1,000 calories-too much or ok?

Lucy1018 · 05-30-2012, 02:22 PM

Hi, guys,
So, in order to get my weight loss revved up, I've tried to burn about 1,000 calories a day using the treadmill. I know that's a lot, but I read somewhere that you can loose 2 pounds a week this way. Since I'm supposed to be losing at least 2 pounds a week with the diet I'm on, I figured it's a good way to speed up my weight loss, encourage me to drink more water, and get used to being active. Once I get to my goal weight I plan to cut back, though I guess that will also depend on my diet and how much/what I'm eating to maintain my weight.

My question is that I'm not sure if that's actually too many calories for one day, as I don't think I'm experiencing the faster weight loss I was anticipating. I feel that my caloric intake is adequate, but I'm wondering if it's not the right amount for this much exercise? I've found that lately I tend to sleep late, so I wind up having a "brunch" of a 2-3 egg omelet with veggies, cheese and/or meat. I switch this up periodically by using egg substitute and/or lower fat cheese, and then I really don't feel that hungry until dinner time. I often have a baby bell cheese and/or a 100 cal package of nuts in between then, and then dinner consists of meat, veggies and salad. I also drink a lot of V8 and sometimes have a dark chocolate dipped strawberry or piece of dark chocolate, and have also occasionally incorporated fruit juice with seltzer and sugar free fugsicles. So, I'm not sure if I'm eating enough calories or not. I think my intake is fine in general, but since I know that eating too little can stall the metabolism and that 1000 calories is a lot of expended energy that my body would otherwise use, I'm wondering if that's inhibiting weight loss.

Then again, I'm a size 18 and I honestly afraid to weigh myself until I get down to about a size 14, which would be around 160 pounds. I know I weigh much more then that right now and I don't want to know how much. I'm afraid that knowing would either discourage me or cause me to re-experience the eating disorder I encountered in my teens. So, I may well be losing weight and not know it because I'm going by pants size. Any thoughts?

Arctic_Mama · 05-30-2012, 02:34 PM

If you're not feeling hunger or weakness, that may be fine for you, but long term that is a very low calorie level to maintain for someone your size. You will likely lose as well on 1400 a day, with more freedom to eat real, nourishing food and less sugar-free-frankenjunk.

Undereating your BMR by a significant amount for a long period of time, especially on less than nutritionally-dense foods, is a recipe for a binge for many of us. It depends on what specific plan you are following, but I'd recommend slightly higher calories and ditching the empty calorie and reduced fat stuff for whole, nourishing fare. Your diet doesn't sound bad, but neither is it optimal for meeting nutritional needs. And when your calories are already so low, every bite counts a lot more for meeting your requirements to run your body properly.

May I also suggest picking a specific method, if you haven't already, and following that plan to a T? If you have struggled with disordered eating in the past, winging it like this and with such high exercise and low calories is asking for trouble. Perhaps a plan like JUDDD or Atkins may be a more solid start for 'revving your weightloss'? Just a suggestion!

Arctic_Mama · 05-30-2012, 02:38 PM

Oh, I'm seeing I misread your post - you want to have a 1000-calorie deficit? What does that leave you eating each day? A 1000 calorie deficit for someone eating 3k calories a day is a different matter than someone only eating 1600 to begin with, if you get my drift.

tulipsandroses · 05-30-2012, 02:43 PM

Just be aware that the machines are not accurate. Even if you put your weight in, it is still an over estimated number. There are lots of factors that the machine cannot take into account to accurately tell how many cals are being burned.

I've read you should deduct up to 20% off of whatever the machine says.

Are you doing a specific plan?

Lucy1018 · 05-30-2012, 03:10 PM

Yes, the goal I've been working with is about a 1000 cal deficit from exercise, but I haven't been counting calories. I would not attempt to eat 1000 cals, as I realize that this would be bad for my metabollism and likely indicate an eating disorder relapse. My intake seems to shift depending on the day. For instance, yesterday I ate a 2 egg omelet with low fat cheese, tomatoes, and basil for breakfast, a large ceasar salad with about 8 chicken wings, blue cheese and sour cream for lunch, and a greek salad with chicken for dinner. I then had a square of 90% cocoa dark chocolate for dessert. I really didn't feel hungry when dinner rolled around, but I ate anyway. Today I woke up around 11 AM so at 12 PM I had an omelet with parmesan cheese, tomatoes, pesto and low fat italian blend cheese on top. A few hours later I had another square of the same dark chocolate. Tonight I will have salmon, sauteed spinach and a salad with oil/vinegar dressing. I may have another piece of chocolate, or not. So, this doesn't amount to restricted eating, but it does mean that I will have only eaten two meals today. This happens often because of my sleeping pattern. When I do wake up earlier, like yesterday, I have three meals. I've been away from my treadmill recently but I had cut back a bit, like to 300-500 cals a day. While I was away I walked four miles a day but I obviously don't know how many cals that burns.

