# How many calories is a person supposed to eat?



## Promethea (Aug 24, 2009)

ItsAlwaysSunny said:


> My bmr is 1892. Then I multiplied it by 1.2 for sedentary (although like I said I've been walking for an hour 4-5 times a week and I'm planning on varying it up as topgun31 suggested). It says that I burn 2290 calories a day when I'm sedentary. So, should I subtract 500 from that so I can lose 1lb a week (maybe more with the exercise)?


Sounds like you did it right. Based on that though, what I would do though is go for about 1600-1700 and get moderate exercise, then work up to doing more exercise when you are comfortable with it. I have a suggestion that can really nip it in the bud too - and it might be a pain in the ass until you get used to it, but exercise when you first wake up in the morning on an empty stomach. Its the only time of day its even advisable to do this (and its a little controversial but its by no means going to hurt you). I was looking for a good explanation of why morning workouts burn fat most effectively and this worded it best:

"Now, here's why cardio training in the morning is a great way to blast fat: Your levels of muscle and liver glycogen (also called stored carbohydrates) are normally very low when you wake up first thing in the morning. With depleted glycogen and lower blood sugar, you'll give your body the perfect environment to burn fat instead of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates or glycogen are your body's primary and preferred source of energy. When they're low, your body will tap into your secondary energy reserve, which is your body fat."

Make sure you eat breakfast afterward though. Eggwhites are good for protein (yolk is full of fat), and oatmeal is a good slow-release carb.

The person who suggested high-interval intensity training was absolutely correct, but the thing is that you don't need to fret too much about getting your workouts perfect for now. All of that will just seem intimidating. A beginner doesn't need to do too much starting out to burn the fat. Jogging or aerobics would be fine - but nothing high impact (_yet_. work up to that eventually). You can even keep your exercise at walking for now. If you go for a walk two times a day plus cut the calories, you'll really see the weight begin to fall right off.

Someone also mentioned something earlier about getting your carbs mostly from veggies - absolutely. Also, get what grains you do have out of the way at breakfast and lunch, or snacks in-between. Don't sit on them late at night. Your last meal of the day should be the lightest and leanest. I know its tempting to relax and chow down in the evening when everything is finished and the end of the day, and the stress is finally gone - but it will ruin a diet. If you have to snack at night, make it veggies (sans the ranch. lol.) And if you get painfully hungry after dinner, sometime before bed, a good trick is a couple of bites of cottage cheese to settle a growling tummy. You can get it fat free, and its got casein, which promotes muscle retention. 



ItsAlwaysSunny said:


> Also, to the guy who said to just listen to my body, thats not really going to work considering I've been almost 100lbs overweight since I was 12. I never really learned what my body actually needs to be healthy or fit.


Yep. These days people's senses are all out of whack because of artificial foods, wrong messages about nutrition, and the availability of junk everywhere we look.


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## Promethea (Aug 24, 2009)

Erbse said:


> With heavy weight lifting I meant to say to not go to the gym and try to compete with guys that stem 80 to 120kgs but remain at a healthy weight that trains you but doesn't turn you into an obvious muscular being, which is likely to be a disadvantaged for a woman.
> 
> From personal experiences (I'm quite average or slightly above average by now in terms of weight stemming) women usually take a 3rd of weight the average guy takes.
> 
> Lastly, be selective about what you want to train, I wouldn't recommend dibs or bench presses :tongue:


Bewlshit. Bench presses are totally fine for women too. Actually I have a weight bench in my room, and I do them. Of course I'm certainly not using a ton of weight in order to try to look like a body builder. : P


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## topgun31 (Nov 23, 2010)

Promethea said:


> Bewlshit. Bench presses are totally fine for women too. Actually I have a weight bench in my room, and I do them. Of course I'm certainly not using a ton of weight in order to try to look like a body builder. : P


I concur. Girls can do the SAME work outs that guys do when it comes to weights. This is a common misconception. Just don't bench press 300 lbs haha. Do light weights with high reps. 

and yea Calculating Basal Metabolic Rate can help. 

And, most importantly, pay attention how your body responds to the food you eat and the type of exercise you do. You'll be surprised by the amount of insight you'll gain by just paying attention to your body. '

This is a sample routine. You can always modify the routine or try a different routine after a month. 
Fat Loss for Women: A 7 Day Full Body Routine Plus HIIT | Project Swole

Oh and I almost forgot, one of the most effective ways to exercise is to exercise in the morning, either before breakfast or an hour after breakfast (if possible). If you work out in the morning, you have more energy throughout the day and the effects of increased metabolism from exercising is sustained throughout the day. If you exercise in the evening, the metabolic effect diminishes once you go to bed (obviously lol).

And the poster above that mentioned cottage cheese and casein is absolutely spot on. Casein is a slow-release protein found in dairy products (the other dairy protein is whey). If you consume casein in the evening, it will sustain your muscles while you sleep at night.

