Calories per day - Veterans??

likewise - my carbs are all fruit/veggies or dairy.

I'm losing on 1200....but my protein is over 100 and carbs under 70 and I aviod sugar alcohols becuase they make me want more...of course those are my goals I do have some flux...


So, my advice is increase the protein.

While 1000 doesn't seem outrageous, in reality, no one can tell if you those calories are too much or not because whether they are depends on how many you burn and we can't know that. Also, it depends on if you are insulin resistant or not. If you are, eating carbs will slow your metabolism compared to the average person without insulin resistance.

"(about 40g are sugar alcohols, which my iPhone app doesn't take out of the net carbs calculation - so really about 54g carbs)"

I know Atkins says you can subtract out sugar alcohols, but my understanding of the science behind how sugar alcohols are digested/used by the body leads me to believe that's a dubious practice at best. IOW, listen to your iPhone app.

My suggestion is to get your RMR tested or invest in a BodyMedia FIT so you know for sure how much you are burning. But only if the weight doesn't fall off now that it's Spring. Most of us find ourselves less active in the winter and a few pounds gain isn't unheard of. Personally, I think we're programmed to hibernate and I've stopped fighting it. I expect to go up 3-5 lb. in the Winter and I expect it to fall off in the Spring and -- so far at least -- that's how it's worked.

As for me, BodyMedia FIT says I burned an average of 1972 over the past 28 days (and ate about the same). It will probably get as high as 2100-ish by mid-summer. And fall down in the 1700-1800 range in the winter.

Do you find that the bodymedia is comprable to getting your RMR tested? How often do you wear the bodymedia now?

I've been toying with the idea of getting my RMR tested, but for about the same price if I could get the bodymedia thingy, that might be a better investment.

Some gyms do the RMR testing for under $100. I paid $50 for mine. This gal does them here in the Bay Area:

http://expressmetabolics.com

I'm sure there are other places that do it. Just make sure they are having you breath into the machine and aren't guessing your metabolic rate based on some other measure (like body fat).

The FIT is around $200 though I found a sale for $180. I wear it pretty much 24/7. I take it off to swim and shower and get massages. But that's about it.

It doesn't directly tell you your RMR or BMR but you can figure it out. I looked at how many calories I burned a minute during sleep and used that to calculate my BMR. But the cool thing is that it tells you for sure how many calories a day you burned. So not only aren't you guessing about your BMR (or RMR) but you aren't guessing about your activity level either.

I burn around 1440 to 1770 on days I don't workout. On days I workout for about an hour, it's more like 1650-2100. But one days I do something killer (like a 3 hour bike ride or an 8 hour race), it can get pretty high. I don't count those sorts of days for the most part as they are just not typical of the rest of my life.

Anyway, knowing these numbers gives me a range of calories to shoot for and an idea of what I should be eating on regular days and on workout days.

Hmmm, I think this may be a good idea for me. I can wear it for a couple of weeks and get a good baseline so like you I can have a better idea of my calorie range.

Hmm...you're spring/winter idea is interesting.  I do for sure do more in the summer, even just around the house (yard work etc.).  Not to mention being more regular with my exercise.  Easier to go for a walk each night in the warm weather for sure.

 It's easier and I think we just feel peppier too.

I was thinking about this today. I biked yesterday and I left my bike rack down. When I got into the car today, I decided to put it back up even though I might go grocery shopping tonight and then I'll have to put it down. But in the winter, I often leave it down for days. It's a little thing but it's indicative of how my mind and body work in the winter. They are in conservation mode!