My thing with the meal plan is that I feel a little confused. I had a lot of success six years ago doing food combining and sugar/white flour products elimination with the Suzanne Somers combination diet. (I know, what are the odds?) but I ultimately wound up with continued sugar cravings that pushed me into going off of it and gaining back the weight I had lost. (I was then down to a size 12). So, I thought I'd try the South Beach induction, and I did see a reduction in my sugar cravings, but I found some of the features of the plan unsatisfying, such as having to eat only low fat cheese. I also have tried to stay close to the induction guidelines of south beach and only eat carbohydrates on occasion. (Last week I had cheerios for breakfast). So, I've been doing the south beach induction but violating the guideline of not eating full fat cheese and also incorporating things allowed on level 2. I've still been incorporating combo tricks from the Sommers' plan like eating fruit only on an empty stomach and eating carbos without any fat added. I've also eaten hot dogs without the bun for lunch, although South beach encourages leaner options. So, I guess I should just stick to what the plan says, but it's rough.

Arctic_Mama · 05-30-2012, 03:34 PM

I'd highly suggest Atkins - if you're looking for fattier fare and busting sugar cravings, or JUDDD - if you don't want quite the same type of food type restriction but overall calorie control instead.

If you're feeling energetic and fine on your current calories, don't mess with them. Just keep working out and following your plan. If you tweak anything, I'd suggest it be the type of plan, but not your overall intake. Unless you're OVEReating (which it doesn't sound like you are) your body is going to tell you if it is being shorted food, nutrients, and rest, or not. But from the sound of it time-based plans like intermittent fasting may fit in very nicely with your tendencies already, in which case Fast-Five, JUDDD, Leangains, or some similar plan would be excellent.

It sounds like the low fat cheese and fruit may be issues for you, so doing a fasting program combined with something like Atkins induction could be ideal. That is the best combination for me when maintaining, I have found, because cravings are almost nil and it is next to impossible to overeat if I stick to the allowed foods and quantities. Very self-regulating, to combine induction with intermittent fasting. But your mileage may vary.

I'd definitely suggest hanging out on the subforums for specific plans here and see what strikes your fancy. But a more structured plan, especially on that focuses on whole foods and low to no sugar/starch, will likely be the best for busting your cravings.

Janknitz · 05-30-2012, 03:49 PM

You might want to google "chronic cardio" and see if you are really accomplishing what you think you are by that much exercise. IMHO, it's counterproductive. Look for sites that talk about exercising "smarter" instead of more.

It's really NOT about calories in, calories out. Try to read some of Gary Taubes pieces.

Arctic_Mama · 05-30-2012, 03:52 PM

Well if we're modifying exercise, may I plug the ridiculously wonderful TTap? It's done wonders for me and yes, it isn't strict cardio though it definitely has that component.

svenskamae · 05-30-2012, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucy1018

Hi, guys,
So, in order to get my weight loss revved up, I've tried to burn about 1,000 calories a day using the treadmill. I know that's a lot, but I read somewhere that you can loose 2 pounds a week this way. Since I'm supposed to be losing at least 2 pounds a week with the diet I'm on, I figured it's a good way to speed up my weight loss, encourage me to drink more water, and get used to being active. Once I get to my goal weight I plan to cut back, though I guess that will also depend on my diet and how much/what I'm eating to maintain my weight.

Then again, I'm a size 18 and I honestly afraid to weigh myself until I get down to about a size 14, which would be around 160 pounds. I know I weigh much more then that right now and I don't want to know how much. I'm afraid that knowing would either discourage me or cause me to re-experience the eating disorder I encountered in my teens. So, I may well be losing weight and not know it because I'm going by pants size. Any thoughts?

