Calorie Counters - I have a dumb question...

Right. We all know that in order to lose weight it's calories in, calories out. Right now I'm eating 1338 calories a day to lose 1lb a week. Here's where the stupid comes in. I know going under 1200 is unhealthy. So...what do I do when I'm at 140? 130? What then? There's something I'm not grasping. Would I still just eat 1200 (I don't know what I'll be eating at 140), and just keep exercising until I'm happy with my weight? I don't know if I'll want to try for 125 or not once I've seen 140.

Please bear with me- I'm LD and easily confused/don't easily grasp things.

I guess I'm just wondering how I can continue to lose weight calorie wise, if I can't obviously just keep lowering them after I reach the point where I'm eating around 1200.

I feel...so, so dumb asking this...this has not been a good "grasping things" week for me. :dizzy::o:(

I would say if you get to the point where you're at a weight higher then you want and you're just maintaining at 1200, then it wouldn't be the end of the world for you to go under 1200.

I know I know! Everyone calm down. =)

You're about my mom's height and she probably eats closer to 1000 calories a day. She's small, when you're small and petite you don't need as much fuel for your body. Eating 1000 calories a day of completely healthy food that satisfies you is better then eating 1200 to 1300 calories of stuff just because the common belief is that you should.

Or of course, yes you could always just up your exercise to get your deficit.

I don't think you have to lower your calories. I am a tad taller than you and started out a little heavier and I lost on 1400 calories a day and I didn't lower my calories at any time. My rate of loss might have slowed a little but I did keep losing and now maintain on 1400 calories a day. This is what worked for me but everybody is different, if I were you I wouldn't plan on changing anything , not yet anyway, only if you start gaining and I doubt that will happen.

Weight loss is kinda strange. Although we all know that it is calories in, calories out. That can differ greatly from person to person.

You might be able to eat that 1338 calories all the way until your goal. Or you might only have to lower it by 100 or so.

The best method is to watch your body. If you plateau for weeks around 140 lbs, then try skimming some calories away. Or changing up your exercise routine.

But, if you're still losing steadily at 140lbs and eating the same 1338 calories a day, then there's no need to change, yet.

This is a side note, but 1200 is just a guideline. Some people might only need 1,100 or something. IF you eventually get to the point where you think it might be the case, then check with your doctor about how many calories a day is recommended for someone your height & age.

Also, also. That's not really a dumb question. It's an important one.

Yep, what Lovely said; 1200 is a guideline, not as unbreakable as the speed of light. :)

Your doctor is indeed a good person to ask. You're a fair bit shorter than average, as am I, and so for us that 1200-calorie rule may not pertain. Caloric needs also drop as we lose weight and as we age. I originally chose 1500 calories per day as my weight-loss amount because it's what is supposed to be my maintenance at my goal, but I'm coming to realize that my actual maintenance might be lower as I'm losing quite slowly at 193 pounds and 1500 calories daily.

I don't think it's a dumb question at all, by the way. :)

It's really not a dumb question. It gets into an unfair aspect of the whole weight loss problem: The more you lose, the less you're allowed to eat.

I plugged your height into a calculator with your listed goal weight of 140. It said to maintain that weight, you'd need about 1550 calories per day. So if you where eating 1200 per day, you'd lose weight, although it would be more like 1 lb/10 days instead of 1 lb/week.

As I see it, when you're at that point, you'll have to decide whether you're comfortable dropping your calories further (since you're so small, going under 1200 might be OK for you) or if you'd prefer to stay at the same level but lose more slowly.

Exercise more!

Yep, what Lovely said; 1200 is a guideline, not as unbreakable as the speed of light. :)

Your doctor is indeed a good person to ask. You're a fair bit shorter than average, as am I, and so for us that 1200-calorie rule may not pertain. Caloric needs also drop as we lose weight and as we age. I originally chose 1500 calories per day as my weight-loss amount because it's what is supposed to be my maintenance at my goal, but I'm coming to realize that my actual maintenance might be lower as I'm losing quite slowly at 193 pounds and 1500 calories daily.

I don't think it's a dumb question at all, by the way. :)

What!!! I'm about your height and my calculator says I'll be at about 1700 calories for maintenance at goal. You just stole 200 calories from me :D

Okay, thank you guys. I do have a doc appointment coming up soon for Adderall refill, so I'll ask then. I'm far from 140 (heck I'm still inching my way into the 150s), but it suddenly struck me yesterday and put me in a panic. I feel fine with what I'm eating now, but I thought, oh, god, when I get to 125, what the **** will I be able to eat, then? Especially considering I was probably eating x7 the amount I should have been when I first decided to lose weight- and sometimes wasn't even full THEN. (emotional and/or bored full, I guess I should say. That's pretty much changed now.)

Well theoretically if your goal is 1400 then you burn 1400 calories a day just at rest. So if you exercise, MOVE around, or do anything that number will be slightly higher. So on average you'll probably aim for around 1300-1500 a day when you are at goal.

