Obesity Discussion Forums

[CallieRobin]

Hi there,

I was just curious at how people have been tracking their eating habits. So far I've been introduced to Calories and the weight watchers points and was wondering if there is one that is more prefered? Another question I have is that How many Calories should one consume a day (and i know this is based on gender, weight and exercise)?

I weigh 165lbs, Im a female under 20 and I do 1hr+ of Cardio a day (with a little weight training).
I've also heard about calorie defecets of 500Cals a day. So what would my limit be (roughly)?

Thanks for your time, and goodluck on your own journeys.

[Musicaltiger]

I count calories, but that's not all I do. I also watch my saturated fat and cholesterol levels in the foods I eat.
Also, keep an eye out for those 'hidden sugars' and sodium levels. Eating healthy is not just calorie watching. It's finding food that is healthy for you, and not eating junk. Be VERY careful to watch out for foods that CLAIM they are healthy for you, but really aren't all that great. A lot of companies will make claims on their products that SOUND healthy, but when you look at the labels, they really aren't. Such as, jelly beans ARE non-fat. Now you KNOW jelly beans are made of mostly sugar and are not good for you, BUT, they can and DO, put this on the label to entice you to buy them, thinking they are healthy because they have no fat.(NOT that I know of anyone who would consider jelly beans to be part of a healthy diet, but you never know! lol)
My daughter learned in health class, to find the sugar levels when looking at ingredients, "Anything that rhymes with gross". Sucrose, fructose, lactose..etc.
I'm not saying that you need to cut out ALL sugars, but note where they are placed in the ingredient listing. It's like a percentage scale, without the numbers. The ingredients listed first, are usually the ones that there are the most of in the item.
Example, "Flour, water, corn syrup, soybean oil" Of these 4 ingredients, the product will contain more flour than soybean oil...understand?

As for your calorie consumption per day, you are right. Everyone is different. I'm not going to suggest a certain calorie limit for you, because I'm not a doctor. You absolutely should consult with your doctor though, and find out what he/she thinks.
Honestly, I don't think anyone should begin any kind of 'diet' or drastic change in their eating regime without being in a doctor's care.

My doctor is watching my progress closely, and wants me to check in monthly, because I am on certain medications that I want to eliminate from my life altogether. If I keep losing weight in a healthy way, this might happen. Then again, it might not, but I do feel better having my doctor monitoring me.

I will give you a 'rough' estimate of what I think your limit would be, just because you asked though. I'm thinking about 1800 calories a day to start, and if you don't lose anything within a week, lower it weekly by 100 calories until you begin to lose. Do NOT try to go under 1200 though. I personally consider that unhealthy for anyone. lol.

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by CallieRobin

Hi there,

I was just curious at how people have been tracking their eating habits. So far I've been introduced to Calories and the weight watchers points and was wondering if there is one that is more prefered? Another question I have is that How many Calories should one consume a day (and i know this is based on gender, weight and exercise)?

I weigh 165lbs, Im a female under 20 and I do 1hr+ of Cardio a day (with a little weight training).
I've also heard about calorie defecets of 500Cals a day. So what would my limit be (roughly)?

Thanks for your time, and goodluck on your own journeys.

Well, when you say under 20, exactly what age are we talking here? Also, what height are you? (those all have small impacts on calories to consume)

What are your goals (how many pounds do you want to lose a week)?

Based on what you told me (this is a ballpark w/o age and height), assuming you're getting really good hard exercise, if you ate about 2000 calories a day you'd lose about 1lb a week. If you ate 1750 calories a day you'd lose about 1.5lbs a week. If you ate 1500 calories a day you'd lose about 2lbs a week. I would not shoot for any more weight loss than that. Hope this helps!

Since you're lifting weights too makes sure you get a lot of protein to feed your muscles to maximize your ability to maintain your lean muscle while you lose weight!

[AntiCarb]

Hi Callie,

I am not a doctor or nutritionist, but I have come to believe strongly in alternative hypothesis that says that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, calories do NOT count. It is a pretty shocking idea - especially when you first hear it - but I believe this theory is almost certainly correct.

If you are interested, I highly recommend you read this article from the British newspaper, The Guardian:ww.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2007/oct/28/healthandwellbeing.features1

[angela]

Im currently on a 1200 calorie a day deit. I try to incorporate all food groups and watch fat, and sodium intake. It's been working so far and hasn't been very difficult I must say. I don't know a whole lot about weight watchers, but from what I do, they base there point system off calories ect, and if you can watch them yourself, you can save the money of joining. The "these results are not typical" as the commercails say in the small print along the bottom are also not all that comsoleing. Though, whatever you feel the best about, what idea excites you most is probably your best choice. Having confidence in your plan and sticking to it is the most important in many cases.

[wyoPBS]

Callie,
I have never used Weight Watchers myself so this is largely guesswork, but I believe their point system just makes it easier for folks who don't want to do the math. As a certified math geek I have no problem working out kilograms and farthings and cubits per square furlong and all that stuff, but most people's eyes tend to glaze over long before I finish explaining BMR. For normal people, the points are WW's way of saying "You can eat this many calories today" without having to figure out the right amount of calories or count what you ate.

I'm kind of obsessive about it -- I keep a spreadsheet tracking my changes in metabolism each weigh-in, my current BMR (which decreases as your weight decreases), the calories burned by each activity, and the calories consumed in everything from a bowl of cereal to a church potluck with a ton of roast chicken and apple pie (hint: I don't lose weight those days!)

Does it work? Well, in about six months I have lost nearly 65 pounds. Ironically, my target weight is almost exactly your starting weight... I was at 261 and I'm shooting for 160, just at 197 today.

If all the talk of math hasn't scared you off, you can read the detailed explanation in my notebook, "The Incredible Lightness of Eating" ... believe me, the title is far more clever than the content, but I'm hoping my explanations will help at least one other person learn how to count calories.