confused abt eating healthy

karendsmith

I just started watching what I eat and exercising, and after reading some of the topics, I am confused. How much calories is too little to put you in starvation mode and how much calories is too much??? I want to boost my metabolism to lose weight, but not overeat or just maintain. How do I do that? What foods are good and how much do I consume? I have been eating a lot of salads and breakfast bars, I'm not sure what else I can or should be eating to have that healthy balance. Please help me!

MelKut

Hi! Great job starting on this journey! :happy: I'm not expert, but what I do know is:

****You need to net AT LEAST 1200 calories per day. If you exercise and burn 200 calories, this means you will eat a TOTAL of 1400 calories for that day. (For example, my daily goal is 1420, but yesterday I burned 600 calories, so my TOTAL caloric intake was about 2000 calories )****

About the food.... just try to get more fresh fruit and vegetables everyday (I aim for 1-2 cups PER MEAL).

Things like eggs, fish, lean meats and chicken are good for protein, try to get a serving for every meal (1 serving for women is about the size of your palm, but weigh it so you can log it). Other awesome sources of protein are nonfat cottage cheese and Greek yogurt (try nonfat if you are trying to cut back on calories, and get the PLAIN kind because any others can have a ton of sugar. You can always sweeten it with some fruit or honey or artificial sweeteners to save on calories.)

For GRAINS/BREADS, aim for whole grain items (The first ingredient should be 'whole wheat flour' (if not a wheat product, then it will be 'whole (whatever kind of product) flour.' Companies try to make their items seem like good choices but the only way to know is to check the label.) Also try to get products with high fiber and low sugar.

For sources of good fats (which are very important for your body), things like raw nuts, seeds, avocado, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, etc

Again, I'm not an expert, these are just tips I've picked up. I'm losing weight steadily but have gotten lower than I ever have before in my previous attempts to lose weight. Mostly because I AM eating more, and more healthy foods

Hope this helps :flowerforyou:

karendsmith

thanks, I think the part where I get confused is upping the calorie intake when I am burning calories. How do you lose weight then if you take in the additional calories after you have worked to burn them?

susannamarie

thanks, I think the part where I get confused is upping the calorie intake when I am burning calories. How do you lose weight then if you take in the additional calories after you have worked to burn them?

Your calorie intake is set so that you will lose without any exercise. The exercise is for cardiovascular health, to strengthen your body, and to convince your body that you still need the muscles so it should feed itself off the fat instead.

karendsmith

ok, now its starting to make sense. thank you both. I have a lot to learn