How many Calories per day?

[kantara71]

I would welcome any comments about this subject. The 12 week plan says that for my height and weight and Bmi etc I should be consuming between 1,900 - 2,450 calories a day, obviously aiming for the lower amount to lose weight. I am finding that it is difficult to hit 1,900, (unless i drink a bottle of wine ), what have others found? If you don't eat enough each day would this effect your metabolism and slow weight lose?

[Hidden]

Make sure you allow for snacks. Getting hungry is the biggest enemy of weight loss.

[kantara71]

Thanks concerned. What has been your experience with keeping to the recommended calorie intake?

[Fitforit75]

A diet that includes a bottle of wine each day sounds wonderful My advice would be to make sure you are getting plenty of nutrients from fresh foods in your main meals and then look at snacks such as but butter with crudités perhaps.. You'll get different answers from different people but you will need to play about to see what works for you. (And sneak wine in wherever you can )

[Fitforit75 in reply to Fitforit75]

Nut butter!!!

[Hidden in reply to Fitforit75]

I can't believe it's nut butter! ( sorry really bad joke but I could not resist.)

[Fitforit75 in reply to Hidden]

Lol! Just realised they both sound as bad - in my defence I have 2 teenage sons

[kantara71 in reply to Fitforit75]

Cheers Chubbymummy, very little wine for me alas as I find any diet impossible to stick to if i am drinking wine everyday

[Fitforit75 in reply to kantara71]

Me too!

[Hidden]

I am sure you might be right about needing to snack less once your nutrition is balanced. I know that I needed the snacks when I started the program 4 months ago. I still do have snacks but not as often.

[Midnight-munchie]

Hi Kantara , I am no expert but I would try and stick to the lower end but fill those calories up with perhaps fruit and milk , big jacket potatoes etc ,

You don`t want to fill it with empty calories that don`t fill you up.

I would try and have enough so that you find you lose weight but also so you can reduce it as you lose the weight so you have somewhere to go, if that makes sense!

If you start too low then you will lose loads quickly to begin but it will be hard to sustain, ie my recommended amount is 1787-2297 for weight loss if I stick to 1800/1900 I lose but if I go near the top end I don`t lose any.

Hope that helps but I am sure others may have better ideas!

[kantara71 in reply to Midnight-munchie]

Yes thanks, that seems to make sense and what I think i will do, once i stop losing weight then decrease the cals/increase activity

[Hidden]

If you want to up your calories in a healthy way, try things like nuts and avocado

[kantara71]

Thanks Lucca,

I have no problem in eating up to my allowance with healthy stuff i was wondering if others did this and still lost weight or actually ate less than the recommended?

[Hidden]

It's definitely better to stick to the recommended calories and not be tempted to try and speed up the process by having less. You can help things along by adding exercise into the mix, but you need a certain amount of calories to keep yourself healthy and to make sure you're feeding your body with all the nutrients it needs I agree that if you're struggling to fulfil the calorie allowance, then nuts are a great source of calories to turn to, and what's more as a great source of energy they'll probably make you feel like exercising all the more. Hope that helps

[kantara71 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Ruth, that is most helpful. John

[kantara71]

Thank you bigleg,

Yes, i agree about being able to lose weight without giving up wine, everything in moderation I suppose? Trouble is at 600 calories a bottle, and once opened I feel i have to finish it, I find it better to mostly cut it out

[ro-sa in reply to kantara71]

Have you thought about half bottles?? Supermarkets stock them. And I think keeping to mostly dry days but with the occcasional half bottle, perhaps on a particular day of the week. Or have your wine when you invite friends around, and share it with them, that's even more fun.

[kantara71 in reply to ro-sa]

Hi ro-sa, i really don't have a problem in abstaining completely in fact, that would be my preferred lifestyle :-), and I do now only drink at the times you have suggested. As for half bottles of wine, i look upon them like half a pint of beer - why? Thanks for your encouragement - John

[Hidden]

I was brought up without snacks too, but I would strongly recommend to someone starting a weight loss regime to include snacks. The reason being helps avoid getting too hungry.

Everyone's metabolism is different and it maybe that you don't need them. I did when I started and don't have them as a rule now - just when I actually feel hungry.

My advice was to someone starting and their question was how to include enough calories so that they eat their full amount.