Reply With Quoteif it makes you feel any better - it took me 3 solid months of exercise and good eating to loose even 1kg!! But then it just fell off! Totally normal to plateau!
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Its normal to reach a plateau for a while when you are losing weight, and its normally changing up your exercise routine or what you eat - in terms of the types of food, calories could be the same) that can get things going again.
If you drop you food intake too much, your body goes into self preservation and can actually start to increase you weight as it tired to hold on to its fat stores as it thinks you are starving.
I would keep it at 1000 or above.
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if it makes you feel any better - it took me 3 solid months of exercise and good eating to loose even 1kg!! But then it just fell off! Totally normal to plateau!
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On 500 calories your body will start burning muscle not fat as it consumes itself in order to survive.
I think cutting back to 1100 OR eating the same but adding some extra exercise is a much more realistic goal, they say the difference between losing and not losing usually only amounts to 100 calories a day.
BTW - If you've cut back and you're waking up hungry every morning then it's a sign that your metabolism is still working on the calories its getting. If you're waking up NOT hungry then it's a sign you've cut back too far and your body is going into starvation mode. Whole foods like lots of veggies, WHOLE GRAIN cereals and legumes (even baked beans LOL) will feed your body AND ramp up your metabolism at the same time.
Amy, I wouldn't do it but that is only my opinion. Eating well, limiting alcohol intake (that is hard, I love my wine!) and exercising regularly should make you lose weight. I sometimes only lose 0.5kgs per week. That is healthy. I believe I will keep it off longer if it takes me time to lose. Remember, took time to go on, so will take time to come off. I really think 500 calories per day is too radical. On Weight Watchers, I give myself a treat every day (within my points limit) and it is awesome, I stay on it and reward myself. I love it because I can eat everything and still lose weight. Sure, I won't be able to go back to eating 5 tim tams in one sitting but it is a total lifestyle change, FOREVER. Good luck with everythingsee you in our Body Transformation Group hun xx
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Totally agree with what you have already been told.
Just with regards to the exercise. Have you tried any classes at the gym? I know I can be expensive (gym memberships) but doing a variety of classes each week helps your body to "stay on it's toes". When you do the one thing your body gets used to it and what started out as really effective becomes less effective cos your body expects it. So mix it up, I found the best way to do that was with classes.
HTH
Keep up the great work!
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Catherine - I am actually going to my first gym class since I started this health kick tonight! I am doing an aerobics class and next week I plan to do a spin class.
I'm going to make an effort to do a class once a week on top of my normal routine to see if that kick starts things again.
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Good on you! Do they have any Les Mills classes there? My favourites were Body Combat, and Pump. Boxer circuits and cross training classes are also great fun and burn up lots of cals
Have fun, hope you see some great result.
I really think I need to join the gym for classes. But I so don't want to join up for a year or anything. Classes are so expensive though if you don't sign up for ages aren't they!? I too love BODY PUMP!
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Queenbee - I pay $10 per class which I don't think is very expensive at all. The gym I go to isn't a big gym - it's called "The Health Temple" and they have a range of classes including pump, kickboxing, spin, aerobics, pilates and yoga which I think are fantastic. Usually gyms have 3,6 and 12 month class memberships which end up being good value. At my gym I can pay $80 for 10 classes (12 month expiration) so I can save 20%.
If I signed up for 3 months (about $120) I can go to as many classes as I want for those 3 months. I won't sign up until I am in a routine though because I wouldn't want to waste it!
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I don't know. I paid the same price if I went to classes or didn't. You'd just have to suss it out. I know it is quite expensive to join and be a member of a gym, but if you are serious about it and dedicated you can't put a price on health and fitness. I found classes to be very motivating and highly recommend them
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Hi hon, have been meaning to come on and chat with you but it's soooo hot infront of my computer! Have you read any of my previous posts about the importance of the BMR?
If not let me know and i'll copy it all over. It's a great tool to have to work out roughly how many kj's per day you need - and if you are planning on getting out of bed, moving or even breathing on any given day then yes, you need a hell of a lot more than 500cals!!!
I also second whoever said classes (of course I would
If you do start classes and you don't do Pump then try and add a couple of resistance training sessions into your week. As I said before the more muscle (I don't mean Arnie muscles!) you have the more kj's your body is burning at rest.
Good luck with it all and pm me if you have any questions
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Would love the info on BMR CQ!!
I am starting classes again tonight. The spin class nearly killed me last time but now that I am feeling fitter (I have been walking every day for 3 weeks) I feel up to another session. Aerobics tonight and then spin next week. My gym doesn't have Combat but they do have Pump - so i'll give it a try.
If I wanted to work on my thighs - what are some really good exercises I can do? (Already doing squats and lunges).
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Ok, basically your BMR is your Basal Metabolic Rate which is the MINIMUM amount of calories per day that your body needs to sustain itself at rest. Any less than that and your body shut itself down as people have mentioned before, your metabolism will run and hide leaving you feeling drained. And then, when you increase calories, your propensity for storing fat will increase... BOOM, yoyo diet/crash diet effect in action...
The was a formula developed by Harris Benedict to predict your BMR...
Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) - (4.7 X age in yrs)
Heehee - were you good at algebra at school (don't you wonder how these people worked this out!)!
So now you've got this number but your body's total calorie needs are never just the basic BMR level... Use a multiplier based on your lifestyle to calculate how much you'd actually need to consume (1.2 for relatively inactive, 1.4 for reasonably active (say 3 sessions of exercise per week), 1.5 or 1.6 for more active (say 3 or 4 sessions per week plus a reasonably active job) and even double for those who are extremely active). Create a calorie deficit by giving yourself a shortfall of 500 calories per day without going below your basic BMR... and bingo! Spread those calories over 6 meals a day and your body will never feel deprived...
What exactly are you trying to do to your thighs?! Do you want definition or lose fat? Unfortunately you can't spot reduce fat on the bodyIf you want more definition then i'd recommend leg extensions if you have access to a gym the leg extension machine is awesome for toning your quads and leg curls are great for your hammys. If you don't have access to a gym then squats and lunges are great if you've been doing them for a while you could try adding some weight (held or on shoulders) or walking lunges or introduce some instibility ie put one leg up on a bench behind you and do one legged squats. This forces you to "switch on " your core working your abs as well (but only if you're confident doing them properly).
HTH
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