BMI

[debth]

Calculating my daily calorie intake based on BMI it suggests 2100 but the NHS 12 wk programme says women should have 1400 a day any ideas which figure is more accurate to follow pls?

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

1400 is a generic number aimed at the average, overweight woman, which none of us is! You go for the 2100, because eating too little is as detrimental to weight loss, as eating too much

[debth 2lbs in reply to moreless]

Thanks I don't want to be hungry as that's when I snack grab 🙁.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to debth]

Exactly!!!

My advice is to always eat as much as you can, while still losing weight, so don't automatically go for the lower end.

[RG07 Maintainer]

Is the 2100 the top or lower number of the range you were given? I'd go for the lower range of the 2 numbers whatever that was. Good luck with loosing weight

[debth 2lbs in reply to RG07]

2137-2707 so I thought 2100 be a good target to aim for to start

[James40Cheshire]

I would go higher than that to start with. Try it for a week and see if you lose weight. If so then stick with it and reduce when the weight loss slows. If you set your calories too low it can have the opposite effect and you also have nowhere to go as you lose. Good luck with it. James

[debth 2lbs in reply to James40Cheshire]

Thanks I'm going go with the figure for me not ave woman as that be too restrictive

[signinemma43]

It might be an idea to look at what you have eaten in the last week and calculate roughly how many calories you ate per day, then reduce your top figure by 500 calories to lose 1lb .... good luck.

[RG07 Maintainer]

Its confusing isn't it, everyone has their own experiences to go off? Why not start close to the top range for 1 month and see what happens= if you loose weight then keep with it, if you don't, drop allowance by 500 and try that one for 1 month and see what happens. Its recommended you loose 1-2lbs or 0.5-1kg per week so judge the calories you should have by that.

Also just something to consider sometimes we get hunger pangs when actually we are thirsty. So if you feel hungry drink a couple glasses of water and see if you still feel hungry- if you are consistently feeling hungry on your calorie allowance and you are loosing weight then increase your allowance by 250 since it maybe too much of a drop from your normal calorie intake and what you are now having.