Calories & Tracking - Questions

Stacy - I agree that the BMR calculators seem high for me. I aim for 1200-1400 calories a day. Actually, I aim for an average of 1250 a day over the course of a week. This allows me a couple of 1500 calories a day and then a few low cal days. I think your food looks great. MY biggest problem is not recording everything - I get an iced coffee with cream almost every day (80 - 90 calories) and never record it.  Good luck staying back on track. You can do it!!

I eat 2,000-2,100 calories most days and I'm still losing about 3-5 pounds per month.  I'm 22 months out from my surgery date and I'm 5' 7", plus I work out 6-8 times per week (lift weights 2-3x, cardio 4-5x).  So I'm buring a lot of calories through exercise.  I also have a higher metabolism because of my exercise routine.  I had my metabolism tested through New Leaf fitness and my BMR is just over 2,000.  So if I wanted to maintain my current weight, I would need to eat 2,400-2,700 calories per day depending on my activity level for the day.   Regarding diet composition, I get roughly 50% of my calories from carbs, 25% from protein, and 25% from fat.  That works out to 250 grams of carbs, 125 grams of protein, and 55 grams of fat per day.  I don't alway**** those exact numbers, but I get relatively close most days.  If I weren't exercising so much, I would have to cut back on the number of carbs I consume... I hope some of this information is helpful.  Good luck finding the information you're seeking; hopefully it'll be helpful in setting some daily calorie goals for yourself.   Kellie

Yep.. thats where I was before.  Workout goddess I tell ya and could easily do 2000 - 2300 and still drop.  I ENVY YOU !!! I want to be back where you are again.  You are my hero right now.. lol I had to eat that many calories to rebuild muscle too or I would get too sore.  I switched off every few weeks from a traditional lifting split to full body giant/compond sets. Weights were 4 times a week.  I was doing double sessions too!!    Cardio am and lifting PM.. sometimes 90 min spin if it was a cardio only day.  Yoga, pilates, core work, balance training, etc. My ex was a personal trainer and I also ran a fitness message board.    I could burn close to 900 calories in a top workout according to my polar HR monitor.  This was when I weighed about 160 and my bodyfat was around 23% or so.  I had to up my carbs for energy but my protein I kept over 100.  I ate more like a bodybuilder. I felt the best when I was doing that.  So energetic and healthy but I wonder if maybe it was also what was my downfall and led me to my burnout.  It was almost too much.  I need to find my balance.  The thing is even if I said I was only going to do 30 min I loved the endorphin rush so much and pushing myself that I'd end up staying in the gym for 90 minutes.  Once I get more consistent with my food I'll do a bodypod or calipers at least.  As of right now I just want to get my diet consistent and have increased activity.  Back to planned cardio next week.  Once I do 7 days of consistent cardio I'll start to add in resistance training again.  I'm using a ramp up approach so not to burn myself out.  I think I should be ok right now with around 1300 - 1500  for the next few days. See what kind of results I get. 

Can I just tell you... Smokers and smoking was a vial concept to this health fanatic.  Can you believe I even started back to smoking???  Had not really smoked consistently for years. Then was out socially drinking at a party and grabbed one.  Domino effect.  Eventually I was going on smoke breaks at work. Then after that in the evenings.  Then came the cig with coffee when I woke up. Ewwwwwwww!!!! I know for a fact when I am doing cardio there is no way I will even consider wasting my lungs with cigs.  I've been weaning myself off.  Down to max 3-5 a day and its only in the evening. So far today I have not had any and actually feeling pretty good.  Maybe I'm not as physically addicted as I thought.  The true test will be to see if I can give it up this evening or limit myself to less. By next week though I want to be completely done with it. Daily Cardio + smoking is just not an option for me.

Wow-this has been some great reading! I remember my nut telling me that you eat 1200 a day if you want to weigh 120, 1800 a day for 180 and so on.  I've always thought she was a total idiot, but whatever. I track on fitday and for me personally, I was losing weight and maintaining under my goal weight at around 2000 cals a day.  I was working out on average about once or twice a week.  Not even for that long of a time.  Now that Summer is here I was tracking my cals SUPER high uwards towards 3000 (yikes, I know) and not working out at all....sooooo I was for a very long time at 130-133.  This Summer I have been 137-140....I guess working out (even just a little) and tracking IS KEY!!! Keep it up girl.  I bet you will reach your goals in no time.