A couple of comments: The "you can lose 2 pounds a week if you use up 1000 calories a day" is based on the calories in, calories out model. (7*1000 = 7000 calories in a week, or a hypothetical loss of 2 pounds). Maybe that will work for you, but it doesn't work for everyone.

For example, some people find that exercise makes them hungier, so they eat more, and therefore the payoff to the exercise is less than the machine numbers suggest. In my case, exercise seems to suppress my appetite. However, I COULD NOT lose weight until I switched to eating low carb, presumably because of insulin resistence, even when I used an elliptical machine for 2-3 hours per day at a high resistence level (supposedly using up around 2000 calories/day just exercising and eating around 12000-15,000 calories a day).

Maybe the exercise approach will work for you, but if it doesn't and you get frustrated, then read Gary Taubes' book, "Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It," which talks about other intervening factors (hormones) that are ignored by the calories in, calories out model.

Also, keep in mind that the more your body gets accustomed to a type of exercise, the easier it is for you to do, and the fewer calories you expend, regardless of what the machine says. (If you use a treadmill all the time, or lean on the supporting bars, then you will almost certainly use up fewer calories than the machine says.)

I think it's great that you are doing lots of exercise, and it will probably help you lose more weight than if you didn't exercise, but don't count on "earning" a loss of two pounds per week every week, just because the counter on the treadmill says that you used up 1000 calories each day.

I also think that, while clothes are maybe less precise than a scale, it works fine to use how your clothes fit to gauge progress. If you are getting smaller (which is the goal), then your clothes will get too big on you, and you'll move down in clothing sizes. I find that I let the scale's numbers affect my mood too much, so I just use clothes as a pseudo-scale (and have gone from a size 22 to a size 16/18 in the past few months).

I hope that the exercise works well for your weight loss efforts, but just don't count on the two pounds/week, every week. Picking and following an eating plan (Atkins, JUDD, Weight Watchers, whatever) at the same time as exercising seems to work better for most people than lots of exercise alone. If you don't feel bad/exhausted after "1000 calories-worth" of exercise on the treadmill, then I think that amount of exercise is fine for you.

MargeGunderson · 05-30-2012, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by svenskamae

...(supposedly using up around 2000 calories/day just exercising and eating around 12000-15,000 calories a day

Unless you're either Michael Phelps or the subject of a Discovery Channel medical marvel documentary, I'm thinking you meant 1200-1,500?

Excellent insight, though, seriously! Especially about how misusing exercise and/or misinterpreting its math can really trip you up and derail progress. I've never fullytrusted the numbers on my exercise bike or friends' various machines, but I had no idea your body burns less calories the more you do a particular exercise.

I always try to mix mine up both for variety and so my metabolism doesn't adjust to a specific level of exercise, but was clueless on the body needing less for each individual output.

Lucy, welcome to LCF! You're going to find a wealth of knowledge here on a variety of ways of eating, and also a strong network of support to help you fight through the cravings and challenges along the path!

svenskamae · 05-30-2012, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MargeGunderson

Unless you're either Michael Phelps or the subject of a Discovery Channel medical marvel documentary, I'm thinking you meant 1200-1,500?

OOPS! What a difference an extra zero makes; thanks for the correction. Yup, I was frustrated by supposedly using up 2000 calories on an exercise machine daily and not losing weight while eating 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day. Micheal Phelps and I have very little in common.

clackley · 05-31-2012, 05:10 AM

From what you describe as your eating plan and exercise, I believe you will be losing muscle mass as part of your weight loss. You need to become keto adapted which can take anywhere from 2 to 4 wks. of a ketogenic woe and then incorporate exercise in order to avoid the loss of muscle.

thealything · 05-31-2012, 09:33 AM

why not incorporate weight training? stumptuous (web site) is specifically geared toward women and has lots of info for beginners (including explaining how weight training helps weight loss and makes women lean down, not bulk up). it is not a commercial site at all and the author, Krista Dixon, is just a regular lady who lost a bunch of weight as a graduate student by starting to strength train.

that, and you will likely have better luck with a plan like Atkins where you can eat delicious full-fat cheese.

grinch031 · 05-31-2012, 09:53 AM

I guarantee you are not going to "stall your metabolism" without FIRST losing lots of weight. Slowed (not stalled) metabolism is much more a function of weight loss and not as much a function of caloric deficit. In other words, the more fat you have to lose, the more your body will tolerate a large caloric deficit. Once you are lean, that is when the metabolism will drastically reduce to defends its body fat stores.

