How many calories per day?

T

treebaby

Cathlete
Hello everyone. This has probably been asked already, so I apologize up front, but how many calories can one consume per day and still lose weight? According to information I have seen reported lately, I don't think I am consuming enough; however, I'm not exactly sure what amount I should be consuming. I have been trying since the beginning of June to lose weight. I have lost 23 pounds, but I haven't lost any since the first of September. These are not vanity pounds I need to shed either. I tell NO ONE how much I weigh, but believe me I need to lose more. By the way, I workout about 7 to 9 hours a week.

Can anyone help?

Thanks,
Teresa
 
There is no real answer for this question. How many calories i eat per day might make you gain weight or lose weight. It really depends on the person and how active they are and what type of exercise they do. For me i can lose weight on 2,500 calories per day eating whatever i like. If i go lowcarb i can eat unlimited calories (ie - over 4,000 per day) as long as my carbs don't go above 100g per day. Weight training is the most metabolic thing you can do for your body. Lean tissue is very active and helps burn calories 24/7 while aerobics may help burn them while you're doing it, it doesn't build lean tissue so weight training is key for weight (read - fat) loss. So the answer - i can't give you one. 2,500 is way to much for some and not enough for others. Have you tired switching your mirco-nutritent ratios around...more protein, less carbs etc...while consuming the same calories...might help.
 
Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I have tried eating more protein as you suggested. I do weight training both with heavy weights and with more emphasis on endurance. I have tried everything really. I plan on having my thyroid checked because I think that I am doing everything right. I am just stuck at this weight. If people knew how much I weighed they would not believe it!! I do have a lot of muscle though!

Thanks again!
 
I've read in several places that to lose weight, you should eat 10 calories for each pound of your target weight. (ie: target weight is 120, you eat 1200 calories to lose). But it's also advised to not go below 1200 calories per day (though you'd think that a very petite person whose ideal weight is 100 lbs. would be able to get by with less).
 
I consume about 1700 calories more or less per day. I know that I will receive a lecture, but when I first started trying to lose weight I was consuming about 1400 calories. I was SO hungry that I decided to increase my intake, plus I became aware from this website and other sources that I probably needed to consume more calories.

Anyway, I am very motivated because I have inherited high cholesterol, and I do NOT want to go on medication if I can help it!
 
Kathryn, I have heard something to the effect of what you're saying before, but I was not quite sure of the specifics. I thought I heard that this was not enough calories though. I'm confused!!
 
That is body for life talk... lose weight x10 calories per pound, but that is hardly any food! More like x 12-16 for weight loss! But like i said, it really does depend on what you've been eating. How about doing a wave program. Let me explain...day one eat 1700 cals. day 2 eat 1400 cals. day 2 1600 cals. day 4 1900 cals. day 5 1500 cals. day 6 1400 cals. day 7 1700 cals. that way the body never really knows whats happening, high day, low day etc... and is a good way to eat if you've been on a low cal diet to stop the rebound effect. Might be worth trying???
 
Thanks for all your advice and time. Maybe the new videos will help in my efforts. They are shipping soon! Good luck with getting a high step. I received mine Friday, and used it today for the first time. It's great!

Thanks again,
Teresa
 
Here is a some info from a book I just got "Eat Smart, Play hard".
Maybe this will help.:)

To find out how many calories you burn in a day, take your current weight and multiply it by 10. For example, if you weigh 140 pounds, your first number is 1,400. Then add half of your weight to that number. So for our 140-pound person, we end up with 1,470. That's the number of calories you burn very day to breathe, pump blood, and hold a pen at work.
Now add the number of calories you burn a day during purposeful exercise. I'm asking you to burn 400 calories, which brings the number to 1,870. That's how many colories you need to eat to mantain your weight, assuming you have little muscle. If you've been weight training for a while, add 150 calories. To lose weight, subtract 200 to 500 calories from that number (200 calories will be an easier diet to maintain, while 500 calories will drop the pounds faster; the choice is yours.
 
I had never heard this method before, and being a person who has been eating too few calories and trying to increase my intake without shocking my body, this sounds like a great idea to me, thanks for the info!
RS
 
I have been doing the "wave thing" for a month now and have lost 5 or 6 pounds. It's really easy and almost painless. The website I used for information is

http://www.allyourstrength.com/nutrition_1202_cs.html

Because this is for a 200 lbs guy, I modified the calories.

I do 1200, 1500, 1800, 1200, 1500, 1000, 2200.

I go really low carb on the three "hungry" days. I feel great and am very psyched about this method. I weigh 132 now and am 5'8" and I work out with Cathe 6 days a week. I am hoping to hit 130, and may go lower just to see what I look like.
 
Wow, I now have some great reading material for tonight! I just skimmed the article before printing it but it really seems to make sense to me, thanks!!!
RS
 
Hey Ladies...so pleased i could help. I really am. I love the wave method. Helped me lose more body fat and my body looks pretty good at the moment on it. I read about it years ago by a strength coach called Charles Poliquin who helped women and men (at the time) increase their calorie intake after low calorie dieting without any body fat gain. He later spoke of it for losing body fat...anyway, i'm happy...good luck ladies x
 
Wave Method...hmmmm...LOL
This is what I've been doing for a year now, but didn't know there was a name for it. :p
I agree it is a shock to the system because it can't get used to what you are doing.
I also decreased the amount of carbs that I so heavily relied on before, and increased protein. Bread and homemade southern bisquits are the hardest thing for me to shy away from. Sure makes a difference in the abs when you do though.;-)
 
Ok, Ok....I have been looking at this website, but WHO IS THIS GUY??? Also, I cannot find where he describes the plan, only where he charges for the plan. Mogambo.....did you pay for his services?? I just want the calorie breakdown in days and I will go from there.....

Janice
 
You dont need somebody to give you a nutrition plan, its simple to make up, just find out the max no. of calories you need per day to lose weight (the max no min) and then in a wave like motion increase and decrease the amount on a daily basis leaving one day per week to over-feed(a little)... it really is as simple as that... good luck x
 
The "wave" is also know as "zig zagging." There are even more names for this way of eating. It's a great way to add(plan)in a splurge meal.
 
Do you plan your high-cal/low-cal days in conjunction with exercise (ie: planning high-cal days on days you do more intense exercise, and lowest cal days on your rest day?).
 
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