OK I am on day 2 of my diet/ journey ..my main goal is caloric..to stay between 1300-1600 a day..Yesterday I didn't do great, but I managed to stay at 2000, which is still good because my supposed intake to maintain my current weight is about 3200 (WOWZERS!).

Today I mapped out my eating for the day..For breakfast I had grits with 4oz. of skim milk and a cereal bar about an hour later. For lunch I ate some tortilla chips and salsa that I am trying to get rid of. And tonight my fiancee is adamant on us having pizza because we are watching Wrestlemania (silly boys). I did compromise with him for a thin crust cheese and anchoivy pizza. (he would usually want the huge stuffed crust crap with extra pepporoni.)

Adding all that together, and leaving room for one more snack (probably a banana) before bed, it was only 1500 calories..and that was figuring in 3 slices of pizza!

It just makes me wonder..how much WAS I eating before???? I know I would always skip breakfast and then eat a big lunch and supper, many times from greasy fast food places, because I am in college..and it is fast and easy. Does fast food really pack in THAT many calories a day?? 3200 is ALOT of calories. I don't feel like I was eating that much..How did it happen?

Hi Mary!

I know what you mean, and to answer your question, since I DID weigh 275 once, I was probably eating A LOT MORE than 3200 calories! The point is, I have no idea because I NEVER COUNTED CALORIES! I ate what I felt like eating! I used to one-for-one with foods with my husband and our sons who were 6'4" and 6'2". I ate more than my future DIL who runs marathons! What was I thinking?!! The point is, I don't think I WAS thinking at all! I would just eat what I felt like eating with ZERO regard to calories or whether a food was healthy or not. Looking back on those years I am very disappointed in myself and also very upset with myself that I would have let those pounds happen. I was just ignorant of the whole weight thing. It isn't a place I want to return to ever, ever again!

Cheryl

Hmm, I wonder where you got the figure of 3200 cals to maintain. That sounds really high to me.

As for what you were eating, you can go to various fast-food sites and check on the nutrition. For example, McDonald's Quarter Pounder with cheese, 510 cals. Medium fries, 380 cals. So there's almost 900 calories.

Jay

I think you are exactly right..I just wasn't putting ANY thought at all about what went into my mouth..Any time I had a craving I would just eat..Not try to drink some water and wait it out..I would eat and eat. And eat some more. 2AM? Hungry? Eat. Who cares. Eat. And not eat something like fruit. Eat chips. Eat ice cream. Eat french fries. Just eat.

Wow my actions were insanity.. LOL.

I am so ready to turn this around..Yay!!!!!!

You know..it really does sound high. I used a weight calculator thing online to figure it up the first time. But now I just went and found another one since you mentioned it and it said 2400.

And my FitDay Journal says 3,084..I am really confused about this.



Who knows!

FitDay works for me, but I had to fix the initial settings. I have it at "sedentary" and then I add any exercise cals. (which I can figure out from the machines I use or use FitDay's entries). With that setting I rarely go above 2000 cals burned a day, total--but I'm older and have pretty slow metabolism.

Jay

I have mine set on seated work..and then I just add any housework/excercise I do in a day.It has stayed around 3000 both days I have used it thus far. So if you says it works for you, then I am going to go with that.

Once you get FitDay set right for you, and you follow the goal settings, it seems to work really well. You'll know if it's not 'cause you won't be losing.

Good luck!

Jay

I have tried putting in what I used to eat ... it was horrifying. It's no bloody wonder I was gaining.

On a more helpful note .... my fitday is set at sedentary and I only add intentional exercise and work (I only work part-time). It's pretty accurate for an old gal like me.

Hey, SusanB, you're not such an old gal!

Cheryl14, Good for you on that weight loss!!!

Jay

There are so many versions of the BMR calculation and most of them do not take age into consideration . . . this is the one I was told is the original (Harris-Benedict Equation done in the early 1900s and what most places 'say' they use, if you ask them) for women (the men's is different). Just thought you might want to compare it to fitday.

BMR - BASIC METABOLIC RATE - i.e., sleeping

655.0955
plus
9.5634 x weight in kilograms (lbs / 2.2)
plus
1.8496 x height in centimetres (inches x 2.54)
less 4.6756 x age in years
multiplied by
activity factor

I use 1.3 (basic couch potato) 1.2 is supposed to apply to someone who is bedridden or wheel-chair confined. I'd have to look up the other factors.

PS #1 -- for your weight, height, age, Sockmonkey; it comes out to 2375 calories -- using the 1.3 factor -- so to lose a pound a week, subtract 500 calories or add 500 calories of activity.

PS #2 -- here are some of the other factors
Seated work 1.45; standing work 1.85; strenuous work or very active leisure activies for 60 minutes at least 5 times a week 2.15

Thanks so much for figuring that up for me!!

Well the lower it is the less I will let myself eat so that's good.

Wow... I must be figuring it wrong. I get 1500 calories. Agh. FitDay gives me a big 1785 cals. without exercise.

Anyway, I'll try the calculation again tomorrow when I'm not so tired.

Jay

You may know what works best for you, but I personally wouldn't go higher than 14,000 calories per week (2000 or so calories a day) and I would try to burn as much as possible through exercise. I'm not one for cutting back too low or being too restrictive, but eating over 2200 seems unnecessary and would just delay weight loss.

OK, I re-did the calculation from above, and I get 1822 cals. per day using the 1.3 factor. This is 40 cals higher than what FitDay tells me when I have it set at totally sedentary, so that tells me FitDay does pretty well.

I like seeing those extra 40 calories... gosh, I could eat another half an apple!

Which just shows that one doesn't have to get too much into hairsplitting with these calorie counts.

Thanks for that information, meowee!

Jay