Anyways if you are on a calorie-unrestrictive low-carb diet, then burning 1000 calories from cardio a day is probably going to lead to compensatory eating that will negate a lot if not all of the weight loss.

Although I think exercise itself has benefits that help a dieter such as improved insulin sensitivity that might help you tolerate carbs better and keep hunger in check, I don't think excessive exercise for the purposes of losing weight is going to be that effective. I think instead you should focus on eating healthier satiating foods, especially because all that exercise could lead to overuse injuries or simply burn you out.

jmh1007 · 05-31-2012, 10:18 AM

thealything-Thank you for that website. It's great!

A'smommy · 05-31-2012, 10:22 AM

You may want to try actually counting your calories one day to see exactly where your at, then determining if that is an appropriate amount of exercise. I usually stay between 1,000-1,200 calories a day on the days that I am not exercising and drink tons of water. On the days that I do exercise, I up my calories a little more to compensate. As long as you are not starving yourself then maybe that is an okay amount of calories for you to be burning.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tulipsandroses

Just be aware that the machines are not accurate. Even if you put your weight in, it is still an over estimated number. There are lots of factors that the machine cannot take into account to accurately tell how many cals are being burned.

I've read you should deduct up to 20% off of whatever the machine says.

And as Tulipsandroses said make sure to take into account that you are likely burning less than you think you are on the weight loss machines. I've heard that its a good Idea to enter into the machine 5-10 pounds less than what you actually weigh to get a number thats CLOSER to the amount of calories that you've actually burned. But again there are lots of factors and even after entering a lower weight, its probably still not going to be completely accurate!
Good luck with your weight loss!

Claire430 · 05-31-2012, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arctic_Mama

Well if we're modifying exercise, may I plug the ridiculously wonderful TTap? It's done wonders for me and yes, it isn't strict cardio though it definitely has that component.

I will second the T-TAP workouts. I have seen tremendous inch loss with these exercises but they do so much more than that. I just know for myself that if I do too much exercise in one day I will want to eat like a horse. I used to do a lot of running and on the days I did more than 3 miles I would be starving. To try to burn that many calories through exercise seems counter-productive because you may be fighting the urge to eat more because your body is telling you to eat more.

Abby · 05-31-2012, 04:38 PM

Lucy, I would urge you to adopt a LOW CARB program. It should decrease your appetite and cravings. V8 is certainly quite healthy but contains considerable carbs. Chocolate should be abandoned. Cheese is LC but often stalls folks ( I personally avoid it).

As for exercise, perhaps 90% of weight loss comes from calorie control unless you're a logger cutting down trees all day

. Your 4 miles walked @ 4mph( a pretty fast clip) would only have burned off 360 calories. You'd have to walk at that same rate almost 3 HOURS on a treadmill to burn 1000 calories.

Good Luck,

mainemom · 06-01-2012, 08:17 AM

I also suggest reading Gary Taubes's "Why We Get Fat." Very enlightening section about excercise and it's effect (or lack therof) on weight loss. If you're interested in how your body works and metabolizes food, this book is fascinating. My life changed after reading that book.

synger · 06-01-2012, 08:33 AM

I would be nervous about trying to exercise off 1,000 calories. I know from experience that such an effort would just make me hungrier and likely to eat more to compensate for it.

I'm much happier overall with losing weight in the kitchen (by diet), and letting moderate exercise increase my heart health, strength, endurance, energy, and flexibility.

