Is this why I?ve hit plateaued?

Quick background info: I?m 23, 170lbs, 6 foot even. (Yes, six foot lol). I have a small to medium frame so my extra 10 doesn?t look bad on the outside but underneath the clothes it?s a sad mess. I work 8 hrs/5 days a week in cubical land, so I consider my lifestyle sedentary.

So I am sort of new to this ?diet? thing. I?ve had weight issues my whole life (always had an extra 10-15 lbs) and here I am facing those same numbers again.

After I had my son (gained 70 lbs total) I lost most of my pregnancy weight in about 2 years now for the last 10 months or so I have been stuck at 170lbs (give or take a pound). I never really cared until recently. At work we have started a weight loss fundraiser challenge and I want to lose my last 10 lbs. Technically I?ve got 6 weeks but I don?t care how long it takes me so long as I ditch that final 10. (toning up is also very important to me since my post-baby body is a bit droopy o_0)

Anyway, reading nearly every article on here and figuring out the science and math behind healthy weight loss I?ve discovered A LOT I NEVER even knew exsisted or could have imagined. I've also discovered my average daily intake is LESS then what it probably should be.

Right now, I?m looking at an average intake of 1278 calories a day. But according to the Tools Link on here for Calories Burned (with my sedentary lifestyle) I burn 1900 a day. Soo?does that mean I need to consume the 622-calorie difference in order to lose weight again??

Help.

I don?t know if I am getting this or not. Or if I need to physically-actively burn more (I?ve started walking again, typically 2-6 miles a week, while pushing a stroller and going at a moderate pace ?long legs here lol) and eat more cals or less? I think I also get a lot of calories I consume from the bad places (fats and sugars) Ahhhh! Basically can someone point me in the right direction, please :)

Btw, NICE TO MEET YOU ALL, I've lurked for about a week now ;o) and this is my first official forum post heh heh

eat only when you know you'll be active several hours after.  That way your body uses the calories instead of storing it as fat(Don't eat late at night).

If you truly have a calorie deficit, you will lose weight.  If you're not losing weight, I believe that your body's metabolism is barely keeping up with your intake.  If you want to lose weight, you have to lower your calorie intake or add additional exercise.   My suggestion is eat 100 calories less per day and drop an additional 100 calories until you notice a dip on the scale.  Maintain this calorie intake and you will lose weight.  Based on your avg calorie intake, I doubt you are getting the necessary vitamins and minerals so I would take suppliments while dieting.

The effect of eating more and maintaining that calorie level.  What that does is your body knows you're eating more and the natural tendency of the body is to maintain CURRENT weight.  So what it does is adjusts your metabolism and raises it.  Eating more than you need is what your body needs to create muscles, thereby increasing your metabolism further(most overeaters intake plenty of protein).  Prolong this and you will GAIN weight.(hopefully more muscle and less fat) 

So if you want to eat more, go ahead...just make sure you are doing strength exercises and eating plenty of protein.  When, you want to LOSE weight, you'll have to drop your calorie intake.  Might be easier with higher metabolism.  My choice though would be to deal with the fact you have lower metabolism and just eat less.  If you're not losing more than 1-2lbs per week, you are not starving.  AND it costs less to eat less.

have you logged what you are currently eating? remembering all the "hidden" calories -- I know when my husband cooks, I need to add a Tablespoon of Olive oil for anything he stir fries or sautes! (and I know he doesn't log it for himself!)  before I started logging - I never counted the cream in my coffee!
Of course, you may have gotten all of that and are still under 1300.  I'd still try to keep it over 1200, and even higher if you need to be, but focus on healthy choices.  My goal is to not need suppliments, but to eat a variety of fresh food -- yes, I still have the occasional low-fat ice cream treat, or lean cuisine pizza -- but I am eating fresh fruits and veggies at every meal as well.
your metabolism my need a kick start with exercise, in addition to better food and more water -- anything I can do so that I burn the optimum amount "at rest"  I'm all for it!

For me, I know I WANT to lose weight, but I KNOW I need to eat healthier, and take care of my body, the weight loss will come, and regardless, I'm a healthier person, and my 5 year old nephew that lives with us is learning to eat healthy and move more!

Welcome myndi :-)

Based on your question below:

"Right now, I?m looking at an average intake of 1278 calories a day. But according to the Tools Link on here for Calories Burned (with my sedentary lifestyle) I burn 1900 a day. Soo?does that mean I need to consume the 622-calorie difference in order to lose weight again??"

I am not that great with CC and I am sure you will get great responses from other members who are very good with CC concepts but as far as I know in order to lose you need calorie deficit between 500 > 1000. Based on your comment above, you shouldn't eat the 1900ca/day, instead you should eat 1400ca/day (on your sedentary days) in order to have a calorie deficit of 500. I hope this makes sense; don't get overwhelmed, you will get it little by little and you will surely have great ideas/support from other CC members.

Remember, water, water, and more water in addition to moving as much as you can (exercise). I haven't been losing much weight but since I joined CC a little over 2 months ago and started walking about 30 minutes per day in my break time, I am already down a size!! Like you I work in the office 8 hrs/5 days a week and I am 5'9" with 10 more lbs than you :-( When I reach 170lbs, I will be soooo happy bz as you said with our height we can hide it well enough as long as we don't show what's really cooking underneath our cloths -LOL!!

