How many calories in a day?
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Also, just because the scale doesn't move doesn't mean you aren't losing inches. Some folks are scale obsessed even with ounces that they focus their whole journey on the scale. You can weigh the same and still wear smaller clothes and look smaller because muscle takes up less space than fat especially if you are weight training.0
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1400 to 1500 calories is what worked for me.
I am 5'6" and needed to lose at least 40 lbs -- who am I kidding, I need to lose another 15!
Anyway, I try to hover around 1400 calories but do go over about 25% of the time and I still lost weight and continue to lose. I also kept my weight loss / maintenance calories the same.
I also incorporated the following macros into my plan: 45% protein, 40% fat and 15% sugar / carbs. (Paleo / Keto - ish) and lost about 40 lbs over a 6th month period.
I knew from my own past experience that carbs and sugar are the devil. If I eat one sweet thing, then, I can't stop. I know that if I eat simple carbs (like bagels / white potatoes) my heart will race. If I eat complex carbs (like canned white beans) then I feel okay, but I don't really lose weight. I have restricted sugar and carbs before and knew that by restricting them, I am not craving them and I feel better. I liked that I wasn't hungry and that I had energy. If you chose to try this know that you have to eat healthy fat (to feel full / satiated).
Check out keto / paleo websites (and MFP forums) for some ideas on food macros and recipe ideas.
Ref: http://paleoiq.com/best-paleo-diet-blogs/
BTW, people are very passionate about either loving or hating keto / paleo. When I did it, I incorporated the "lifestyle" changes one meal at a time over three weeks. Breakfast during week one; Breakfast and lunch during week two; and, Breakfast, lunch and dinner during week three. (I didn't really get the "keto flu" doing it that way.)
Note:
The Weston A Price foundation states that people need 100 g of carbs per day to keep the thyroid in good working order. So, do keep that in mind over the long term.
Ref: https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/why-we-need-carbs/
Good luck!
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Salera_west wrote: »So for weight loss they recommend not trying to lose more than 2lbs per week (without talking to your doctor first) so a caloric deficit of 7,000 for the week. To determine how many calories you neex it's
1) Weight multiplied by 11
2) multiply answer from one by
.3 for slow metabolism
.4 for average
.5 for fast
3) add answers from step 1 and 2 plus any excersize calories.
That would be the amount you need to maintain so if you take off 1000 per day from that you would lose two pounds per week.
I'm not sure how accurate it is (I did the calculations and it said my maintenance calories is 3800). If it was fully accurate, then I'd be losing a pound every 2 days.
Except that your body can only burn off a certain amount of fat per day, and I am fairly sure a pound a day of fat is more than that upper maximum. Albeit, from what I have read, determining what that upper maximum is is still a matter of research. This is not saying the formula above holds any validity. I really have no idea.
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lsanchez910 wrote: »So since it's supposed to be around 2200, have I done bad by starting at 1500?
No. You have to make your own judgments. Do you feel good? Are you healthy? Are you losing weight? Stay on it. Some hunger is normal, but if you're ravenously hungry about sabotaging yourself, try eating a little more.0 -
lsanchez910 wrote: »So since it's supposed to be around 2200, have I done bad by starting at 1500?
No. You have to make your own judgments. Do you feel good? Are you healthy? Are you losing weight? Stay on it. Some hunger is normal, but if you're ravenously hungry about sabotaging yourself, try eating a little more.
Agreed. The idea behind starting with a higher number is that you're trying to build habits that will last a lifetime and keep the weight off - starting with a big drop in calories can be really miserable and difficult to maintain. But if you're finding it comfortable to eat at 1500 a day, enjoy! I've got that as my daily goal even though my TDEE is about 2400 (although I usually have two big days a week so average more like 2000 - still, I don't feel miserable on the 1500 days).0 -
mrspett323 wrote: »It takes 1200 calories for a 3 year old to function. ... Nobody's BMR is 1200 unless you are 3 years old.
