calories to eat? i've been eating about 1600c a day, but haven't really lost
much of anything. it's taken me 3 weeks to lose 2lbs...sigh..
wondering about going down further and if there was something online that would tell me what the correct amount is....
thanx
tracyg

ps: i am 40, 5'0, and am 185 currently, would love to get down to 130 or less....

Hi and welcome Tracy. 2 lbs in 3 weeks is OK, certainly nothing to sniff at. How tall are you and what do you do all day?

not very active on a daily basis. sahm to 3, i homeschool 2 of them, so spend a lot of time sitting. however, i have added a 2mi walk 2-3x a week while my girls are at gymnastics/awana. We recently moved and once we get more settled I intend to get my weight bench back up and start lifting...plus we moved just down the road from a bike trail, and I imagine i will make use of that once school is done too.
i just feel like the weight is never going to fall off. i started keeping track of calories about 3 weeks ago and didn't lose an ounce till this week.
would love some info/tips from the more experienced. just wondering if i need to tweak some of my eating, such as more protein....i chose calorie counting because i can't stick with something that restricts my food...like no carbs, or no fat or NO WHATEVER.....i like that i can make choices with my food as long as i stick with in the calories. that said, if choosing to eat more protein would be helpful, or if there is a percentage of proteins, fat, carbs that i should break my calories down into, to help speed the process, i would love to hear about it.
thanx
tracyg

Sounds like you already have some really good ideas. I fervently believe in protein. Do you have a fitday.com account?

but i don't use it simply because i am pretty puter illiterate lol. can't figure it out. for instance i eat cereal almost everyday for bkfast, w/1/4c. skim milk.
i can't figure out how to change the amount of cereal to 3/4c. or the amount of milk to 1/4c.
right now i just keep track of it in a notebook. it is also more convenient for me to be able to write when i bite lol! if the calories are not right on the package per serving or i've thrown it out or don't know, i check calorie king....
i figured i needed to add more protein and more water. i'm not a good water drinker....
i will probably switch off to yogurt/cottage cheese in the am and try to add a pure protein source like turkey or chicken to that or to my cereal. and i'll try to add protein to my lunch salads.
just wondering if the 1600c is too much? or should i aim for lower?
i may just aim for 1550 this next week to see what that does, and maybe 1500 the next week. don't think i could stand going much lower than that without feeling seriously deprived. thanx for the input.
hugs
tracyg

I've actually been fooling with fitday for a couple of years. I like it now
You did lose a little something so that tells you that you're in the right neighbourhood. The 15 or 1600 is probably fine, not quick, but fine and if you add in the exercise (which you were going to anyway) I think you'll be off to the races!
Keep posting Tracy. I'd love to share in your progress. I'm a celebration junkie

Tracy -- It sounds like you are doing a lot of things right, and I agree with Susan about the calorie level and the protein!

I would add, however, that it often helps to think of how you are changing your LIFESTYLE -- not going on a "diet" that you will quit when you lose the weight (and gain it all back again, plus some friends).

And don't expect to lose a ton of weight every week -- actually, it's probably healthier to go "slow and steady" anyway. And focus on issues beyond the scale -- how you feel and what you can do. The scale is anyway and just wants to trip you up and discourage you.

WELCOME! btw!

I think your calorie level is just fine for now. A healthy rate of weight loss is 1/2 to 2 pounds per week-and you are following along that range.

Those who have more to lose tend to lose on the higher range per week-for instance, someone who weighs 270 pounds may lose around 2 pounds a week, and then that may slow to 1 pound per week as they get smaller-and then finally, to around 1/2 pound a week-or even less-as they get smaller than that.

Rather than dropping your calorie intake so soon-my best advice will be to become more active. Even adding only 10 minutes a day of anything will help-because that will add over an hour of exercise each week to what you are doing.

I chose my current calorie limit of 1300 while using a diet program that kept reducing my calories as I plateaued. It kept going lower and lower and I kept eating less and less and feeling worse and worse. Finally, when it had me down to 950 calories, I changed the settings on the program to where I just do a steady 1300 per day. Any less than that and I don't feel good. I still track my food on the computer because it's a good way to see what nutrient I'm short in, but I no longer let it choose my calorie level for me.

I would not recommend eating so little without computer help, as I have a hard time getting all the nutrient levels right with so little food. Right now, I can't seem to get enough potassium & calcium unless I take supplements- so I do. Whenever I get down to the weight I want, then I'll go back up in calories- probably to around 1600- and see if I can get all the nutrients I need with the higher calorie allowance. I might still have to take supplements, but I'm OK with that.

edited to add: Even at 1300 calories per day, I'm only losing a lb a week or less. I seem to have a very conservative metabolism.

I would like to add that I do not recommend going under 1200 calories a day on a regular basis without a DOCTOR's supervision. It isn't only about nutrients, it is also about other health issues as well.

Tracy, your best bet is to figure out your BMR and that will tell you how many calories your body needs just to live on a daily basis (breathing, digesting food, pumping blood, etc.). You can then safely lower your calories from there.

There are several websites that will calculate your BMR for you.