Looking for some advice! :-)

Hi Everyone!!!

Okay, so I know I'm probably asking the same questions that have been asked numerous times on this site, but I am new to this and starting to get very confused, so please bare with me!

I am 21 years old (well I will be on Thursday!). I'm 5'4 1/2 and I currently weigh around 124 to 126 pounds. This is the heaviest I have been in the past couple years and I am not very happy about it! I was always active in high school, and have recently joined a gym last March, and workout Monday through Friday. I have been a yo-yo dieter since high school, and its time to put an end to it!

I have a few problems/questions:

A trainer at the gym I go to suggests that I eat 1300 calories each day. This includes the days that I work out, in which I would burn around 500 calories. Is this a sufficient amount of calories for me to be eating? When I did follow this calorie intake diligently, I lost a lot of weight, but it was almost impossible to maintain because I knew I wasn't eating enough. However, the calorie count suggests I eat over 1600 calories a day. Does this sound like a lot? I have been reading forums that say you should eat more calories in order to lose weight, how does this work!?

I am turning 21, and I’m in college. I will be drinking on the weekends (Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays), and I’m trying to stay fit while doing so (seems like an oxymoron, I know!). On days that I will be drinking, can I do an extra workout, such as kickboxing to compensate for the drinking? I have tried cutting back on the calories I eat throughout the days of drinking, but it only causes me to eat more fattening foods while I am drinking.

I am not so concerned with the number on the scale as I am the way my body looks and feels. I would be perfectly content at the weight I am at, as long as I was toned and you could see muscle definition. Unfortunately, I have no muscle definition (maybe a little in my legs), and therefore my only option is to lose some fat! I am one of those “need to see results fast or I give up” kind of people (as many people are) – but I’m trying my best to make sure I do this the healthy way this time!

I’m sorry this post was so long, but if anyone is bored/wants to throw their two sense in, please feel free to do so!

Thank you!!!!!

Well 1600 calories a day for your body type might be a bit high unless you want to build some muscle as well as lose fat (kinda sounds like what you want). 1300 plus cardio would be a good point to just lose weight like the person at the gym said. It depends on your goal. If you want to tone up as well as lose fat then make sure you eat the right foods and not just any foods that add up to 1300 or 1600 calories. Try to make it a 60/30/10 ratio between protein/carbs/fat. Also, don't include simple carbs which is basically anything with sugar in it. Complex carbs such as whole wheat bread (not enriched), sweet potatoes, or brown rice are excellent.

You should also try to eat your daily calories in 5-6 meals or snacks a day rather then typical 3 a day most people do. 5-6 meals keeps your metabolism going at the same rate the whole time rather then starting and stopping.

Alcohol is included in the simple carbs above, if you have to drink it try to limit yourself to a maximum of 2 drinks. Red wine is one of the better alcoholic drinks if you have the choice. Exercising before hand is a good way to deplete your muscles of sugar so the alcohol is less likely to convert directly to fat.

Here is a website that is excellent for motivation as well as direction for nutrition and exercise.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/trans_f.htm

They are people who have transformed their bodies using diet and exercise.

hmmm I disagree with dwill.

1,300 calories is too low if you're planning to workout for more than an hour a day, specialy if its cardio. Im not supposed to go under this amount since its what my body requires keep its normal functions. Im your same height as well...5'4''.

I would stick to 1,600, since its the amount of calories it woudl take to maintain...I believe this is as low as you should go, because like many women here, that go below 1,300 calories, they dont lose an inch because the body slowly goes into starvation mode (somethign you definitely dont want!)

Not to mention it takes a surplus in calories to gain muscle weight, and that is not easy...that would mean, having to eat above your 1,600 and strength training

i would stick to eating 1,600-1,700 calories, exercise, and Im sure you'll see weight loss (a slow steady pace, which = keeping the weight off for good)

How much weight do you want to lose?

If you want to gain muscle you have to eat more than 1300 cal. I don't know how you eat only 1300, I'd be famished!!!!

Make sure at the gym you are doing a lot of weight-strength-training! Don't just be a cardio bunny! Its important to help your body burn more calories at rest! Then you can just eat more lol.

I'd def. stick to around 1700 cal. Thats how much I eat now, although I've been working out only 3 days a week. When I have more time I usually work out 6 times a week and eat about 2100-2300 cal a day.

You have to fuel your body.

I drink on the weekends as well (gotta love college) and I find that if I stick to my good habits :o) and cut back a little on calories, but eat right before I start drinking, I can steer away from the fast food at 3am. And I haven't put on any beer weight since my freshman year (I lost it lol but I'm a jr now)

How many cal. does cc say when you fill in all of your information (age, ht, wt, activity level)? My guess is that 1300 is WAY TOO FEW (agree with bananee) -- especially on days you exercise! You need AT LEAST 1200 just to fuel your brain and body! You will go into starvation mode--guaranteed. I am 5'2" and 47 (old compared to you) and my metabolism is much slower and I MUST eat 1500-1600. On high exercise days, I eat up to 2000 and I am losing about .5 / week. It IS slow, but it is steady. Eat lots of protein.

