How many calories should I be eating in a day?

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vigilantlyvegan
vigilantlyvegan Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm eating a raw food vegan diet. I sleep through breakfast, eat a smoothie that consists of 1 banana and other fruits and vegetables and a spice or two. Then for dinner I have a large salad.

I don't feel like I'm getting enough to eat! D=

One of my tumblr favorites, she eats 2500 calories a day. But I'm unsure HOW she can do that.

She has this amazing body though that I have basically done everything possible to get in the past two years. I'm wanting to recover from my ED and eat this way. But I just don't know how I can get so many calories in!

Oh, and I work Th - Su as a fountaineer / waitress 4-5 hours a day.

Replies

  • Vorenus85
    Vorenus85 Posts: 112 Member
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    .
  • dawnrene1
    dawnrene1 Posts: 18
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    Hi vigilantyveg,
    You've probably heard this before, being a vegan, but you should really work some protein in there. I'm not sure if you like beans, but they are full of protein, fiber, and iron, a serving or two of those would balance your diet better.
    Or there is always a protein shake too.
    Seems like your calorie intake is really really low, and you could be starving your body and losing muscle too.
    I'm no expert by any means, but I have learned that extremely low calories will sabotage your diet in the long term.
    Hope I helped!
    :)
    -Dawn
  • PepperWorm
    PepperWorm Posts: 1,206
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    - Age
    - Height
    - Weight
    - Activity level/what activities you engage in/exercise
    - How many days a week you work out

    ^ Things we need to know.

    Please open your diary so that we may see what you're eating and how much.

    Judging by this post and the description of your meals, it sounds like you aren't eating enough...and I see no mentions of protein. There are plenty of vegan friendly protein sources. Do you not eat any?

    Recovering from an ED is tricky. If you feel you aren't getting enough calories and you want more, it sounds like you're taking a step in the right direction. :smile:
  • PepperWorm
    PepperWorm Posts: 1,206
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    I peeked at your now open diary. You have over 1,000 calories left to eat from 1200. I definitely believe you need to eat more and include protein.

    Is this your very first day? Welcome to MFP!
  • vigilantlyvegan
    vigilantlyvegan Posts: 4
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    Thanks guys. I just joined today so it doesn't really show what I'm eating. I'm a huge fan of beans but they're so hard to digest when you eat them raw. I'm defiantly trying to figure out my protein though! I'm living by 80/10/10. 80% carbs, 10% protein, 10% fat.
  • PepperWorm
    PepperWorm Posts: 1,206
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    Any special reason why you're going raw? Have you always been vegan? Why have you chosen your macros to be majority carb-heavy?
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    I can understand and respect your choice to go vegan (though I do not necessarily agree with it) however, because you specified that you are in recovery from an ED it is a very bad idea to attempt to live by a very restrictive diet, such as vegan. You will never even come close to full recovery as long as you see certain foods (much worse, whole food groups) as off limits because you will never conquer what you know to be your "fear foods." Following a very strict, restrictive dietary lifestyle while attempting recovery is just not feasible, I am sorry to say.

    EDIT: if you want to attempt recovery seriously then you must try to recreate the conditions of a recovery clinic. And what they would do is this:

    1. They would put you on a special diet based on eating maintenance (at the very least), taking only food allergies into consideration. Other than that, you have no control over what you eat.

    2. They do not allow you access to calorie tracking tools, nor do they allow access to scales, so you cannot weigh yourself.

    3. Your exercises is monitored and limited based on what they deem to be your health goals.
  • PepperWorm
    PepperWorm Posts: 1,206
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    I can understand and respect your choice to go vegan (though I do not necessarily agree with it) however, because you specified that you are in recovery from an ED it is a very bad idea to attempt to live by a very restrictive diet, such as vegan. You will never even come close to full recovery as long as you see certain foods (much worse, whole food groups) as off limits because you will never conquer what you know to be your "fear foods." Following a very strict, restrictive dietary lifestyle while attempting recovery is just not feasible, I am sorry to say.

