Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Can I ask a personal question?

What is your calorie range?

I'm wondering how everyone else is calculating theirs. I thought mypyramid.gov was too generous. I also went to livestrong.com, but didn't like the data it made me input. So I used my iphone app, loseit, and I felt like it was just right. I told it I'd like to lose 1/2 a pound a week and it told me to eat less than 1672 calories a day. But it gives you more if you report the exercise you do. For example, if I burned 385 calories it bumps my calories up to 2057. I usually don't get very close to that number, though.

But...

For 5 weeks I have hovered around the same number on the scale. Up a pound, down a pound, up a pound, down a pound. I'm staying well within my calorie range, and I'm exercising 6 days a week. I KNOW I'm not supposed to pay attention to the scale. I wish I would have taken my measurements when this all began. But my clothes still fit the same. So what's up? Am I doing this wrong? I lowered my calories by 100 points this week just to see what happens.

What are you guys doing?

7 comments:

  1. Sorry Aud, I pushed post on accident before I had finished.

    Personal question now asked.

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  2. Haha, I thought it might be a "juicy" one.

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  3. I guess my question is why did you pick 1/2 a pound a week? The next thing is this. I would not say this to everyone because some people are not eating enough food....but if you're having trouble seeing scale movement I wouldn't eat the extra allotted calories from your workouts. I'd stick to the calorie range without the exercise added in. This is a case by case thing....

    Check out the trainer momma post that Alicia put up about eating from Melissa's food post yesterday. She had a range there for eating healthy and working out.

    I personally put in 2 lbs a week. On both live strong and lose it. It told me around 1280 calories. I stick pretty close to it and usually only add in about half of my workout calories depending on how many I had. I'm seeing physical changes and small scale changes.

    I thought the food pyramid was too generous but liked knowing how many of the different food areas I should be trying to eat.

    Good luck!

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  4. I must of put something down wrong on livestrong because it says to eat 1600 calories to loose 2 pounds a week. I never do that much though. I stick to around 1400, and I'm seeing results. You're doing the right thing by playing around with calorie numbers. If you aren't seeing results than I think you'd definitely want to lower calories. 100 calories less is a great way to start.

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  5. Maybe change up your fitness workout a little as well. Sometimes when we do the same workouts all the time our bodies adjust. So maybe lift a little more weight or add some intervals to your cardio.

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  6. Audrey, I put 1/2 a pound in because that seemed like a healthy weight loss goal. I wanted it to be something I can maintain. Maybe I should put in a pound. I don't know, how do you pick that number?

    I crunched some numbers and discovered I'm eating an average of 1597 calories a day. I'm burning an average of 318 calories each time I work out, which is 6 days a week. So, on average, I'm not eating the extra calories. Although on the days I burn 500+ calories I totally eat more! I get hungry!

    I read the articles on trainer momma (I LOVE HER!) and you were right, they are great. I should do the small meal thing, and do it on a clock. That will really help me. Although, I don't know WHAT to make for dinner that's only 300 calories!

    Susan, I've recently contemplated the "cross-training" idea. I'm actually going to get on an elliptical machine for the first time in my life today, but I have to go pay a drop in fee at our rec center to do it. I need a gym membership!

    Alicia, my numbers were around similar on livestrong. I put "very active" for my activity level and it said 1594. Which is right around my average, so where's the two pounds a week?

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