Okay guys, first of mucho excited on the love I am getting from the forum. I have decided to drop weight watchers and go the calorie counting route. Just from one day of calorie counting I am ashamed at what I must have been consuming before!!! Granted I am a horrid 267 lbs. According to Freediet.com someone my weight and height should consume 2432 calories a day to maintain weight. If 3500 calories equals a pound I figure to lose 2 lbs a week I should but 1000 calories a day from my intake which puts me at 1432 a day. Add on about 1:30 of my exercise tapes in to that equation (hip hop abs, turbo jam is on its way) That should produce some results right??? Also another question, I plan on eating healthy and everything but just so I dont feel like a junky what does anyone think on a small dessert, maybe a few graham crackers or a piece of reduced fat coffee cake? I think I may not have the urge to binge if I know that is coming. Thoughts????? Much Love To Everyone

That sounds like a plan to me! Figuring out the right level of calories is more art than science (and if you use ten different calculators to determine how many calories you should eat, you'll get ten different answers), so you may find you need to tweak things a bit. But that seems like a good place to start. Give it a few weeks and see if you are losing at the rate you expect.

I always save some calories for a small dessert. I have one almost every night.

Sounds like a good starting point. I have pretty much your same stats - Starting Weight 268 , height 5'6" and I started around 1450 and it has been successful for me.

I recently increased my calories to 1550 because the intensity of my workouts has continued to increase.

Best of Luck

Lori

hey if i was you i would start at around 1800 that way when your weight loss slows done you have got soewhere to go at 1450 your not giving yourself much to be able to change later down the track.. why not do two week at 1800 and see if you are losing a good amount.. then when things slow down you can drop say 100 calories then go on from there .. if you find at 1800 your not losing then drop it to 1600 or up your excercise 30 minutes a day or drop 100 and add an extra 15 minutes of exercise.. which ever works for you.. I found i tryed to drop too quick and my weight loss halted now i have taken my cals back up im losing agin.. and my activety level remains the same for now.. and im losing double eating more and exercising the same.. .. It may take a while to figure out what is rioght for you but i certainly wouldn't start at 1450

My diet has room for dessert, even sinful ones like Ben and Jerry's. But, overall, I have balance. I'm eating far more veggies, fruits and whole grains then ever before.

One trick I've done is to pick something extremely rich. One quarter cup of some over-the-top decadent ice cream is more satisfying than a whole bag of shortbread cookies. The Ben and Jerrys (Phish Food) I had the other night was something like 270 calories per 1/2 cup serving, so 1/4 cup would be only 135 calories. A serving of Knotts Strawberry Shortbread cookies is also about that number but nowhere near as mentally satisfying! One time I found this ice cream that was so very rich that I couldn't eat much at all and I wasn't even on a diet at the time!

One time when I was on a diet I set up a weekly reward. If I kept to the plan all week, I'd stop by TCBY on the way home on Friday for a special treat. Now, my treat was only a scoop or two of frozen yogurt. This way, the splurge calories were spread over a whole week. Hey, maybe that's an idea. Give yourself, say, 100 "binge" calories as a daily reward for keeping on the diet. But, on any given day, you can choose to "bank" those 100 calories to use towards something extra sinful like a hot fudge sundae with nuts.

I plan my meals in advance and always plan for treats. I like the Kashi cookies - I eat only one, and they are made from healthful ingredients and have fiber. If you were on an exchange program, they are worth one fiber and one fat, so not too shabby.

I also use the 100 calories snacks sometimes.

I allow myself a treat every night, I just make sure it fits in my calories. I can't buy ice cream in pints or half gallons because I can't stop at one serving so instead I get ice cream bars or sandwiches. If it's prepackaged I am better at just having one.
I agree with Amy about maybe starting your calories a little higher so you have room to adjust down. I cut out 500 calories a day and then try to work out to burn the other 500 to get my average of 2 lbs a week. I started (269 lbs) at 1900-2000 calories and now (233 lbs) I am doing 1800-1900 calories.

I have pretty much the same stats as you..My dr put me on 1400-1500 per day. I have found if i come in short for a few days then I dont loose. I have actually thought about increasing to 1600 to see what happens. I just hate to screw up things. My body really likes to hang onto weight!!! lol
good luck
debi