Confused about Calories and Steady Weight
However, according to this website, that puts me "underweight" although I am "normal" accoring to WHO (anyone know if one is right or not?) so should I maintan at 111 or go up a few pounds?
How do I maintan? I tried the calculator here and it said 1600-1800 calories for my activity levels (depends on if I work out that day or not). But does that mean I have to hit about 1700 EVERY day? And are those calories all supposed to be "good" or does my little treat of 1-2 mini-butterfinger bars (85 cal each) count?
What about days when I splurg and go waaaay over? Should I cut back the next day?
Thanks y'all!
Wow, that's great that you've gotten down to a weight that you are happy at! As far as what is your 'ideal' weight I think the best judge is how do you feel physically (i.e., do you have good energy levels, do you feel healthy or are you sick a lot or lethargic) and how easy is it to maintain your current weight? However, if you are 5'11 and 111 pounds, I would think that was bit on the 'light' side. If you eat balanced meals generally (water, veggie, grain, protein, fruits) your body is forgiving of eating treats now and then. It's when you consume too many empty calories or calorie dense, but low on nutrition foods in proportion to a variety of nutritious foods is where we can get into trouble. People generally don't eat the same exact number of calories each day. I think the key is to listen to your hunger signals and always eat 'til you are comfortably full. Some days when you are particularly active you may notice that you require more food to satisfy what your body is using in the form of energy, some days you may need less. The body adjusts and 'living within a caloric range' I think is quite normal, as long as it is not drastically up or down over a period of days which could trigger your body into storing excess fat if it perceives caloric or nutritional starvation.
People who become weight stable can go on vacation and 'eat what they like' and they may gain a pound or two, but when they return to their normal 'healthy' eating habits they quickly rebound back to their 'pre-splurg' size/weight. The key is to feed your body well so that even when you make 'poor food choices' which we all do---we're human--our bodies will forgive us because they've become fat burners and not fat storers. I love butterfingers too--and 1-2 will not harm you in a eating plan of balanced eating! :) Best wishes!
It is certainly not the only way, and some (many) would say that eating 1000-1200 to maintain any weight is eating too few calories (and unhealthy), and that is why you might gain weight at first if you ate a bit more -- because your body has adjusted to living on too-few calories. But if you stick with it, you weight will stabilize (maybe at 111, maybe at 112, maybe at 113), and you will be able to eat the 1600-1800 cals without gaining.
Ilyorca, when you say your diet/excerise routine is "a hard way to live and I hate it. I hate exercising and food has consumed me. I think about it all of the time. I can't enjoy meals out anymore," doesn't that sound like...something's not right? You shouldn't have to hate your life and not enjoy simple pleasures like eating out or the occasional nonfruit (gasp!) treat in order to stay a healthy weight. I'm not at all chastizing you for being negative (or for any other reason), it just makes me sad that you sound so unhappy, and that being 112 is this all-consuming thing that takes precedence over...your happiness.
I think you should try to eat more. Maybe 100 calories more a day, and see what happens. Of course you know everyone's going to say not to eat any less than 1,200 cals a day, and I have to agree with that. And, btw, I am 5'6" and 109-111 (right now, 111 :( ), and I eat at least 1500 calories a day, and the only exercise I do is a lot of walking and stair climbing (I live in a 4-floor walkup in New York).
Bottom line: Even if you continue to eat/live the way you are (which makes me SAD because it makes you SAD), it is dangerous and wrong to make a blanket statement like "this is the only way to maintain this weight at your height."
Oh, and Peach3281, I think Scrapbook posts wise. And what you're doing sounds fine. You don't have to eat an exact amount/average each day -- listen to your body. If you splurge one day, you probably won't be as hungry the next day, anyway. Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're not hungry, eat mostly healthy foods and you can totally have some chocolate or ice cream or...whatever -- every day. Just be mindful about it. I've found that to be the most important thing.
I've been "maintaining" for a few months now and have lost a pound or two, but I think I'm on the right track. I keep things in perspective and check my surplus/deficits everyday. So yesterday I had a 700 surplus, which is alot, but I would have to have that everyday for 5 days to even gain a pound. That would just not happen. So yeah, you don't have to be too exact, over/under, it all equals out. Plus most things are estimates anyway...
mop, I have a question for you or anyone who would like to take a stab at answering. Assume one has cut calories to lose weight. The weight has been lost. Time to maintain the weight. It is not healthy to try to maintain at 1200 - 1400 calories, when in all reality one should be eating *1700 calories. Would you say then, the body just gets used to 1200-1400 calories? If that is the case, would the body start storing fat? Would the body stop losing weight? Would the body gain weight at the lower calories?
*The calorie numbers aren't concrete, just numbers.
What type of food should not be eaten?
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