Is there something I'm missing?

So is fitness pal basically saying that 1200 cals is what I should be having if I'm not exercising and I'll still lose weight? Because I hate exercise so would love to give it up if that's the case.

CharmCityGirl, that's my exact problem too. I really don't know what I should be eating apart from fruits, veg, and chicken. I wish I could be on Jenny Craig for life 

Yes, there's a good chance that MFP is suggesting 1200 calories if you're not exercising. Exercise has a lot of other benefits though, not just weight loss, so maybe switching up your routine would make it more interesting! As others have suggested, adding strength training is a great way to mix things up, not to mention the benefits to your physical and mental health.

Maybe try speaking to a nutritionist (not sure if the NHS provides this) or if you have the money, joining something like Weight Watchers where they focus on portion sizes and what you should be eating/cooking for yourself. They'll push their own food, which is helpful in a pinch, but they also have lots of recipes to try. You could even start by buying one of their cookbooks (or taking it out from the library) or a magazine where it will indicate how many portions one recipe makes. You could portion it out and it really is an eye opener just how much you really should be eating!

The calorie allowance that My Fitness Pal advises is based in part on your activity level - so if you're mostly sedentary, you will be allowed fewer calories than a very active person. If you've recently significantly upped your exercise time, you might want to tweak your profile and see what that does to the calories they recommend.

You definitely need to be at 1200 net! It's the final number that MFP gives you. I'll admit that some days I exercise just so that I can eat more and no other reason! lol

Sounds to me that you are missing another big component of an exercise routine: rest! Rest is *key* to a healthy body. If you are actually burning 700 calories, which is seriously hardcore (that's like an hour in a spinning class at 100%) you need to rest the next day to repair your muscles. If you treat your body right, you will continue to burn calories on your off days (or so my spinning instructor tells me). You joke about stopping exercise, but I'd actually recommend lowering the intensity and frequency. Do your stepping or long run one day, then the next day maybe just go for a walk or do some yoga if you insist on exercising. Rest doesn't have to mean "sofa."

Oh, and make sure you have something protein at least 30 minutes after your workouts. I recommend a glass of milk or greek yogurt. This will help your muscles get right into repair mode.

Also, you said you snack on fruit often - many people think there is no such thing as too much fruit and that you can eat all the fruit you want, but this is really not true.  Fruit is full of sugars and more importantly, carbohydrates.  Increase what you eat, but ideally make it more protein rather than other types of food.

So is fitness pal basically saying that 1200 cals is what I should be having if I'm not exercising and I'll still lose weight? Because I hate exercise so would love to give it up if that's the case.

CharmCityGirl, that's my exact problem too. I really don't know what I should be eating apart from fruits, veg, and chicken. I wish I could be on Jenny Craig for life 

You said that you're less interested in the weight loss than the being healthier part. Exercising won't cause weight loss, only calorie deficiencies will do that. Exercising does require more calories and if you're not eating more to meet that need you will create a calorie deficiency but exercise on its own won't do it. Otoh, losing weight won't help any of your health markers (cholesterol, blood pressure, ability to climb stairs without getting winded) whereas exercise will do all of those things.

The most important thing is to find exercise that you love, or at least don't hate. If your gym routine is excruciating try something else. My leisure centre has a "variety" class on Sundays with rotating instructors so one week it's Pilates, the next week it's a spin class, then Zumba, or whatever. Try different classes and ask yourself if it was fun or not.

Oh, and if push-ups are something you specifically want to be able to do, do them standing up , pushing against a wall. You'll work the same muscles but without having to support your whole body from the get go.

Maybe try speaking to a nutritionist (not sure if the NHS provides this) 

The NHS absolutely provides this especially if your health is affected in any way at all-- which it almost always is -- speak to GP and ask for a referral--I know several people who have seen the nutritionist, not usually much of a wait unlike other referrals...most offices have one come in about once a week or so.

Thanks everyone. I learned so much in this thread. Didn't have a clue that I'm not allowed to have as many fruits as I want. Bummer! Really pleased that I can ask to see a nutritionist though!

Didn't have a clue that I'm not allowed to have as many fruits as I want. Bummer!

It depends on which programme you follow. On Weight Watchers, you can have all the fruit you want (within reason, of course). Other weight loss plans restrict how many fruit servings you can eat. I've had success with both methods. Do what works for you! 

First off, losing  20 lbs is amazing. Well done you! You should celebrate that!  Can you think of anything that weighs 20 lbs and how heavy they are?  Go find random books, put them on the scale until they add up to 20 lbs - and try carrying around for a while. Its not pleasant to carry that much around on your back, so to have lost that is wonderful!

I agree whole heartily on the 'do exercise you love' - and actually, just getting off the couch and doing any sort activity counts- cleaning, gardening, getting off the bus 3 stops early, walking to the shops instead of taking a taxi and then carrying your groceries home, going to the clubs and dancing for 3 hours straight- whatever tickles your fancy.

I hate things like treadmills, stationary bikes, etc- Blah!! I am bored within 0.00001 seconds.    

