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There have been a couple of posts on here about diets etc, what is a realistic caloric intake for a diet?
I am 193ish pounds (and 5' 4/5"). i am currently eating about 1000 calories but i think that may be too little?
For breakfast i eat a bowl of special k or a special k protein bar (peanut butter yummy!!) (180 calories)
lunch a baby fresh salad with feta cheese 10 croutons, and 11 sprays of salad spritzer (200 calories)
dinner a lean cuisine (330 calories)
for snacks i eat honey pretzel stix (2 packs) 180 calories
and i ate a 100 calorie pack of pringles.
wow that's only 990 calories, that's not enough huh?
I find that I function best at between 1200 and 1500, depending on how much I'm exercising that day. That leaves me satisfied but without that "ugh, I overate" feeling. Just for fun, an average day for me:
Breakfast -
Bowl of raisin bran cereal with skim milk
Coffee (black)
Lunch -
Soy "Veggie" Dog with whole wheat bun
1/2 cup of cottage cheese
Snack -
Five whole wheat crackers and one triangle of Laughing Cow cheese
Dinner -
Mushroom marinated tofu
Brussels sprouts
That totals to about 1300 calories, and definitely leaves me satisfied!
@lily: i think i'm about to have a snack of some sort because i am absolutely ravenous right now. maybe i should shoot for 1200 calories
1200 to 1500 is considered optimal for weight loss. At your current weight, I think you will find 1500 is better. You will have more energy and variety.
Also, eating vegetables raw or steemed practically doesn't even count as calories, they are so good for you.
Is 1000 starting to impact your energy level at all?
I think that's a good idea! You'll feel much better, and have more energy to tone up.
Also, my favorite topic... get 8 hours of sleep a night! It's imperative for energy AND weight loss.
(I feel the need to add that no, I don't always listen to my own advice in regards to sleep. Real life has a funny way of getting in the way...)
Min. 1200, some people have to tweak it up a little. Don't you DARE do the 900 calorie thing, it's so bad for your metabolism!
@monita: i suppose that's why i am napping all the time? i sleep way too much would could have something to do with the energy level thing? and i LOVE my salads!! sometimes i eat them with chicken but most of the time as long as i have feta cheese i don't even need a salad dressing!
I would suggest cutting out some of the processed foods you are eating because your sodium intake is probably through the roof! (And we all know salt = bloating). Take a look at how much sodium is in your lean cuisines and 100 calorie snacks, it might surprise you.
As a reference, I am 5'0, 101 pounds and I eat about 1200 calories a day. I'm not really trying to lose weight but I want to tone (I am skinny fat). 1500 is probably an optimal amount for you to be eating in order to lose weight and still have energy! I would suggest looking at sparkpeople or jillianmichaels.com as they both have calculators to figure it out.
Nobody should ever eat below 1200 calories. That is how much the smallest person (about my size) needs for their body to just function if they were to sit on the couch all day and do NOTHING! We actually burn at least 1200 calories a day just by being alive :)
Generally it's not advisable for us ladyfolk to go below 1200 calories/day. (It'll damage your metabolism and could even damage your organs!)
A good rule of thumb is to aim for--at most--2lbs of weight loss/week via a combination of diet and exercise. Considering that 1lb of fat = 3500calories, that works to a calorie defecit of 500cal/day from your RMR (resting metobolic rate) needs to take off one lb/wk via diet alone.
The RMR is the magic number, per say. It's the amount of calories (roughly) that your body needs to exist as it currently is without gaining/losing anything and without any major activity levels. Your RMR will increase if you do exercise, for instance.
So a good way to figure out what you should be aiming for intake wise is to calculate your RMR (a good site is here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm) and then subtract 500calories from that number. If the result is greater than 1200, aim for the new number. If it's less than 1200, use 1200 as your target. Obviously all the balanced/clean diet mumbo jumbo appies no matter how many calories you're taking in... :)
And take it from somebody who specialized in crash diets for a while...there is such a thing as not eating enough! Your body will go into starvation mode and will ultimately end up storing calories from whatever it can get...hardly the desired result, eh?
@babyboo: yeah i agree with you on the sodium intake (i'm afraid to look) we are going to our first gym membership meeting with the personal trainer on thursday morning so i'll talk to her again but i figured i wasn't eating enough sigh...