05-30-2012, 02:22 PM	#1
Lucy1018 Senior LCF Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 62 Gallery: Lucy1018 WOE: Paleolithic-no dairy, moderate amounts of fruit	1,000 calories-too much or ok? Hi, guys, So, in order to get my weight loss revved up, I've tried to burn about 1,000 calories a day using the treadmill. I know that's a lot, but I read somewhere that you can loose 2 pounds a week this way. Since I'm supposed to be losing at least 2 pounds a week with the diet I'm on, I figured it's a good way to speed up my weight loss, encourage me to drink more water, and get used to being active. Once I get to my goal weight I plan to cut back, though I guess that will also depend on my diet and how much/what I'm eating to maintain my weight. My question is that I'm not sure if that's actually too many calories for one day, as I don't think I'm experiencing the faster weight loss I was anticipating. I feel that my caloric intake is adequate, but I'm wondering if it's not the right amount for this much exercise? I've found that lately I tend to sleep late, so I wind up having a "brunch" of a 2-3 egg omelet with veggies, cheese and/or meat. I switch this up periodically by using egg substitute and/or lower fat cheese, and then I really don't feel that hungry until dinner time. I often have a baby bell cheese and/or a 100 cal package of nuts in between then, and then dinner consists of meat, veggies and salad. I also drink a lot of V8 and sometimes have a dark chocolate dipped strawberry or piece of dark chocolate, and have also occasionally incorporated fruit juice with seltzer and sugar free fugsicles. So, I'm not sure if I'm eating enough calories or not. I think my intake is fine in general, but since I know that eating too little can stall the metabolism and that 1000 calories is a lot of expended energy that my body would otherwise use, I'm wondering if that's inhibiting weight loss. Then again, I'm a size 18 and I honestly afraid to weigh myself until I get down to about a size 14, which would be around 160 pounds. I know I weigh much more then that right now and I don't want to know how much. I'm afraid that knowing would either discourage me or cause me to re-experience the eating disorder I encountered in my teens. So, I may well be losing weight and not know it because I'm going by pants size. Any thoughts? Last edited by Lucy1018; 05-30-2012 at 02:24 PM..

05-30-2012, 02:34 PM	#2
Arctic_Mama Major LCF Poster! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 1,726 Gallery: Arctic_Mama Stats: 257/163/140 WOE: Atkins 2002 Start Date: R1 12/11, R2 3/12	If you're not feeling hunger or weakness, that may be fine for you, but long term that is a very low calorie level to maintain for someone your size. You will likely lose as well on 1400 a day, with more freedom to eat real, nourishing food and less sugar-free-frankenjunk. Undereating your BMR by a significant amount for a long period of time, especially on less than nutritionally-dense foods, is a recipe for a binge for many of us. It depends on what specific plan you are following, but I'd recommend slightly higher calories and ditching the empty calorie and reduced fat stuff for whole, nourishing fare. Your diet doesn't sound bad, but neither is it optimal for meeting nutritional needs. And when your calories are already so low, every bite counts a lot more for meeting your requirements to run your body properly. May I also suggest picking a specific method, if you haven't already, and following that plan to a T? If you have struggled with disordered eating in the past, winging it like this and with such high exercise and low calories is asking for trouble. Perhaps a plan like JUDDD or Atkins may be a more solid start for 'revving your weightloss'? Just a suggestion! __________________ Taryl - 5'3" powerhouse! http://www.aurorafiberarts.com/weightloss R1P2: 207.4 down to 176.8 (-30.6 lbs) R2P2: LDW was 168.0 (-20.4 lbs) R3P2: LDW 163.6 (14.4 lbs lost), ended early due to baby#4 Last edited by Arctic_Mama; 05-30-2012 at 02:36 PM..

05-30-2012, 03:10 PM	#5
Lucy1018 Senior LCF Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 62 Gallery: Lucy1018 WOE: Paleolithic-no dairy, moderate amounts of fruit	Yes, the goal I've been working with is about a 1000 cal deficit from exercise, but I haven't been counting calories. I would not attempt to eat 1000 cals, as I realize that this would be bad for my metabollism and likely indicate an eating disorder relapse. My intake seems to shift depending on the day. For instance, yesterday I ate a 2 egg omelet with low fat cheese, tomatoes, and basil for breakfast, a large ceasar salad with about 8 chicken wings, blue cheese and sour cream for lunch, and a greek salad with chicken for dinner. I then had a square of 90% cocoa dark chocolate for dessert. I really didn't feel hungry when dinner rolled around, but I ate anyway. Today I woke up around 11 AM so at 12 PM I had an omelet with parmesan cheese, tomatoes, pesto and low fat italian blend cheese on top. A few hours later I had another square of the same dark chocolate. Tonight I will have salmon, sauteed spinach and a salad with oil/vinegar dressing. I may have another piece of chocolate, or not. So, this doesn't amount to restricted eating, but it does mean that I will have only eaten two meals today. This happens often because of my sleeping pattern. When I do wake up earlier, like yesterday, I have three meals. I've been away from my treadmill recently but I had cut back a bit, like to 300-500 cals a day. While I was away I walked four miles a day but I obviously don't know how many cals that burns. My thing with the meal plan is that I feel a little confused. I had a lot of success six years ago doing food combining and sugar/white flour products elimination with the Suzanne Somers combination diet. (I know, what are the odds?) but I ultimately wound up with continued sugar cravings that pushed me into going off of it and gaining back the weight I had lost. (I was then down to a size 12). So, I thought I'd try the South Beach induction, and I did see a reduction in my sugar cravings, but I found some of the features of the plan unsatisfying, such as having to eat only low fat cheese. I also have tried to stay close to the induction guidelines of south beach and only eat carbohydrates on occasion. (Last week I had cheerios for breakfast). So, I've been doing the south beach induction but violating the guideline of not eating full fat cheese and also incorporating things allowed on level 2. I've still been incorporating combo tricks from the Sommers' plan like eating fruit only on an empty stomach and eating carbos without any fat added. I've also eaten hot dogs without the bun for lunch, although South beach encourages leaner options. So, I guess I should just stick to what the plan says, but it's rough. Last edited by Lucy1018; 05-30-2012 at 03:12 PM..

