I am confused - would someone knowledgeable about dieting clue me in?

[seaglass]

First, I am putting myself on a 1200 calorie/day diet. Does that mean between what I eat and the energy I expend there should be 1200 calories remaining? So I could really eat 2000 calories if I used up 800 calories? Or do I just limit myself to 1200 in a day no matter what.

And btw, I am using the Livestrong.com calorie counting app and 1200 calories get used up very fast!

I am not going to calorie count every day but because I've never done this before I need to get a grasp on how much I am actually eating in a day and what the components of what I am eating are.

Thanks for any info you have!

[TZ]

1. There is only one thing you need to know about losing weight

As long as you are burning more calories than you are eating, you WILL lose weight. Its that simple. Whats hard is figuring out how much you really are burning and how much you are eating. That can be harder than one believes.

[seaglass]

5. I think figuring out how much you are burning is the hardest. I mean

there are too many daily activities to keep track of and I don't think I can be bothered with that.

[Ilsa]

19. A friend who is a chiropractor ran some sort of electrical current

or something through my body, and based on my age and weight, came up with how many calories my body burns in a typical day. It was interesting, and later, when I starting dieting and working out in earnest, I discovered that his estimation was probably about right. I guess the amount of resistance from fluid vs fat vs muscle mass was estimated using this thing. Really cool.

Good luck with your program. A friend of mine had to lose weight to be a candidate for surgery for prostate cancer. His docor didn't think he could manage to lose the weight for 9+ months, but he got it done in five. Good thing, too, because the cancer had gotten close to the prostate wall. If it had breached it, he would be getting radiation therapy for his cancer versus being cancer free now.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

2. I believe

it's 1200 total intake for the day. Increase your activity to use the 1200 a day so you net zero. Eventually you increase the activity and keep the intake as 1200 and you begin losing......... I think! :)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. TZ is right.

As long as you're consuming fewer calories than you're burning, you will lose weight.

1200 calories is what you're consuming. But I've never done it that way. I eat sensibly, work out and watch the weight come off.....slowly.

Do what you can live with. You want to change how you live, but in a way that makes sense to you. Diets do not work. They might allow you to lose weight while you're on them, but the minute you come off, the weight goes back on.

That's why I say: Do what you can live with over the long haul.

Hang in there, and good luck!

:hi:

[seaglass]

7. Well I have been "dieting" since April and it has worked for me

but it is a made up diet that I call the "no-snack" diet. I didn't change what I eat for meals, I do not eat any diet food or low fat stuff but I eliminated all non-nutritious snacks. No chips, pretzels, candy, cookies, desserts etc.

I am a bit concerned about the 1200 calories a day, but if it doesn't work for me I am not afraid of adjusting without feeling like a failure.

Thanks for the good wishes.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

10. And that's exactly what you should be doing.

Avoiding empty calories is very important.

You're welcome!

[Rosie1223]

4. I think the Livestrong App gives you the 1200 as the net calorie intake

for you to get to your goal based on your input parameters (age, weight, exercise, and time frame).

So yes, you could eat 1500 calories and exercise off 300 to get to 1200 daily. But that is daily. And, yes, 1200 calories is not much.

Good Luck!

[seaglass]

12. I think you are absolutely correct and I just didn't understand it

or ask the question correctly. Thanks Rosie!

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. Any unused calories get turned into extra weight - burn more than you consume.

That's the ticket to weight loss.

But simply dosing yourself down to 1200 calories a day might not be a good idea - that's not a lot of calories (unless you're very small).

You want a mix of reducing the amount of fat and sugar (empty calories) you eat, increasing your fiber and veggie intake, AND EXERCISING.

Get that metabolism ramped up as well as reduce your food consumption, exercise to turn your fat muscle into lean muscle, and then you'll have REAL weight loss, not just a short-term unsustainable weight-loss that will make you feel really good for a month or two ("OMG, I've lost so much weight!!!!") but then send you into depression when it doesn't last because it's not healthy and your body will start doing bad things to you.

[seaglass]

8. Yes, thank you. I have joined a gym and have a personal trainer for

2 hours a week and once I get over this cold will increase my visits to the gym. I have been walking for an hr each day but it is too dark in the mornings now and getting cold (that's why I joined the gym). In addition, walking is not using about enough calories.

I guess I will need to track my activities along with my calories to know whether I've used them all up by the end of the day. :-(

[flvegan]

9. If you're exercising at all, 1200 calories/day may not be enough fuel.

Bear in mind that depending on a person's basal metabolic rate, someone that does absolutely nothing all day but sit around on the couch watching tv will still burn well over 1,000 calories/day.

Another thing to consider, I've been reading more and more case example of folks that have gone on sincerely limited calorie diets only to have their bodies go into "starvation" mode, throwing their metabolism off even moreso.

