tsut

[sham]

Hello,
I saw in another post that lowering your calories helped
you to lose some weight (especially in the midsection).
Can you please tell me what you used to determine how many
calories you should be taking in?
I am 5'4 and take in about 1500 calories. I am never too sure if I am intaking too much or too little.


Thanks in advance,
Sham

 

[tsut]

Hi Sham –

I’m 5’3” and considered petite. What I did was keep track of my calorie intake for 7 days. That included my cheating on the weekends so I could get an average daily calorie intake because I definitely eat more on the weekends. My results came up to 1800 calories/day. I subtracted 300 calories from that number and came up with 1500 calories. So now I’ve been trying to eat 1500 calories a day.

Experts say to lose a pound you must expend 3500 calories. If I can make a deficit in my calorie intake by 300 and another 200 through exercise that equals a 500-calorie/day deficit. And in 7 days that equals 3500 calories or 1 lb.

Basically figure out what your daily average caloric intake is and try to decrease that amount by 200-300 calories per day. It really works for me. I even allow myself treats during the day now like a cookie or a piece of chocolate or whatever. The best thing that has worked for me is staying within my 1500 calorie limit and eating everything in moderation. I definitely believe in eating a healthy, low-saturated fat diet consisting of veggies, fruits, good carbs, and lean meats. But I also believe for sanity’s sake and just for pure pleasure that you should allow yourself a few treats. I know when I’ve tried to eat very cleanly during the week that it ends up to be disastrous for me on the weekends. Everyone is different and I’m sure most people have more willpower than I do so this works for me. Now that I have taken limits off all foods I crave them less. Does that make sense?

 

[sham]

thanks for your response.

what kind of workout do you follow?
have you meet your goals already?
my greatest trouble area is the waist and stomach, ughh!

thanks again for all your advise.

 

[tsut]

Hi Sham –

I am not where I would like to be yet, but am about halfway there. Definitely seeing some changes in my abdominal area has renewed my motivation. I just read an article that stated it takes at least 6 weeks of consistent exercise and clean eating to see results. Further, it takes 12 weeks to see a noticeable difference in the abdominal area. I’ve only been calorie-counting for 3 weeks now so I’d say my results are coming along very well.

My ideal workout would be to do cardio 5 days/week and doing one body part per week. In the past, I’ve tried the ctx series for 4 weeks and got fairly good results with that rotation. I love step aerobics and that’s the only cardio I will do on a regular basis so I stick with that. I feel it’s better I do something I like than something I am so totally bored with. I wouldn’t continue exercising if I was bored.

Another rotation I have tried was incorporating some interval cardio twice a week. I used Imax and Intense Moves. Those are both excellent tapes. I lost some inches in my abs and thighs.

I am starting my ctx rotation again this week so I hope to see some great results with that.

So basically I try to do some form of cardio and one body part per day. I have all of Cathe's tape and hope to try some new rotations to see what results I get.

May I ask what rotations you have tried? And what results have you seen with your rotations?

 

[sham]

Thanks tsut.

I am presently following the Body for Life program.
I modified the cardio and the eating program slightly.
I had started to see results with it but then in March I had
the flu twice.
I don't need to lose that much weight but all the fat I have is definitely the midsection.
I am currently eating 1500 calories per day and Sat. I have about 1800 to shake up the metabolism. I am not sure if i should increase my daily calories. I am 5'4 and 117.

Take care,
Sham

 

[sham]

Thanks tsut.

I am presently following the Body for Life program.
I modified the cardio and the eating program slightly.
I had started to see results with it but then in March I had
the flu twice.
I don't need to lose that much weight but all the fat I have is definitely the midsection.
I am currently eating 1500 calories per day and Sat. I have about 1800 to shake up the metabolism. I am not sure if i should increase my daily calories. I am 5'4 and 117.

Take care,
Sham

 

[tsut]

Hi Sham –

I wish I had the discipline to follow BFL because some people have gotten great results. I don’t have the willpower to eat that clean. LOL!

We are similar in size. I’m 5’3” and weigh between 105 – 110 lbs. All my fat sits on my midsection as well. I don’t really want to lose weight, but not sure how to get rid of the flab without a few pounds lost. My bone frame is small so I can’t carry too much extra weight – or lose much extra either.

I was eating between 1800-2000 calories/day and realized that with all my exercising that I was only maintaining my weight. That’s when I decided to decrease my calorie count a little bit and see how that works. If you are lifting weights you might not see weight loss since you are gaining muscle as you lose body fat. Are you using a tape measure to see if you’re losing inches? The scale can be inaccurate sometimes – esp. when your building muscle. I have been measuring my success by a pair of jeans I have. They are getting looser in the waist so I know it’s working. (I haven’t figured out how to use the tape measure yet! LOL!)

I know when I tried Atkins I did lose some stomach flab right away, but I can’t stand cutting carbs. I personally cannot stick to a diet that eliminates some foods. I’ve read that some people cycle their calories so their body does not get used to a certain amount all the time. I’ve never tried that one.

If you want to talk more, please email me at [email protected]