Just a query please. How many calories should I aim for each day?
Thanks in advance
Pam

Pamlyn,

You should aim for 10 to 12 times your current weight.

Whoo, thats a lot of calories - LOL. Thanks for that
Pam

Actually, I believe that is 10 to 12 times your GOAL weight.

I don't know...I'm still trying to figure this one out myself. At my gym this morning, I read a sign they had posted that said "It takes 30-50 calories to keep one pound of muscle alive". Wow!!! I just don't see how that can be. If a person had a lean body mass of 135 lbs....that would mean they would need 4,050 calories a day just to maintain that lean body mass. I know I am clueless in this area (although I am learning), so how can this be????

They had a coulple of things posted that I question, but maybe I should start a different thread on them if I can't find the answers elsewhere.

L

This is where I found out how many calories it takes to keep me going and what it will take to drop weight !

http://www.react.ie/default.htm?/He.../Calculator.htm

That is a great site, although it doesn't appear to take into account the metabolic advantage that we are supposed to have on Atkins. Also, it is saying that I require over 3,900 calories a day to maintain as I am very active. I do not eat over 2,000 a day (trying to get up to the 1,600 - 1,800 calorie a day range), so why am I not losing 3 lbs. a week? They say to lose 1 lb. a week to cut calories by 500. Actually, until this past week, I have probably lost 3 or more lbs. per week, so maybe I'm just not computing everything correctly.


L

Hiya Whyspers,

I think they always overestimate amount of calories it takes to keep us active which looks nice ! I will ask my 'in the know' friends to check this out and make sure I get back to you. Those same friends told me that the amount it takes to keep you going w/out exercise-I think its called basal? - is always overestimated. I never counted calories when at my max weight but I hope I wasnt eating 3500 a day or whatever it took to keep me there-who knows?
I know they also dont factor in the Atkins advantage, and I am always hoping that it will suprise me by causing a whoosh.

Yes, it is 10 - 12 time your CURRENT weight and you adjust downard as you lose. I am losing fine without going to 1100 calories per day (EEK!).

Jinx

Yeah that calculator didn't work for me either. It told me that I should eat 2200 calories a day to LOSE wieght. NOT TRUE. I've been stalled for almost two months eating about 1500 a day, and I just finally started losing 1 and 1/2 weeks ago when I cut my calories to 1100 (although now I am losing a bit fast , so maybe I should increase my calories to 1200-1300 to slow it down ) I think it is a matter of trial and error to find out what works for you. Start with the 10-12x rule and be patient with you adjustments- I hate it when I see e-mails that go "I ate [fill in the blank] yesterday and I gained 3 pounds!!" It's impossible to gain three pounds of fat in one day (unless you ate 10500 calories extra)! Keep in mind water weight fluctations and give any calorie/carb changes you make at least a week to take hold before you decide that you need to go lower/higher.

jess

Whyspers..that 135 lbs of lean isn't all muscle. Some bones and other "stuff" too !

Well, what I mean was the lean part....if someone weighed oh...say a man weighed 175 and 135 of that was LBM. I wasn't meaning someone who actually weighed 135.

I'm just really confused by this whole thing. I want to keep my calories relatively low in order to lose weight quickly (yes, I know it isn't a quick weightloss plan and that's okay...but right now I just want to get the next 7 lbs off so I can relax...lol) but at the same time, I don't want all the work I'm doing at the gym to be for nothing because I am not eating enough to "feed" my muscles. I know I keep saying I'm going to do some research...and I really am...this weekend for sure, but in the meantime, I'm just downright confused.


L

I agree with the formula of 10-12x current body weight for calories. I have been losing successfully on 1850-2000 cal. daily and I'm at 210lbs. right now. I hate to count calories so it fluctuates depending on foods of choice. I eat fat freely, choosing beef and pork over fish and fowl most days.

They do overestimate what you burn by 1000 calories a day in that calculator.
Drop that and see if it helps.
Unfortunately I too have to count calories to lose weight cannot lose without counting calories and not going above 10 to 12 times my GOAL weight..

Wish I could just liberally apply butter, but no way no how. I have to be really balanced in what I take in and there is no way that you can eat a pound of butter in a week and not be not losing that pound that it represents in calories. Same with chicken wings- if I do eat them it can only be 4 max.
I found that out the hard way. I guess butter makes me "stall"