Is this right?

[Lucaslucas1612]

I have been calorie counting for the past month and my PT set me at 1500 calories a day which I have been sticking at except for one cheat day a week which I probably go way over. I do HIT type exercise four times a week. I have lost 1lb a week which I am disappointed with. I want to loose it more as it will take me another 13 weeks to get to my goal weight if I carry on like this. I am trying to count calories accurately but I have gone back to eating carbs quite a lot- still within my calories though. Is this right? Surely with that exercise and calories I should be loosing more?

Wondering about going back to running as the weight fell off.

What's your height and current weight? I am 5 ft 3 and weight 9.12 and I would maintain that weight if I ate 1500 7 days a week. ( even with exercise) so if you're 1500 6 days a week with 1 day over then that's probably why your weight loss is slow. How much do you think you go over on the cheat day? Work it out as weekly average of how many calories you're in taking.

I lost a stone last year and have kept it off. I did 1300 cals a day, high protein ( 100g a day) and exercised with weights most days and lost around 2lb a week.

I don't do cheat days as they tend to ruin the hard work I put in during the week, instead I add one treat a day that I look forward to but that is included in my daily allowance. I eat chocolate every day this way!

Good luck!

I am 5ft 6 and currently weigh 10stone 3 down from 10.8. My aim is to get to 9 stone 5 as I was last summer. I tend to be between 1200-1300 a day, my PT told me I should try and get more calories.

Yes, I think my cheat day is probably the problem. I will binge and eat a lot of sweets/chocolate all in one go. I find I get that out my system and then go all week without a great mostly. Unless it's in my calories. I find it hard to just have a little and often, I am all or nothing kind of person.

Think I might try and drop to 1300 calories and drop the carbs down more. I have started having toast for breakfast, 4 oat crackers for lunch and then a rice/noodle/pasta dish pretty often for dinner. The salads and veg have gone by the wayside too much.

Honestly I usually am an all or nothing person too! But actually what you are doing ( and what I was doing too) was creating an unhealthy mindset and restrictions which were too harsh, hence the bingeing when I was 'allowed'

You're over eating on the cheat day because you've restricted yourself, trust me this cycle is not sustainable and it's how the diet industry is so flawed!

Carbs aren't bad but they don't give you a lot of bang for your buck. Protein not only fills you up but actually increases satiety.

A typical dinner for me might be a chicken breast with a load of veg and sweet potato fries. Or Gammon, eggs, veg and homemade wedges. Usually comes to around 450 cals for the whole dinner and I'm full up. The equivalent calories for pasta would mean by meal was tiny and I'd be hungry again in an hour

Focus all your meals around protein first, and add carbs as secondary.

If you have a cheat day and eat loads of sweets and chocolate all in one go, plus maybe a takeaway and other meals you will definitely be over. I can easily eat 1500 calories just by eating some choccies and sweets over a few hours and that's without my other bits and bobs of meals or snacks I might have that day. So you might find you are overall averaging over the week at your maintenance calories or just below if you have already lost 1lb.

I am currently using my fitness pal to track everything. I have it set to 1400 calories a day - although I don't track some things such as butter on toast, a slug of oil when I cook, ketchup I might use etc. So I probably eat more like 1450-1500. I may also have some days where I eat 1200-1300. I do about 3 weight based gym classes a week, plus make sure I do between 10000-15000 steps a day. I average at around 1350 calories a day and around 12000 steps a day. I have no cheat day as they would be about 3000 at least and then I defo would lose much slower. In the last 3 weeks I have lost 2lb a week. I think tracking your cheat day would help even if you up it to 1800 calories then at least you can have your treats without going over and you can see what your average over the week is.