Calorie intake?

[katia7]

I've been yo-yo dieting for a while now. Although am not over weight, I am gaining. I alternate between days when I eat about 800 or 1,000 calories to days when I binge at one of the meals and end up consuming up to 2,500 cals by the end of the day. I'm only 5'0 ft and am about 110lbs. I'd like to loose a size -- about 5 to 10 lbs (get back to the weight I was 2 years ago) so that my clothes would fit again. How do I figure out how many cals I need to stop gaining and start loosing?

As far as my exercise goes..I mostly do cardio since weight training bulks up my legs and for someone who's 5'0 it doesn't look good at all.
Please help, any suggestions?

 

[Francine]

Here are your calculations for your BMR(calories your body burns in 24 hrs)also factored in is your activity for the day! The first calculation is moderate activity-the second is light activity or your rest days! This is just a range of how many calories your body will burn depending on your activities for the day! Not a necessity! Keep it simple and eat more calories when you are more active and less calories when you are not as active! HTH
You weigh 110 lbs. and you have a moderate activity level:
Your BMR is (110/2.2)*.9*24 = 1079 calories.
Your Activity level lower limit is 701 calories
Your Activity level upper limit is 809 calories
Your calories per day = 1781 to 1889 calories.

You weigh 110 lbs. and you have a light activity level:
Your BMR is (110/2.2)*.9*24 = 1079 calories.
Your Activity level lower limit is 593 calories
Your Activity level upper limit is 701 calories
Your calories per day = 1673 to 1781 calories.

 

[katia7]

To start loosing weight, how many calories should I be subtacting from the ranges?

 

[katia7]

To start loosing weight, how many calories should I be subtacting from the ranges?

 

[lorihart]

I have always read that you should subtract 500 cals from what you need to lose a pound a week.I don't know how much truth is in that.But thought I would tell you
Lori

 

[tsut]

Hi Katia -

We are about the same size. I also weigh 110 lbs and 5'2. I eat 1500-1600 calories each day and space my meals out between 5-6 meals. I am also trying to lose the last few pounds (on my waist), and this calorie range seems to work for me. I am not following any particular diet - just eating what I want in moderation. I cannot cut foods out because that tends to make me binge eat forbidden foods. Everyone is different though. And others have more self-control than I do.

I can eat up to 2200 calories per day while exercising, but I can't lose the flab that way. The best way to find out how much you should eat is start journaling your calorie intake and see if you are seeing any changes from that.

HTH

 

[Francine]

Hi katia! Lori is right about the pound a week(no more than 2 lbs a week is recommended because you will be losing muscle then instead of fat--(1-2 lbs is the safe way to go) The ranges in your Bmr with the activity levels factor in are guidelines for you to "maintain" your weight!Deduct where you have to or just eat less each day or when you are less active(you can eat more when you are more active) Also when your weight changes you should always recalculate your BMR(http://op1.prosourceonline.com/bmr.asp) your caloric needs will be different and you'll know what ranges to stay in! That was a great recommendation to keep a journal, we are all different and what works for one may not work for you! You have a better chance of pinpointing it when you right it down! Good luck in finding what works for you!