Calorie Question

I am so glad you no longer have that "trainer," bacause I am afraid you were lead to believe something that is not true. God designed our bodies to run like a fine tuned machine and to do that we have got to give our body what it needs each day. You don't expect your car to run properly without filling it up with gas, and we are the same way. We need to fuel our bodies with quality calories to keep our metabolism racing. A balance of lean proteins, whole grains with lots of fruit and veggies in combination with exercise si the perfect plan. It is confusing to look at the numbers and try to understand them. That is why this site is such a powerful tool in helping us all master our weight loss. Just know that when you exercise your body uses so much engery and needs calories to continue to burn calories. Another helpful tip is to drink lots of water. Take your weight and divide it in half...that is how much water your body needs every day. (200lbs. = 100 ounces of water daily) I agree with adjusting to a 1 pound a week weight loss and anything over that is a reason to shout! This is not a quick fix, but a lifestyle and with the encourageing advise and great information on this site you are going to reach your goal. Take it one day at at time and know that it took a long time to put the weight on and it isn't going to come off overnight. We are all behind you and YOU CAN DO IT!!

BEST ANSWER HANDS DOWN NO QUESTION ASK BABY:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

So, Neemo here's my take on the situation.

1st, 2 lbs a week is considered a very aggressive weight loss strategy, and usually should only be used by people well into the obese category. I would lower your goal, and realize that this should be a long term committment, this allows you to adjust to the new levels of calories without the feeling of starving all the time, it also give your skin and organs a chance to adjust to the smaller sizes, remember, really fast weight loss causes loose skin, give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs, and give it some time to shrink with the fat, and you'll have less loose skin and less averse reactions to weight loss.

2nd, When you go through a lifetime of abusing your body (by overeating and eating an unhealthy diet with lots of trans-fats and low on complex carbohydrates) your body's chemical process adapts to accomodate these poisons. The hormones and organs they support are skewed from normal actions, this can cause us to feel lethargic, depressed, and hungry for the wrong reasons. It can take months of healthy eating before we are chemically balanced again (in most cases, it WILL happen eventually), but you must give yourself time to get there.

IMHO you should create a diet that you KNOW gives you the right amount of calories and the right macro and micro nutrients, create a time schedule that keeps your body fueled (I.E. eating 200 to 300 cals every 2 to 3 hours) and realize that if you're hungry, it's most likely because your body is pumping out extra ghrelin because it's used to A LOT more fats and other satiating foods then you are giving it. Eventually the body will adjust, produce less of the ghrelin, and you'll no longer feel hungry all the time.

In many cases with obese people and overeaters their body's DON'T know what's good for them, and you have to retrain it to know. Once that happens, you can again begin to trust your body.