3500 Calories a Day?

  • I just tried calculating my daily intake needs using the 3fatchicks calculator and figured out I need at least 3500 calories a day to remain at my current weight of 212 lbs.

    I don't get it! I've been counting colories for the last month and can't remember a single day when I went over 3000. In fact, my daily intake is more like 2500. Still, have only lost 2 or 3 lbs.

    Am I one of thoese low metabolism people? Should I increase my intake to 3000 per day? Something doesn't sound right.

    MellonC
  • Kiddo you are eating WAY too many calories unless you are doing some kind of phenomenal exercising! Go to www.dietitian.com and use the calculator in the upper left hand corner. Answer the questions and it will tell you home much fat and cal etc to take in to lose either one or two lbs a week. I am morbidly obese and am on 1800/410 cal and fat cal a day so I know the size you are that is about twice what you should be taking in. Hope it helps!

    Good luck!

    Faye
  • Quote:
    Originally posted by gma2one
    Kiddo you are eating WAY too many calories unless you are doing some kind of phenomenal exercising! Go to www.dietitian.com and use the calculator in the upper left hand corner.
    I tried this calculator and saw that I needed 3012 calories per day. Still it seems a bit high because, eating 1000 calories each meal for brakfast, lunch and dinner is (while enjoyable) pretty hard.

    Also, the website tells me that I am pear shaped and that I have more fat below my waist. That can't be right either because I have literally no fat under my waste. I do 30 minutes of stairmaster at level 10 - 4 times a week.

    But thank you for suggesting the website. Short of getting a full exam by a dietician, I will just try to shoot for 2000 to 2500 colories per day. My goal is to get to 200 by the end of the year.

    MellonC
  • I went on a very moderated plan last year..payed a lot of money to meet with a couselor once a week and plan my weeks meals out. On my first visit she put my weight in which at the time was 365 and my height which is 5'9" My daily calories was computed to be 2000 calories per day. So if you are 212 lbs. There is no way that you will lose eating 2000 cals a day?

    I'm only guessing..but I'm thinking more on the line of 1200 calories a day for a person in the low 200's?.... Maybe a little more if your do strenous exercise on a particular day.
  • Quote:
    Originally posted by Skinny4baby
    I'm only guessing..but I'm thinking more on the line of 1200 calories a day for a person in the low 200's?.... Maybe a little more if your do strenous exercise on a particular day.
    I thinkyou are right. I've been talking to professionals about it and they tell me that the calculators that are typically used assume that your body is already in proportions - meaning ideal fat content and good muscle tone. Since I have more fat than a "fit" 212 lbs person, I need to get down to my ideal fat proportion for my body type and height. Unitl then, the calorie calculator won't work.

    I am going back to 1500 calries per day. Thanks for chiming in...

    MellonC