I'm so confused...I really don't know how many calories I should be eating a day... I'm 314 lbs and don't know where I stand. Should I be eating 1600? or a little more or a little less??
We all love to give advice around here, so here is mine. The genius of Weight Watchers is that it allows more points at heavier weights and then reduces the points allowed as you lose. That way, you keep losing instead of shocking your body into thinking it is starving and shutting down your metabolism. I don't know how many calories you should be consuming to lose a healthy 1 to 2 #s a week, but I know that 1600 is way too low. Good luck!
It will vary depending on your age, activity level, & current weight (calorie needs will change as you lose.) I would look up a calorie calculator (just google "calories needed per day".) These calculators normally will tell you how many calories you need to maintain. Approx. 3500 calories make up a pound, so if you subtract 500 per day then you'll lose 1 lb per week, if you subtract 1000 calories per day you'll lose 2 lbs per week.
The thing is that the information above is a generalization. You may have to tweek it to get results. It's really just a starting point. Everyone's body is different and you just have to "play" with your calories to see what your body needs to keep you at a loss of 1-2lbs per week. Any more than that is considered unhealthy~although you may experience a large loss in the beginning due to water loss.
I would venture to guess that you will need more than 1600 calories to begin with. I currently eat 1500 calories per day (I weigh 166 and walk 1.5 miles 3-4 times a week.)
At your current weight, I would start at the higher end of a low calorie diet, which is about 1800 calories a day. You should be able to lose for quite a while at this level. Most likely more in the first week, when you drop a lot of water weight, and after that, at a rate of 1/2-3 pounds per week. (1/2-2 pounds is average for most people, but those at higher starting weights usually lose a bit more for the first few weeks.)
If you weigh in once a week, and you are seeing regular losses, then stay at 1800. You will want to drop to 1700 per day when you are no longer seeing any losses for a couple weeks on the scale.
hi.. i've just recently joined the counting calories club lol.. after my bloodwork revealed my cholesterol is a little high my dr gave me a calorie counting plan that is supposed to be somewhat like weight watchers.. you get your weight and multiply it by 11.. that is how many calories you consume to stay at that weight.. to loose at a healthy pace you are supposed to subtract 500 calories per day and it should get you to loose about 1 pound a week.. he also recommended to keep track of every thing i eat so if i have any leftover calories during the week i can have a cheat day on the weekend.. hope it helps..
I've noticed (and experienced myself) that most people in the 300+ category can likely start losing at about 2000 calories (many even were successful losing when starting at 2200). Unless you're eating very little normally, I would suggest this as a starting point. It sounds like a lot in comparison to how a lot of chicks here eat, but being so large, we are in a category all our own, and the bigger your body is, the more calories it needs to keep it going. I know some people are afraid of starting at such a comparitively high number, but the higher you start, the more wiggle room you have as you progress and eventually reach a plateau
I am 39, am currently not doing any formal exercise (just walking my dogs at a slow pace for 45 min. - 1 hour at a day), and I can lose 1 lb. a week on 1500 calories a day. I'm currently 156. I'm hoping to get down to 135, and I'm sure before I get that low, I'll need to start exercising.
The following website gives a detailed calculation to determine your daily calorie needs to maintain:
(This links to page 2 of the article, but page three contains essential information as well).
I like this equation because it takes into account how much your metabolism decreases as you age. It's the most detailed calorie calculation that I've found on the web.
Of course, once you find out your daily calories needs to maintain your weight, you'd need to deduct 500 calories per day to lose 1 lb. a week. An alternate way of calculating your calories would be to just put in your goal weight and see how many calories it would take you to maintain your goal weight. If you stick to THAT number of calories, you should eventually get down to your goal weight.
Thank you guys all so much for your help. I think I have a better understanding of how many calories I need each day to lose weight and a healthy pace...and not be stuck when I plateau. You girls all rock!
in the weight watcher guied it says that you should be eating 1530, almost 1600 but you dont have to eat that many, thats tjust what it recommends i say if you can keep your calories down to 1400 then if you have a rough day and eat somthing your not suppost to then its ok.......
good luck
At 314 pounds, the original poster doesn't need to start out at 1400-1500 calories-no matter what the WW guide might say. The more you weigh, the more calories you burn doing regular activities (because it would be like a 150 pound woman carrying another 150 pound woman on her back all day long.)
I checked out both sites and can't figure what they're talking about. I was taught in Nursing School to see how many calories it took to maintain a goal weight and how many calories it took to keep your present weight on.
It was either multiply by 10 for sedentary, 11 for moderately active and 12 for very active.
If you wanted to lose a lb./week, you subtracted 500 calories per day from your caloric intake. The most you could look to lose was 2 lbs. per week for safety.
There are LOTS of different variations on this. Some sources will say to mutliply your weight by as much as 15, while others I've seen go as low as 8. This rule does not take into account height, age, gender, etc.
It all really depends on the individual, and there is NO calculator or "rule" to tell you what your specific body really needs. They are all a good place to start (although they're often so varied that it's confusing to even pick one with which to start!), but trial and error is the only way to know for sure
Jill is right-the calculators aren't exact rules, more like guestimates. One person using a calculator may find that they are losing too quickly and need to up their calories a bit from what the calculator recommends, and someone else may find that they need to drop them a bit from what they say because they aren't losing. Our bodies are all very individual.
I've decided to try eating around 2000 calories a day...but let me tell you it has been hard eating that many calories a day when you are eating healthy foods. If I were eating burgers or something, it would be easier, some days I can't manage to get past 1600 cal. Any suggestions?
How many calories do I need??
