At your weight, even if you barely move around you would be able to lose about a pound a week eating 2500 calories a day. Then down to 2200 by the time you are down to 225. Down to 1900 once you hit 200 and then see where things sit from there.
Shakes are a ridiculous way to lose weight. You'll need to learn to eat in such a way that you don't weigh 250. It takes practice if you aren't used to it. I was 235 at my highest and it it took time to retrain my brain.
Exercise is good too.
I have lost it all before - I went from 234 to 150 lbs about 5 years ago, but when I got pregnant I had so little energy I spent all my time sleeping and I was CONSTANTLY hungry. To keep at 150lbs I had to spend 1 hr at least in the gym, that is after seeing to my horse and riding for an hour a night and I consumed approx 1000 cals a day. Any more and I put on fat (I have the Body fat scales). back then I was fit, I had 22% body fat and muscles.
I tried to lose the weight the same way I did then...........Eat less, do more.....I got 1 month in, no weight loss despite eating a 'good' amount - it was not less than 1500 a day and no more than 2500......plus the exersise. When nothing came of that, that is when the doc said "Oh, maybe you are just one of these folk that needs less than 1000cals a day!". She was pushing the Cambridge diet etc. I didnt fancy it so I stuck at the diet but then a few weeks later I had only lost like 3lbs and then I get ill, proper put you n bed full of the cold ill for a week. And the weight goes BACK on.
So I go get over that cold and try again...........same thing. So I go ask docs for blood test as given my general health and how I feel 2 friends say it sounds like Underactive Thyroid. Get bloods done, comes back smack bang in the middle of the range for all - T4 and Liver function. Doc deems me normal, again harps on about sub 1000cal diet.
So I have been giving it a try........and decided that dieting and seriously upping exercise at same time had failed before so I have been doing the dieting with just doing bit more , but not proper exercise and like I said nothing happened.
So I decided to add in exersize................and its all gone Pete Tong again
. I am FULL of a head cold, every muscle in my body aches and I have an appetite of a horse.............With the energy of a sloth
. At the weekend I had nachos and a burger and 2 days later appeared to have lost 4lbs of fat (the scales say!), so I have re evaluated and taken out shake bar breakfast. They have extra protein in (% wise only 30% cals is from carbs) and are better than say cereal - fruit is not an option that early in the day, my stomach cannot handle it - and have say a small sandwich at lunch then soup in the evening............that has been this week so far. I have no energy. I have been taking multi vits and some sups, that are supposed to help with focus and energy and I just feel CRAP.
I have also got 5 o'clock shadow.........and mu muscles actually feel hard - - like on my legs the fat/muscles are not squidgy any more, they are hard
. I have huge legs as that is my powerhouse basically. I was a horse rider and MTB rider (XC) before I had LO and so they did all the work.
I am getting peeved as well at folk at work just saying "eat less, just eat less" etc etc..............if that did work then I wouldn't still be fat!! I have banned anything sweet that I like from the house - and anything OH has must be hard to access so it cant just be grabbed etc. I dont drink sugary drinks. I am eating off my daughters ditty little plates as well (that really does work though for portion control as a full plate looks stupid)
I know your metabolism changes with age and more so with having a child. I know that 1lb fat = 3500 cals and that muscle is approx 3 times heavier than fat, you cant spot reduce, it takes time etc etc. I even know the order in which fat seems to deplete of my person...............but why does it have to be soo hard!!!! I know folk say it doesn't have to be, but when you follow a so called " stress free" method that turns out to be a big stress mess hassle, it does get you thinking, what is the frikkin point!