And don't pay attention to the traditional food pyramid, it's full of sh*t. If you follow that, you'll gain weight for sure. I think the government updated the food pyramid recently.

And here's some inspiration:


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## timeless (Mar 20, 2010)

fourtines said:


> That's for a hardcore athlete. If an average person ate that EVERY DAY they'd be obese.
> 
> I know a male who exercises a lot and he said he can need as much as 3,500 calories but, as I already pointed out, he exercises more than most people and also has a fast metabolism on top of it.
> 
> As a female, even when I was running and swimming and things I still wouldn't go over 2,000 calories, if that...and if I'm not very active, just taking walks and things like that, it needs to be lower to maintain weight


That's all probably true, I don't have any clue about nutrition and how much you should actually eat per day.


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## neptunesky (Dec 26, 2009)

I lost 20 kilos which is about 45 lbs I guess. It took me about 8 months. 

What I did was simple. I restricted my calorie intake to 1200 and exercised every day. I also walked everywhere instead of taking public transport. You can loose weight with low protein, high carbs and high fat because in the end, it's just energy... but I do recommend a diet high with protein and carbs (good carbs, rarely refined). Fats are important too but once again, they shoud be good fats like polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. 

Since you are a heavier girl, you shouldn't restrict your calorie intake to something so small. I recommend changing it 1600, then as your weight goes down, as should your calorie intake. 

Also. I recommend eating six small meals a day so your metabolism is at a nice pace. The more you restrict yourself, the harder it is to loose weight. Your body goes into starvation mode and believes every meal you consume will be your last. Funny how it works, frustrating as it may be. Taking it slowly is the key. 

On anothe related note: I find protein to be a great appetite suppressor.


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## Thalassa (Jun 10, 2010)

Something I've noticed that works for a lot of people is eating super healthy and more calorie restricted six days per week, and having one day that you can eat pizza and cake or whatever so you don't feel deprived and destroy your whole diet plan. This also makes the diet change easier since you could maintain this kind of eating indefinitely, since you have that one day a week to look forward to, it doesn't feel as much like you're "on a diet."

My mother claims this also helps rev your metabolism if you eat more calories once and a while, then go back to less calories. Dunno.


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## timeless (Mar 20, 2010)

fourtines said:


> My mother claims this also helps rev your metabolism if you eat more calories once and a while, then go back to less calories. Dunno.


If you want to take things to the HNL, it would be best to eat pizza _every day_, thus bringing the metabolism to superhuman levels. If it's accompanied by just enough sugar, it might work.


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## devoid (Jan 3, 2011)

topgun31 said:


> I'm glad to help.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have heard though that soy can mimic estrogen, and in fact when I eat large amounts of soy my periods are always horrible.  But it may be that I'm just mildly allergic.


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## topgun31 (Nov 23, 2010)

hziegel said:


> I have heard though that soy can mimic estrogen, and in fact when I eat large amounts of soy my periods are always horrible.  But it may be that I'm just mildly allergic.


The fact that it mimics estrogen stems from the fact that "the active components of soy products are isoflavones, primarily genistein and diadzein, which are classified as phytoestrogens because of their molecular similarity to estrogen."

But they're not nearly as potent as real estrogen:

"One study suggests that soy isoflavones have about 1/10,000 the potency of “real” estrogen." 

Each person metabolizes food differently...and it turns out that individuals may metabolize soy isoflavones differently: "In a 10-week study 38 subjects took about 110 milligrams of isoflavones a day. Circulating isoflavones varied from 30- to 1,500-fold, and measures of equol, a metabolite of the isoflavone daidzein, varied by 1,000-fold. On the other hand, only 25 to 35 percent of Western people have the intestinal bacteria necessary to produce equol from daidzein."

That may be why....but like you said, you can also possibly be slightly allergic to soy.


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## devoid (Jan 3, 2011)

topgun31 said:


> The fact that it mimics estrogen stems from the fact that "the active components of soy products are isoflavones, primarily genistein and diadzein, which are classified as phytoestrogens because of their molecular similarity to estrogen."
> 
> But they're not nearly as potent as real estrogen:
> 
> ...


I also have dysmenorrhea and Fibromyalgia, so I'm extremely sensitive to hormone supplements. xP


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## Elwin (Feb 17, 2011)

topgun31 said:


> "One study suggests that soy isoflavones have about 1/10,000 the potency of “real” estrogen."


Could you provide a link to this study? I would appreciate it.



hziegel said:


> I also have Fibromyalgia


I read the other day that DHEA has been used with some success in Fibromyalgia, have you heard anything about it?


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## devoid (Jan 3, 2011)

Elwin said:


> Could you provide a link to this study? I would appreciate it.
> 
> 
> 
> I read the other day that DHEA has been used with some success in Fibromyalgia, have you heard anything about it?


