Struggling to lose weight at 1560 calories a day..

SparkPoints: (15,101)
Fitness Minutes: (8,783)
Posts: 547
3/12/13 12:17 P

JENNILACEY: thanks for the info on calorie zig zag.

current weight: -1.6  under

5 2.5 0 -2.5

-5

Posts: 169
3/11/13 4:01 P

Thanks for all the encouragement. Maybe it is just a plateau... I am 5'8" and the range which SparkPeople has given me is between 1210-1560. It does feel like hard work at times. I like the idea of the calorie shifting/calorie cycling- I'll give that a go.
Thanks

current weight: 170.0

203 190.5 178 165.5

153

SparkPoints: (34,206)
Fitness Minutes: (18,909)
Posts: 1,429
3/11/13 12:44 P

I am one of those people who swears by calorie cycling. You can try Tom Verunto's simple 3-1 zig zag plan. 3 days at -15-20% TDEE and 1 day at maintenance. Or you can use pyramid calorie cycling: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Just calculate your daily needs and it will give you the option of a calorie cycling (zig zag diet) plan.

There are also plenty of fitness videos out there. You can find some on youtube, or right here on Spark. I do all my workouts in my living room.

current weight: 7.0  over

10 5 0 -5

-10

Posts: 240
3/11/13 7:20 A

I have heard people swear by calorie shifting. In other words, going a few hundred OVER calories one day, and then down a hundred or two the following day, then back to your suggested range. Do this for a few weeks, up the cardio for 15 mins. a day and see if this clicks for you. Good Luck!

current weight: 330.0

360 317.5 275 232.5

190

Posts: 563
3/10/13 8:23 P

“Never, never, never, never give up.” Winston Churchill

Pounds lost: 50.0

0 21.75 43.5 65.25

87

SparkPoints: (5,324)
Fitness Minutes: (2,260)
Posts: 132
3/10/13 5:47 P

I have had plateaus that have lasted for weeks. Keep up your good work.

SparkPoints: (114,505)
Fitness Minutes: (180,875)
Posts: 17,588
3/10/13 4:54 P

EEJAYBEE,

The closer a person is to a healthy weight for their height, the harder and longer it takes to lose those last few pounds. Someone who is morbidly obese could safely lose 1-2 pounds per week. Someone down to those last few pounds may find they only lose .5 or less per week. As any member trying to lose 5-10 pounds and they'll tell you it's slow going.

So, don't assume something is wrong because the scale isn't moving as fast as you'd like.

Also, if I were to eat 1560 calories a day, every day... I'd get pretty bored and hungry too. How many calories do you burn when you exercise ? Let's say you burn 400 calories in an hour. deduct that from 1560 and that means your body is only getting 1160 calories a day. That's not enough to sustain a grown woman.

What to do ? On days you do more exercise, you're going to need to eat a bit more. I know this is going to sound strange, but a person has to eat in order to lose weight. Eating too little can hinder a person's weight loss, not help it. SP should have given you a calorie range. What's your range ?

And well, how much do you currently weigh ? How tall are you ? Depending on your height and weight, you may already be at a healthy weight for your height.

You really may find that you have to eat a bit more to lose weight. But once again, the closer a person gets to a healthy weight for their height, the slower the weight loss is going to be.

So, you may just need to be more patient with your body.

Posts: 169
3/10/13 4:45 P

I have got another 14-21 pounds left to lose, and have a current calorie range of 1560, which I've been on for a few weeks now, but I'm really struggling to keep to it. On top of that, the dark nights mean that I can't run on the way home from work anymore (so I only run at weekends. Getting out of the house later in the evening to do an exercise class is hard because of having to deal with my kids). I was doing so well but my weight loss has slowed right down and it's making me feel down, too. Any advice?
Thanks

current weight: 170.0

203 190.5 178 165.5

153