Is 2000 cals too much for me? I'm curious to know how many calories the steady losers are eating per day. I also walk an hour a day, if that makes a difference...

Thanks Tracey

Hi Tracey,he amount of calories you should be eating depends on a lot of factors, but one of the more important ones is the basal metabolism, which tells you how many calories are required by your body to maintain life in terms of heart beat, brain functions, etc. This calculator can be found at the following link . The basal metabolism depends on your sex, age, weight etc. These are the absolute minimum you should eat in order to NOT go into starvation mode.

http://www.countcarbs.com/tools/basal_metabolism.htm

Cheers

IMHO, you should be eating til' you're satisfied, but not too full. That's what atkins says, anyways. If you want to count calories, then most say to stick to 10-12 times your weight, and to refigure your calories as you lose weight. So, 2000 should be okay for you. But if you aren't losing, you should think about eating less (works for me at least.)

Thank you both for your input, I know somedays I just take in too many calories.

Tilt thanx for that link. I really needed that info....I see I was eating far too many calories the last 2 weeks.

Thanx again!

if you look at my fitday, you'll see that my calories have been waaaaaay low lately. and i feel like its really starting to affect my body. lower blood pressure, fatigue, etc. i'm hypothyroid, but all of these things put together are causing me to be tired and fatigued ALL THE TIME. it's frustrating.

accoring to the calculator, my basal metabolism burns about 1400 calories (i'm 5'3, 124/5 pounds, 20 years old, female)...

if i eat 1400 calories, i won't gain weight? i'm nervous!

My basal rate is 1445.89 but yet this calculator does not put into effect exercise...stress level...hormonal changes... I know that in order to lose weight I cannot eat above 1500 calories (which is slightly above my basal).

This is a very individual issue, I think definitely YMMV. According to my weight I should be eating between 1350 and 1620 calories, but I have been eating between 1800-2500 calories per day since I started Atkins in December. It sounds like a lot of food, but I really like calorie dense foods like nuts and avocado. Unlike a lot of other members here, I NEVER have a problem meeting my calorie requirements and sometimes wish I could eat less. But I really like to eat and one of the reasons I was attracted to Atkins is that I wouldn't have to feel deprived. Despite my comparatively high calorie consumption, I'm still losing weight. Perhaps I could lose faster if I cut my calories, but I'm looking at this as a permanent WOE, and basically I want to keep on eating the way I am now for the rest of my life. I don't want to eat 1300 calories a day to lose weight fast, then gain it all back when I start eating the 2000 calories my body is telling me to. So, my advice is, just heed your body. Eat until you're pleasantly satiated, but not stuffed. And don't deprive yourself -- that's not what Atkins is all about.

If you want to go by the basal metabolic rate, keep in mind that this only includes the calories you burn just by being alive, and does not include the calories you burn exercising, walking around your house, chasing after the kids, doing yardwork, walking through the mall and so on. Most people can eat about 200 calories MORE than their BMR and still continue to lose weight.

I'm a lil confused you guys. I plugged in my requirements, (5'4", 126 lbs, 22 years old) and I came back with 1405 calories. I've lowered my calorie intake as it had been way too high to around 1200. Do you think this is too low? I was following yalls advice and going for aprox. 10 times my body weight. Is this ok?
Brittany

I firmly believe that if you consume a number of calories which falls between your BMR and your AMR you will lose weight. I've been steadily losing and I rarely eat fewer than 2000 calories a day, often more like 2500. Ketosis is a wonderful thing! So many people complain that they're not losing despite having cut their calories down to torturous low levels... I think Dr. Atkins has the right idea about not depriving your body (other than of carbs). If it knows there's enough fuel available, there's no reason to store any for a rainy day.

BMR and AMR calculators here

Sophotia, you're welcome.

Britgirl, like Hilary said, the BMR deals with the calories you need to stay alive and you can safely eat upto 200 calories more and still lose weight if you are completely inactive. Any activities you do increase the calories you burn and so will increase your weight-loss. But make sure you eat at least enough calories to stay alive.

El123, no, you should not gain weight if you increase your calory intake within reasonable levels.

In my personal case I have been eating around my BMR every day and I have lost 15 pounds in the 7 weeks since I started Atkins. YMMV of course

Cheers