Just looked it up... steroid hormone?  Sounds like something I'd be wary of putting in my mouth. I'm not currently on any medication for it... I actually just recently got out of flare! Yay! Lets hope it stays that way for a while. But if I do, I'll probably want to go on something more typical first like a pain killer and vitamin supplements. One of my first lessons about having Fibromyalgia is never to trust pharmaceutics.


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## Elwin (Feb 17, 2011)

hziegel said:


> Just looked it up... steroid hormone?  Sounds like something I'd be wary of putting in my mouth. I'm not currently on any medication for it... I actually just recently got out of flare! Yay! Lets hope it stays that way for a while. But if I do, I'll probably want to go on something more typical first like a pain killer and vitamin supplements. One of my first lessons about having Fibromyalgia is never to trust pharmaceutics.


I think it is only effective if you are low on it (no surprise), which requires a blood test to know. If I come across the reference to Fibromyalgia I'll link it on your profile, unfortunately I didn't put it in my notes when I read about it.


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## Promethea (Aug 24, 2009)

Soy is estrogenic in large amounts - amounts usually only vegans reach.


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## devoid (Jan 3, 2011)

Elwin said:


> I think it is only effective if you are low on it (no surprise), which requires a blood test to know. If I come across the reference to Fibromyalgia I'll link it on your profile, unfortunately I didn't put it in my notes when I read about it.


That's cool. Thank you for the suggestion.



Promethea said:


> Soy is estrogenic in large amounts - amounts usually only vegans reach.


My mother went on a milk-free wheat-free diet and forced the rest of us to eat her soy-based EVERYTHING. I was having a lot of stomach problems and eventually realized it was the soy.


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## topgun31 (Nov 23, 2010)

Elwin said:


> Could you provide a link to this study? I would appreciate it.
> 
> I read the other day that DHEA has been used with some success in Fibromyalgia, have you heard anything about it?


Soy and Your Testosterone | Iron Man Magazine | www.ironmanmagazine.com


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## Promethea (Aug 24, 2009)

topgun31 said:


> Soy and Your Testosterone | Iron Man Magazine | www.ironmanmagazine.com


Just to highlight something from the article that you posted, that I agree with (in case they don't actually click on it):

"One recent study, however, found that both whey and soy proved superior to casein in aiding muscle protein synthesis in young men after resistance exercise and at rest. That isn’t surprising, since whey and soy rapidly release amino acids. The more rapid the amino acid release, the greater the muscle protein synthesis. Casein slowly releases amino acids over a seven-hour period, making it better for anticatabolic purposes than whey and soy.

The one thing that you can take to the bank—no, forget the banks until they start providing credit, as the stimulus package mandated—is that eating soy will have no effect on either testosterone or estrogen. The one possible exception to that would be if you’re one of those rare types who produce equol from eating soy foods. Even so, you’d have to chow down a truckload of soy before you’d experience any noticeable estrogen effects."

Because yes, eating soy products in normal amounts won't affect your hormones: fact.


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## Thalassa (Jun 10, 2010)

timeless said:


> If you want to take things to the HNL, it would be best to eat pizza _every day_, thus bringing the metabolism to superhuman levels. If it's accompanied by just enough sugar, it might work.


Yeah, only if you combined it with Olympic-level athletic training, hours of exercise daily or nearly every day. :laughing:


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## Siggy (May 25, 2009)

hziegel said:


> Just looked it up... steroid hormone?  Sounds like something I'd be wary of putting in my mouth. I'm not currently on any medication for it... I actually just recently got out of flare! Yay! Lets hope it stays that way for a while. But if I do, I'll probably want to go on something more typical first like a pain killer and vitamin supplements. One of my first lessons about having Fibromyalgia is never to trust pharmaceutics.


because the drugs rarely work, speaking from personal experience here. And the side effects are ghastly.


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## devoid (Jan 3, 2011)

Dear Sigmund said:


> because the drugs rarely work, speaking from personal experience here. And the side effects are ghastly.


I went on birth control pills and ended up in a hospital for clinical depression and bipolar. xP They refused to acknowledge it was the pills, and put me on something for the depression, which counteracted with the birth control and instead gave me violent tremors, vivid hallucinations, extreme nausea and hysterical mood swings. Then they tried to put me on more meds for that. So I flat-out refused all medication until I was sane enough to think again, and managed to convince the doctor I was normal. And then a week after I got out they insisted on trying one more med, which brought the early onset of the Fibromyalgia. 30 years of my life taken because of their FUCKING MEDS. And they still don't understand why I refuse them.


