[socodevil]

Like most of you i have been dieting since i was 10. that is 27 years. i have been up and down and have tried every thing in the book. i have finally decided to eat right and not try to look like a model. i wan to be healthy.

recently i have been with trainers and had a specific diet. i did this for a year. i did a trainer 3 days a week for an hour at a time. the other days i did cardio. I toned up a lot and lost at the most 15 pounds. i thought that was great, as long as i gain muscle and lost fat.

before i went to the trainer i had my body fat calcualted (using the POD) i was 37% and wieghed 205lbs. after the trainer body fat was 36% and wieght 190lbs. not much of a change.

the person that did my body fat said that i had not been eating enough calories for my wieght and exercise level. my trainer had me eating 1500 calories a day. she said that is a ridiculous low amount and my body is retaining all my fat because it thinks i am starving it.

so we did a metobolic test on my and i need to have 2500 calories a day to maintain my weight. she told me to go to 2000 calories a day and keep exercising and i will lose body fat and not muscle. after i lose 10 pounds to lower that to 1800 calories and then again to 1500 and not any lower just intensify my exercise level.

keep eating a high fiber, whole grain carbs and low fat diet.

I get so confused when the so called experts tell me how much i need to eat to lose wieght. you can never get a straight answer.

my goal weight (with my body type) is to be 155lbs. i am athletic so anything lower than that and i will look like nicole richie.

any advice would be great.

i found this site, it might help someone. http://nutrition.about.com/library/b...uide_intro.htm

thanks!

[Suzanne 3FC]

Hi, welcome to 3fc Determining how many calories you can consume involves a lot of trial and error, since we all have unique needs. Have you tried eating 2000 cal to see what happens?

[fiddler]

keep eating a high fiber, whole grain carbs and low fat diet.

I get so confused when the so called experts tell me how much i need to eat to lose wieght. you can never get a straight answer.

Try listening to your body. Eat when you are hungry; stop eating when you are satisfied, not full.

[aphil]

Try eating the recommended 2000 calories a day for a few weeks. Then weigh in. If you have lost a few pounds, then this is INDEED the correct level for you. Keep at it as long as you are getting a loss of 1/2-2 pounds per week. If you do not have a loss after a couple weeks at this level, then drop to 1800-1900 and see how that goes for a few weeks. This is really the only way to know what is right for YOU, because everyone is different metabolically.

[Jasmine31]

Womens Nutrition Health Guide

Check this out too!

[healthy2b]

If only that Womens Nutrition Health Guide were true. It probably works for some people but if I ate as many calories as the guide says I should I would be gaining weight like crazy. Unfortunatley, genetics gave me a really slow metabolism. I work out 4 days a week, 40 minutes cardio and 30 minutes strength training and will gain weight if I eat over 1500 calories a day. I maintain at 1200-1500 and only lose if under 1200. It's CRAZY! The problem is...I can't work out like I want to with this few calories...I tend to get sick and light headed. I'm stuck but really need to lose approx. 40 pounds. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Meg]

When I put my stats into Jasmine's link, it gives me about 600 calories more than I can eat and maintain in reality (I've been doing this for more than five years so I have a very good idea how my body reacts to various calorie levels ).

Darn it!

The important thing to remember about any calculator (and there are a gazillion out there) is that they are averages and just guesses. They're good places to start, but take them with a grain of salt.