Like most of you i have been dieting since i was 10. that is 27 years. i have been up and down and have tried every thing in the book. i have finally decided to eat right and not try to look like a model. i wan to be healthy.

recently i have been with trainers and had a specific diet. i did this for a year. i did a trainer 3 days a week for an hour at a time. the other days i did cardio. I toned up a lot and lost at the most 15 pounds. i thought that was great, as long as i gain muscle and lost fat.

before i went to the trainer i had my body fat calcualted (using the POD) i was 37% and wieghed 205lbs. after the trainer body fat was 36% and wieght 190lbs. not much of a change.

the person that did my body fat said that i had not been eating enough calories for my wieght and exercise level. my trainer had me eating 1500 calories a day. she said that is a ridiculous low amount and my body is retaining all my fat because it thinks i am starving it.

so we did a metobolic test on my and i need to have 2500 calories a day to maintain my weight. she told me to go to 2000 calories a day and keep exercising and i will lose body fat and not muscle. after i lose 10 pounds to lower that to 1800 calories and then again to 1500 and not any lower just intensify my exercise level.

keep eating a high fiber, whole grain carbs and low fat diet.

I get so confused when the so called experts tell me how much i need to eat to lose wieght. you can never get a straight answer.

my goal weight (with my body type) is to be 155lbs. i am athletic so anything lower than that and i will look like nicole richie.

any advice would be great.

i found this site, it might help someone. http://nutrition.about.com/library/b...uide_intro.htm

thanks!

Hi, welcome to 3fc Determining how many calories you can consume involves a lot of trial and error, since we all have unique needs. Have you tried eating 2000 cal to see what happens?

Try listening to your body. Eat when you are hungry; stop eating when you are satisfied, not full.

Try eating the recommended 2000 calories a day for a few weeks. Then weigh in. If you have lost a few pounds, then this is INDEED the correct level for you. Keep at it as long as you are getting a loss of 1/2-2 pounds per week. If you do not have a loss after a couple weeks at this level, then drop to 1800-1900 and see how that goes for a few weeks. This is really the only way to know what is right for YOU, because everyone is different metabolically.

Womens Nutrition Health Guide

Check this out too!

If only that Womens Nutrition Health Guide were true. It probably works for some people but if I ate as many calories as the guide says I should I would be gaining weight like crazy. Unfortunatley, genetics gave me a really slow metabolism. I work out 4 days a week, 40 minutes cardio and 30 minutes strength training and will gain weight if I eat over 1500 calories a day. I maintain at 1200-1500 and only lose if under 1200. It's CRAZY! The problem is...I can't work out like I want to with this few calories...I tend to get sick and light headed. I'm stuck but really need to lose approx. 40 pounds. Does anyone have any suggestions?

When I put my stats into Jasmine's link, it gives me about 600 calories more than I can eat and maintain in reality (I've been doing this for more than five years so I have a very good idea how my body reacts to various calorie levels ).

Darn it!

The important thing to remember about any calculator (and there are a gazillion out there) is that they are averages and just guesses. They're good places to start, but take them with a grain of salt.