calories

[kennyamy]

Hello Cathe,

I'm glad to hear your recovery is coming along nicely. Also,
I would like to say I became a fan and user of your workout
videos fairly recently. They have taken me from being a
beginner (pre-Cathe workouts)to being fairly advanced
(post-Cathe)---and getting more advanced all the time. Your
workouts keep me inspired to really push myself above and
beyond what I ever thought I would achieve.

I did have a specific question for you. I believe 1500
calories is what I need to eat daily inorder to lose 1.5
pounds a week. This amount takes into consideration my age,
my weight, and my activity level. I burn between 400 to 600
calories per day in various exercise activites. I believe
I'll be shaky and hungry at the end of the day if I eat 1500
but burn 400 to 600. Does this mean I'm really eating 900 to
1100 cal per day since I'm burning those calories? If so,
does that mean I could eat, for example, 1900 calories and
still lose the weight? (1900 being 1500 since I'm burning a
minimum of 400). Sorry to be so wordy, but I'm having
trouble finding this answer on the internet. I appreciate
any help you can give on this issue.

I look forward to enjoying new workouts from you and your
crew in the future.

Sincerely,
Amy Lee ;o)

 

[Author]

Hi Amy,

Not Cathe and not a nutritionalist. But I do have some ideas and opinions. I read quite a bit and often it's about nutrition -- so I'll give it a shot at answering your question.

How many calories you need a day is written up differently in every nutrition book that I read. So I won't go into that, as the jury still seems out on that subject. Some put the calories real low, which can also lower the metabolism, so it's not always a good choice to go too low -- by low, I mean around 1100 calories per day or so. Some recommendations are not to go lower than 1600 per day and some put it at 2000. Like I said, the jury seems to be out on the subject.

Yes, you are supposed to be able to eat more if you exercise, as you do burn off calories doing exercise. That's what I've read. However, the reality of this for me personally -- this is strictly my opinion based on my own experience -- is that if I really want to lose weight, exercise is a must, but cannot for me be substituted for extra calories. This is a personal thing for me -- maybe it's just that if I have too much leadway, I cheat more -- whatever.

All I know is that when I want to lose weight, I must restrict my calories somewhat AND exercise.

Okay, so there's my stab at it.

Have a wonderful day and a great time losing that weight.:7

 

[willowe]

Hi Amy,
I agree with what Karen has said above in that you have to watch the calories in AND exercise to lose the pounds (also not a nutritionist or expert - just my own experience ;-) ).
Losing weight, in my experience, is more about eating clean than exercising. I have never lost weight solely through exercise (altho I have improved how my body looks). I have always had to add clean eating into the equation for the weight to come off. Exercise is very important for me from the point of wanting a strong, healthy body which will see me into my old age.
I read somewhere recently that each pound of body weight requires approx 12 calories just to function. So, for eg, if you weighed 140lbs, you would need approx 1680 calories per day in order to maintain that weight. So in order to lose weight, you would need to reduce that calorie intake by approx 10% to lose 1lb per week. Again, I am not an expert and this is based upon articles I have read, however, if I follow this formula, I DO lose the 1lb a week. I realise this may be too slow for some, but the slower the better as far as I'm concerned as I feel I am more likely to keep the pounds off.
As Karen said above, I am sure there are differing "calorie formulas" for weight loss and I guess it's just about finding what works for you.
No doubt about it though, clean diet and exercise go hand in hand when it comes to losing the pounds - no rocket science there huh!? ;-)

 

[kennyamy]

Thanks for the response. I do have one more question. What is clean eating? I've seen it all through the message board, and I'm not sure what it is.

Thanks,
Amy

 

[marcy]

Clean eating is basically eating things in their natural state. The way Cathe describes it is as follows: you could eat an apple or you could eat applesauce or you could drink apple juice. The apple would be the healthiest. You would be getting the most nutrients plus the fiber. You should eat many fruits and vegetables every day and stay away from processed foods (e.g., coldcuts, things that come out of a box).

Hope this helps.

Marcy

 

[Lusignan]

I know calories burned are different from one person to the next, but is there a calorie burn summary some where on this forum in that we can estimate how many calories we burn per specific workout?

 

[olexa17]

>I know calories burned are different from one person to the
>next, but is there a calorie burn summary some where on this
>forum in that we can estimate how many calories we burn per
>specific workout?
>
Honestly, that is so specific to each person your best bet is to get a Heart Rate Monitor. My elliptical tells me I burn 700 calories in 40 minutes and my Heart Rate Monitor shows 300. Big difference!

;-)

 

[trunyon]

Hi fellow Cathe-ites!!! Wouldn't it be so nice to know "exactly" what to eat and "exactly" what kind of exercise we need and how much? It is so nice to have everybody on the message boards though to find out if I'm close to being correct in the way I'm taking care of myself. I basically eat clean but I do have times I lose it.}( May be the reason for me feeling like I can't lose the last few pounds I'd like too. I try though not to be tttoooo strict on myself because it then turns into work for me. I would like to add that since March I've been very dedicated to Cathe workouts only and walking, clean healthy eating (with pizza and the occasional weekend ice cream) that I've lost 17lbs. I don't starve myself like I used to in my younger days I now eat a small breakfast, a fruit around 9:30am, spinach salad w/chicken or Kashi frozen meal, another fruit or 1/2 cup cottage cheese w/fruit around 3:30, then supper around 6:30 which usually consists of another veggie filled salad and a protein. (Love to hear your opinion as to what you think on my meal choices? :7 I found that when I added the 9:30 and 3:30 snack I didn't want to eat 3 big meals or until I was "stuffed" Hope it's a little help to anybody out there curious as to meal choices. Have a great workout filled day!