How long have you been doing this? It generally not feasible long term to carry out a <1200 calorie diet and be happy or healthy. You may not get all the nutrients you need.
It also depends on how sedentary/active you are, but I generally wouldn't go below 1200 calories.
Without knowing anything about you and assigning a mediocre activity level, I'd put you right about 1500 calories. That is 500 calories less than your regular energy needs for weight loss and an appropriate long term number for your body size.
Just make sure you think about getting 5 cups of fruits/vegetables in each day. 1 cup is about the size of your fist, and two cups of raw, leafy greens is really the equivalent to a 1 cup serving. And don't stress yourself on calorie counting. Take a brisk walk after lunch. If you can do that most days, it will definitely help.
Well, I was just not fast enough! I agree with all these ladies, with the education to back it up! ;)
@eimersc: about two weeks or so, maybe three i cannot remember, i think right after i tried on the dress i loved i stopped eating as much. i haven't lost a major amount of weight, maybe only 10 lbs. i am totally sedentary right now (joined a gym though to kickstart my metabolism again). i am eating a snack right now (salsa and chips with light sour cream) and that puts me at about 1300 or so calories for the day and i already feel a lot better.
Well, you've got plenty of time, so enjoy your gradual weight loss to make it sustainable! You don't want to yo-yo, so have a method you can carry out as a lifestyle choice. Besides, 12 months of a "diet" is pretty much a long term change anyway!
2-3 pounds is actually the healthy recommendation of loss per week, so you may be on track.
Just adding some laps around the office or wherever you are at lunch really helps put some mindless activity (and helps break up the work hours) into your day!
As someone mentioned, you need energy to burn calories, so heavy deprivation actually backfires (because your body starts to go into survival mode).
You are doing great starting early, and I'm sure you'll do fabulous!
@ei: office, lol i work from home so the office is my couch but i am going to start working out in the mornings after the little ones get on the bus AND m wants to go with so it'll be our new quality time, too bad a latte doesn't factor into the equation lol!! except i could get a skinny latte mmmmm (i love lattes!)
1200-1500 will def help and be all you need :) don't do less...you won't be a very nice/happy person and you WON'T be able to keep it up!
@sulli: yeah i'm a big grouch but i feel better after the salsa and chips snack yummy!!! and i was beginning to get concerned especially after reading other posts, even M was sort of looking at me going okay babe what else have you eaten?
Yeah...trust me @Cre I get it! I always have to call my mom and get advice...she is a dietition and is so good at moderation and exercise and all that...
Me? I used to eat almost nothin and be a grump or a TON like once a day...
now, getting better :) I also am excited that since I'll have more time now (JUST put in my two weeks...still can't believe it! eeeekers!) so I'll be able to make working out and eating right more of a priority
Your diet is a little lacking too, not much nutrition in any of what you have eaten today. most of the calories you have eaten today are empty cals that is they are not giving your body much energy to work on.
I lost 25kg or over 50 pounds. and now weigh 100 pounds
oats or bran would be better than special K. Protein Bars are full of sugar you may as well eat a chocolate bar. for all the good they will do. If you are exercising heaps and you want to take extra protein to help with muscle regen then a shake or meat or eggs are better options. you should have some form of grains at lunch to stop hunger pangs in the arvo. a multigrain or rye roll with your salad would be much better than pretzels. Fresh meat or fish and Steamed Vegies are much more nutricious than lean quisines heaps of the calories in those frozen meals are the gravy you get very little meat or vegies,
Try to eat every 3-4 hours to keep your metabolism going, If you leave it too long your body will go into starvation mode and store the next thing you eat as fat.
Hope this helps. your diet needs to be realistic otherwise as soon as you stop being vigilant you will pile the weight back on
Oh my gosh now it all makes sense! I've been getting eight hours of sleep a night, but still feeling soooo tired in the morning and at work. I don't even get up very early (between 7:45-8am), but I've been dieting and trying to keep my calorie count low, I don't know the exact number of calories, but I know I eat very little...that must be why i'm tired!
I should start including a snack... I love cottage cheese and light n' fit yogurt, I'll try to incorporate that now.
hahaha. so I just added up what I ate today and all the calories... I only had 700 calories today! wooow. I had no idea I was so low! I wasn't *that* hungry.