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## sesiotrot (Feb 16, 2011)

This thread has great advice. 
Broth and diet coke really help cravings if you have them. I make broth using a stock cube per a litre with 1g of fat, 10 carbs and 10 calories per a serving. Diet coke is around 0 fat and 1 calorie per a litre, though fluid retention is a bitch.


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## Crystall (Mar 30, 2010)

Weight watchers has a good system for helping you keep count of your calorie intake as well as some great low cal recipes. They recommend that you never go below your points equivalent of calories though, because doing so will most likely result in the body entering starvation mode. I'm able to go as low as around 1000 cal/day when I'm on my ADHD meds (which I don't recommend), but if I'm off them then the hunger will make sure I stay at least around 1500 cal. Your breakfast should be at around 250-300 cal and your average (normal sized) dinner plate adds up to around 700 cal. If you make that calculation then it's easy to see why you should never have seconds at dinner. 

Don't over estimate your work outs. 30 mins of jogging will only burn around 250 cal. Walking for 30 mins will burn around 100 cal. 

Don't drink diet sodas. The taste of sugar starts your insulin pumping which gives you cravings and ultimately will make you gain weight. The quickest way to gain weight is to drink it; stay away from sugary, fatty and sweetened drinks altogether and stick with water. 

Don't eat anything containing MSG (mono sodium glutamate). This "flavor enhancer" enhances your feelings of hunger and suppresses your feelings of fullness. Chinese food and potato chips are usually packed with this. 

Avoid eating too much meat and carbs at once. Your stomach requires different acids to break down protein and carbohydrates. This takes time. Meat especially, because it actually requires more energy to break down (slowing your metabolism) than it gives you in return. Besides, the body can produce protein on its own through breaking down carbohydrates. Milk and dairy are also hard for the stomach to break down and take a long time, so try to avoid ingesting large amounts of dairy products in any one meal. 

When you over eat you gain weight. When you neglect to eat when you are hungry your body feels deprived and goes into starvation mode. When you eat again your body will compensate for the time it had to endure starvation, and you won't feel properly full from your next meal. Therefore make sure that you eat regularly; for inst. breakfast at 7, fruit at 10, lunch at 12, fruit again at 3 and dinner at 6. You should never go longer than 4 hours without having a snack.

If you eat something which is poor in nutrients your body will not feel full. This is because your body is still waiting to consume all the nutrients it needs. This causes you to keep eating, even after you're full and even after the food has stopped tasting good. Combat this through eating a proper amount of vegetables (such as a salad or carrots/peas/broccoli/corn on the side) with lunch and dinner, and fruit with breakfast 
every day. 

Remember to cheat at least once a week. As you begin to eat healthier your body will adjust to the new diet and your metabolism will once again slow down. Cheating on your healthy lifestyle will actually jump start your metabolism.

Don't feel guilty about what you eat. Your relationship with food needs to be a healthy and loving one. The more guilty you feel about what you eat the more you deny yourself that food, and the more you will feel deprived of not having it; the more you will desire it. Break this cycle. Dismiss the guilt by saying "I'm just jump starting my metabolism!" 

Food is the fuel for your beautiful, amazing body. You don't expect your car to run on just anything, and why would you treat your body worse than you treat your car? Give your body the fuel it needs. 

"The Secret Chef" (Den Hemlige Kocken) by Mats-Eric Nilsson is a book which changed my whole view on the food industry and made me start reading the labels of everything I buy at the store. If you can find a copy in English, get it! 
If you are interested in some original ideas about how to manage your meals I also recommend "The Easy Weigh" by Allen Carr as a fun and interesting read.


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## firedell (Aug 5, 2009)

What type is your body? Then you will know how to exercise easier.  Also I don't know if it has been mentioned or not, sometimes going to a doctor and asking about you to lose weight healthy, would be a good thing to do.

When i'm in the mood to lose some lbs, I drink smoothies for snacks, and just eat my usual 2 meals a day.(I dislike breakfast)


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## Siggy (May 25, 2009)

firedell said:


> What type is your body? Then you will know how to exercise easier.  Also I don't know if it has been mentioned or not, sometimes going to a doctor and asking about you to lose weight healthy, would be a good thing to do.
> 
> When i'm in the mood to lose some lbs, I drink smoothies for snacks, and just eat my usual 2 meals a day.(I dislike breakfast)


Definitely. Getting the thyroid checked and other bloodwork is good also. I had a comprehensive metabolic profile done to see if i was pre-diabetic, and my TSH levels were checked . I wasnt pre-diabetic, but my thyroid levels were low. I also went off the Lyrica for the fibromyalgia because of the weight gain. 

I love breakfast. I take it easy on lunch and have a very light dinner. I've been without red meat for a month and don't miss it. The change is gradual, but so far its working.


