calorie needs… wtf!
so i go to nutritiondata.com and put in my info. says my maintenance is about 1900-2100 (depending on exercise options… i always put a few to see where it averages out to so that i know what to eat on longer workout days vs. easier days…) this means diet calories for me are like 1400- 1600 which sounds very uncomfortable to me… then i go to about.com where i find that my maintenence is 1900 without exercise, 2400 with exercise, which would lead me to believe i could easily lose at 1900 with exercise but it shows only dropping 100 and losing at 2300 with 60 minutes exercise…. this is a VERY different number than the first. other calculators have varied as well from usually saying anywehre form 1400-1900 calories. i am struggling with this because i easily lost weight for the wedding (and felt pretty good energy wise) at 2000-2100 but i was nursing brayden at that time. now with not nursing… do i really have to go back to 1500-1600 again and feel like crap. also i have read of women who lost weight EASIER AFTER nursing because of the hormones involved in producing milk. even though i’ve gained weight my stomach feels actually flatter than it did there at the end of nursing him… so i don’t know if that is a matter of just time since i had him or if it is more directly related to the hormones connection. anyway… i am interested in hearing anyone and everyone’s thoughts on calorie needs…. i need to have enough energy to play with brayden and i feel awful on low carb diets… that said… any advice out there is beyond welcome.
there is this great big community on this site, and i have seen women claim eating 1400 calories that don’t look taht different from those who say they eat 2400 … this can’t ALL be genetics? very nterested in anyone’s thoughts on the matter…
November 9, 2009 at 9:20 am
Im very confused myself! I am a big guy, 280lbs and I went 2 weeks eating 1500-1800 cals with at least 30mins cardio a day and weights 3 times a week and didnt lose a pound! So genetics?
November 9, 2009 at 9:22 am
it has alot to do with the way the 1400 or 2400 cals are distributed throughout the day. eating 2 meals of 700 cals will have you GAINING alot more weight than say, 8 meals of 300 cals. this may seem counterintuitive but eating multiple meals will keep your metabolism going nonstop, so youll burn more of those 2400 in trying to process them. also depends on the source of those calories: 2400 from whole wheat, for example, will yield much less weight long-term than white flour would bc whole wheat metabolizes much more slowly and will keep your metabolism working longer.
long story short: everyone’s genetics ARE in fact that different, but it has more to do with how clean and the types of calories ingested.
November 9, 2009 at 9:27 am
As you can see, those calculators are worthless. I suggest trail and error. I can tell you the Weight Watchers will have women at 1200 to 1500 calories (depending on a variety of factors). I am just guessing, but my guess would be you probably need to be around 1500 calories.
November 9, 2009 at 9:29 am
All i can say is that our bodies are all programmed differntly. genetics, age, and body types play a role in all of it. Which is why so many people have to try amny things to see what works for them