I joined these forums quite a while ago, but kinda gave up on... er... everything for a while. It was all going really well at first. But in the course of one month my dad was in and out of the hospital and I was fired from my job. These things are not excuses, but they certainly made me lose my motivation to get off my *** and go to the gym.
So here's a question: Along with going back to eating healthy foods and exercising at least 4X a week, I'm using FitDay software to track my calories. From all the research I've done I've been getting seriously conflicting information regarding how many calories I can/should eat in a day. FitDay's number seems too high, some diet websites I've found seem too low. Health is my #1 concern. I'd love to do something brilliant like ask a doctor but I'm uninsured and can't. Does anyone else have any information on this?
From what I understand (and someone can correct me if I'm wrong) The normal doctor reccomended diet for Obese BMI starts at 1800 cals. I started at 1200-1400 cals because I found that my normal eating averaged about 1800 already. As long as you don't feel hungery or weak, you decide what works for you-- as long as you're eating HEALTHY cals.
You can set goals for yourself in fit day and track how well you fall in them-- I agree that their 2200 calorie reccomendation or whatever it is is wayyy to high for me.
It was recommended to me that I figure out what someone at my target weight would need to eat to maintain their weight and not exercise. (there are a lot of websites with calorie calculators that figure that out). Then, adjust from there.
Hi Kella! The answer to this question is definitely different for everyone. It took me months to figure this out.
A lot of us are fans of cycling calories, which is essentially having a range of calories and cycling through that range on different days of the week. I've found that this usually works for me, but sometimes not as much. Some others are very strict about eating the same amount, or within a very small range, of calories each day. It's all a personal thing, you can tweak it as you go along.
Personally, I think there's nothing wrong with giving yourself a liberal amount of calories at first, especially if you're exercising, and weaning down from there. That's what I did; I started at about 1800 and now I aim for 1500 (or less if I'm not doing cardio that day), but I don't kick myself if I go a little bit over.
Most people, however, wouldn't recommend going below 1200... it's just generally not a good idea at all.
Calorie counting is very individual, and you need to find a range that works for you, considering how many calories you need to feel satisfied and have ample energy (both for everyday activities and to workout) and how your body reacts to that number of calories.
I have just started to count calories myself, but all the advice I've found points to quite a bit of trial and error. You may need more or less calories than are "recommended" -- too many calories and you'll inhibit weight loss, too few categories and your body may go into starvation mode and hold onto the extra pounds.
Be patient, give yourself time to work through it, and try to find a number that works for you!
It always feels like fitday's numbers are too high for me too.
I'm like, how am I supposed to eat that much in a day without junk food and still lose weight?
I've given up with obsessively counting calories and instead make a more concious effort to listen to my stomach, and answer it with healthy choices. If my stomach is growling, I feed it. When it is comfortably full, I stop.
Wow, thanks for the help everyone! I've been ballparking my calories at about 1500, although it seems like I've been eating a little less than that. Overeating has never really been a problem for me- laziness has. And I guess once I get into the swing of going to the gym regularly I'll start seeing some real results.
And yes, FitDay is awesome, but it's calorie suggestions are completely insane.
Back again! With a question!
