joining a gym and diet to loose weight

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chocolategirl
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Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 7:39 pm
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by chocolategirl on Mon Jan 21, 2013 7:53 pm

joining a gym and diet to loose weight

I I'm a mum of 3 small children under 7 and I weigh 12 stones 8lb . I am in my early 40s . I was given a calorie total of 1300 a day as I need to loose 16 lb to be have a healthy bmi. I am 5 ft 7.5 in. Only thing isi have join
ed a gym doing cardio and weights for 90 minutes 4 times a week the last two weeks and I am starving hungry and tired. I have also los 8 lb already in those 2 weeks. Can anyone tellmete correct calories for my age height weight and activity level. I am. Also a
nurse and work 2 days which involves walking and a lot of moving and handling. Thanks for any help

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Dr James Thompson
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Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 1:58 pm
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by Dr James Thompson on Fri Jan 25, 2013 6:06 pm

Re: joining a gym and diet to loose weight

Hi chocolate girl,

Thanks for getting in touch.

Well done on the weight loss, but it sounds like your regime has taken its toll!

Firstly, to answer your question it is very difficult to determine what your required daily calorie intake should be, as you have mentioned, age, gender and activity levels all play a role and your calorie intake will also change as your weight does. Therefore I wouldn't necessarily be focusing on calories as part of your weight loss regime.

You were told by who that 1300 calories was the required daily intake to lose 16Ib? Were you told this figure before or after you decided to join the gym? This is an important question as your daily calorie requirement will be higher if you do regular exercise.

If you are doing 90 minute workouts 4 times a week, you are likely to burning your way through a fair amount of calories, which is not leaving your body with much change from 1300 a day to run the rest of the things it needs to do. If you are burning through calories you may even end up with low blood sugars, which will make you feel ill and shaky, guaranteed. I am sure you have looked after patients with hypos.

Were you doing much exercise before you joined the gym? If not, it is not surprising that your body is tired, you ideally need to gradually increase activity levels.

The other question I have to ask is how quickly do you want to achieve the 16Ib weight loss? The rate at which you are going you'll have reached your goals within a month! Then what...? Are you wanting to continue this calorie intake and exercise regime longterm? I suspect that you don't.

Experiment with your calorie intake and monitor the effects on your weight and how you feel, this would be the best way to find out exactly how many calories YOUR body needs. Always ensure that you are eating healthily as part of a calorie controlled diet, making sure that you get all of your essential vitamins and minerals.

In summary, I would suggest that you slow down a little! What you want is a regime that is sustainable, something that you can stick to in order to maintain a healthy weight. By doing this you are likely to slow the rate at which you achieve your weight loss goals but you are less likely to see the weight go back on once you take your foot of the accelerator!

Good luck with achieving your goals without too many side-effects.

Dr James Thompson
www.askdocjames.com
Dr James Thompson

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Denise Kennedy
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Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 11:30 am
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by Denise Kennedy on Sat Jan 26, 2013 5:33 pm

Re: joining a gym and diet to loose weight

Hi chocolategirl,

Well done on your weight loss so far. Dr James has given you some good advice, but just to add a little to this.

In terms of calories, I would suggest that for your age, current weight (12st) and activity level a daily calorie aim of around 1600 - 1800 would be more realistic for you. This would also result in you losing weight, albeit at a slower rate. Once you achieve you target weight you can increase this a bit, especially if you are going to keep up the level of exercise.

You don't really say what foods you have been eating, but make sure you have a healthy diet with lots of fruit and vegetables, some lean meat, low fat dairy and starchy, carbohydrate foods. Some foods are better than others at keeping us full and helping us to keep going for longer as they take longer to digest - these are things like wholemeal bread, wholegrain pastas and cereals, and beans and lentils, so try to include some of these types of foods in your diet.

Try to make these changes on a permanent basis, and then once you achieve your target you can stay there. Of course, eating well means you will also be setting a fantastic example for your children, meaning that they are more likely to copy you and also have a healthy diet.

Best of luck. Denise
Denise Kennedy
Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist

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