[moonkissed]

So I decided it was time to make changes alittle over a week ago and have been doing so well!

Some of my biggest problems were that I wouldn't eat like all day and then completely binge and pig out at night. Or I would get bored and eat & eat & eat. I decided the best plan for me was to eat several small meals through out the day. I think that really is the best plan for me. But I decided I really needed to do more planning with it and plan ahead my weekly meals.

Anyways I was looking online for weekly meal ideas and noticed alot of them had tons of food on them. I had been eating far less... So I decided to count the calories of what I had been eating and it was less then 1000-alittle over 1000

So I think I need to start counting calories and adding that in to help with my planning.

But I am scared. It feels like so much food. I know that the food is healthier and that makes a huge difference. I mean duh if I eat that one or two things a day that are stuffed with calories and fat and all that icky unhealthy stuff compared to eating a bunch of healthy low calorie stuff it is a huge difference. It is probably just me being silly but idk I feel worried that I am gonna do so good, eat healthy and exercise and then not lose any weight which obviously won't happen.

I think I just need help. I looked it up online and I guess I should have around 1600 calories a day. Would eating only 1400-1500 be really bad?

I am working out 5 days a week (wed-sun) as well. Doing about 15-30 mins working with weights, pilates, stretches. Then an hour of walking. Followed by 5 mins (as much as I can do currently) of make me wanna die cardio.

Does anyone have any good links for meal ideas/plans for eating 5-6 small meals a day? Like currently I was eating one small yogurt for breakfast at 60 calories and that was it. Today I ate a bowl of special k at like 120 calories not counting milk (can't remember what the milk was off the top of my head lol). So the cereal is a smarter choice. But I was also thinking of if I ate the yogurt I could have a piece of whole wheat toast with PB on it?

Thanks so much. I hope I don't sound like a moron. I am just begining to have a panic attack and really need someone to talk to. I often start to feel overwhelmed with things and then start to panic and retreat away completely screwing it up. I just don't want that to happen and I am trying really hard to do this right and not just lose weight but be healthy too.

[jamsk8r]

I dont' think 1000 is enough for your body to burn fat with. With your workout schedule, a range of 1500-1700 sounds about right to me. If you increase your workouts down the line, you might need more. All you can do for now is try it and see. You can track what you eat on something like "my daily plate" (google it), to see what your nutrient ratios are. If you see that you're mostly carbs, for example, then you might lessen the carbs and put in some lean meat to balance things out a bit and get your calories up where they need to be. If you eat 5 or 6 times a day (3 meals plus 2 or 3 snacks), you hardly have a chance to get hungry, so that helps avoid binging. Your idea of putting in a little PB on your toast is right on track. Good luck to you with your goals!

[PhotoChick]

At your height and weight a range of 1500+ sounds very good, especially if you're also working out.

You're def. on the right track with the multiple small meals / meals and snacks plan. I think you'll find that you have a lot more energy and a lot less need to binge in the evening.

There are a ton of threads in the food boards about what people eat for snacks and meals ... do go over there and do a search and check them out. Lots and lots of good suggestions.

.

[tammay]

Blaspheme, I was exactly in your shoes - I was getting around 1200-1300 calories a day and I also exercise similar to what you do. I was having problems with eating well during the week and then binging on junk food over the weekend. Someone on another board mentioned that I should be careful when going so low in calories, as it would trigger binges and starvation mode. So I added some food (good whole foods) also to get to about 1500 calories. I was afraid to do it as well but so far it's working really well. I can't say how much I lost (I'm not weighing myself, I get obsessed with the scale!) but I am definitely losing weight at a good pace, if my clothes are anything to go by.

I also found that small meals work better for me, even if only psychologically (i.e., knowing I'm going to be eating within the next 2 or 3 hours instead of the next 4 or 5 keeps hunger away).

Tam