How do I find out how many calories I should eat?

[candice]

Hi,
I am 5'6 and weigh about 140. I would like to lose about 5 pounds. I do cardio x 3 or 4 (running + cathe cardio) and weights twice (currently, MIS). How do I calculate the number of calories I should shoot for? I counted yesterday and came up with only 1473, which I think is not adequate. When I try to eat healthy, I only end up eating too little, I think. Any help is appreciated!
thanks.
Candice

 

[Beets]

Hi Candace,
1400 cals/day is definitely not enough! You are only giving your body the minimum number of calories that it needs to keep you alive, not counting the exercise you do. By my calculations, which are a rudimentary calculation based on your weight and activity level, you could be eating up to 2100 calories/day. I would not jump up to that level all at once though or you will definitely gain weight. Try upping your calores by about 200 per day for the first week, another 200 the second week, etc until you start to see some results. Make sure the calories come from good wholesome foods and not junk (like you don't know that already!) and be consistent with your workouts. By properly fueling your body, you will be able to increase your lean body mass (muscle) which will help you shed excess bodyfat in the long run. If you continue to undereat, your body will eat your muscles for fuel and you will end up losing weight but much of it will be muscle and you definitely do not want that! Good luck!

 

[prfitness]

Wow - have I agonised over the question of how many calories to eat for a long time! I still have not come up with a concrete answer. There is a tonne of info out there on how many calories you should eat depending on your weight, height and activity levels. There is a fairly sensible calorie counter in the diet and fitness section of www.ivillage.com

The fact is when you make healthy choices with your food, the calorie count really does drop. After experimenting on myself, I have found that the method of counting calories while eating healthily (whole grains, fruit, veg, tofu, beans etc) and exercising well does not really work. I either eat far too little or I simply eat to make it to a certain amount of calories and not because I am hungry. Instead I have started letting my body lead the way. I eat when I am hungry and I eat till I am full. This is the only way I can ensure that I have adequate energy for my entire day and workouts. I also find that by using this method, I never eat the same amount of calories on a day to day basis. Some days I need more, and on others I feel the need for a lot less. I have also been really happy with the results I have had - I have lost some weight and gained muscle while keeping my energy levels high. Most importantly I feel my metabolism is alive and kicking (thought I had killed it forever by eating too little!!)

I guess when you travel a lot, eat out on weekends, eat lots of sugar and white flour etc. - keeping an eye on the calories and portion sizes makes sense. But I do feel that women who exercise regularly should not go below 1500 calories to lose weight. Hope this helps and best of luck.

 

[Stacy]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Apr-09-02 AT 12:00PM (Est)[/font][p]I agree, I tend not to count calories either. I eat when I'm hungry, and not starved, b/c when I'm starved I eat too fast and before I know it I've downed an entire pizza!! I also eat until I'm satisfied, not full. I try to stay away from flour and sugar products and eat alot of lean sources of protein, and try to include a fruit and veggie with every meal or snack. Try to be aware of the hidden sugars. For instance instant oatmeal sounds healthy, but some like cinnamon etc have a high sugar content, also alot of the lite yogurts also have alot of sugar grams. By following these methods I've lost about 10 pounds since January 1st, of course that was with some setbacks, which for me, I just had to accept would happen along the way. Also I replaced a day of cardio with strength training. That was hard to do b/c I love cardio, but by increasing my muscle mass I found that the "weight" I lost was more body fat which is an important distinction. I think everyone understands the term "skinny fat"...you dont want to just become a smaller version of yourself, it's important to change your muscle to fat ratio, and that is really independent of what the number on the scale says. It helps to keep a food diary to look back and see what food and exercise combinations do and dont work for you. Good Luck!!

Stacy

 

[getnfit@38]

Hi Candice,
That really is a "loaded" question because I'm pretty convinced that there is no perfect answer.
On some websites, according to "their" calculations, I shouldn't consume more than 1400 cal/day (Please, I'd be eating my carpet I'd be so hungry if I tried that!), then according to other sites, I should eat between 1800-2000 cal/day.
I've tried it all, and what I found out for myself was that my body was really the best indicator of all! Now, clearly I don't let it dictate EVERYTHING, but I do set a target, and rather than try to eat to meet the target, I just eat my meals/snacks, record the info (calories/fat/fiber/protein/carbs) and usually by days end I've come in somewhere between 1600-2000 calories. It seems to depend on what my workout was for the day, how busy my overall day was, etc. Some days my body doesn't call for much and I'll come in at around 1600 calories, but other days, especially when it's a heavier weight training/cardio day, i can take in 2000 calories easy! And by writing it all down meal by meal, I see what I'm eating, and can maintain control.
Also, if you make really good choices, like fruits and veggies and whole grains and lean proteins, you really can eat quite a bit without logging a lot of calories. It's the empty food choices that ruin a good day!
I also try to never allow myself to get really hungry. About every 3.5-4 hrs I eat something. Breakfast/snack/lunch/snack/dinner, that way I'm never really hungry or God forbid ravenous, so I can make better choices for my meals.
So, why not try letting your body dictate it's needs for a few days, of course keep a food record/journal of some sort so you can monitor, and see where it seems to land.
How much you work out and your overall activity level make a huge difference in what your body needs for fuel.
Donna