How many cals you eating?

[mammac-5]

Maintainers...

How many cals are you eating (average) to maintain successfully?
I'm curious to know where everyone seems to be, or whether y'all are even keeping track of calories.

I've averaged 1440/day for the past month. I exercise a LOT and I guess I thought I'd be able to eat a lot more cals than that. Go figger...

[ValerieL]

I don't track my calories, but my goal is to get to your weight, and we are the same height, so I'll admit that I'm concerned that you are maintaining on eating only 1440 calories a day.

I'm currently maintaining at a higher weight than you are at, 170ish, and I'd be really surprised if I wasn't eating close to 2000 calories a day. I can't see how losing 20 more pounds would mean I would need 25% less food.

Is it possible you are underestimating your calories? Of coure, I guess it's possible I'm overestimating mine.

Val

[mammac-5]

Good question, Val. I think I'm pretty accurate on my cals since I track everything that goes into my mouth on FitDay. I'm a little obsessive about entering my stuff there so I don't think I could be too far off.

As far as how many cals I'm expending on a daily basis: My daily work is of the stand/walk/sit-for-short-periods variety as I'm a medical assistant in a VERY busy doctors' office. I go to the gym 5-6 days/wk, doing upper body weights 3 days and running a total of 10-12 miles/week. If I'm feeling particularly energetic (usually only once or twice a week!) I also love to get on the stair machine for 15 mins or so. I've got to be burning 300 cals/day through exercise, conservatively.

Hmmmm...

[mammac-5]

Sorry...double post.

[Enomarb]

No idea- feels like a lot.

[ValerieL]

Corinne, I noticed your comment in the weigh in thread that you have gained weight from your experiment to eat more calories. Are you sure it's the extra calories or could it be a bit of water from extra carbs? Are your carbs higher with the extra calories? I'm asking because if it's the extra calories, they yes, it's an issue, you don't want to keep gaining. If it's just water, that won't keep getting more and more, it'll level off.

Would it be worth an extra 2-4 lbs of constant water weight (it looks like you are still below your goal weight even with a bit of water weight), to be able to maintain eating the extra carbs/calories?

I also wonder if you body might not be ready (metabolically) for the extra calories and thus the couple of extra pounds, but maybe it will adapt if you give it another week or so and be able to handle the couple of hundred extra calories without gaining weight.

I just noticed in your journal that you were feeling tired on so few calories with all your exercise. I understand wanting to make sure you don't gain weight, but in your position, I probably wouldn't end the increased calorie experiment yet. I think it might still work out for you.

Val

[mammac-5]

Hey, Val. Thanks for remembering me.

Previously my net carbs were averaging 28/day. This past "experimental" week they've been 33/day. So I'm not sure that's enough to really give me any H2O weight.

So here's my dilemma: I currently workout at the gym 5-6 days/week. That's a lot. And I enjoy it almost all the time. However, it takes a lot of TIME. IF I've levelled off in what I can lose in the way of fat (I still have a big old jiggly belly!) and what I can gain in muscle without actually getting into body building (of which I am not a fan) then maybe I can cut back on my workouts and have a little more time for life.

On the flipside...what if I cut back to 4 days/wk at the gym and find out I start to GAIN weight?

And I guess I'm just disappointed that I'm 40 years old, I am very very active, I don't allow sugar to cross my lips EVER and I still have this big old jiggly belly. ARGGGGGHHH!!!

[ValerieL]

Wow, that is a dilemma, Corinne! I'd be discouraged too, I think. I was having trouble losing weight but that had more to do with not being able to stay consistent enough to keep calories low enough to lose for any length of time anymore. I switched to maintenance and I've been lucky that I can eat a fair bit and not gain.

I hope you keep us up to date on what you decide to try next. I'd be interested to know. Do you think you will try to cut back on your workouts and see if you can claim some time back?

Val

[ItsTheWooo]

Good question, Val. I think I'm pretty accurate on my cals since I track everything that goes into my mouth on FitDay. I'm a little obsessive about entering my stuff there so I don't think I could be too far off.

As far as how many cals I'm expending on a daily basis: My daily work is of the stand/walk/sit-for-short-periods variety as I'm a medical assistant in a VERY busy doctors' office. I go to the gym 5-6 days/wk, doing upper body weights 3 days and running a total of 10-12 miles/week. If I'm feeling particularly energetic (usually only once or twice a week!) I also love to get on the stair machine for 15 mins or so. I've got to be burning 300 cals/day through exercise, conservatively.

Hmmmm...

