost about half a stone in a week or so. I hate vegetables, fruit or anything else healthy so I can understand the ideas of 1600 being a bit steep.

I first counted up what I had eaten in a day and it came to just over 3000 calories so figured if I can at least knock 500 to 1000 out I'd lose weight and I have. Simple stuff for me like I have a problem with liking coca cola, the proper one with the sugar etc, I've been replacing some of that with water instead and as I'm not totally denying myself and still have some I don't feel so depressed about the change, also choccy biscuits, instead of 5 or 6 I can easily make do with 1 or 2 and still be satisfied.

It's not a superb diet but it still makes a difference so you could look at it that way too if you're finding it a bit much to start with. I've been making other changes too since joining like trying to eat some brown bread instead of always white, I tend to grill everything rather than fry, except eggs of course lol, that would just be daft.

 

Anyway I've found just being on this site helps to make me think more about what I do eat and that alone makes me think more when I go shopping.

@ Halfhearted...you sound very much like me esp where coca cola is concerned! I think that I might start that cutting back rather than cutting out and watching what I eat. I'll have to keep a eye on you and see how you get on :)

@ herbaltea thanks that sounds a good idea too, I know that I say I' plan to move around more but at least this way I'll be able to keep a track of it and make sure I do!

 

Well small changes is the way I'm looking at it for now rather than try anything to drastic and put myself off. I think as I start to lose more weight I'll feel more encouraged to make more effort.

I would cut back on some food a bit though and not just the coke, you don't have to not eat any of the foods you like but just try and eat that little bit less. Imagine cutting out say one chocolate biscuit everyday and that the biscuit was 150 calories, that's 1050 calories in a week less already. So now if you cut out say a litre of coke too that's another 2940 calories, so that's like 4000 calories knocked off in a week.

You can see how small changes add up though so it's worth looking at it like that. It's so easy to do and really not daunting like trying to change your whole life style in one go.

If on top of that you do say a 20 minute walk everyday too then there's another small boost

 

 

I think it's a great way to start anyway

@Halfhearted. i think you're on to something there, because don't they say that you need to cut out 3500 calories to lose a pound. Losing a pound a week doesn't sound that much but its better than nothing and when you see the numbers start going it will be inspiration to try harder. 

Hi!  I just wanted to welcome you!  I think you'll find that you learn something new every day.  I still do and I have been using this website for a long time!  Definitely try drinking more water.  They say 8 cups a day is a good target.  I started with plain seltzer (because I like the fizz) with some lemon because I used to drink a lot of soda too.  Also, try replacing not-so-healthy snacks with healthier snacks.  I have a hard time saying no to Doritos.  So, I don't buy the big bag anymore.  Instead I eat other things like hummus and carrots for a snack and every once in a while I buy a small serving size bag as a reward.  Anyway, good luck!

Thanks for that hipsdontlie (love the name by the way) will try the water trick because drinking plain water just doesn't do it for me but I always thought it had to be plain water when ever they talked about 8 glasses a day, so as you said you learn something everyday :)

My main problem areas are coca cola and take aways we normally have 3 or 4 a week mainly out of laziness because me and my partner both work long shifts and neither of us can be bothered to cook half the time but we;ve decided to make a extra effort to cook more healthy food and try to cut down on the take away meals which should help a lot. I'm also replacing the coke with pepsi max which should help too and moving around a lot more (well i never moved really before) so hopefully with these 3 changes there will be some kind of slow but steady weight loss. Will you let you know how I get on!

You can do this...Just get involved in keeping track of everything. You will be amazed. Try some of the recipes here also.Good Luck!! Here's to a healthier you!

 

It's ok. Keep your breakfast high protein, that way you'll feel fuller longer. Try not to eat the same thing every day or your body will be bored in no time.

An example of what I eat that is high protein is: Egg whites with mixed in soy cheese or sometimes regular cheese (whatever I have in the fridge). Add veggies in the egg whites; spinach, broccoli, pepper, onions, whatever. I also buy some Gimme Lean veggie sausage. I don't eat meat, and this tastes just like it (or so my husband -the carnivore- says).

Good luck!

I feel your pain. My profile gave me 1200. You can do it. I am managing most of the time, but I will confess - I am hungry.

 

If you are nervous, go slow.  Slowly work your way down to 1600 calories.  And as others have said, if you start cooking your own stuff more, making sure to eat clean, it will be much easier to hit that mark as the healthy stuff usually isn't that calorie dense.  But stick to it.  Since I've started eating clean, I feel so much better already.  Stick to it long enough, and you may no longer crave all that processed stuff. Good luck! :)

Hello Frankie,

   Iam so excited for your new chanllenge! 1600 calories is really a great way to get some weight off in a healthy way.I've lost 30 lbs on a 1500 calorie diet and I feel amazing!!! It took about 6 months but worth it!! Sure, hard the first week but new things that are good for you can be:)I cant say enough how much water played a big part in my weight loss!!! Drink as much as you can!I turned my water drinking into a game for myself.Everyday i made sure I drank about 5 one liter bottle's of water, by the end of the day I made sure they were gone.It made me feel successful at something and took the attention away from the calorie intake.Good luck! YOU GOT THIS!

At lunch, I try to take a nice long walk instead of spending the time in the break/lunchroom during that hour.  It gets me away from food, helps me burn calories and I feel less hungry.   I also find that when I carry a water bottle during the walk, I tend to drink it and that also fills me up, so that when I do eat, I eat less.  I dont know if it will work for you.  But you can do it.  Every day, just try to do a little bit better than the day before.   It's a lifestyle change.

Hi, I am using calorie count for a month now and am pleased with the results. In this month I lost 7kg. I know it's too much for such a short time and its unhealthy but I can't help it. I combine counting the calories with exercise and it seems to help. I love fast (greasy) food. But Realizing how many calories a burger has, was a eye opener. I still eat it though,... Only in smaller quantities. Now 20 more kg to go for me to reach my ideal weight. I would say hang in there. It will be hard to resist the urges sometimes, but don't punish yourself. Have the snack you crave for ..... Even if it's just a small piece. What seems to have helped me is exercise, portion control, drinking a lot of water and trying to prevent becoming hungry.