I like the rule of 100. Take your goal weight, multiply by 100, and that's the number of calories you should be consuming each day. Also, when I had a nutritionist, she gave me the following goals:
Breakfast: 300 cal
Snack: 200 cal
Lunch: 300 cal
Snack: 200 cal
Dinner: 300 cal
Snack: 200 cal
Total: 1500 calories
Another trick is to have several goal weights. Instead of aiming for 100 pounds (and limiting yourself to 1000 calories) have a goal of 150 pounds in six months, and 100 pounds in a year. (Just an example, I like 100 pounds because it's easy math.)
@mightysapphire, great trick and easy math! I just figured out mine and that makes it so much easier! thanks!
Just wanted to chime in... I think I was reading Women's Health and discovered that they actually put more (sometimes WAYYYYY more) into Lean Cuisines and other frozen "lean meals" because the companies are fined majorly if it's underweight. They don't care so much about calories as they do about fines! Since then I've kind of just made my own meals.
Also, yeah, those 100 cal snacks are killer. Such empty carbs and never leave you satisfied. Now we snack on yogurt, fruit or a Fiber One bar (holy crap, those things just SIT in your stomach... SO filling)
for me 160 was ideal, i was still plenty curvy without being this well fat for lack of a better word... although 150 would be nirvana, i have a fairly curvy frame and that size enhances the curves, great job mighty!! 1500 calories it is
@simple: i love the idea of adding a roll to the salad and i usually eat a few fruits but today i didn't because i was craving salty foods (hence pretzels and pringles) and i think i love the protein bar because errr it tastes like a candy bar and i have been sooo good not having any candy bars lately lol..
have i mentioned that i love the board?!
That isn't enough calories! And I agree you should try eating more veggies, fruit, lean meat, and dairy. I think somewhere between 1500 and 1800 is probably right for a female on a diet.
@mouse: thanks girlie!! i really think that i am tripping and this weekend's dress shopping trip didn't help, i tried on a lot of dresses but the ones i really wanted to try on i couldn't even get over my butt... the salad that i eat is pretty large probably two or three cups so it's not small at all but it's definitely not enough veggies.
Oh my goodness! I have been under eating! Thank you for posting this! I thought that 1200 was my max and I should stay under that, plus I am at an average weight so I may have been doing more damage than good! I'm making changes tomorrow.
I agree with what some of the other girls said, your diet is low in calories but doesn't sound very healthy! I think you will also find yourself losing weight quicker with a low-fat diet. Maybe have soy milk or almond milk with your cereal instead of regular milk.. and definitly add in some fruits! Soy or low-fat vanilla yogurt with grapenut cereal (whole grain) and fruit mixed is one of my favorite breakfasts or old-fashioned oatmeal boiled in soymilk and sweetened with maple syrup.
For lunch how about a pita with hummus stuffed with salad greens and other raw veggies, or your usual salad with a low-fat dressing (no yucky spray stuff!) and a hard boiled egg or baked potato.
Dinner can be a large portion of steamed and spiced veggies with a small serving of chicken or fish or just cooked beans with rice instead of meat (beans are great for your health and promote weightloss).
Snack on carrots & celery with hummus or fresh fruit
* Read books by Dr. McDougal about low-fat diets. Great information & recipes.
go to livestrong.com....you can figure out what your caloric intake can be and then actually track the foods that you are eating. Based on what you input, it will calculate what your calorie, fat, sodium, carb, etc intake is for a certain day and it will really help put things in perspective!! you can also track your fitness once you get to that point. I definitely agree that you are not eating enough...you are starving your body all day and then at night splurging on another not-so-healthy snack. And if you've lost 10 pounds in less than 3 weeks...um, that is a lot! Especially considering that you are not at all active. Don't pay attention to biggest loser for ideas on practical weight loss!! Best wishes to you!
1200-1500 is considered ideal. I try to stick to 1500 normally...that seems, to me, to be "healthy intakes" of food. No junk basically and I always round up. Here's what I tend to eat:
Breakfast (8am): Coffee+plain oatmeal+1 tsp brown sugar (100+130+15=250 cal's)
Lunch (1130am): Whole grain, veggies, and a protein (today is pasta+pesto+veggies+cottage cheese, 220+200+20+130=600)
Snack at 330pm: Protein, like cottage cheese or greek yogurt or edamame (about 130 cal's)
Dinner (after gym, usually 730pm): Protein+veggies, like chicken or steak plus veggies and a salad.
