So I'm a die hard calorie counter and recovering e.d. girl. I am a mom to three and I don't want my kids to be like I was (after watching my mom and being pushed into it by her) okay so that is some back ground
I walk about a mile and half a day as well as yoga daily and either p90x or 30 day shred depending on my time restraints. As I said before I'm the mama of three under 5 so I would venture to say I'm relatively active I would say I relax during naps for about an hour and that's about it. So I am learning about calories and I need someone to explain it I have always been taught less is more and 1000-900 is a good number I'm learning I'm wrong so what should I be doing

Nope sorry, less is not more. If you enter 1000 calories into an online calculator (like fitday.com) that also calculates nutrients, you'll find that it's very very difficult to get all the nutrients you need with that little food.

Have a look at the foods involved in South Beach or Body for Life or SuperFoods Rx and see if you can come in around 1500 cals. You are active and will probably have to tweak as you go in order to keep up with all those little ones.

Another thing that I wish more folks would try is to see how much you eat on a regular basis and cut back from there.

Keep reading, keep asking questions. We're happy to help!

how long have you been eating at that level? how long have you been yo-yoing and dieting? if your body has adapted, metabolically, to 1000 cals a day, then "upping" them isnt going to help, unless you take an extended break from dieting at eat at maintenance or above, for a long time to re-set your hormones, to put it very simply. However, you would need to have been eating at that low of a level fro some time to be fully adapted (were talking year(s) of dieting down and eating at low levels-- which may be your reality, given your background)
Ideally, you would be starting with a clean, revving metabolism, and in that case, you shouldnt "have" to go so low to lose, and its dangerous and hard on your body to do so, not to mention backfires (see above about metabolic adaptation)

I have been working on lowering my calories week by week I'm at 1100 right now. I have only gained weight with my pregnancies so I have been working on crawling down the scale slowly. Ya I have been really hard on my body everytime I hit my goal weight I get pregnant so I want to lose the weight and be healthy

Less is not always more. There are plenty of stories around here of people losing more weight once they upped their calories a hair. The thing is, there is a point where too few calories puts too much stress on your body. This is why it is typically recommended that you lose 1-2 pounds a week. Obviously, the people in the 200-300lbs range can lose more a week, but probably not at 161. Do a search for "How many calories do I need a day?" There are a lot of calculators, and they vary by a bit, so try different ones. Sometimes they do it for you, sometimes they don't, but the general idea is that you cut 500-1000 from what you need a day. Based on your activity level, 1000 calories is really, really low. You probably burn most of that off just with exercise and chasing your kids. What does that leave for your brain, heart and lungs to use and function for 24 hours?

Here's another thing- when your body is freaking out because it's not getting nearly enough food, it starts 1) slowing down your metabolism and 2) burning muscle. Muscle is a quicker source for energy than fat.

So the answer is, you can go very, very low and you will always lose weight that way. But it is not sustainable for maintenance, and you might not necessarily be healthier coming out of it. You put a lot of stress on your body when you exercise a ton and don't put much fuel back in. What matters most? Being super thin no matter the costs? Or being healthy and thin, and being able to stay that way?

That's just my take on it. It's always your decision to make. But I highly recommend looking up the calculators and the information that goes with them.

I have done well at 1200. anything lower than that and my body goes into starvation mode where I gain weight on water. After a few months when I plateau I will change my workout, and add 200-300 calories a day. Or good fats like avocados, good fats will always bump me out of a plateau!

I have heard women shouldn't really go lower than 1200

Hi Gold32! You're just down I-75 from me!

For your weight, height, age, and activity level your calories are too low. You should be somewhere around 1400 - 1900 calories daily.
Check out http://www.freedieting.com/tools/cal...alculator.htm#

I'd suggest eating at the higher level for at least a couple weeks, to give your body a break. Then zigzag the calories.

Example:
7 day calorie cycle (zig-zag)

Monday 1901
Tuesday 1521
Wednesday 2281
Thursday 1901
Friday 1711
Saturday 2091
Sunday 1901

*Calorie cycling provides same amount of calories per week, but 'tricks' your body by constantly changing daily calories.
This helps to prevent or break plateaus. Guideline only.

IMO, eating calories that high, given your starting weight would most likely result in weight GAIN, not loss.

For me, personally, my body didn't require *tricking*. It just required feeding it well and CONSISTENCY. STAYING on plan. But of course we are all different.

The only way to know for sure what's going to work for you is picking a number, sticking to it like glue for 2 - 3 weeks and seeing the results.

Given your history and your starting weight, I would probably start out at about 1400 calories, 1400 nutritiously sound, satiating, delicious calories, that is, and see what happens. If you lose nicely on that, I'd stick with it till you cease to do so. You can always lower it by a hundred as you go on.

We are all experiments of one and trial and error is the only way to know what will or won't work.

You seem determined, I'm sure you'll figure it out. I look forward to hearing of your progress.