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## WildWinds (Mar 9, 2010)

ItsAlwaysSunny said:


> Ive been big all my life (I've been between 230 and 250 lbs for about 10 years and I'm a 22 year old short girl). I've done lots research on how to lose weight and theres just so much conflicting advice. You can't eat carbs, fat, or protein; don't eat meat, don't eat fruit, dont eat dairy, don't drop your calories too low, don't keep your calories to high, dont do too much cardio or you'll lose muscle, if you don't do cardio you'll never lose weight, etc.... I have a hard time believing any of the so called "experts" anymore, but at this point I'm thinking that its all about calories, right?
> 
> I've been walking for about an hour, 4-5 times a week, but can walking actually be effective? I tore my knee up and havent been able to get it fixed yet so I cant do any running or high impact exercise as of now.
> 
> ...


I would talk to a doctor. 

I know you're skeptical about professionals and whatnot, and usually yes, it is about calories. But you need to make sure that the only reason you are big is because you are eating more calories than you burn. There are health issues that could play into this that are messing with your body's ability to metabolize. 

That aside, I have heard that it takes 100 calories to sustain 10 pounds of weight. Basically, if you want to weigh 180 pounds, then you should be eating 1800 calories a day. This is a loose guideline though because we all have different metabolisms. I eat 3000 to 4000 calories a day....But I weigh about 110 pounds. I have a metabolism that burns calories like mad, so it takes way more than just 1100 calories to sustain me. Your metabolism will also change as you lose weight and change your lifestyle. 

And don't forget to pay attention to your nutrition. Its about calories, yes. You need to burn more than you ingest to lose weight, and burn exactly what you ingest to sustain weight. But you aren't going to be healthy if you aren't getting the vitamins and minerals and other substances that you need. Vitamin or mineral deficiencies can have horrible consequences. The easy fix is to take a multi vitamin. I do because I KNOW I don't eat a balanced diet. But its way better if you can get those vitamins and minerals from your food.


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## lib (Sep 18, 2010)

I think that people claiming to do everything to lose weight without achieving this are often stuffing themselves with candy and cake from their stash when nobody's looking.
When I wanted to lose weight I simply ate as much fiber bud cereal (over 30% fiber) with low-fat (max.1.5%) milk as I wanted... but only that. I'd take a multi-vitamin/mineral pill a day as well.... and drink as much sugar-free softdrink and coffee/tea without sugar as I wanted to. When I started getting seriously tired of the whole thing I would add some raisins to the cereal and continue a bit longer until I'd reached my goal.
This way I lost 1/2 kg (1.1 lbs) a day.


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## cam3llia (Mar 5, 2011)

First you need to find a calorie calculator online to calculate hoe much calories you need daily. It depends on one's weight, height, and the amount of exercise they get each day.

I would also recommand that you find another calculator to breakdown the amount of carbs, proteins, and fats you need within those calories each day.

Another thing you should check out is your BMI and percentage body fat calculator to see how much weight you need to lose. 

The reason you gained back those 20lbs was probably because you weren't losing weight properly, so your metabolism slowed down, and you regained the weight. It's better to lose small amounts and keep it off the right way than to lose a lot at once and gain it all back. 

Should also take omega 3+ multivitamin supplements. Foods that increase your metabolism are also good. Snack on zero-calorie foods eg. celery, apples, etc... and cut out junk food as much as you can.

Always keep in mind that weight loss is about being healthier and feeling better about yourself. It's a much more positive mindset than "I have to lose ___ lbs" 

Also keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat, so weight is not really an accurate measurement of fat. Measurements are usually more accurate.

Unless you're doing something drastic, I don't think you need to see a professional. They'll probably just tell you the same thing. 

The internet is a beautiful thing. You can pretty much find information on anything these days. ^^''

Best of luck!


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## Snakecharmer (Oct 26, 2010)

There is a lot of confusing, contradictory, and incorrect information in this thread. Before that upsets anyone, perhaps I should mention that my educational background is in health and nutrition, and I was a nutritionist, weight loss consultant, and fitness trainer for several years. 

Weight loss, barring any health issues that affect metabolism, is a matter of calories in/calories out. This article covers that energy balance equation:
The Energy Balance Equation | BodyRecomposition - The Home of Lyle McDonald

The website I linked above has loads of free information on fat loss, nutrition, and exercise. The author does get very technical at times, but it is worth reading through - he gives no-BS information that is based on research, not the latest fad.


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## Crystall (Mar 30, 2010)

Snakecharmer said:


> There is a lot of confusing, contradictory, and incorrect information in this thread. Before that upsets anyone, perhaps I should mention that my educational background is in health and nutrition, and I was a nutritionist, weight loss consultant, and fitness trainer for several years.
> 
> Weight loss, barring any health issues that affect metabolism, is a matter of calories in/calories out. This article covers that energy balance equation:
> The Energy Balance Equation | BodyRecomposition - The Home of Lyle McDonald
> ...