Take myself. I'm 192 this morning and so you'd think I burn 1920 calories a day, but between working out and stuff I burn more like 2300-2500 calories a day. I assume when I hit 135 I can easily eat 1500 a day- but then again I'll still have my BodyMedia Fit to tell my how many calories I'm burning a day :)

What!!! I'm about your height and my calculator says I'll be at about 1700 calories for maintenance at goal. You just stole 200 calories from me :D

Bet you ten bucks that I'm older than you. :D

That's where the difference comes in, I think. I'm 41, so my caloric needs are a little lower than they were when I was in my 20s, which is where I'm guessing you are based on your picture.

Fear not--you can have your 200 calories back!

Just popped in to say: there are no dumb questions kiddo ;)

Bet you ten bucks that I'm older than you. :D

That's where the difference comes in, I think. I'm 41, so my caloric needs are a little lower than they were when I was in my 20s, which is where I'm guessing you are based on your picture.

Fear not--you can have your 200 calories back!

Well, aren't you sweet! I'm 38 :D

I did some digging around and the difference comes from different calculators: same data, different answer. I have to say, I think my calculator is pretty accurate for me, as my weightloss, when you iron out the bumps and dips, has been very close to what I would predict based on my food and exercise.

Girl, whatever you're using to look the way you look--keep using it! :D I seriously thought you were about mid-20s based on your picture.

I'm not surprised that different calculators resulted in different numbers. I think my 1500 figure is rounded anyway. As others have noted, we're all "an experiment of one" when it comes to weight loss, so it's entirely possible that maintenance may mean something different than what I expected it to be.

Still can't get over your being 38, though. You got some great genes. :)

Last time I got down to 125 I maintained on 800-1000 a day with one day a week I'd eat whatever I wanted for a meal & didn't count all day for six months before we hit hard times and I started gaining again due to stress eating.

I think age has alot to do with it too, actually.

Girl, whatever you're using to look the way you look--keep using it! :D I seriously thought you were about mid-20s based on your picture.

I'm not surprised that different calculators resulted in different numbers. I think my 1500 figure is rounded anyway. As others have noted, we're all "an experiment of one" when it comes to weight loss, so it's entirely possible that maintenance may mean something different than what I expected it to be.

Still can't get over your being 38, though. You got some great genes. :)

The pic is just too small for you to see the gray hairs and the wrinkles :D I did look young for a long time, but I think I'm finally (sadly) getting over it. There was an long span when I was mistaken for 18, the first time when I was 11, the last in my late 20s. If you saw a better picture of me, I don't think there'd be any confusion now, though.

I agree about the calculators. I actually started another thread about it and in my favorite comment someone said that at best they're an estimate, at worst entertainment.

I am at 140 now and eating 1200-1400. It's my hope I can hover here even when I lose more. I think my metabolism is pretty good for someone who has poor health and doesn't exercise much. You may not need to change. Or maybe you could exercise more or even try lowering carbs to see what happens.

so not a dumb question. this is something that bothers me all the time too. How come, when my 5'7 friend wants to lose weight she can supposedly, healthily, cut down to 1200 calories, giving herself at least 500 calories more of a daily deficit than I could at 5'2 with the same minimum calorie restriction?

There's no doubt about it. she can lose weight faster. despite that this bothers me, i know that I will lose weight nevertheless at 1200 a day, regardless if it is slower or not, and I'm a featherweight. i know continuing to do cardio & build my muscle mass keeps my metabolism up, enabling me to keep shedding at the same daily calorie intake.

I can also tell you that a lot of this is psychological. sure, we could go under 1200 to 1000, let's say. and maybe that actually would be fine for our bodies. but I know, in my head, when i have starting cutting closer to 1000 rather than 1200 a day, i am very conscious that my portions look different than those around me. it makes me feel more deprived, like i'm not being fair to myself when i look at others' portions. and THAT is something that makes me end up eating more in the long run, and ultimately gaining more weight.

so, despite that I can sympathize with your frustration, from experience, I would not recommend going below 1200 at any weight. it is entirely possible, with patience, to keep on losing while eating at the same deficit.

Not a dumb question at all!!! I have actually wondered the same thing!

So I know a bunch of kind people already explained it, but just incase you need anther example! =)

So right now i weigh 199. If you go to http://www.caloriecontrol.org/healthy-weight-tool-kit/weight-maintenance-calculator-women and enter in all of your information it tells you about how many calories you are eating a day to maintain your weight.

So for me to maintain my weight at 199 lbs. and not lose or gain anything, i have to be eating around 2192 calories a day. But im obviously trying to lose that weight, so i would need a deficit. We all know a pound is 3500 calories. So i would need to figure out my Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR); the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day... ( about 1700 for me) and create the deficit.

Now to answer your question, if you look up how much you should weigh for your height it tells you an average. http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm

Now say I get down to my goal weight, around 135lbs. Once i get to that and want to maintain that, I would be allowed to eat around 1500 calories a day. Because by exercising and eating healthy, our bodies build our metabolism which allows us to run better. The gold standard had always been around 1200 because food is just fuel for our bodies!

I hope this helps and wasnt confusing!