[gonzostar]

ok, i know a lot of you count your calories, or do WW points, which is close to the same thing. what i want to know is, how many calories ar eyou shooting for to lose weight?

i'm wondering this because i can eat SO little, and not be really hungry or faint, etc. (i don't WANT to eat a little though, i LOVE food!)

that calorieking website told me 1,300 calories for me to lose weight, but sometimes i can do like 500. is this normal?

eeek! A 500 calorie per day diet is NOT SAFE... to my knowledge at least. (Ladies?) I think you'd be missing out on nutrients, and your body would go into starvation mode, and start saving its fat... and that's definetly not good! 1300 sounds ok for weight-loss... depending on your health. Let's see what some of the other ladies say! Peace. -Apryl

[lorelei1]

Ok I am the self appointed "Queen of Calories" Not really but I think I should be. I can probably give you a good guesstimate of calories in any food! 1200 is what all the experts say is the MINIMUM you should eat so your body doesnt go into starvation mode. Your body really doesnt realize another meal is coming. If you arent giving it enough to eat it slows your metabolism down to help keep you alive. Your body doesnt know how much fat reserves you have, all it knows is that there isnt much coming in so lets hold on to what we have here and keep her from keeling over! I hope that makes sense!
If nothing else never go below 1200 a day. It's ok to eat even 1500 or 1800 too, depending on your current weight. Some people allow themselves to cycle their calorie counts daily based on actual hunger. It's also best to spread the calories out through the day vs. one or two big meals. Your metabolism keeps burning having to process the food.
I have read a really good book I got from the bookstore called
"The Business Plan for the Body" you should check it out!

good luck (sorry for the novel)
Laura

[JML]

Very interesting Laura. I'll have to check that book out.

[Goddess Jessica]

The funny thing about our bodies is that we are genetically able to take in small amounts of calories without feeling faint or ravenous. This is called starving. Our bodies will slow down our metabolism and start taking in calories from muscle, since it's the easiest to convert to energy. Sure, you'll be able to function this way for awhile. Our ancestors did when there wasn't any food around.

However, this will wreck your efforts to lose weight. Your body will hoard calories and fat because it has gone into survival mode. Your metabolism will be way off keel and anybody who has been there can tell you it may take awhile for your metabolism to start functioning optimally again.

Here's my opinion:
-Take in your specific number of calories. You may want to play with that number. I started at 1200 calories and thought I might die but 1400 was beautiful. I journalled feelings and moods with the foods I ate so I could see what calories worked best for me emotionally and physically. I was also horrified to find out I could eat more if I cooked. Darn!
-I know you said you have really slow metabolism. I'm not suprised! To kick start your metabolism exercise first thing in the morning. Exercise increases your metabolism and doing it first thing means you will burn more calories all day. Read Bob Greene/Oprah's book for more in-depth stuff on exercise and metabolism. Also, lifting weights will increase your muscle mass which, in turn, increases how many calories you burn.

Finally, so many people say losing weight is as simple as eating less calories than you burn. We all know it's not that simple. (sorry for the book!)