    I have to agree, thus why I chose to ask the questions that I did. I didn't want to come off as rude outright pressing my opinion on the matter (and you didn't, I just have that way at times). :smile:

    ETA: I echo the edit to your post as well.
  • vigilantlyvegan
    vigilantlyvegan Posts: 4
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    I have been vegetarian, then vegan, then pescetarian, then vegetarian, etc all my life. It never had anything to do with my eating disorder, but more of my religious views. Religiously I just can't eat meat... I thank everyone who commented here with your opinions and advice. I asked a fellow raw food vegan and she told me that with my height/weight/age I should be eating at least 2500 calories a day.
  • dawnrene1
    dawnrene1 Posts: 18
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    I'm sorry, I missed the "raw" part. yes raw beans would be rather difficult and might break teeth! But yes, nuts, and amazingly just learned leafy greens have some protein! who'd have thought. :)
    Found a link that might be helpful :
    http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/raw-food-diet/raw-nutrition/protein-sources-on-a-vegan-raw-food-diet/
  • PepperWorm
    PepperWorm Posts: 1,206
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    I have been vegetarian, then vegan, then pescetarian, then vegetarian, etc all my life. It never had anything to do with my eating disorder, but more of my religious views. Religiously I just can't eat meat... I thank everyone who commented here with your opinions and advice. I asked a fellow raw food vegan and she told me that with my height/weight/age I should be eating at least 2500 calories a day.

    That sounds rather high.

    Try us.
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
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    Hello!
    If you want to stick to a fully raw vegan diet, you will probably have to train your body eat a larger volume of food at meals.
    Have you heard of Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram? She is a fully raw vegan, and you can look her up both on facebook and on YouTube, or perhaps she is the one you're referencing in your original post. She has a YouTube video that shows exactly what and how much food she eats in a typical day... and it is A LOT. Because raw fruits and veggies are naturally very low calorie, you do need to eat a lot of them to meet your body's caloric and nutritional requirements. Food is fuel!
    I'm a vegetarian, and I'm currently enjoying a salad for lunch. However, it is literally as big as my head.

    Plug all of your info into the "Goals" section of MFP and strive to meet that calorie goal every day to make sure you are giving your body everything it needs to function properly. Try adding things like nuts, seeds, or avocado to your meals as they are calorie dense foods that will help you reach your goal without adding a lot of volume. If you're still having trouble eating enough, you may want to consider adding in supplements like protein bars and shakes.

    Here's the video I was talking about. It's a real eye-opener:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaypjavYQi8
  • PepperWorm
    PepperWorm Posts: 1,206
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

    Though I'm still tentative to advocate someone counting calories while recovering from an ED, you sound as though you *truly* want to get better and eat healthier. Counting calories can either be a weapon against yourself or a tool to help aid you in the right direction. I certainly hope this helps in some way.

    Being a vegan is A. OK., but eating 'raw' may be too restrictive (in my humble opinion)...and being restrictive is what I hope you're trying to avoid.

    Best of luck, OP.
  • Binkie1955
    Binkie1955 Posts: 329 Member
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    http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
    this might help.
  • cebiginalaska
    cebiginalaska Posts: 280 Member
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    Find out more here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/7965-in-place-of-a-road-map
    it has lots of great information about figuring out your TDEE and how much you should eat
    This is a short form for the full document contained here:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13


    The Road Map is simply a tool to find Body Fat%, BMR and TDEE.
    All 3 items are important to understanding fat/weight loss.

    Once you know these 3 numbers, you'll be able to manipulate nutrition and training to get to your next goal.

    1) Body Fat%
    Knowing the ratio of body fat to lean mass is crucial in understanding body composition.
    The less fat you have, the leaner you'll look.
    The more lean muscle you have, the better your definition (tone) will look.
    Having ideal body fat is not only healthier for the individual but it also helps you look good naked!

    Athletes (6-13% for men, 16-20% for women) 
<---Ideal area for Bulking
    Fitness (14-17% for men, 21-24% for women) 

    Acceptable (18-25% for men, 25-31% for women) 

    Obese (25%+ for men, 32%+ for women)

    The shocking part about BF% is most people who PM me numbers don't know how much fat they carry.
    It's the most important part of figuring out the rest of your caloric intake.

    Bottom Line: Buy a tape measurer or a set of Calipers and learn how to objectively track body fat while cutting/bulking.
    The ultimate goal is to lose unwanted fat and maintain or even gain beautiful lean muscle.

    Useful links:
    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bf/
    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/
    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/cbbf/
    Do all 3 BF Calcs and use the average number.
    Write it down, you'll use it later!

