[kaytlin90]

I'm kinda new to weight loss and I'd like to know how many calories a day I should eat.

[fiberlover]

Well - it really depends on how tall you are and how much you currently weigh, plus your activity level.
You can use a site like
thedailyplate.com
fitday.com
calorieking.com

to help you figure out a target range of calories to be in. Start there, and then you can adjust as needed. Never go below 1200 per day on a regular basis.

[JayEll]

This Sticky thread, over in Calorie Counters, has some general information to help you get started!

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120806

Jay

[kaytlin90]

im 21 and now eat about 1000 calories a day...is this too high or no...i dont know my weight and really dont want to know it..i exercice 30 minutes a day (brisk walking and running) and dont do much exercice the rest of the day.

[JennyG]

I believe way too low.

[fiberlover]

Originally Posted by kaytlin90

im 21 and now eat about 1000 calories a day...is this too high or no...i dont know my weight and really dont want to know it..i exercice 30 minutes a day (brisk walking and running) and dont do much exercice the rest of the day.

That is really too low to eat on a consistent basis. Do you know how much you want to lose? It really would help to get a baseline weight to work with. There is a big difference in calories for weight loss between someone who is 140 pounds and 240 pounds.

[kaytlin90]

i weight more than 180 pounds thats for sure...my weight is 205 pounds...so is 1000-1200 calories a day ok ?

[fiberlover]

Originally Posted by kaytlin90

i weight more than 180 pounds thats for sure...my weight is 205 pounds...so is 1000-1200 calories a day ok ?

Too low. You can eat more calories and still lose weight. I might start around 1600 and see how that goes for you. If you start higher, you can always adjust downwards. If you get stuck now, there is no where for you to go.

[kaytlin90]

i do not feel really hungry anymore....i mean im eating like 1000 calories a day and do not feel hungry anymore...should i still eat more than this amount of calories ?

[CountingDown]

YES - eat!!!! Your calories are way too low for your weight. At least 1600-1800 should do the trick - depending upon your activity/exercise level - maybe even higher. As you lose, you will reduce this level - and you want to leave room to go lower as you need to.

Good luck - you CAN do this!!!

[fiberlover]

Originally Posted by kaytlin90

i do not feel really hungry anymore....i mean im eating like 1000 calories a day and do not feel hungry anymore...should i still eat more than this amount of calories ?

Yes, please eat more. You can eat more calorie dense food without eating more volume.
Try a tablespoon of peanut butter on something. Instead of Fat free cheeses, use reduced fat or full fat versions. 1/2 an ounce of nuts. These are all small amounts that can increase your calories without giving you much more to eat.

Could you post a sample day's menu so we can see what you are consuming with your 1000 calories?

[kaytlin90]

Sure, thanks a lot for your help...i really need it.

Here's a sample's day menu:

breakfast at 9h30 am: 1 toast with peanut butter OR 1 toast with some butter on it or jam

dinner at around 12h pm: one or two bowl of soup (like vegetable soup or lipton noodles and chicken)..dessert sometimes = like about a cup of strawberry

snack (3 p.m.): a fruit or whole grain chips

supper (5 p.m.): salmon with mashed potatoes OR 1 hot dog with tofu sausage

snack a few hours before going to bed (thats when i usually feel really hungry and wanna binge a whole lot): cookies, chips or stuff like that, sometimes a fruit with a glass of fat-free milk.

BTW, im a vegetarian.

[Pandora123a]

Kaytlin,

If your calories stay low so long your body will go into starvation mode...and you will lose much slower! Your metabolism will slow down to insure that you have adequate food.

It doesn't look as though you are getting much protein or vegetables/fiber. Can you add some salads? How about high fiber pasta.

It has been said already, try for 1600-1800 calories, particularly to begin with. You are pretty active if you are exercising every day. If you really starve your body it will start to use muscle to replace nutrients, not a great idea.

There is a lot of good information out there, fitday is my favorite, but others are really good as well.

Good luck

[fiberlover]

I would suggest more protein, and more veggies
I am not sure what type of vegetarian you are, since you do have salmon listed, and chicken noodle soup. If you eat eggs and dairy, here are some suggestions:

For breakfast, how about adding some eggs to the toast, or a veggie sausage patty (I love those - Morningstar brand).

For lunch, add a salad. You can put some cheese on it for protein, or a hard boiled egg.

With your afternoon snack, have some yogurt.

For dinner, have more veggies

Your evening binges might be better controlled if you have more protein during the day, and also make sure you are getting enough fat.

[JayEll]

Definitely, you can eat more than 1000 cals and still lose--plus you'll feel better, and you won't lose as much lean body mass (which we want to keep!)

I agree with the other posters so far--1600 cals minimum, and see how that goes. Don't freak out if the scale goes up at first--hang in for a full week or two. Don't expect to lose 2 pounds a week every week. This is a case where slower may be better. If nothing happens in two weeks, drop by 100 cals for another 2 weeks.

Get more protein into what you eat. It looks like you aren't eating enough to support your muscles and other tissues. It is possible for vegetarians to get adequate protein. I notice you eat fish--so, try eggs, shrimp, other types of fish (tuna for example), lowfat cheeses, beans and rice in measured amounts.

To lose weight we don't have to stop eating! We just have to change how we eat and how much.

Good luck!

Jay