Our bodies evolved to function on few or new calories when necessary. Some people do very well on Intermittent Fasting or Calorie Reduction programs. Depending on the program, they eat nothing during long periods or 500 calories a day on selected days. They are carefully worked out and they're not for everyone, but it is not true that everyone must eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day to lose weight.
Some people, like myself, are just small. I have to be under 1000 calories a day to lose weight.
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mrspett323 wrote: »It takes 1200 calories for a 3 year old to function. ... Nobody's BMR is 1200 unless you are 3 years old.
Our bodies evolved to function on few or new calories when necessary. Some people do very well on Intermittent Fasting or Calorie Reduction programs. Depending on the program, they eat nothing during long periods or 500 calories a day on selected days. They are carefully worked out and they're not for everyone, but it is not true that everyone must eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day to lose weight.
Some people, like myself, are just small. I have to be under 1000 calories a day to lose weight.
Our bodies did not evolve to survive on few or no calories for extended periods of time - that's why people die of malnutrition and starvation. 1200/1500 is just an approximation of when a diet starts to get possibly unhealthy. Certainly people can safely lose weight on less than that, but because of the potential side-effects (difficulty in reaching minimum nutrition on so few calories being a big one) it's best to be under a doctor's care if you're going to do the extremely low calorie thing.3 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »mrspett323 wrote: »It takes 1200 calories for a 3 year old to function. ... Nobody's BMR is 1200 unless you are 3 years old.
Our bodies evolved to function on few or new calories when necessary. Some people do very well on Intermittent Fasting or Calorie Reduction programs. Depending on the program, they eat nothing during long periods or 500 calories a day on selected days. They are carefully worked out and they're not for everyone, but it is not true that everyone must eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day to lose weight.
Some people, like myself, are just small. I have to be under 1000 calories a day to lose weight.
Our bodies did not evolve to survive on few or no calories for extended periods of time - that's why people die of malnutrition and starvation. 1200/1500 is just an approximation of when a diet starts to get possibly unhealthy. Certainly people can safely lose weight on less than that, but because of the potential side-effects (difficulty in reaching minimum nutrition on so few calories being a big one) it's best to be under a doctor's care if you're going to do the extremely low calorie thing.
Agreed MegaMoose!0 -
1200 is CRAP. I'd advise to aim for 1350 minimum to 1500.0
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If you eat 2200, you will likely maintain...so, 1500 is a good number, depending on the amount and type of exercise you do. I'm also 5'5 and I burn 1650ish on a sedentary day and 2000-2500 on regular days with some exercise. Best of luck!0
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MegaMooseEsq wrote: »mrspett323 wrote: »It takes 1200 calories for a 3 year old to function. ... Nobody's BMR is 1200 unless you are 3 years old.
Our bodies evolved to function on few or new calories when necessary. Some people do very well on Intermittent Fasting or Calorie Reduction programs. Depending on the program, they eat nothing during long periods or 500 calories a day on selected days. They are carefully worked out and they're not for everyone, but it is not true that everyone must eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day to lose weight.
Some people, like myself, are just small. I have to be under 1000 calories a day to lose weight.
Our bodies did not evolve to survive on few or no calories for extended periods of time - that's why people die of malnutrition and starvation. 1200/1500 is just an approximation of when a diet starts to get possibly unhealthy. Certainly people can safely lose weight on less than that, but because of the potential side-effects (difficulty in reaching minimum nutrition on so few calories being a big one) it's best to be under a doctor's care if you're going to do the extremely low calorie thing.
It takes people several weeks to die of starvation after eating nothing. That is not the case with people on a planned diet. Medical supervision is helpful, but many healthy people are willing to do their homework, monitor themselves, and they get great results.
I suggest you Google "myth of starvation mode." Also look up IF, PSMF, and CR. These are not fringe or fad diets.
My main point is that blanket statements such as "Everyone must consume a minimum of___ calories" are inaccurate, unhelpful, and may prevent certain individuals from losing weight.2
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