Losing weight by hitting step goal and counting calories.

[kasejo]

Just curious if anybody out there is losing weight this way?

I started using my fitbit in JAN & went down 12 lbs, by eating 1600 calories a day and hitting the 10k step mark, along with 2 days of strength training at the gym weekly.

I'm only 23 (female), and my starting weight was 180. I'm getting married in September, so naturally I wanted to lose some extra chunk I've gained post high school.

I've recently hit a plateu and actually gained 2 pounds back. I've noticed that on the weekend I tend to completely throw my "diet" out the window and binge. Any advice on how to manage my weekend cravings as well as how to get past this plateu I've hit?

I don't know much about weight loss, but am eating around 100g of carbs a day. Is this too much in order to meet my goals? I always hear about how carb intake can be one of the most important aspects of losing weight. But I want to make this a lifestyle change, and not just a low-carb 6 month diet.

My goal is to get down to 150 by September, so that's 20 more pounds in 6 months. I'm not sure how realistic that is at this point, considering I've only lost 12 in almost 3 months. 

Any advice, or changes I can make would be very helpful 🙂 Thanks in advance.

[Esya · Accepted solution]

For losing weight you should not worry too much about carbs, it is about a calories deficit. You can eat as little carbs as you want, if you are still eating more calories than you are burning you are still going to put on weight and vice versa. The reason you might have hit a plateau is because your body got used to the amount of exercise you do and got more efficient at it, therefore burning less for the same exercise compared to a while ago. So try to increase the intensity of your exercise. It could still be hitting 10k steps, but jogging a portion of that instead of walking. See where you have room and opportunity to get your heartbeat back up again.

I hardly ever struggle with cravings myself, so I might not be the best to give advice regarding that. But if you know you typically crave something in the evening, than plan a snack for it. Fruits and veggies are great as wel as trail mix, but some people simply need their bit of "bad food" (this is relative). In that case it might be good to have something that comes in a package so you just have a portion. And by planning it you can take it into account for your calories intake during the day.

[Bierorama]

As someone who has lost a significant amount of weight twice (post-childbirth), I can tell you that this is how weight loss goes. You lose at a good clip and then plateau, even gain a bit back, before starting to lose again. A rule of thumb that I've heard is to expect a plateau for every 10% of body weight you lose.

One thing I can't stress enough is to KEEP LIFTING WEIGHTS. Even though the weight on the scale told me I was at my highest post-pregnancy weight, I was the smallest (waist and hip-wise) I had been since being a teenager. I had endurance, I wasn't tired and I was strong. I was also lifting heavy weights (New Rules of Lifting for Women) and eating about 1,800 calories per day (I'm only 5'2"). The only cardio I did was HIIT a few times a week for 10-20 minutes.

I think 20 pounds in 6 months (24 weeks) is a reasonable goal. It's less than a pound per week which should allow you to eat enough. The binges on the weekends might be because you aren't eating enough carbs, leaving you with less energy and more inclined to mindlessly eat "junk."

I know it's tough to stick with it when the scale doesn't change. Keep your chin up! You can do this!

[kasejo]

@Esya Good advice. Silly enough, I guess I never truly thought that I needed to amp up my intensity of activity a little in order to keep gaining results. Everything you said makes complete sense, and I def plan to take your advice and run with it! (maybe even literally) 

🙂 Thanks

[kasejo]

@Bierorama I think I need to start taking my own measurements too, instead of just relying on scale results (that can be very discouraging). Weight lifting is a great source of stress relief for me, and def gives that boost of confidence that I always tend to need.

Also -thank you for the encouragement! I think sometimes that can be as important as anything else. Support systems can be everything for me.