What's your limit to calories in a day? I know the rule of thumb for maintenence is your weight x 15, & anything less will help you to lose .. Or something like that. LOL .. a fitness website suggests I eat 2500 calories daily, but I try to stick to under 1500 calories. 1800 is my absolute cap, even though I've rarely gone close to that since I started dieting..
When I was trying to stick to 1500 calories I would often fall under on certain days ... not sure why other than the fact that I needed to plan my meals out which helps me when I started. I would also be hungry after 7pm which is not a good thing for me. I was told by a friend on 3FC to up my calories when I would often plateau or try calorie cycling which helped. So I try to stay below 1700 which gives me a little to play with.
I just changed mine when 3 months of bouncing somewhere between 165 and 175 got old. I checked my BMR (1570) and what I was supposed to eat to loss 1 lb a week (1933) and loss 2 lbs a week (1433). I know it is recommended that you not eat blow your BMR and I've always been setup as losing 1-1/2 lbs a week so I made it that - 1683. I've been eating just under that since changing it. However, on days when I go out to eat, parties, etc., I eat more than my calorie allotment. Sometimes scarily more.
my limit is 2000, i am usually 1500-1800 but i like having that extra there in case i need it, so i don't feel like i am cheating. a website said for me to lose 2 lbs a week i should have 2350 i think it was. my maintaining is 2600 i think..give or take a few calories. i have lost 16 pounds in 7 weeks having this 2000 limit..so its working for me..
My limit was 2000 and I still lost until I got under 200 lbs. Now my limit is 1900 to maintain. I aim at 1500-1700 for loss. I like the idea of calorie cycling too and having an 'average' calories for the week in that range.
Last edited by ElizabethG; 03-11-2011 at 01:06 PM.
I try to eat 1200-1400 cals a day. A weight loss app I have says if I want to lose 2 lbs a week I should eat 1,180 cals. Usually I eat about 1400 though
My heart rate monitor I wear during the day has been saying I burn like 4000 calories during the day =/ ... I dunno how accurate it is, but I still try to stay between 1200-1500 daily. Everytime I eat something I feel like Im gaining weight. LOL.
You don't want to know!!! I am training for an ultra marathon right now and there are days where I run 20+ miles and thus am burning over 2,000 calories. I eat A LOT on those days. Those are my no counting anything days I am probably a big exception on these boards.
My limit really depends on my exercise for the day. If I don't exercise, I try not to eat over 1500-1600 calories.
My heart rate monitor I wear during the day has been saying I burn like 4000 calories during the day =/ ... I dunno how accurate it is, but I still try to stay between 1200-1500 daily. Everytime I eat something I feel like Im gaining weight. LOL.
At your current weight you probably do burn that many calories! The more you way the harder your body has to work to function.
Try not to think of food as the enemy. Think of yourself as a car and food as fuel. You need fuel to drive your car, just like you need food to live. Eat enough food to have energy and do things you need/want to do. Or pick another analogy but don't equate food with bad things because that is not healthy either.
Are you still hungry or tired on that low range? If you are I would increase but if you aren't, that's great.
Honestly I think you should eat around 2500-3000 calories a day, you are over 400 lbs, theoretically your body needs 4300 calories a day to maintain so eating 1500 is very low. Specially if you are feeling hungry then it's too low.
Elizabeth brought up a good analogy- food is fuel- you wouldn't expect your car to run on very little fuel would you?
I guarantee at 2500 calories you'll continue to lose weight, and probably at a faster rate because your body is being consistently fed. As long as it's lean meats, whole grains, and vegetables you won't hurt your body and it'll keep you going during the day
I'm usually not hungry during the day, I eat something every 2-3 hours, but I try not to go over 1500 in a day. I wake up at 5:30 to get to work at 7am, so after I eat something, around 9am I get a little drowsy, but then again, I got drowsy in the morning ALL the time even before I started cutting back. I think it's cause Im anemic. But exercising for 30 minutes to an hour every day & eating 1500 calories has made me feel better ...
trailrunner-- youd be suprised at how quiclkly your body adapts and becpmes VERY efficient at long distance running, fuel-wise...... my last marathon i burned a little over 1400 cals... so that 100 cals/mile really only is a guideline and tends to work for *newer* runners...... If you are trying to lose weight, dont trust that you are burning anywahere near as many cals as you think. I trined for and completed 3 full marathons on 1200 a day (believe me, if only i could go back iin time.....) My body adapted, metabolically, ESPECIALLY where running is concerned...efficiency sucks for fat loss
I checked livestrong.com today it says for me to lose 2 lbs a week to eat 2291 calories a day. I have been staying under 1500 since starting on Monday and in 4 days lost 5.5 lbs. So its working so far!!
Whats Your Limit?
I am training for an ultra marathon right now and there are days where I run 20+ miles and thus am burning over 2,000 calories. I eat A LOT on those days. Those are my no counting anything days 
I am probably a big exception on these boards.
