How many Calories?

[JenniferAnn]

I'm always so confused about how many calories I should eat. I'd been trying to eat about 1400 calories a day with one cheat day a week and had been losing about 2 pounds a week. I went on some medication last week that has previously caused me to gain a significant amount of weight. Although there were some other lifestyle changes in my life going on when I took that medication too so it's hard to say for sure that the 30 pounds I gained were due to the medication. According to my doctor, some people gain weight on this medication and since I had gained weight on this medication in the past I should eat less calories than I currently do. So for the past week or so I've been eating between 1000 and 1200 calories a day. BTW, one thing I noticed the other time I started taking this medication is that I had a loss in appetite for a few weeks which I think is happening to me right now given that I'm not eating a lot and I'm not hungry.

I asked the doctor how much less I should eat and she had no idea. I really have no idea how much this medication is effecting my metabolism. I'm still losing weight but I've been eating a very low calorie diet for about a week and a half. Is there a way that I can try to figure this out other than trial and error? I really don't want to make a mistake and gain a few pounds. Should I eat 50 less calories than I had been eating or 100? Or was the 1400 calories a day already too low so I should stick with that?

BTW, I'm 5'1'' and currently weigh about 143 and I'm currently very active. I work out 6 days a week mostly with Cathe tapes.

 

[honeybunch]

Is it possible to ask for another medication that does not result in weight gain? A doctor prescribed a HRT for me and when I started to gain weight, I asked to be taken off of it and get a substitute, and when he refused, I GOT A SECOND OPINION! It turns out I should not have be given the HRT at all, and I lost the weight. We're only talking about 5 lbs. or so, but I don't gain weight as a rule, so I knew it was the meds.

ASK! It's your right as a proactive patient.

 

[Francine]

143 lbs

For your weight you should be consuming 2200 calories on 2 high activity days and 1732 calories on lower activity days if your lean factor is 2 ! If your looking to lose weight-- you have to multiply your weight by 2 and then deduct that from your daily caloric intake to lose weight! That comes up to dropping your calories by 286! Also when you lose weight you have to find your new caloric intake and follow your intake guidelines!---How to get your BMR(basal metabilic rate) for woman .9 x body weight in kg x 24-- (to find kg divide lbs by 2.2)-- then multiply by lean factor 1 - 1.0 is 14 to 18 % bodyfat---2 -.95 is 18 to 28% This is what your body burns every 24 hrs at rest! Here's your steps----.9x65kgx24=1404--1404x.95=1333.8 calories---Now you have to factor in activity---1.65 is high activity and 1.30 is couch potato activity (high end and low end) the medium activity is 1.55---Total daily caloric expenditure = 1333.8 (calories)x 1.65(high activity) = 2200.77 calories---- This is very important to know! It's a guide for maintaining your metabolism and keep it working properly! I hope these calculations were helpful to you and others(woman) who want to know how many calories there body needs! If your a male your #s are slightly different--to find yours---1xbodyweight in kgx24---Lean factor is 10 to 14%bodyfat x 1.0 or 14 to 20% x .95--- Example of man 200lbs with 15 % bodyfat 1x90.9 x24 =2182---2182x.95=2073 calories a day!BMR----Total daily caloric expenditure 2073calories x1.65(high activity)=3420 calories! Your friend in fitness~~ Francine