OK.. I am Lazy and need help on one question please!
 

After all of this time, I am finally using Fitday. I read on here all of the time that when it comes to calories, we should consume 10 to 12 times our weight and then I see it as our goal weight. So which is it?

Now, because I have seen this so many times, if you answer, could you also give me the source, please? One post it is one way and on another post it is a different way.

Thanks in advance for your answers! :)

If you have lost weight and feel good... don't feel you need to do fitday.

My personal opinion is your body knows what it needs. Keep to your carb level chosen and eat when you are hungry... until your full.

Just a suggestion.

This is a way of life and the more effortless this is the longer and easier you will be able to get to and keep your goal.

Hey Theresa...to answer your question, it is 10-12 times your CURRENT weight. This means that as you lose, your calories will decrease as well. Of course, you wont be as hungry either.

What?
 

Eat less! Eat less! Eat less! Please, if you are not hungry don't eat more! The idea of eating against one's body weight is ridiculous. We all have to learn to eat less; probably a lot less.

Atkins lets us remain relatively comfortable doing it. But we all must do it to succeed. Please use the Atkins recommendations and eat until you are comfortable but not full. Eat slowly and it's easy to eat less. I now eat less than half what I did when I started Atkins. Its the only way you are going to reach your goal and then maintain.

Good Luck:)

Just to confuse the issue a little more :)
I seem to always end up around 1800 calories. One day I was reading all these posts about current weight vs target weight and figured it...current 2260 target 1450, average 1855. And that's what I've been doing naturally. Your body and appetitie know best.

Ladies,

I'm sorry to disagree: It is 10-12 times your goal weight. Someone on this forum wrote to the Atkins Center; they answered 10-12 times goal weight and I remember reading it in the book, but I just can't find it. I've checked the index on every combination I can think of and paged thru the book, but it didn't jump out at me.

Check the newbie questions, that's where the post about contacting Atkins was and the date should be before 3/7/03.

HTH,
Magic

Magic - could you back that up with some documentation??

Either way... I eat way more than that to lose weight and feel satisified (between 2000 and 2300 calories are my usual) so the argument keeps going that people are different and what works for some doesn't work for everyone.

If you are losing and you are satifisfied it is working so why tweek it?

Magic, please let us know where it is in the book. I can't find it.

red

I can't wrap my head around why this is SUCH a big topic of discussion on the forum. I mean, we've all noticed that for some of us raising calories works, for some of us lowering calories works.

Here is an exerpt from www.low-carbdiet.co.uk:


The basic idea of calories for low carb is "Don't eat too few, don't eat too many." Why do we need to micromanage? Generally one can figure out their basal metabolic rate and make sure not to eat below that, or they will lose lean body mass.

For instance, my BMR is 1450 calories. Therefore, if I ate 10 times my goal weight (1300 calories) I would be losing lean body mass, which in not something I want. I may also be in danger of going into the famed "starvation mode".

Generally we speak about calories only to discuss that eating too many or too few may hinder weight loss for some. They're good to look at if you need tweaking, but if you're losing just fine, it isn't really necessary to change what you're doing.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it! :)

Thank you Skamito! :wave:

:wave:
Hi Theresa,

Confusing huh? :D I've just decided to go along with what my body asks for...

I asked the same question on March 9. Go here and read the responses.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...&threadid=91477

Hope it helps.....KC

Heck, I don't even count calories! I just eat until I'm no longer hungry. Counting calories is what I associate with all those other low-fat diets and stuff. I know that a lot of people here count calories and say that you should, but as for me, I don't do it, and I've been fine. Of course, everyone is different, so what I do may not work for someone else.

HOWEVER - the point of this thread was to find out what you're supposed to use and to have proof of it. The only thing I found was from www.atkinscenter.com Help > FAQs > Phases of the Atkins Nutritional Approach FAQs > I'm used to counting calories. How many am I allowed on Induction?

"I'm used to counting calories. How many am I allowed on Induction?

