Struggling to meet recommended calories

[Thule1986]

Ellooo Guys after Lowcals suggestion I have tried to eat about 1800 calories a day, maybe I am measuring wrong I need to get a measuring cup that will do the exact measurements, yesterday I ate 1200 and I didnt even notice till today...I am trying to push more today but I can see I wont pass 1500...maybe during the weekend when I am not working....any suggestion...I am also not a fruit eater but I try two a day...thats the best I can do, I add alot of veggies in my meals but I have noticed veggies are very low in calories..suggestions are welcome

[elin15]

To be honest I get sooooooooooooo SOOOOOOO confused about calorie counting! I read somewhere that 1200 cal a day is ok because that is the minimum you need to function.

Where did you get 1800 calorie reading from? I'm guessing everyone's recommended daily amount is different. But I would assume that if you are eating 1500 calories a day and you are full, then it is enough??

I'm interested to hear other people's explanation aswell >.<

[Thule1986 in reply to elin15]

Hey Elin, yes Nhs recommends calories according to da persons weight so right now mine is 1800 plus...i feel like m doing something wrong coz now I am trying to eat small meals then and there

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to elin15]

Bear in mind, that although we all want to lose weight, this is not a "diet", but a new way of life. I challenge anyone to live the rest of their life on 1200 calories.

Your BMI and daily calorie allowance are a guide to achieving a healthy weight with slow, sustainable weight loss.

If when we're at our heaviest, we consume only 1200 cals, yes for the first couple of weeks we'll probably lose a load of weight, but where do we go from there? We can't reduce our calories any more, because we'd make ourselves ill, however, our bodies have gone into panic mode and are hanging onto those 5 stones of fat like their lives depend on it. Result, we give up and go back to eating as we were before, our bodies say, goodo, let's get fatter! Hence, dieting makes you fat!!

I hope this makes sense to you

[Carolee13 in reply to elin15]

Yes, everyones' will be different as our bodies, metabolisms and lifestyle are all different. Myfitnesspal suggested 1530 calories as a maintenance level for me, given my height , weight and age. There's something called a basal metabolic rate which is the amount of calories you need to keep you alive if you do absolutely nothing. Mine came to around 1200. Hope this helps, Elin.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Hi Thule,

I was exactly the same when I first started. Here's a link to my first post, it's full of great ideas

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

[Hidden]

Hi Thule, I hope I don't confuse things more If I were having difficulty losing weight by eating a "reasonable" amount of calories, I would look at my activity levels during the day. Before I retired and when I put the most weight on, I would be sitting in front of computer, not moving an inch, for hours on end. I even had lunch at my desk. At the beginning and end of the day, I would face a one hour journey on the train "sitting", before slumping in my chair at home, exhausted.

There are dangers associated with sitting too long nhs.uk/livewell/fitness/pag...

If you have a sedentary job, this may be an issue. There are a number of ways to overcome this, but I won't write them here because I don't know if they apply to you.

I don't know whether you are following the 12 plan, but it seems to me that effective weight loss requires an increase in activity levels, as much as calorie counting. For reasons I won't go into, I don't follow the plan, however, I do follow the essence of the plan and find that it's very effective.

As an example, if you Google "How many Calories does Fidgeting Burn" you will see that the general consensus is about 300 Kcal.

I'm not a fidget, and used to sit almost like a statue, engrossed in the whirring of the computer. This is not a small problem, it's been linked to child obesity too.

I hope this give food for thought. (there I go again, thinking of food) .......... I hope this is if use to you

[Thule1986]

My jobs semi sedentry...not too much I am a teacher I feel my jobs not that active and it plays a role in me being unhealthy...I am on the verge of following the plan..not exactly there...havent printed it out...i sort of just glance at it an focus more on the my fitness pal app for calorie count and fitApp to count kms during my"jogs"...so far i freight train jog walk 2kms a day which is gv or take 30 min every morning...m sooo tired at da end of the day....when school holidays start in december i will do more yoga and Zumba coz i have dvds. Right now though I feel the struggle. I thought I got this I have a feeling of not going the right way...but Moreless gave me a link of past first posts and its normal feeling how I feel...its my second week I should be sinking a bit but I am soooo willing to not weigh 106kg anymore to not puff n pant just cause i moved from my bed to the door..to decrease this constant back ache that I suffer from even though its possibly caused by my boobs.I am a PE teacher also and next year I plan to use that to be more active also. Hope this all makes sense

[Hidden in reply to Thule1986]

Hi Thule1986, I guess I'm still very much a newbie, I've never dieted before but am happy with the progress I'm making. I have learnt to take good advice when offered and to ignore bad advice. I would put the advice from moreless in the first category

I hope you find the overall regime that suits you.

Best wishes

[rosie-2015]

Hi thule my bmi said I was between 1500 and 2000 but myfitnesspal pal recommended 1490 on saying that when I filled in my goals I put 1 lb wkly because I knew I was on a long journey and due to health problems I can't manage any exercise. I have been on it for nearly 5 wks and the weight is coming of slowing. Good luck on your journey and this is a very good and supportive group x