Originally Posted by VermontMom (Post 4297971)

*and I know that it's our own decision, but truly, you don't have much extra weight to lose, do you?

Originally Posted by VermontMom (Post 4297971)

don't panic, it's not like that! we all need a certain amount to just live. Even if you laid motionless in bed all day, your body needs x amount to function; that's your basic metabolic rate. There are online calculators to figure out how much your particular amount is. http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

I just did mine - my basic metabolic rate is 1351. That's what I need to just survive a day, healthily. So for me to lose weight, I need to eat less that that, and/or exercise to burn calories.

*and I know that it's our own decision, but truly, you don't have much extra weight to lose, do you?

Originally Posted by chibir3dpanda (Post 4297981)

I used to starve myself. I lost about 36 pounds from starving myself. I'm trying to not starve myself but now I'm just eating a whole bunch of crap and I'm gonna screw up everything and gain everything back. I know it. Life sucks. My weight, and losing weight is the only thing I even care about. I'm obsessed with it. I literally beat myself up over how much I weigh. It drives me crazy.

Sorry for sounding pathetic.

I just did that BMR thing.

I got 1521.45.

Originally Posted by sontaikle (Post 4278446)

Your BMR is the calories you burn each day just by being alive. If you were to just lie in bed for a day these are the calories that you would burn.

To determine your BMR you can use the following forumla:
BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

Not necessarily the most accurate way, but it does give you a ballpark figure.

From there you can figure out how many calories you should be eating based on your activity level. This is the Harris Benedict Equation, but you might find that other forumlas work better for you. You might need to go up or down depending on your needs (I know personally I need to eat higher than this).

To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

You'll get the calories you need to maintain your weight by using these forumlas. To lose 1lb per week subtract 500 from the number you get. To lose 2lbs per week subtract 1000.

It might work beautifully for you or it might not. Trial and error is really the only way you'll find out :D Good luck!

Originally Posted by Blueberries (Post 4297983)

That's not entirely right. Don't forget after you get your "in a coma" BMR, to go to this page to find your activity multiplier. http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-ca...dict-equation/

Assuming you're "lightly active," your maintenance rate is actually 1857, and that's the number you should eat below to lose weight. It's generally not a good idea to eat below your BMR for long periods of time, so you should find your happy place somewhere in the 1351-1857 range.

Originally Posted by chibir3dpanda (Post 4298002)

Ummm. Sontaikle, I got 1858.2475.
I think I did that wrong. If not, I'm NOT eating that many each day. I don't even eat 1,300 calories.