How do you count cals?
Like, for example, a lot of people count eggs as "an egg" or a chicken drumstick as "a chicken drumstick"... but if you actually weigh them out, it turns out the egg andt he drumstick way MUCH more than the default values in fitday. For example, all my eggs weigh around 60 grams, which is much more than the standard 70 cal large egg in fitday. Also, my chicken drumsticks weigh a heck of a lot more than the "large drumstick" in fitday.

Also, water loss and cooking methods are problems, as is accounting for added (and lost) fat.

1440 cals should not maintain a 150 pound woman. I weigh 117ish and I maintain on a bit over 1600, and I do rather little activity.

[Losing it]

sorry should mention im 27 yo guy 6ft tall weighting 186 pounds so im 6 kgs overweight 14pounds or so....


Yeah hey guys, Im on a LC diet around 80 carbs day, with 600 cals, what carb level is working for people, I only have 1 slice bread a day, eat 2 eggs, 4xchicken drum, tomatoes and salads, nuts... but I noticed someone having 28 carbs a day?

any eatting suggestions to lower the carbs, maybe I should eat tuna ?

looking foward to hearing from yall

[Judynyc]

sorry should mention im 27 yo guy 6ft tall weighting 186 pounds so im 6 kgs overweight 14pounds or so....


Yeah hey guys, Im on a LC diet around 80 carbs day, with 600 cals, what carb level is working for people, I only have 1 slice bread a day, eat 2 eggs, 4xchicken drum, tomatoes and salads, nuts... but I noticed someone having 28 carbs a day?

any eatting suggestions to lower the carbs, maybe I should eat tuna ?

looking foward to hearing from yall

Are you really eating only 600 cals per day?:eek: or was this a typo?

That is way too low for a young man your age, height and weight!!

[Aquaholic]

Corinne -- I'm with ya, sister. (Our stats (age, weights, height, etc, weight lost are about the same) and I'm extremely active (or was until about five weeks ago and have laid off because of a bum knee).

I've maintained my current 146 with about 1,200 calories (sometimes lower because the meds I take suppresses my hunger) and roughly I do about....45 carbs a day. But I can't seem to lose anything in my jelly belly (and my jelly thighs) so if you find a way -- please HOLLER!!!

I probably need to increase my calories but seriously have a hard time doing so because I just don't feel hungry.

[Losing it]

Hi,

Yeah 600, ive uped it to 1000, and 80 carbs.

Vegi Soup for breaky

had 2 big chicken breasts,

2 sunny side eggs

2x bread M.Grain brown.

200 g low fat yorgurt and 2 apples


just need to lost 12 pounds are my carbs 2 high?
How many carbs is everyone else having?

Need some help.....

:agree:

[zorra_1]

I've been pretty fortunate with the calorie route...After using MyPLAN for a week straight, I notice I average anywhere from 2200-2500 cals/day.

Physically I feel weak under 2000. I workout (recent addition to my life) 3 times a week but only for toning (maybe 15-20 minutes per session). I just can't handle cardio! :lol:

[Judynyc]

Hi,

Yeah 600, ive uped it to 1000, and 80 carbs.

Vegi Soup for breaky

had 2 big chicken breasts,

2 sunny side eggs

2x bread M.Grain brown.

200 g low fat yorgurt and 2 apples


just need to lost 12 pounds are my carbs 2 high?
How many carbs is everyone else having?

Need some help.....

:agree:


First of all, each of us have different carb amounts that will allow our bodies to lose weight. Only you will know if that is too many for you when you weighin and see no weight loss.

Even 1000 calories may be too little for you. I would watch your portion sizes on carbs..1 apple instead of 2, 1 slice of whole grain bread instead of 2. And where are your vegetables?

Also, you may want to consider posting this question in the General Low Carb forum as many more people read it and you'll get many more answers.

[BoBoGuy]

The below site might be useful to some. It calculates the calories needed to maintain. Seems to work for me.

CALORIES TO MAINTAIN (http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html)

Bo

[deirdra]

I lost all of my weight and am maintaining on an average of 1700 cals/day (65% fat, 25% protein, 10% carbs), so I haven't had to change anything to maintain.

In previous diets, including LC, I always restricted calories in the 1100-1450 range, but was never able to stick with it. Eating more (mostly fat) made the difference this time.

[LilHellion]

The below site might be useful to some. It calculates the calories needed to maintain. Seems to work for me.

CALORIES TO MAINTAIN (http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html)

Bo
Very interesting Bo. Thank you.