Still, even this article can be slumped into the "Eat less - move more" category.


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## Snakecharmer (Oct 26, 2010)

Crystall said:


> Still, even this article can be slumped into the "Eat less - move more" category.


Definitely. That's the bottom line, barring any metabolic disorders or other health conditions that can interfere with weight loss.


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## dagnytaggart (Jun 6, 2010)

lib said:


> I think that people claiming to do everything to lose weight without achieving this are often stuffing themselves with candy and cake from their stash when nobody's looking.
> When I wanted to lose weight I simply ate as much fiber bud cereal (over 30% fiber) with low-fat (max.1.5%) milk as I wanted... but only that. I'd take a multi-vitamin/mineral pill a day as well.... and drink as much sugar-free softdrink and coffee/tea without sugar as I wanted to. When I started getting seriously tired of the whole thing I would add some raisins to the cereal and continue a bit longer until I'd reached my goal.
> This way I lost 1/2 kg (1.1 lbs) a day.


@lib - but have you been able to maintain the lower weight? Without contracting scurvy with your cornflakes diet. @[email protected]


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## dagnytaggart (Jun 6, 2010)

hziegel said:


> I went on birth control pills and ended up in a hospital for clinical depression and bipolar. xP They refused to acknowledge it was the pills, and put me on something for the depression, which counteracted with the birth control and instead gave me violent tremors, vivid hallucinations, extreme nausea and hysterical mood swings. Then they tried to put me on more meds for that. So I flat-out refused all medication until I was sane enough to think again, and managed to convince the doctor I was normal. And then a week after I got out they insisted on trying one more med, which brought the early onset of the Fibromyalgia. 30 years of my life taken because of their FUCKING MEDS. And they still don't understand why I refuse them.


Now I never want to go to the doctor again. o_o

@hziegel - if it's not too personal, what medication caused the fibromyalgia? (and any way you could maybe press charges...)


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## dagnytaggart (Jun 6, 2010)

sesiotrot said:


> This thread has great advice.
> Broth and diet coke really help cravings if you have them. I make broth using a stock cube per a litre with 1g of fat, 10 carbs and 10 calories per a serving. Diet coke is around 0 fat and 1 calorie per a litre, though fluid retention is a bitch.


The fake sugar in diet sodas stimulate appetite. I never actually see skinny people drinking it.

and those broths are basically little MSG cubes. Horrible exitotoxins (sp?) that also boost appetite.

"And egg yolks are really healthy, actually. Assuming you eat normal portions (no more than 3 a day). Just get the organic free-range kind - a TON of vitamins, protein, and in moderation, the fat is really healthy." I hate egg whites. I just gouge out the boiled yolks and squash them around in a bowl of ketchup. 

I eat like a 3 year old, but a very healthy one. :wink:

EDIT: I am not a medical authority. I was not, am not, and will not be responsible for any effects, outcomes, or cholesterol issues that result from the above statements. They are provided for theoretical, informational purposes only. By reading this and/or acting upon the above musings, you understand and agree to waive me from any liabilities and/or damages by any and all parties for any reason.


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## devoid (Jan 3, 2011)

Mojo Jojo said:


> Now I never want to go to the doctor again. o_o
> 
> @hziegel - if it's not too personal, what medication caused the fibromyalgia? (and any way you could maybe press charges...)


I first started showing symptoms of the Fibromyalgia years before I ever went on medication. The one that brought out my first flare was Prozac. There are many reasons I can't press charges for this. First and foremost, there is currently no test for Fibromyalgia. It's diagnosed through a process of elimination, once they rule out all of the most likely diseases. This is why almost nobody with Fibromyalgia has government aid. It it also highly debated in the medical community, and many doctors still believe it doesn't exist. Also, nobody knows what causes Fibromyalgia. We know that certain medicines can cause outbreaks, but there is no way of telling who will react to these, and they most likely to not cause the condition, only make it apparent. Most likely certain people are genetically predisposed, and will experience their first flare at a time of great stress (like a bad reaction to a medication in combination with extreme emotional anxiety, or in many cases a car accident, pregnancy, divorce or other illness). Lastly, I hope that I will never be in a position to sue a hospital. Since this product has been proven to be relatively safe for decades, I could not possibly blame the pharmaceutical company, only the doctor who gave it to me and therefore the hospital. I have a deep respect for these sadly underfunded private hospitals, and I would much rather deal with my problems alone than deprive them of their much needed resources.


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## Crystall (Mar 30, 2010)

Mojo Jojo said:


> I eat like a 3 year old, but a very healthy one. :wink:


Umm not sure if you were being sarcastic or not, but egg yolks and ketchup aren't exactly healthy. :tongue:


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## Orion (Jan 25, 2011)

Crystall said:


> Your stomach requires different acids to break down protein and carbohydrates. This takes time. Meat especially, because it actually requires more energy to break down (slowing your metabolism) than it gives you in return. Besides, the body can produce protein on its own through breaking down carbohydrates.