05-31-2012, 04:38 PM	#18
Abby Senior LCF Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Boston Posts: 402 Gallery: Abby Stats: 5'7";197_'09;167/139/132_'12 WOE: LC/VLC	Lucy, I would urge you to adopt a LOW CARB program. It should decrease your appetite and cravings. V8 is certainly quite healthy but contains considerable carbs. Chocolate should be abandoned. Cheese is LC but often stalls folks ( I personally avoid it). As for exercise, perhaps 90% of weight loss comes from calorie control unless you're a logger cutting down trees all day. Your 4 miles walked @ 4mph( a pretty fast clip) would only have burned off 360 calories. You'd have to walk at that same rate almost 3 HOURS on a treadmill to burn 1000 calories. Good Luck,

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05-30-2012, 02:38 PM	#3
Arctic_Mama Major LCF Poster! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 1,726 Gallery: Arctic_Mama Stats: 257/163/140 WOE: Atkins 2002 Start Date: R1 12/11, R2 3/12	Oh, I'm seeing I misread your post - you want to have a 1000-calorie deficit? What does that leave you eating each day? A 1000 calorie deficit for someone eating 3k calories a day is a different matter than someone only eating 1600 to begin with, if you get my drift.

05-30-2012, 02:43 PM	#4
tulipsandroses Very Gabby LCF Member!!! Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 3,932 Gallery: tulipsandroses Stats: 206/164/140 WOE: Atkins Start Date: March 2010	Just be aware that the machines are not accurate. Even if you put your weight in, it is still an over estimated number. There are lots of factors that the machine cannot take into account to accurately tell how many cals are being burned. I've read you should deduct up to 20% off of whatever the machine says. Are you doing a specific plan?

05-30-2012, 03:34 PM	#6
Arctic_Mama Major LCF Poster! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 1,726 Gallery: Arctic_Mama Stats: 257/163/140 WOE: Atkins 2002 Start Date: R1 12/11, R2 3/12	I'd highly suggest Atkins - if you're looking for fattier fare and busting sugar cravings, or JUDDD - if you don't want quite the same type of food type restriction but overall calorie control instead. If you're feeling energetic and fine on your current calories, don't mess with them. Just keep working out and following your plan. If you tweak anything, I'd suggest it be the type of plan, but not your overall intake. Unless you're OVEReating (which it doesn't sound like you are) your body is going to tell you if it is being shorted food, nutrients, and rest, or not. But from the sound of it time-based plans like intermittent fasting may fit in very nicely with your tendencies already, in which case Fast-Five, JUDDD, Leangains, or some similar plan would be excellent. It sounds like the low fat cheese and fruit may be issues for you, so doing a fasting program combined with something like Atkins induction could be ideal. That is the best combination for me when maintaining, I have found, because cravings are almost nil and it is next to impossible to overeat if I stick to the allowed foods and quantities. Very self-regulating, to combine induction with intermittent fasting. But your mileage may vary. I'd definitely suggest hanging out on the subforums for specific plans here and see what strikes your fancy. But a more structured plan, especially on that focuses on whole foods and low to no sugar/starch, will likely be the best for busting your cravings.