We can do this --and we will!!!

Thanks for all the replies! I try and log everything I eat, right down to the 3 bites of fried chicken I ate last night (that was disgusting to see how many calories were in that!) ewww If I forget what it was that I ate I keep that in mind when I look at my calories if they seem lower. So my average is based on 6 days (instead of 7 cause I didn't log one day) and one day is missing dinner.

So it sounds like I DO need to consume more calories, healthy ones of course, and get this butt moving around more. And reading more on this site until it all fits cause I still feel very confused. :o\

Can someone help me with this too?... On one post I saw, it was recommended for an apple like me to get my calories from 40% Carbs, 40% Protein & 20% fat. Say I have a day (like yesterday) where I eat 50% Carbs, 30% Protein & 20% fat - is it better to lean towards carbs or protein? Or is there a simple formula for, like for instance, if you consume X amount of calories be sure to burn X amount. Cause I'm sure I am not the only one who's intake varies... right?

*cricket chirps*

Hi JC - you said this..."I'd still try to keep it over 1200, and even higher if you need to be"

How do I know if it needs to be higher?
Also, are you able to see the foods I log? Maybe someone could tell me what needs improvement?

Thanks again!
Myndi

ok.. i have been told that if i eat a total of 1500 calories a day i will loose weight, half a stone the first week and 2 pounds after that once a week, i have been told to more i exercise the more i can eat, becuase the body during exercise needs calores to turn fat into muscle, and it need energy to do this. but i didnt really know this before and i dunno really exactly how and why it works. i know that your body naturally burns 2000 calories a day, so any extra that you dont eat or burn up yourself by exercise, are taken from the 2000. i have decided to consum the 1500 calories, so that if i do my moderate exercise the mosst i will probs burn are around 300 calories, leaving me consuming more, 

Hi Myndi and welcome!  I have lost 26 pounds since January and have C-C to thank.  I really enjoy using the forums too and I hope that they help you.

So you burn 1900 at sedentary.  A good caloric deficit for you would be 500-700 calories, or 1200 to 1400 calories eaten per day.  You should lose between a pound and a pound and a half at that intake.  However, on days when you work out, even just walking, you should up your intake by about what you burn through exercise.  So you can eat 1500-1700 or whatever it is.

I also recommend a "maintenance day" every couple of weeks.  Keeps your body guessing and helps prevent plateaus.  That just means eat about 1900 calories, your maintenance amount at sedentary. 

As far as percentages, etc...others can probably help you more because I don't sweat the numbers on that.  As long as I'm at around 25/25/50 fat/protein/carbs I feel ok.  This is an average, there are certainly days when its skewed differently. 

As far as what to eat, obviously veggies, lean protein, whole grains, fruits, etc. are all good.  I've found that increasing my fiber (through high fiber cereals, etc.) has really helped me lose the weight.  Although some people feel strongly about it, I'm in the camp that thinks it doesn't matter what time of day/night you eat (saying "no eating after 7pm" doesn't work with my lifestyle and I think the number of calories you take in is what matters, not what time you take them in).

Good luck!

what I meant by more if you need to -- is if you are exercising or burning more.  we are having a clean=up day at work today, (yardwork, moving files, etc.) so I know I'll need to eat a bit more (which is good since the snacks sometimes come out on these days!)  And the other reason would be exercise days.  I've got a significant amount to lose (about 100 pounds total, but I'm 20% of the way there!) so I've got my deficit at about 750 cals  a day  (average)

Well, I must have spoke too soon ;)

I have only been on the go around a week - today. So I weighed in and guess what? TWO POUNDS DOWN! :D I just need to remember to keep it up, don't splurge (since I lost - I used to do that a lot :)), stay moving and keep track of my calories so I can see what needs improvement!!

WOO HOO! I wanna shot it from the roof tops!! :)

Hi Myndi,
I've recently lost 35 pounds and I have a few secrets that have helped me along the way. Definitely keep a food journal. You'll be amazed at the things you forget you had by the end of the day. Keeping a food journal has helped me structure my diet. It helped me realize all the junk I was shovelling into my mouth and pushed me to make better decisions. Try eating unprocessed food. Stay on the outside perimeter of the grocery store. For snacks I try to stick with raw veggies and fruit. I try to give myself one low-cal(around 100) treat a day because I'm a huge sweet tooth and if I don't satisfy my craving I will eat everything in sight until I do. I recommend fiber one cereal to get that extra fiber in your diet. A big trick I learned was to eat smaller meals through out the day. I eat about 6 times per day with meals being 300-400 calories and snack being under 200 calories. I only drink water, sometimes with lemon. I know many people who start meals with a big glass of water. That way you'll feel more satisfied. Also, remember it takes about 20 minutes for your body to know its full. So slow down while eating and if you still feel hungry after a meal, give yourself some time. As far as excercise, the daily minimum is supposively around 30 minutes. I say do whatever you can whenever you can. I also work 8hrs/day 5 days a week and I definitely don't always have the energy. Try to keep some free weights near the TV and do some sets. Search the internet and you will find a huge variety of excercises you can do at home in front of the tv.  In the end losing weight takes patience, so don't give up! Even if you have a cheat day, just start fresh the next day and don't get down on yourself. Sorry this is so long winded, hope it helps. Good luck!

Not long winded....totally helpfull! :) Thanks for taking the time to write up all that information, I will be using it.