Overall, you have been posting good advice. However, the stomach only makes one type of acid. Carbohydrates can not produce protein, only the breaking down of muscle can provide the body with more protein if it needs it. Eating meat (any protein) does requires more energy to break down, but that is a good thing in terms of trying to lose weight.


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## Crystall (Mar 30, 2010)

Orion said:


> Overall, you have been posting good advice. However, the stomach only makes one type of acid. Carbohydrates can not produce protein, only the breaking down of muscle can provide the body with more protein if it needs it. Eating meat (any protein) does requires more energy to break down, but that is a good thing in terms of trying to lose weight.


"Proteins are made up of sequences of amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids. Our body is able to produce 14 of the 20 amino acids. We have to get the remaining amino acids from the foods we eat."And here is a list of foods which Among them are potatoes, rice, and wheat which are also common sources of carbohydrates. 
So the body does produce its own protein, it just needs a few Non-Essential Amino Acids to do so, which can be found in vegetables, soy, nuts and beans. 

About the stomach acid, I meant that different foods require different levels of acidity. Meat takes more energy and more time to digest which slows down your metabolism, and that is not a good thing if you're trying to lose weight.


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## kindaconfused (Apr 30, 2010)

60,000/ day
Look, cookies!


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## Orion (Jan 25, 2011)

Reason for editing, I posted something rude because I am in a bad mood.


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## Vaan (Dec 19, 2010)

2000 for females and 2300 for males, if you are excercising that day its 2300 for females and 2500 for males, however military members/elite athelites etc are required to eat between 3000-4000 calories today to keep their body going at extreme levels


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## dagnytaggart (Jun 6, 2010)

Crystall said:


> Umm not sure if you were being sarcastic or not, but egg yolks and ketchup aren't exactly healthy. :tongue:


WHFoods: Eggs

I'll find a more scientific source when I'm less lazy, or better yet, the interested can google it themselves. Who really knows, I don't. I just know that I'm still alive. Note the disclaimer.

idk about the ketchup though. you're on your own w/ that one. I buy the organic kind though, which theoretically makes it "less bad".


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## lib (Sep 18, 2010)

Mojo Jojo said:


> @lib - but have you been able to maintain the lower weight? Without contracting scurvy with your cornflakes diet. @[email protected]


 @mojoJojo

When I started the diet I lost an additional 1-1.5 kg due to the belly being emptied and loss of some liquid in the body. When the diet ends this weight will be partially gained again but otherwise the new weight lasted for years. It allowed me to get into size 29 jeans so I would know if I started gaining plus if I went up with 3 kg it would cause another round of diet. 
Nowadays I'm back to being overweight (over 80 kg. - 1.83 m.) but not fat.Back then I was motivated by wanting a girlfriend (not health reasons) which I sorta got - more like a mistress for fortnightly sex. I don't have any strong motivation now - just the health part.
As for scurvy - you get that from vitamin C deficiency which is why I mentioned the multi-vitamin/mineral pill daily.
It's not cornflakes but a cereal extremely high on fiber from the part of a grain of wheat not used for flour plus there's fibers from dates in it as well. It doesn't cost more than cornflakes where I come from.


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## Monte (Feb 17, 2010)

Just eat sushi everyday.

But, seriously, some experts talk about it, but not too many. I've only heard of it a couple of times, but it works.

Confuse your body.

Have days where you just snack on little things throughout the day, have days where you barely eat. Don't have a pattern, just do it at complete random, which confuses your metabolism and... I can make no promises, but I started doing it unintentionally because my body doesn't know what it wants ever, and I've been losing weight every since. I was never VERY fat though, so it might be different. It did help me lose about twenty pounds though.


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## Up and Away (Mar 5, 2011)

I'll work off of and comment on topguns and hziegel's post.



topgun31 said:


> It's basically a calorie game.
> 
> In order to lose weight, consume less than you burn per day.
> 
> ...


The calorie game: Write down what you eat for three days and convert that to calories so you/ we know your average calorie intake.

You can get a skinfold fat percentage test to measure progress other than just using weight, since muscle is good weight afterall.

I used to support high intensity intervals, because of the proposed increased EPOC (excess post oxygen consumption), which means basically that as your body recovers, you keep burning a high amount of calories, but that hasn't shown to be as significant as what many once thought.

It will cut into muscle if there is not enough energy in the body, or muscle maintenance routines performed. That being said, it wouldn't matter if it is HIIT, or longer endurance runs, as to maintaining muscle. Endurance runners could maintain more muscle if they ate more. They are simply burning more calories all together because they are training much longer. The comparison or red and white blood cells, I don't think, has anything to do with building or maintaining muscle fiber size, and would only have to do with say, fast twitch, slow twitch, which has to do with power capability and the nervous system recruitment, rather than a difference in size, however, I could be wrong and I'd love to hear differently.