There is no need to count calories. The Atkins Nutritional Approach counts grams of carbohydrates instead of calories. In Induction, you are allowed 20 grams of carbohydrates. When you progress to Ongoing Weight Loss, you gradually add carbohydrates in 5-gram increments as you move toward Pre-Maintenance, and finally to the Lifetime Maintenance phases of Atkins. Although there is no need to count calories, they do count. Gaining weight results from taking in more calories than you expend through exercise, thermogenesis (the body?s own heat production) and other metabolic functions. Research has shown that on a controlled carbohydrate program, more calories are burned than on a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, so there is a certain metabolic advantage to the controlled carb approach. But understand that this does not give you a license to gorge.

If you are used to counting calories and it makes you uneasy to not do so, know that women usually can safely consume 1,800 calories a day and still lose weight; men can typically take in 2,000 calories, and in some cases more."

Hope this helps! :wave:

If I only had 2000 calories a day, I wouldnt be doing this WOE too much longer. I would CONSTANTLY be hungry. One 12 ouce ribeye is almost 1000 calories, then you have breakfast with eggs and bacon/sausage you have 5-600 more...add in the Olive oil for your salad and you are WAY over 2000 calories.

Im sorry, but I have read it 100 times, it is 10-12 times your weight, not your GOAL weight. Your calories decrease as your weight does. That makes a hell of a lot more sense. Your calories decrease because your appetite decreases. If Im wrong about this, Im man enough to say "I was wrong". Besides, we dont even need to "count" them. Just eat.

The article included this at the end


... so you're at the "some cases more" end of it, I guess.

I have no idea how many calories I eat a day since I don't count 'em. Makes it much much easier that way. If I was counting calories, I'd feel like I may as well be on one of those low-fat diets again, and that would make me :cry:

I just thought that since this was the Atkins plan, I'd bring in what I found on atkinscenter.com/ Not meaning to step on anyone's toes :blush: Oh, I did find something else on there, as well. One of the Atkins' Principles if you do a search for 'calories' did say that "You Can Consume More Calories and Lose More Weight on a Low Carbohydrate Diet than on a Low Fat Diet" and then it has a bunch of references below that.

Red...I wasnt directing my post at YOU. :). I was just making a general statement. I was saying that the weight is 10-12 times. Skamito posted this - "The generally recommended calculation is 10 - 12 calories x current weight. Depending on your activity level this range could need adjustments. If you've tried this formula for a period of time (many weeks) and have not seen any progress, you might want to try slowly adjusting your calories either up or down over a period of weeks."

I was then just commenting on the 2000 calorie thing. In no way was my post meant to slam you or anything that you said. If you took it that way, Im truly sorry, it wasnt how I intended.

No biggie :bhug: Just a itty-bitty misunderstanding :D :daze:

I agree that we should ideally eat less than we have been accustomed to. I don’t think people were ever meant to live in an environment where food is as plentiful as it is in the West. Living in modern western society and not eating enough is a contradiction in terms.

Whatever the case may be, there is no getting around a simple fact. In order to lose weight, we must—in the long-run—create a calorie deficit with what we intake and what we use. There is no getting around this fact. Eating low carb has a slight metabolic advantage, I’m convinced of this from the research I’ve read; however, the caveat still holds true, one MUST still use up more energy than is taken in—nothing will ever change this.

A person weighing 300 lbs will naturally burn much more energy than a person weighing 130 lbs. All things being equal, the generally accepted theory is that the former will need 3000 calories to maintain weight while the latter needing only 1300. Of course, physical activity will adjust those numbers upwards slightly.

Combine one’s resting metabolic rate and calories used during physical activity, and we have the number of calories where we can eat and achieve equilibrium—weight is neither lost nor gained. To lose weight, there must be a deficit (I’m not going to get into losing fat relative to muscle here). We must eat slightly less than the aggregate energy we expend in any given day. Creating a deficit of 500 calories/day will result in a 3500 calories/week—which is precisely the amount for a single pound.

That’s how I’ve always thought of it.

I just broke a stall by eating more calories and more fat. I just finished induction and went into the 3 week stall. :rolleyes: I sat there and finally asked and was advised to eat more so I did. I was eating 1350 to 1400 my goal is 140 seems like they weren't enough calories so I am now closer to 1700 to 1800. I know everyone is different but to eat around 10 to12 X my weight really worked for me. It seemed when I was eating the lower calories I wanted to snack now I am happy with 3 meals a day and a small snack in the afternoon. :wave: Pat S

WOW! I had no clue I would get so many responses.

