How many calories a day should I eat ?

Hey Kate, you and I are the same height. Are you asking what your
typical intake should be to keep your weight stable, or the most
extreme restriction of calories you can attempt?

See this link for a number of useful calculators, including a caloric
intake one that will give you an idea of your base intake (i.e. number
of calories that in theory will maintain your weight, and the bar you
have to slide under to lose weight).

http://healthfitness.com.au/calculat...e_fitness.html

A pound of fat is 3500 calories, so if you want to lose 1 lb per week,
you have to run a 500 calorie a day deficit. You can do that by
decreasing your caloric intake, or by exercising more...or better yet,
BOTH.

I just lost more than 55 lb. I was 194.6 last summer, and I'm currently
around 137 ish. I was on a very calorie restricted diet but I was also
supervised very closely (i.e. I was in the clinic 3 times a week. I was
taking vitamins and minerals including calcium, vitamin D, potassium,
magnesium, a multivitamin, iron etc. The clinic was doing blood work
monthly, checking my blood pressure every week, and I had to see a
doctor ever 3 weeks. I was losing a steady 2 - 2 1/2 lb a week and
feeling good, but I certainly wouldn't try something like this without
a doctor keeping you on a short leash and monitoring you closely.

Its not just a question of calorie restriction, its also making sure
that what you ARE eating is contributing to your well being and also
helping you develop sustainable habits. I know if I'd been eating the
same number of calories daily but oreos instead of lean meat, veggies,
fruit etc. I probably WOULD have been feeling crappy, if not actually
getting sick.

I need less than 1700 calories a day or less to stay stable and
maintain the same weight. The calculators are just a one size fits all
idea, so you may need more or less than average based on your age, sex,
weight and activity level. You just have to try out various levels of
intake (i.e. if you aren't losing weight at X calories a day, you cut
back to X-100 and see what happens).

I have to tell you, I was REALLY committed this time, and I can't say
that was true on my previous attempts. You have to figure out what is
going to work for you to keep you glued to whatever program you decide
to do. There ain't no quick or easy fix for this mess.

Mary G.

a-scrapbooking-diva wrote:
Hi. How many calories a day should I eat ? I am 5 feet 6 inches tall,
female, and currently about 210 pounds. I would like to cut down my
calories to the minumum I should eat without putting my health at
risk.
Any advice would be appreciated. I tried the low carb diet, but it
didn't work for me.

Thanks.

Kate

Be careful. The longer you're at a certain calorie level, the better
your body adjusts to it, in terms of how efficiently it uses the
calories you give it. So, if you were to eat very few calories for a
year or so, and then you decided you just couldn't do it anymore, thus
going back to your old calorie intake, you would probably end up being
(perhaps after another year) heavier than if you had just kept eating
the way you normally do throughout the year you cut your calories.
There are no easy ways to beat genetics.

I kind of have the male version of your problem, if I want to be sexist
about it I guess. I'm 5'7 130 lbs and i'm a 24-year-old male. So, I
weigh about as much as most girls, even though I have a decent (when
compared to an average person) bench press, power clean, deadlift,
squat etc.. It's kind of odd. I do eat a LOT of food as well,
including raw whole milk, fish, etc. Oh, well : ) GOod luck.