Usually out of shape beginner range is 55-65% of your capability, and after that 70-85% (moderately hard to talk while exercising)

Main thing is enjoying it otherwise you'll stop going when the novelty wears off without sufficient social support. Try it all.

To add on to the various percentages of good fats, carbs, and proteins... the US fad has upped protein consumption up to 30% often times, which is fine unless you have kidney problems. I think there is much to be said for the "satiation" effect Hziegel is talking about.


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## Siggy (May 25, 2009)

Here is a question for the many knowledgeable people posting on this thread ( thank you all , I'm learning a ton). And speaking of food pyramid.........

Whats up with it.? It seems to me that the carb percentage is kinda high. I was told by two docs, to lower carbs significantly and up the protein.


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## WildWinds (Mar 9, 2010)

Dear Sigmund said:


> Here is a question for the many knowledgeable people posting on this thread ( thank you all , I'm learning a ton). And speaking of food pyramid.........
> 
> Whats up with it.? It seems to me that the carb percentage is kinda high. I was told by two docs, to lower carbs significantly and up the protein.


Well, by no means am I a nutrition expert. But personally, I believe it varies from person to person. We all have different ancestors who originally settled and lived in different parts of the world, eating different foods that were available to them. It only makes sense that their bodies became adapted to various levels of meats vs carbs vs veggies. It seems counter intuitive then, to believe that we all need to eat exactly the same types of food in the same proportions. The same goes for nutrients. Yes there are essentials that we all need. But, for example, I'm 1/16th Blackfoot native American. My ancestors would have eaten a diet composed of a lot of fish, which means their bodies adapted to high levels of omega fatty acids and selenium. I've always had dry skin, dry hair and I shed a lot, so I started taking a selenium supplement and I've actually seen a marked improvement. I'm trying to eat more omega fatty acid rich foods as well. Other people don't have to be concerned with their selenium intake, but I do, and I have a feeling its from my Blackfoot ancestors. 

So for some people, the recommended servings of carbs may be too high, or the recommended servings of meats too low. It just depends on how your own body operates and what it needs.


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## Up and Away (Mar 5, 2011)

You only need carbs for energy. Play around with it until it is exact. Progress is the only true indicator. All others are just guesses.

If you are exercising, and you felt like you didn't have enough energy, then make sure in that meal at least an hour prior to exercise, that you have a bit more carbs.

There, simple!    

But you need vitamins too, and definitely need variety, so listen to WildWinds, and therefore_ listen to your body_. Vitamins often times do not absorb well into the bloodstream.

The doctors might have bloodwork that tells you what kind of minerals were in your blood stream though.


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## Siggy (May 25, 2009)

Listening to ones body. I'm still learning that because for me its not innate. I am of mostly Mediterranean heritage, so I'll do some research on the Mediterranean diet. 

I've had success with liquid vitamins, or the powder into liquid vitamins. I'll think I'll start that again.


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## Hardstyler (Sep 4, 2010)

I usually eat from 1500-3000 a day it all depends. When I was on my diet i usually skipped breakfast or had a 24fl of coffee with about 5 tablespoons of sugar each making up i belive 200-300 calories from sugar and creme this usually last me to about 12-1pm where I made my own thai food that would be around 700-1200 calories. Sometime i just skip lunch because i was to busy with something else. as for dinner i go with light carbs then go work out for a hour or 2. I lost 20 lbs in a span of 4 month this this way.


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## Jwing24 (Aug 2, 2010)

This is the general diet I try to follow, with some infusions of randomness thrown in at times.

Eat a lot of protein and vegetables. Try to eat around 1g of protein / lb of bodyweight. Maybe not advised if you don't exercise, but I do. Drink a lot of water.

Carbs - I always have some in the morning (oatmeal, cereal, etc.). On non-workout days the carbs stop there. On workout days I'll eat more carbs than usual at breakfast and some light carbs after the workout. I guess I should note that carbs are in many things, like vegetables. I should have called this paragraph grains.

Infusions of randomness: Once and a while, maybe once a month or ever 3 weeks or so, I will have some fast food. Mcondalds/taco bell, doesn't matter. I don't eat much of it, but I will do it. Other times I will eat much less and spread it out through the day. 

I haven't reached my goal of getting to a low body fat, but I'm doing just fine with where I am at.


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## Vaan (Dec 19, 2010)

i find that my diet of museli for breakfast, some sort of sandwich with both salad and meat on some helgas quinoa and linseed bread, and some sort of healthy dinner, usually some form of soup or stew, which is absolutely great for you, and i also walk around 20kms a day so it keeps me slim, fit and healthy


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