I usually hit 1500. Now, sometimes I throw in a little something extra, like a TB of PB if i'm hungry or a Nutrigrain bar to hold me over between snack and dinner if I'm working out
When I was eating 1200/day, I met with a trainer and he said I simply wasn't eating enough (but i'm also 5'11") and to stick to 1500-1600 for my height. 5 pounds came off. It's HARD to make ourselves eat MORE but sometimes it just works like that!
Give it time. Consistency is key. Stick to the 1500-ish range, work out regularly, and give it time!
I thought the rule of thumb was you multiply the weight you want times 10, and that is your calorie intake?
Like lets say you were 180, but wanted to be 160, you would eat 1600 calories a day.
Like FutureMrsBLT mentioned, start tracking your food on some kind of calculator (I use LoseIt on my iphone but I know spark people has one too). I like the one I use because it not only tracks calories, but nutrients. It also breaks down my fat, carb, and protein intake into percentages. For my eating goals my goal breakdown is:
Fat 20%
Carb 50%
(Lean) Protein 30%
My body needs carbs or I am a grumpy, grouchy girl. And I keep my fats to HEALTHY fats (fat from lean meat, all natural peanut butter, sunflower seeds, etc.). If you have a percentage breakdown goal for your diet it will help make sure you are eating a balance of foods
it depends on what your current caloric intake is and how fast your metabolism is and what you weigh at the moment. i'm only 110 lbs, and pretty active, and i only eat on average 1200-1300 calories a day - not on a diet. that's the amount that keeps me at my current weight with my current level of physical activity.
You definitely need to up your protein! You snacks are fairly high in carbs. All you snacks need to have some protein too. Low fat is ok, but you need to have some, or you'll feel hungry. Also, if you drop your calories too low, you'll end up "hoarding" them and actually end up gaining.
How much water are your drinking? Make sure you drink enough!
I've been *trying* to eat a diet of about 1200-1500 calories a day with a balance of 20% "good" fat, 40% protein & 40% carbs (percentage of calorie wise). But, I am also fairly active (have been training for several half marathons, so I run 4-6 hours a week). No caffine, no sugar (or substitutes other than agave nectar).
For some ideas of good snacks and alternative meals, look at the Phase 2 of the South Beach Diet. Shoot for lower glycemic foods.
I would also recommend breaking your meals into 5-6 small meals throughout the day, instead of three bigger ones. This keeps your metabolism up and gives you energy throughout the day. I also agree with what others have said about more protein, but not through bars--eat lean meats (grilled chicken, turkey), almonds, etc. Also, fresh fruit and veggies make great snacks. Drink TONS of water, and avoid carbonated beverages like diet sodas. If you're going to eat carbs, make them good ones--multi grain bread, whole wheat rolls, etc. Stay away from processed white flour stuff.
Also, please remember to count your beverages! Even drip coffee with milk can add up through out the day!
everyone is offering you great advice....I agree that you aren't eating enough and that you should focus on foods that are more nutrionaly dense..You will have more energy this way. I have taken a few courses in nutrition and am no expert...from what I remember your metabolism is fueled by energy that you put into it...if you keep the fire burning all day with small meals it won't slow down. If you cut calories too much your metabolism is going to slow down and once you start eating more or stop working out you will put the weight back on. Think of all those yoyo dieters that put on a ton of weight after they stop the diet (Oprah is a great example)
If you want to keep the weight of long term you should make sure you aren't doing things too drastically.
Another thing that is very important to pay attention to is what nutrients are in your diet....if you cut out red meat you may end up needing more B-12 and Iron (a lack of these will cause anemia and fatigue)
From my own experience I find that 1200-1500 calories is optimal and on those days where I have heavy workouts it's better for me to have at least 1500 cals. I notice a huge difference on the days I don't eat enough, I actually become sick and lightheaded during the workout.
My Dr. recommended eating small meals through out the day and making sure to have a snack every so often so I don't binge.
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