Gonna watch my intake....hows this? - Exercise & Fitness Message Board

Piranna65 · 03-30-2005, 06:04 PM

Alright I bought myself a notebook to take watch to what ive eaten in a day. Im not counting the calories or fat. Just to remind me really what ive had and if i should eat anymore or not. I know it seems pointless if im not counting the calories. Maybe i will start doing that.

I really cut down my intake today too. I had scrambled eggs (no yolk!!) a salad with fat free itilian dressing and a turkey cheese dog only 7gm of fat....

so far so good. I know working out is needed to help the process.

Also how many calories should a person my size have ina day? im almost 5'4'' im 21 and im about 165 i'd like to lose about 20 right now more would be great but 20 is a start! Thanks!!

phillydude · 03-30-2005, 08:05 PM

You need a LOT more calories than you ate today (assuming that's all you ate). Starving yourself might let you lose a few pounds quickly, but it won't last, and you'll probably end up gaining whatever you lose back and more.

Based on your height and weight, you need about 1450 calories a day to EXIST (basically 24 hours of bed rest). While that would be nice, you probably get out of bed and move around a little every day. So add 50% to that number, which gives you about 2175 calories a day to work with.

2175 x 7 days = 15225 calories a week. To lose one pound in a week, you need to cut out 3500 calories from that figure. So let's be ambitious and try for two pounds a week. 15225 - 7000 = 8225 calories a week / 7 days = 1175 calories a day. This is assuming you are not doing any exercise at all.

Breakfast: 1 cup cornflakes w. 1/2 cup skim milk and 1 banana: 235 calories.
Morning Snack: an apple: 75 calories.
Lunch: Wendy's side salad w. FF French dressing and small chili: 330 calories.
Afternoon Snack: a handful of pretzels: 110 calories.
Dinner: Lean Cuisine-type frozen dinner: approx. 300 calories.
Evening Snack: two cups popcorn: 120 calories.

Total for the day: 1170 calories. And you'll probably feel full all day. Of course, this is just an example. But you're already on the right track by writing down everything you eat and and being aware how many calories it has. Good luck!

lietchi · 03-31-2005, 06:13 AM

In theory this is good (although I wouldn't cut so many calories, I'd only go for 1 pound loss a week). But be careful... Have you done diets before? Cutting back drastically on your food intake?
I've recently started watching my caloric intake, and even though I theoretically need 2200 calories a day, I gain weight from eating a lot less.
My point is, if you've done diets (or sometimes even without doing diets) it's likely that your metabolism is slower than average, which means you burn less calories than an average person. If so, you'll need to increase your caloric intake VERY slowly to speed up your metabolism, and then you can start your diet. (be sure not to go too low in the calories or you'll slow your metabolism back down again.

ChappyBoy · 03-31-2005, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phillydude

Breakfast: 1 cup cornflakes w. 1/2 cup skim milk and 1 banana: 235 calories.
Morning Snack: an apple: 75 calories.
Lunch: Wendy's side salad w. FF French dressing and small chili: 330 calories.
Afternoon Snack: a handful of pretzels: 110 calories.
Dinner: Lean Cuisine-type frozen dinner: approx. 300 calories.
Evening Snack: two cups popcorn: 120 calories.

Philly, your killing me! Lets remember that all calories are not created equal. While this will make you lose weight the end product will be a smaller version of the same shape that you have now, expect to lose fat and muscle. The best bet is to get the most nutrient dense calories out of your alloted daily calorie intake. To do this look for non-processed food and food that is as close to nature as possible. Egg whites, dark green veggies, lean meats etc. The end game should always be to change your shape (body composition) not just to move the dial on the scale.

The starting calorie intake is always just an educated guess as all people are individuals and any plan has to be tailored and refined as it progresses. While I feel that 1200 may be on the low side I would pick a number in the 12-1600 range and stick with it for 2 weeks. Week one will be fluid loss and acclimation to the new plan. Week two will be a true reflection of actual weight loss and this will give you a bassis for raising or lowering your calories (or changing your macronutrient mix)

Piranna65 · 03-31-2005, 10:47 AM

well i did have a dinner. I started counting calories too. I went to the grocery store to buy some "lean" food so i can do this easier. So far for breakfast I had a yoplait yougurt breakfast smootie light (170 calories) i bought lots of yogurts, skinless chicken breats, veggies and a few other things i cant remember right now.

I havent worked out yet this week, but i am trying to get that into my schedual too. I plan on doing 40-45min of cardio later today. Im thinking about lunch right now (just got out of class)

Im at my b/f's and he's trying to watch what he eats right now too. So i think im gonna go pick us up something from the grochery store for lunch. Chicken and something. We both really like chicken.

Also,how many calories is in egg whites?? and chicken?