[DBCMOM3]

Hi! I have been a lurker at this board forever now and decided it was time to make myself commit to my life style change! Plus you guys all seem so nice My name is Brandy and I have 3 kids. Dylan is 14, Chance is 23 months and Brynna is 3months. I am at my highest weight ever and I am just not happy with myself anymore. Before kids I weighed about 115 now I weigh 247!! I have tried just about everything but what I have realized is fad diet plans are not for me. I need to change my eating habbits and get back to eating fresh fruits and veggies I started Monday and have done good. Already down 3 pounds which I am sure is water.

My question is what is a healthy amount of calories/fat grams that I should be eating? I dont want to starve myself ( if I dont have to LOL ) Should I focus more on counting calories or fat grams? Or both? I would love to hear any advice anyone has to offer!! Thanks

[happydaisy]

I love your daughters name!! There are tons of calculators online to find out what you are eating right now to maintain your weight. One easy free one is at self.com. You can try subtracting 500 from that to see a loss of about a pound a week. Be aware though that the calculators all vary, some will tell you you can eat 2200 calories a day and lose 2 pounds a week, some will tell you 1200. I have found that it is kind of a process just to find what works for you. I lost 20 pounds on my own before joining here, and that is how I did it. I found that 1200 was too severe for my activity level, but 2200 was never going to result in decent losses for me. Now I range between 1400-1800 a day and that is open to adjustment as my weight changes. It's all going to depend on how much you workout, how active you are etc.. I would focus on calories, and making sure the calories you get are from quality sources. Make sure your fats are from nuts/fish etc. Good luck, and welcome!!

[LaDean]

Hi welcome to the board glad you joined. you have to forget ever being 115 and go for new goals. that is what i did. after the babies and all will make a difference. she gave good advise you can find out calories online. but i would start at 1200 at least and i am on low carbs for me. watch them and calories. but portions is the most important thing. i use a smaller plate also. i measure till i know what a cup is. also get off the sugar. that helped me more then anything. good luck. just search online find a plan for you. you can do it. LaDean

[srmb60]

I'm going to suggest going to fitday.com and getting a free account there. Put all your vital statistics in and see what you learn.
And go here http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=172
Read lots and ask questions. The members at 3fc are really nice.

[penpal]

Hi,

Welcome to 3FC! You are right - the people here are very nice and always ready to help out with advice.

I've been dieting off and on for 30 years but right now I'm making the best progress ever by journaling EVERYTHING I eat. It's the only way I can keep myself on track about how much food I'm eating. I use Nutridiary http://www.nutridiary.com and I've also used Fitday. These are free online food diaries and very useful. A bit time consuming, but well worth it. I set aside "me" time for this and I now make it a top priority.

I also work out 3-4 times a week at Curves.

I wouldn't recommend ultra low calories as otherwise you will mess up your metabolism - been there, done that! I'm currently averaging around 1450 calories a day and don't feel hungry at all.

I once did Atkins and lost about 15 lbs. but gained it all back, and then some, as I craved fruit and veggies too much. I have replaced "white" carbs, white bread, potatoes, rice, flour, etc. with veggies and fruit, especially berries - "good" carbs. The only bread I eat is one slice of sprouted grain bread per day (at breakfast).

I've gone back to "old fashioned" calorie counting as I can get a more balanced diet that way. I am also more or less following the Zone diet (40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat). Doing Nutridiary has an added benefit of letting me know how I'm doing with my food percentages, i.e. if I'm staying in the "zone". I noticed on days when I overdo on carbs in the morning that I get the munchies in the afternoon, so I try to always get some protein in my breakfast.

Another thing I would steer clear of is "fake" foods such as things made with artificial sweeteners. In my opinion it's better to have a tiny bit of real sugar or honey than to save a few calories with these "foods". I enjoy the sweet, natural taste or fresh fruit and berries. A nice (balanced) breakfast is some cottage cheese topped with berries or fruit. If I don't have fresh fruit on hand, I use Dole fruit cups as they are just the right size. I also use defrosted frozen berries when they are not in season.

Wishing you good luck in your weight loss efforts.

[aphil]

The more you weigh, the more calories your body burns each day just living. At 247 pounds, you can currently eat more calories per day and lose, than someone who weighs 140 and is trying to lose their last few pounds.
The smartest thing to do, is find out what level that you can currently lose weight at NOW, and stick with that until you stop losing-THEN drop your calories slightly. I would not recommend starting out at 1200 calories per day, because once you get to 180, 170, or 160-you won't have anywhere to drop it to if your weight loss stops, because you will already be at a really low calorie diet.
My advice would be to start at around 1800 instead, and weigh in once a week. In a week, if the scale shows a loss of a pound or two, then you are at the correct calorie level for now, and should stick to that until you stop losing. If the scale does NOT show a loss a week at eating 1800 a day, then drop it to 1700 the next week and see how you do.
You stay at a calorie level until you stop losing, and you break that plateau by dropping your calories SLIGHTLY (around 100 at a time) and by moving MORE. Meaning, more exercise, or more intense exercise.
1200 calories a day you will probably end up at when you are a lot nearer to your goal weight, and at that time you should also be a lot more "fit" from regular exercise as well.