If you're taking the solo route on this, rather than going calorie counting crazy, keep a food journal. Every day, write down everything you ate/drank. On the other side, write down all the exercise/activity you undertook that day. Every ten days or two weeks, decide if you've lost a pound or two. Take things into consideration. What could you do better/more of? Calorie counting is an okay idea if you're realistic and responsible about it.

If you want to really jumpstart your metabolism, break out of the foolish "3 squares a day" mindset. Break those 3 meals into 5 or 6 smaller meals. Your metabolism won't know what hit it. You won't feel hungry, lose any energy and should (in time) desire less food at each meal.

[seaglass]

11. Thanks flvegan, I really appreciate your input. I am using the Livestrong my plate

app primarily to set a baseline, look at what I am eating and expending in energy to see where I am at and where I can reasonably improve.

I believe the way the way that Rosie (above) described how the app works is correct and that if I input my height, weight, age and the amount of weight I want to lose within a timeframe it tells me how many calories I am allowed a day to meet that goal. I believe if I ate 1700 worth of calories in a day as long as I expended 500 I would lose weight.

So I probably did not put my question above in the correct context.

Yes, I am afraid of starvation - I have heard if your body goes into this mode it will hold onto every calorie it can get and you won't lose weight. And the weight loss is not even my primary goal - I'm not looking to lose more than 10 lbs but I do need to gain strength and tone up and losing some excess weight is a part of that.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

13. The #1 rule of dieting: If it tastes good, spit it out.

[Roon]

14. Figure out your BMR

there are tons of websites out there that can help you with this. Once you have figured out your BMR..reduce your calorie intake about 300-500 a day. You can track your calories with sites like www.fitday.com .

You also need to follow up with your weight loss plan with an exercise program. Doesn't have to be anything complicated. Going on a 20 minute walk every day will do wonders.

Drink plenty of WATER!!

Stay off the damn scale, only weigh yourself every other week or so.

You'll get results. :)

[seaglass]

15. Thanks Roon. I started with Fitday but they were missing too many foods

in their calorie counter.

I was walking an hour a day at a pretty good pace but I needed to start my walk by 630am and it has been too dark and cold.

So I joined a gym.

I only weigh myself once a month - I don't have a scale I use my Wii Fit to weigh myself. :-)

[Roon]

16. You can manually put in your own food in fitday

but you got the basic idea. Weight loss is 70% diet and 30% exercise. I used to body build,I learned a lot about weight loss and nutrition.

[Curmudgeoness]

17. I found that writing everything I eat in a day on a list on the frig

helps for me. I don't count calories, but this list helps in 2 ways. First, you will be aware of what you are eating, and secondly, you will find that you don't eat certain things because it is embarrassing to admit to it on this list.

The most important thing about dieting is to eat whatever you crave, just in much smaller portions than you normally would. If you want ice cream, don't deny yourself, just have a little scoop. If you don't and you are like me, you will start to obsess about that food you want. I want pizza, I deny myself pizza, I should eat one slice and be done with it, instead I refuse to eat any. Next thing I know, I am sitting there with an empty pizza box and no memory of how it got there.

And exercise more than you normally do. Eat less than normal, exercise more than normal, and you will lose weight in a healthy way.

[seaglass]

20. Thanks for the tip about writing things down, right now I am recording

on a website using the Livestrong app - mainly because it gives me good awareness about calories fat/protein/carbs/sodium/sugars which I am clueless about. I know I will get sick of it after awhile so will probably revert to writing things down.

I don't deny myself pizza ever :-) I do deny myself snacks and sweets. I don't deny myself a glass or so of wine. I know the only way this will work for me is if I don't feel deprived so I eliminate the items I KNOW I can do without but I eat things that are probably unhealthy (cheese!!!) but that I won't give up.

[Curmudgeoness]

21. Oh, I never think that cheese is unhealthy. Yum.

Again, everything in moderation. And lots of luck with the weight loss. Slow and easy is the way to go.

[applegrove]

18. Good luck!

[clyrc]

22. Take a look at Sparkpeople.com

It was very helpful to me the two times I seriously tried to lose weight. It was recommended by a fellow DUer a few years ago, and I might go back to it if I ever get sensible again.

[seaglass]

23. Thanks I will take a look at it. I really like Livestrong.com but the more

resources, the better.

[Sanity Claws]

24. Eat three healthy meals

If you don't have snacks and eat three good balanced meals, you should be okay.

IMHO, you should learn good eating habits and follow them. Otherwise, once the diet is over, you will gain all the weight back.

Part of this is retraining your taste buds. Get used to less salt and sugar. Learn to enjoy meals that are not heavy on fats, like oils, butter and cheese.

[seaglass]

26. Luckily I despise butter and rarely cook with it, but I do use a lot of olive oil

and eliminating cheese is a deal breaker. :-)

Thanks for your suggestions, I am going to adjust where I know I can sustain new eating habits - IOW not having salad 3X a day.

I did try organic peanut butter this morning and it is definitely an adjustment from Skippy's - not bad but definitely less sugar and salt.