These days, I get 99% of my activity through cycling to work - the 13 minutes there and 18 minutes back (up a hill) adds up to 31 minutes a day of activity and I'm commuting, something I have to do anyways and I quite enjoy it actually- I love getting to work with fresh air pumped through my lungs!
  
I also do tons of weeding, turning over of compost, etc in the allotment and that's all activity and I'm not sitting on my bum.  Plus the reward is all kinds of healthy vegetables to eat!

So I highly recommend finding something you enjoy- Kayaking, Hill Walking, Salsa Dancing, Gardening, Sailing, Gorge Jumping, Trampolining, Tae Kwon Do, Ballet, Rowing, Golf, Curling, Handball!?!

Also, agree if you're doing a lot of exercise, you will need to eat - I'm surprised you're not chewing your arm off trying to do that much exercise and not eating enough.  Those stairclimber calorie burners are notoriously incorrect, get a heart rate monitor if you really want to count the calories burnt properly.  

Also, a huge thing- make sure you're being whole accurate and honest about your portion sizes.  Actually weighing and measuring your food makes a huge difference and 99% of the time we are eating more than what we think we are.  

Disclaimer: (Feel free to take what I say with a grain of salt- but I do have a bit of experience with this stuff!) I'm hardly a poster child for healthy weight and exercise.  I've struggled all my life with it.  Ups and downs and in-between.  I weigh far far far far more than I should,  but I'm on the weight loss journey - a very, very, very, very slow one at that, taken me 2.5 years to lose what I have.   I go off track sometimes- travelling, meals out, going out to the pubs, and eat and drink too much.  I'm a roller coaster of weight loss- I also can't exercise as much as I should,  I have an autoimmune condition that causes lots of pain so I do struggle sometimes.  Still my aim is to fit activity (not exercise, I can't call it that, because my mind goes-  "!blah!!boring!!!)  into my life and to eat as healthy as possible. I'm getting there. I'm almost into the 'overweight' category and that will be amazing, considering I was in the morbidly obsese one.  People would probably find that horrible to be excited to get into the overweight category. Not me!  So hey ho!

Good luck!!!  

  

As far as diet goes....I have never done it, but I know that friends who have followed a "Paleo" diet have seen some pretty good results right off the bat, as far as straight weight loss is concerned. 

I'll second this! The focus is on cutting inflammatory foods not calorie counting or extreme workouts. It's not a fad diet, no supplements or powders to buy, just whole real food. I read up on the principles for a few months before I was ready to give it a try.

I just finished this 30 day program and had immediate results with the only effort being more mindful of what I am eating and preparing balanced meals without inflammatory foods. All the tools are on the website. The e-guide is helpful but not necessary. There is a forum too and the community is helpful.

http://whole9life.com/

More so than exercise, I think it’s important to know what you’re eating and how much you’re in taking every day.

I have lost 55 pounds in the last 9 months simply by cutting back, learning how to read calories Some examples; Low cal/fat products are not always good. Check sugars and sodium, which sometimes serve a substitute for fat from my experience. Cut back on carbohydrates and dairy., almond milk is a life savior, if you can get used to the taste. Choose things in high protein, that will have you feeling fuller. Lots of veggies and fruits and lean meats. Eat as often during the day so your metabolism is always working or working fast at least. And rule of thumb, for me anyway… if it’s organic or as “homemade” as I can get it it’s always best even if it’s dessert… so long as it’s done by you, and YOU control what’s in it, you’re good to go.

Also, I’ve lost all of this weight without stepping foot into a gym, which is what I need to do now, to tone and get rid of the flabby stuff that’s still around, but just needs to be toned. Once that’s gone I’m sure I’ll lose the remaining 20 lbs I want to get rid of.

I’ve learned that losing weight is 90% what you eat and how much of it, 10% exercise and 100% lifestyle change, because it’s not so much loosing the weight (frankly, we can ALL do that with enough determination) but KEEPING it off is the real trick.

Good luck to you and a MASSIVE congrats on all the weight you’ve lost. I know how hard it can be

I Like PB's advice: "I agree whole heartily on the 'do exercise you love' - and actually, just getting off the couch and doing any sort activity counts- cleaning, gardening, getting off the bus 3 stops early, walking to the shops instead of taking a taxi and then carrying your groceries home, going to the clubs and dancing for 3 hours straight- whatever tickles your fancy."

I was told that when were were kids, we called exercise "playing outside". It was suggested that we don't think of exercise as "work" outs, but as playtime! Though I do go to the gym now, I will be honest and say my favorite "playtime" wasn't in the gym at all! It was Belly Dancing! I first took it for a different way to get in shape and ended up loving it so much that I joined a performance crew, went 3 times a week (1 was a drill class we were required to go to for technique help, 1 was performance crew night to practice our routines and the third was a continued style learning class!) I had a blast and it really helps with positive outlook and esteem as well! I'm looking to hopefully join a class here sometime soon!

Find something that's fun and enjoyable, it will make such a big difference!