Carbs?!?!

I'm 5'3 and 230 1bs. Im on a 1200 Calorie a day diet. On a daily average I consume around 120 grams of Carbs a day. As for carbs go I usually eat these foods...   fruit, yogurt, brown rice, whole wheat, bread and hummus. Am i eating too many carbs?? I would appreciate some responses! thanks guys

No.  But you're probably not eating enough calories.

 1200 seems to little? I eat three meals a day, breakfast being the largest and dinner the smallest and snack three times a day. And i go to bed satisfied... I don't feel hungry. could i be depriving my body of calories?

1200 is appropriate for a very small, inactive woman (to lose). At 230 lb, even if you aren't exercising, you are going to need to eat more than that.

As for carbs - unless you believe that you are sensitive to carbs, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Make sure you get enough protein and fat (at least 20% of your calories from each), but for most people, carbs are good for you.

To lose 2 pounds a week my intake is 1245 I weigh 285. I find this enough calories. Thats sedentary.

Original Post by amethystgirl:

1200 is appropriate for a very small, inactive woman (to lose). At 230 lb, even if you aren't exercising, you are going to need to eat more than that.

As for carbs - unless you believe that you are sensitive to carbs, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Make sure you get enough protein and fat (at least 20% of your calories from each), but for most people, carbs are good for you.

   Thank you for a response. Im new to CC and still trying to get used to all of this calorie counting and exercise. So what what you recommend as far as calorie intake for my weight?? I really wouldn't like to have more then 1500.

Your Estimated BMR (calculated at http://phord.com/cc):
BMR=1780

Your customized recommendation:
EAT 1780 calories :: BURN 2136 calories :: LOSE 0.71 lb per week

That's assuming you are sedentary. On days you exercise, you could still eat 1780, but you'd burn more than 2136, and so you'd have a larger deficit --> faster weight loss.

You do have to make sure that you count carefully - measuring and even weighing your food will make sure you aren't going over your calorie target. Especially if you are new to this, there is no reason to cut your calories too dramatically.

1lb/week fat loss is an excellent rate to aim for - which you'd probably get if you just add 150 calories of exercise (go for a walk each day). If you are doing more, you'll lose weight a little faster, but don't let your deficit (difference between total burned and total eaten) go above 1000 calories.

Tess, if you change your goal date the amount of calories the tools here recommend will change too.  1245 calories is too few for someone who weighs 285lbs.  Evenutally your weight loss will stall and you'll need to eat more than 1245.  You'll cross that bridge when ya get there though.

I'm 5'4, 240 lbs and I eat 1800 cals a day, losing weight fine. I'm moderately active, which means I'm still at a 1000 calorie deficit most days. Days I'm planning a particularly challenging workout, I eat about 2000, so that I don't putter out.

Eating too few calories will work for a short time, but you'll hate exercising, feel exhausted, have trouble with sleep (too much or insomnia), and when you plateau, you have no options. You lose just as much at a smaller deficit, and it's much easier when you have more to work with, IMO.

and thanks for the link amethyst, it told me I should be eating 1827 calories a day. So apparently I'm doing something right!

That's awesome, minda! Yeah, phord's calculator was created a year or so by a CC member, when people started reporting that even if they let CC pick the goal date, they were getting calories suggestions that were too low. He uses BMR to be the ultimate minimum you can eat, the rationale being that we want to be consuming enough calories for our organs and life processes (BMR is essentially an estimate of what you'd burn in a coma). Plus, I like the descriptions of activity levels - for those of us who are sedentary but add exercise, I think they are easier to understand than the CC definitions.

I am 5'2" and sedentary @ 240 pounds.  I used CC to see what they would advise my calories to be daily.  They suggested 1400 calories/day.  My dietician suggested 1500 calories a day.  I am doing 1300 calories a day and consistently lose weight on this amount.  I am 29.  I find that, no matter what kinds of foods I eat, as long as I hit target, it doesn't affect my weight loss.  Good luck girl!

The phord calculater tells me to eat 1139 at moderately active and 1096 when I put in "A Little More Active = Exercise or sports 2-4 days/week".  I don't think it works for everyone!

Yogagirl - do you know your bf%? If you put that in, does it get more reasonable?

But I agree - it doesn't work for everyone.

No - I don't know what mine is.  Not even sure of a guess!  The calculator does change when I put in 30% vs 20% though.  It doesn't suggest more than 1200 until I put in 20%.  I think it doesn't work for short people! I'm 5'2".

But then again, if that really is my BMR/RMR then maybe that IS the amount I would need to eat to lose.  Maybe CC is just being on the safe side by saying 1200+ for everyone!

My guess is that you have a lot more muscle than an average 5'2" woman - so the BMR estimates aren't right for you.

And while CC does not give rec's below 1200, phord doesn't let you go below BMR. I wish one of them did both, but ....*shrug*...

lol - I don't think I would be able to make it on less than 1200, but when I was losing weight, I needed to keep around that on most days to lose.  That was before I started lifting and more sedentary.  I am also small boned too.   Once I started lifting, it seemed (& I haven't really counted in forever) I eat ALOT!  I can easily keep up with my 6'2" hubby in the eating dept.

I think I kinda have learned how to manipulate my calories to get to where I want, but I am not always that eager to actually follow thru.  lol  I am just really lucky I have been blessed with a good metabolism & the only reason I needed to lose the 8 pounds that led me to CC is from when I quit smoking.  I ended up losing it in about 2 months, but have been "hooked" to CC ever since.

I also think that 1200 calories/day is too low for the original poster.  I dropped from 180 to 155 averaging 1700 calories/day then increased my activity level and my calories (to 2000 calories/day) to drop from 155 to 140ish (am currently at 141 - nearly there!).  If you drop your calories too much, your body gets use to "making do" with less and you have nowhere to go if you get stuck in a plateau. 

For someone who weighs 230, 1800-2000 calories/day and a little activity seems far more reasonable to me.  Nothing crazy; walking would do it - or, if you're a stay-at-home mom or teacher or similar, you're lightly active anyway.  Also, make sure those calories are as healthy as possible - lots of fruit/veg/grains/lean meat/dairy/fish/healthy oils/etc. and try to keep the refined flour and sugar to a minimum without completely foregoing treats.  This has to be a way of eating you can do forever; treats are important!

I feel a little relieved. One of my co workers said that 1200 was too much! I have lost 6 pounds in 1 week!!! I have been walking/running an hour a day and pilattes (sp?) so im going to up my cals a bit.

Congrats!  I've lost over 6 this week, myself.  It just feels right!

Original Post by rebeccaizbicki:

I feel a little relieved. One of my co workers said that 1200 was too much! I have lost 6 pounds in 1 week!!! I have been walking/running an hour a day and pilattes (sp?) so im going to up my cals a bit.

 

Yeah, I wouldn't listen to that coworker's weight loss advice anymore. Reasonable and healthy weight loss is 1-2lb/week. Sometimes you lose a bunch more in your first week or so, because of water weight. I don't want to discourage you - just don't expect it to continue at that rate.

quick question.. is the burn meter accurate???