[Sanity Claws]

27. Good for you

I had to laugh a little at what you said about peanut butter.

I used to give my dog his medicine in organic peanut butter but once tried to give it to him in Skippy's or Jif Peanut butter (Don't remember which). My dog wouldn't eat it!
If my dog wouldn't eat it, you shouldn't either! heehee

[northzax]

25. if you don't mind me asking

are you seriously, unhealthily even morbidly, obese? or very small boned and short? if not, 1200 calories a day isn't really a good goal. it's not sustainable over the long term, especially combined with an added exercise regimen. oh sure, you'll lose weight (if you can stick to it) and quickly, but then what? are you transforming your body into a more athletic, balanced specimen? building muscle mass? strengthening your bones? or are you starving your body into submission, setting yourself up for a rebound? can you see yourself, honestly, maintaining a 1200 calorie a day diet in 2014?

my advice (and this is worth exactly what you are paying for it) is to start off at the gym. make that a habit, four, five times a week. don't weigh yourself more than once a month. three to four months from now (AFTER the dangerous holiday season, natch) assess your status. are you moving better? are you stronger? do your pants fit better? (the answer to all of these should be a decided YES, if not, fire and then sue your personal trainer, if you've been following her advice) once that becomes a habit, then start adjusting your diet (sure, quit the daily pint of ice cream or whatever earlier, have a salad, no dressing, instead of french fries most of the time) but once your body is beginning to transform, then assess your diet and start re working it to a more healthful, long term diet. more veggies, more fruits, less sugar and processed food.

unless you are a remarkably dedicated, focused person (and frankly, you aren't, or you wouldn't be in this position) dieting won't work beyond the short term. don't stress your body and set yourself up for failure by adding serious exercise and serious diet changes at the same time. it won't work. you will fail (nothing to be ashamed of, the number of people who won't fail is pretty small, or we'd all look like supermodels and there would be no dieting apps) you will not change your life overnight, it simply won't happen. (all apologies to Tony Robbins who has gotten very rich promising people they could) do one thing, do it well. then another. you CAN do that.

[seaglass]

29. No, I'm 5 ft 4.5 and 129 lbs, I think I am medium boned.

The 1200 calories are not coming from my PT, they are coming from the Livestrong.com app. And I did find it is 1200 remaining calories so if I consumed 2000 calories, used 800 in exercise/activities then I would be meeting my goal.

The goal was 10 lbs by the end of January. And the calories are based on my height/weight/age/weight loss goal and time frame.

I know I can't eat just 1200 calories per day, I have been counting them all week and it is just not enough food. But it has heightened my awareness about my eating habits and that is a good thing.

I have changed my eating and exercise habits dramatically (for me) since April and have seen the results so I am just ramping it up. Honestly I am not so obsessed about the number on the scale if my body physically is improved to the point that I am satisfied - meaning strength and tone, it's just that the numbers on the scale are more easily measured.

Not being dedicated or focused isn't really why I got to this point - it was being uninterested. It was a slow process gaining the weight so I am prepared for a slow process losing it.

Thanks for your input :-)

[NMDemDist2]

28. 1200 isn't much

hubby and i started March 1st this year to improve our health

we both figured we needed to lose about 50# and since we're both in our 50s we knew it would take time and dedication

we decided we'd work out at home (gym wasn't a good fit for us) and hubby was gunho! to do P90X (thx a bunch Stephanie Miller! :puke: )

so i did some research, decided there was NO WAY i could do P90X especially with my newly diagnosed osteoporosis

so we order Tony Horton's P90 Bootcamp and did 90 days. lost a whopping 12# working out 6 days a week! but was feeling much stronger and our diet had completely changed. Fresh food, nothing processed, no boxes or cans (except a bit of chicken broth in recipes) no butter, VERY little oil except the spritz on the pan, no HFSC period.

ordered P90Masters, did another 90 days, better total loss was hovering at the 30+ range. and now we're on day 47 of P90X :wow:

but at no time did we attempt to do it with 1200 calories. I am a 5'3" woman and i averaged 1300-1500 a day and i gave my 6' hubby 1700-2000 daily.

we sure didn't get instant gratification, but he's looking GREAT and lost 4" on his pants size and I'm wearing size 12s down from size 18s

and we know from Tony Horton's programs that we'll see major progress in the last 3 weeks of this program too. I still need to go down another 15-20 pounds, hubby still has about 10 to lose. but we never went on a 'diet', we refused to call it that, we did a 'life style change' instead :evilgrin:

good luck!

[seaglass]

30. Thanks for the good wishes. I too am in my early 50s and saw

a need for a lifestyle change :-) and I do realize this is not a quick fix. I started in April and saw great results from just walking and eliminating all snacks and sweets.

The 1200 calories is after exercise/activities. So if I ate 1700 calories and used 500 calories exercising I would be hitting the goal. I didn't understand that when I first posted this.

Sounds like you and your husband did great over just a short period of time!