    2) BMR/RMR
    Basal Metabolic Rate or Resting Metabolic Rate.
    This covers all body functions outside of activity.
    If you were in a coma and you were fed enough nutrients to keep you alive, Thats BMR.
    Think "Baseline Calories" if you did absolutely nothing.
    Sub-sedentary.
    All vital organs are covered when eating BMR.

    For those who like math, you'll find several different types of calculations for BMR.
    1) Harris-Benedict formula: Overestimates in obese: Avoid this setting!
    MEN: BMR = 66 + [13.7 x weight (kg)] + [5 x height (cm)] - [6.76 x age (years)]
    WOMEN: BMR = 655 + [9.6 x weight (kg)] + [1.8 x height (cm)] - [4.7 x age (years)]

    2) Mifflin-St Jeor: Better estimate for those that are obese, but still inflated.
    MEN: BMR = [9.99 x weight (kg)] + [6.25 x height (cm)] - [4.92 x age (years)] + 5
    WOMEN: BMR = [9.99 x weight (kg)] + [6.25 x height (cm)] - [4.92 x age (years)] -1613)

    3) Katch-McArdle: Best estimate if decent estimate of BF% is known and is especially good in leaner individuals.
    BMR = 370 + (21.6 x LBM)Where LBM = [total weight (kg) x (100 - bodyfat %)]/100

    If you'd like to calculate on your own, you can get calculated TDEE using this chart:
    Multiply BMR x Activity factor = TDEE.
    1.2 = Sedentary (Little or no exercise + desk job)
    1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active (Little daily activity & light exercise 1-3 days a week)
    1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active (Moderately active daily life & Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week)
    1.7-1.8 = Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle & Hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week)
    1.9-2.0 = Extremely Active (Hard daily exercise or sports and physical job)

    Or use the formula that chart is based on, if you want to use number of hours of exercise per week instead of guessing which level.
    For daily activity not sitting at a desk but always moving around, count the hrs as 1/8 the time (40 hr nurse on feet counts as 5 hrs)
    Walking exercise counts as 1/2 time (6 hrs walking is 3 hrs).
    Other exercise is straight time (3 hr Insanity is 3 hr).
    (Weekly movement hrs * 0.0875) + 1.2 = Activity Factor

    Realize that this isn't just about your training but your lifestyle as well.
    Example: You work at a desk all day but come home and play with your children for an hour, lift weights 3x a week for an hour and jog 2mi every other day. In this example id use Moderate or possibly Active settings.

    Heres a helpful link for figuring your BMR and TDEE:
    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
    Enter all pertinent info.
    Make GOAL weight the same as CURRENT weight to get todays TDEE.

    Bottom Line: Know what your base caloric needs are and stay above them if you are active.
    Eating too low for extended periods of time may allow for weight loss, but you could still have high body fat.
    Skinny-fat: http://foodtrainers.blogspot.com/2012/09/are-you-skinny-fat-find-out-why.html

    Once you know your base "Comatose" calories you can move on to TDEE.

    3) TDEE
    Total Daily Energy Expenditure
    This is the total amount of calories you burn in a 24hour period.
    You wake up, brush your teeth, lift, run, play, work.....
    You get the idea.
    One thing I've noticed over the years is people underestimate activity.
    They say "I'm sitting at my computer all day long so i'm sedentary!"
    I'll ask "Workout routine?"
    They say "Oh i run for 3 hours a day and do CrossFit all weekend long!"
    ok3lf7_zpse5c82df9.gif

    If you sit all day and barely walk and dont workout, Sedentary.
    If you workout 1-2x a week, Light.
    If you workout 3-5x a week, Moderate.
    If you workout 5+, active/very active.

    Youll find these numbers at the bottom of the BMR page in Fat 2 Fit.
    You can also use other calculators around the internet.

    Once you have TDEE you can decide what to set MFP calories to.
    I recommend -20% for individuals who are Obese and under.
    -30% for individuals who are Obese and over.

    Bottom Line: Be realistic with activity. If you are a marathon runner trying to take a few pounds off, don't use sedentary settings. First start with the top number that applies to you and stick with it for several weeks. If nutrition is right and activity is right, you should maintain eating TDEE. To lose fat, subtract calories. To gain LBM, add calories. Lift weights, walk, sleep and eat right.
    Use your common sense.

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