It probably would have been good if I stated my reasons for the post and why I started fitday.

I have been eating relitivley the same since I started Atkins June 2002. I did induction and then added a few extra carbs until keotosis stopped then went down a little until it felt right. Weight loss was good for the first 6 -7 months. I have lost 41 lbs so far, but the past 2 months I have only lost a half a pound only to gain it back plus a few more. I am always giving advice on here based on what I read in DANDR, web sites and this forum. Sometimes my advice (sorry guys) was just on my own experience and may have been absolutely no help. (In fact, I have seen some negitive responses to my post, but that is ok :) ). So, I realized that either I am in a natural stall (I was at the weight I am now for a few years before I packed on that last 40) or maybe I was unaware that extra carbs or calories had crept up on me with out me realizing it.

So, I decided to do fitday since I had read many post where users were raving about it. I realized quickly my carb intake was fine which I thought it was before doing fitday. Then I got to thinking about the calorie thing that I see so many people talk about.

So, before upping or downing my calories, I wanted to see where this 10-12 times theory came from. Was it experience (like I sometimes throw in my meager 2 cents) or was it documented fact by the good ol' doctor A or another source? Not that it matters where it came from, but before adjusting anything, I wanted to feel like I was doing so based on a sound fact or advice.

Now I do remember that the last time I did WW and they had their point system, the heavier you were the more points you could consume. If they got their information from the same source, than it would be logical that the 10-12 times theory is based on your current weight and that it would go down as you lose. But this theory would also rely on me being a logical person which my ex will tell you in a heartbeat that I am not! :)

So guys, I know still there is not a solid exact answer, and if you got it, please give. I am really really really and truely happy with all of the responses. It is giving me something to think about.

Now for the lazy thing... I probably should instead of obsessing if I am consuming too many or not enough calories (yesterday I had 1538) I should move this big butt more and get some exercise. Oh no... did I just start another debate? :)

Again everyone, thanks for the replies and any more info is appreciated! :) You all are GREAT!

Heh, Theresa... we know you're not really lazy. :) This is a very commonly asked question and we still don't REALLY have an answer. Basically stay within a certain range for your weight and play around with it if necessary. Some people lose by creating a deficit, some people's bodies release the fat when it knows it's not going to starve.

And you know what? Exercise is ALWAYS good. Hell, you can even take in more *gasp* calories if you exercise! ;)

Best to you and good luck breaking your stall!

I've written to the Atkins people asking for the page in the DANDR book. As soon as I hear from them, I'll post the info.

As to what's right, I guess after reading the posts on this thread, it looks to me as if we should let our body tell us what to do.

Magic

Theresa... I was just popping in to tell you that you are NOT lazy...and look at all this!!

For what it's worth...it's only a guideline, it's 10-12 X your CURRENT weight (that's the only way we can measure metabolic homeostasis...is by what our bodies need to function at basal rate)

Really, what good is it for someone 300 lbs to only eat 1300 calories because she wants to be 130? It takes way more calories than that for a person of that weight to have any energy at all. I remember those days...that's why I ate so much!

Anyhow...just wanted to mention that I think eating too much was the biggest problem for me. Still is... so cals for me are on the lower side. But it's STILL the carbs that are the most important thing to worry about.

Whew! :wave:

Hi all :)

I myself never count calories, I just eat low carb foods now and the weight is coming off ! I dont excersize, I dont hardly drink any water lol but it still works for me ..I even cheat once in a while.

I am very very happy with this diet its the only thing that has ever worked for me and ive tried alot of things !

I definately agree that counting carbs is where it's at. I would never switch lifestyles.

I think the fitday thing is good for me though. Here is the reason: I am less likely to nibble here and there out of boredom if I have to write it down. I know I was doing that for the past few months when my weight loss slowed and then stalled. Yes, it was legal nibbling but was it necessary? Probably not but we will see.

Again, I can't thank you all enough for your responses. Skamito and Donna... I may not be LAZY in the technical sense but at times I am the queen of procrastination. I have been thinking about using fitday for a few months now and I finally got around to it. :)

Thanks again everyone! :)