Please eat on days you are going to drink, otherwise the alcohol will go straight to your head, you will get drunk and drink even more. Then all kinds of things COULD happen (like getting pregnant!).

Try to limit yourself to 2-3 glasses of wine, or even a vodka with diet tonic.

Good luck!

It sounds like your trainer has very aggressive goals for you - and 1300 calories is probably the bare minimum you should be eating.  1300 calories seems to be the default amount that trainers recommend for all women of any size and I find the calorie count tools much more accurate.  You will get much farther on 1600 calories a day.

Drinking on a weight loss plan is tricky, but it's good that you are honest with yourself.  Drinking is very damaging to your body - but here are some tips on how to have the most fun while mitigating some of the damage.

• Research how many calories are in those drinks! Huge, yummy margaritas can have over a thousand calories - and you won't even realize it. 
• Check out www.hungry-girl.com for yummy, fun lower-cal drink recipes
• Drinking two days in a row is more damaging to your body than drinking every other day (giving your body a day to recover and remove toxins)
• Learn your limit as soon as you can
• Try to start drinking later, or stop drinking earlier - or both
• Be DD once in a while and learn how to have a good time without being drunk - that way you won't feel pressured to drink on days that you don't actually want to.
• Alternate every drink with a glass of water.
• Beer before liquer - never been sicker - It's really true!

I have never had any luck trying to "make up" for any alcohol calories by eating less that day.  Your best bet is just to count them as "extra" calories and calculate your planned weight loss accordingly.  Doing a light workout the next morning is a good idea though, it will help you recover faster.

Thank you so much for all your advice!

I'm not sure how much weight I want to lose, but I definitely looked and felt my best when I weighed around 117 pounds. I've been trying to eat more than 1300 calories, but believe it or not, its hard! Right now it's 9:44PM and I'm only up to 1275. At times like this, do I eat until I fulfill the 1500+ calories that I should be eating, or do I stay with this calorie intake, especially if I'm full? (Mind you, I have a terrible binge-eating problem, so once I go overboard, all hell breaks loose). I think my problem is that I need to start eating bigger breakfasts, and get more calories in during the day. I tend to save myself a lot of calories for the night time, just in case I eat more than I should.

I think my trainer had me eating 1300 calores as a way to see fast results. He gave my roommate and I the same exact diet/work-out plan, and she is 2 inches shorter than me, and more than ten pounds lighter than me. Something must be wrong there!

banane: I think that 1,600 calories is very reasonable! Am I still going to be able to lose weight consuming this amount of calories since you said thats the amount of caloris it would take to maintain? I had no idea about this starvation mode until I joined CC and now I've realized that I've been in it for quite some time!

kankan213: I do want to gain muscle, but am I supposed to lose the fat first? Or can I do both at the same time? I have been doing strength-training 2-3 times a week (more on the two day side!), but I think I'm going to start making sure I do it 3 days a week, every week. Thanks for the drinking advice! I think the reason I always craved fast-food is because I would eat a small dinner before, hoping that I would need less drinks (and therefore less calories!).

carolann5111: I just looked again at the calorie target on CC, and it says I should be eating 1900 calories a day. If I want to lose weight, I want a 500 calorie deficit, so should I be eating 1400 calories?

tmck99: Thank you for the tips! The hungry-girl website is awesome! I definitely will have to use some of those recipies.

Have a good day!!!

I find it hard to believe that someone as active as you are would have the same caloric needs as someone like me. I definitely think that 1300 is not enough for your needs. With that being said, what kind of workouts are you doing? Cardio is great for burning calories. If you're not getting enough calories, though, your metabolism slows up (starvation mode). If you're doing weights, you'll get the tone you want and burn fat. Just remember, muscle weighs more than fat. So, are you unhappy with what the scale says or are you unhappy with your body? Were you active when you were 117lbs? There's a lot of factors in this equation. You may want to talk to different physical trainers. I have NEVER heard of the same plan for everyone. That just doesn't sound right.

kankan213: I do want to gain muscle, but am I supposed to lose the fat first? Or can I do both at the same time? I have been doing strength-training 2-3 times a week (more on the two day side!), but I think I'm going to start making sure I do it 3 days a week, every week. Thanks for the drinking advice! I think the reason I always craved fast-food is because I would eat a small dinner before, hoping that I would need less drinks (and therefore less calories!).

I would suggest gaining muscle before losing the fat. Once your body has more muscle, the more calories you burn at rest. That being said, the easier it will be to lose the weight. So try upping your calories a bit and lifting more. Once you start to notice some changes (try measuring yourself) then start a burn phase. Cut back your calories about 500 a day, but keep up the lifting while incorporating cardio. You should see results and you should be able to drop fat quicker with the added muscle. :o)