Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 05-28-2009, 04:52 PM   #1  
Little Black Dress Bound
Thread Starter
 
DRose's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Oregon
Posts: 333

S/C/G: 192/181/135

Height: 5'5"

Default Setting my Calorie Goal

Another thread on here got me thinking about my own calorie goals for each day. I looked up my basal metabolic rate, and it said I burn 1675 by just doing nothing everyday. However, I've been trying to eat between 1200-1400 calories, even when I exercise on some days. Is this too low? I feel like eating more would be too much... so confused!!
DRose is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-28-2009, 07:48 PM   #2  
Starting over
 
Alana in Canada's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Canada
Posts: 922

S/C/G: 257.8/242.4/135

Height: 5' 5"

Default

From what I have read--and someone correct me if I'm not remembering it right--but you should not eat under your basal metabolic rate EVER --else your body thinks you are starving and won't. let. one. ounce. go.

Not what you want when you want to lose weight.

Hope that helps.
Alana in Canada is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-28-2009, 07:53 PM   #3  
Here We Go Again
 
WormwoodDoll's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Warminster, PA
Posts: 1,161

S/C/G: 256 / TICKER / 140

Height: 5'3"

Default

Your calorie goal really varies. It all depends on the person. I know if I eat under a certain amount, my body won't lose much of anything. I try to aim for 1600 (sometimes lower/higher). But it's really about trial and error. Start out at a certain amount for a few weeks, look at your results, and try adding or subtracting 100-200 calories and do the same!
WormwoodDoll is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-28-2009, 08:06 PM   #4  
Member
 
SarahMorgan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Wausau WI
Posts: 65

S/C/G: 222/213/130

Height: 5'3"

Default

I was wondering about that too. Mine was like 1758 or something. I can't imagine eating that much though! I struggle as it is to get the 1400 I am going for.
SarahMorgan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2009, 01:56 AM   #5  
This is not a test.
 
Iconised Ghost's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 3,409

S/C/G: 187/132/127.8

Height: 5'5''/165cm

Default

the calculators on the web arent always that accurate. You really need to just try it out and see how it goes. Are you hungry? Are getting enough protein, vitamins, minerals? When i was your weight I was eating between 1200 and 1500 calories (we're the same height too), so you might be ok. If your weight loss stalls then you might want to increase it and play around with it to see if it helps budge it (haha says the girl with the enormous plateau -_-)
Iconised Ghost is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2009, 06:59 AM   #6  
Senior Member
 
kelly315's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Columbus OH
Posts: 2,524

S/C/G: 290/ticker/145

Height: 5'4"

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Alana in Canada View Post
From what I have read--and someone correct me if I'm not remembering it right--but you should not eat under your basal metabolic rate EVER --else your body thinks you are starving and won't. let. one. ounce. go.
This isn't true- I set my calories to always be about 200 below my BMR, and from what I've heard from dietians, on tv, and from other successful calorie counters is that you won't lose decent amounts if you go above your BMR.

My nutritionist recommended I eat around 1400 at this stage, which is almost 300 below my BMR (which is around 1696). She told me that if I eat even 1600, I won't lose (or less than a pound a week).

So yes, I think you need to be below your BMR, but how far below is really up to your body. If you're eating an average of 1250 or 1300, and not losing, see if 1350 or 1400 does it for you.
kelly315 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2009, 08:00 AM   #7  
Senior Member
 
NishKitten's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: East Coast
Posts: 534

S/C/G: 194/139/125

Height: 5'8"

Default

It's kind of a hit and miss process. 1500 is what Jillian Micheals always recommends starting out no matter what, then once you figure out how your body works you can adjust it from there.

I saw a dietitian early this week and he said the BMR and weight loss calculators at Livestrong.com were actually pretty good.

Kelly, you are right, but I was told (by the dietitian) that that only remains true as long as you are significantly overweight. Once you start nearing normal weight, ESPECIALLY if you have gotten into an exercise routine, you have to completely reconfigure it to account for a bajillion different things that i'm not completely sure of right now. My BMR is about 1200 a day, but I exercise. Eating 1200 cals a day had my body in starvation mode for the last seven months. I'm eating around 1800-2000 since Tuesday, and sure enough just in the last four days i've lost a pound.

So DRose, no matter what you do now, remember that it won't work consistently unless you plan on just relying on diet and no exercise whatsoever. It may also turn out that it's ineffective after 20lbs or so, so the best thing to do is keep track of it and always be ready and willing to adjust. It's confusing, but you can do it.
NishKitten is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:20 AM.


We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.