05-30-2012, 03:49 PM	#7
Janknitz Major LCF Poster! Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 1,753 Gallery: Janknitz Stats: 254/195/150 WOE: Low Carb High Fat, No Grains Start Date: June 16, 2011	You might want to google "chronic cardio" and see if you are really accomplishing what you think you are by that much exercise. IMHO, it's counterproductive. Look for sites that talk about exercising "smarter" instead of more. It's really NOT about calories in, calories out. Try to read some of Gary Taubes pieces.

05-30-2012, 03:52 PM	#8
Arctic_Mama Major LCF Poster! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 1,726 Gallery: Arctic_Mama Stats: 257/163/140 WOE: Atkins 2002 Start Date: R1 12/11, R2 3/12	Well if we're modifying exercise, may I plug the ridiculously wonderful TTap? It's done wonders for me and yes, it isn't strict cardio though it definitely has that component.

05-31-2012, 05:10 AM	#12
clackley Chatty Cathy Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Toronto Posts: 13,014 Gallery: clackley Stats: 228.5/168/125 WOE: N.K.=vlc/hf/moderate protein & organic/pastured Start Date: Restart Oct 18 2009	From what you describe as your eating plan and exercise, I believe you will be losing muscle mass as part of your weight loss. You need to become keto adapted which can take anywhere from 2 to 4 wks. of a ketogenic woe and then incorporate exercise in order to avoid the loss of muscle.

05-31-2012, 09:33 AM	#13
thealything Senior LCF Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 490 Gallery: thealything Stats: 238/196/138 5'7" WOE: Atkins (DANDR) Start Date: restart March '12	why not incorporate weight training? stumptuous (web site) is specifically geared toward women and has lots of info for beginners (including explaining how weight training helps weight loss and makes women lean down, not bulk up). it is not a commercial site at all and the author, Krista Dixon, is just a regular lady who lost a bunch of weight as a graduate student by starting to strength train. that, and you will likely have better luck with a plan like Atkins where you can eat delicious full-fat cheese.

05-31-2012, 09:53 AM	#14
grinch031 Senior LCF Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 115 Gallery: grinch031 Stats: 196/179/175 WOE: Low Carb Start Date: 11/24/2011	I guarantee you are not going to "stall your metabolism" without FIRST losing lots of weight. Slowed (not stalled) metabolism is much more a function of weight loss and not as much a function of caloric deficit. In other words, the more fat you have to lose, the more your body will tolerate a large caloric deficit. Once you are lean, that is when the metabolism will drastically reduce to defends its body fat stores. Anyways if you are on a calorie-unrestrictive low-carb diet, then burning 1000 calories from cardio a day is probably going to lead to compensatory eating that will negate a lot if not all of the weight loss. Although I think exercise itself has benefits that help a dieter such as improved insulin sensitivity that might help you tolerate carbs better and keep hunger in check, I don't think excessive exercise for the purposes of losing weight is going to be that effective. I think instead you should focus on eating healthier satiating foods, especially because all that exercise could lead to overuse injuries or simply burn you out.

05-31-2012, 10:18 AM	#15
jmh1007 Junior LCF Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Kansas City Mo Posts: 25 Gallery: jmh1007 Stats: 206/164/135 WOE: Atkins Start Date: April 2012	thealything-Thank you for that website. It's great!

06-01-2012, 08:17 AM	#19
mainemom Senior LCF Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Southern Maine Posts: 536 Gallery: mainemom Stats: 147/116/110 5' 1" WOE: LC; JUDDD; Gluten Free Start Date: January 2011	I also suggest reading Gary Taubes's "Why We Get Fat." Very enlightening section about excercise and it's effect (or lack therof) on weight loss. If you're interested in how your body works and metabolizes food, this book is fascinating. My life changed after reading that book.

06-01-2012, 08:33 AM	#20
synger Major LCF Poster! Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 1,227 Gallery: synger Stats: Start: 310 Current: 259 WOE: Calorie and carb counting, IR Diet framework Start Date: IR/PCOS: Dx pre-diabetic 3/2010	I would be nervous about trying to exercise off 1,000 calories. I know from experience that such an effort would just make me hungrier and likely to eat more to compensate for it. I'm much happier overall with losing weight in the kitchen (by diet), and letting moderate exercise increase my heart health, strength, endurance, energy, and flexibility.