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07-24-2005, 05:24 AM
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#2 (permalink)
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Not knowing any of your stats - weight, age, height, activity level - I can't give you a figure of how many calories a day you should be consuming to maintain your current weight. But to answer your question - at least as how I read what you're asking - your total caloric intake should be broken down in the range of 50% quality carbs, 40% protein and 10% good fats (EFA's - essential fatty acids). This is a balance that the majority of mainline dietitians and fitness consultants would recommend. And yes, eating 4 or 5 smaller meals a day instead of the 3 square meals standard is a lot wiser. There is a far less tendency to overeat. Make certain you start the day with a powerhouse breakfast. Take on enough fuel for the day at this meal and you will be less hungry throughout the day.
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07-24-2005, 07:26 AM
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#3 (permalink)
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Thanks so what would you suggest as a 'powerhouse'breakfast?
I'm 5ft 5inch and weigh 9st 6lbs at the moment.I'm moderatly active walk alot.
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07-24-2005, 09:38 AM
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#4 (permalink)
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A good breakfast would be oatmeal and an omelette made from egg whites. That might sound odd if you haven't tried it, but is really delicious. The idea is to take on quality carbs and protein, with little fat. Protein and carbs should be consumed together. The protein slows down digestion so you don't get a spike in blood sugar as you might with a meal that's mostly carbs alone. For some other great breakfast suggestions, check out Recipezaar. Look on the left side of the page for Breakfast recipe suggestions. All recipes come with full nutritionals so you can figure out what you're eating. It's one of favorite sites for ideas!
You're making me do some work here! A "stone" is what, 14 lbs? So that puts you at roughly 132 lbs. I don't have your age - which is important for estimating, but from the information you give, your RMR is around 1400 calories a day - the number of calories needed to maintain your bodyweight at it's current point. An excellent calculator can be found at Calculator that takes the average of 5 different methods if you'd like to run the numbers yourself.
Having said all this, I should mention that I'm not a big fan of scales. What is "weight' anyhow? Weight is your skin and everything inside the package - your bones, muscles, organs, tissues, water (which makes up 60% of your bodyweight), and fat. The stuff you want to lose is the fat. You need to preserve muscle tissue because that's what drives your metabolism. You need to maintain the fluid balance for normal healthy body functions. Most quick weight loss plans simply reduce water weight, which returns as soon as you start eating a normal diet again.
The problem is, scales just measure total pounds lost - not what the pounds lost are made up of. And it's essential to know that. The only way to measure fat is to have a Body Composition Analysis done, which tells you how much fat and how much lean you have. This can be done with an inexpensive set of special calipers that measure the thickness of a fold of skin on several sites on the body and can then give a fairly accurate approximation of the amount of fat you're carrying. Then work towards reducing the fat. Regular measuring, along with the scale, and also a full length mirror, and an overall improvement in how you feel is the best indication that you are making progress in your efforts towards better health.
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07-24-2005, 06:02 PM
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#5 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally posted by chefbrian@Jul 24 2005, 02:38 PM
A good breakfast would be oatmeal and an omelette made from egg whites. That might sound odd if you haven't tried it, but is really delicious. The idea is to take on quality carbs and protein, with little fat. Protein and carbs should be consumed together. The protein slows down digestion so you don't get a spike in blood sugar as you might with a meal that's mostly carbs alone. For some other great breakfast suggestions, check out Recipezaar. Look on the left side of the page for Breakfast recipe suggestions. All recipes come with full nutritionals so you can figure out what you're eating. It's one of favorite sites for ideas!
You're making me do some work here! A "stone" is what, 14 lbs? So that puts you at roughly 132 lbs. I don't have your age - which is important for estimating, but from the information you give, your RMR is around 1400 calories a day - the number of calories needed to maintain your bodyweight at it's current point. An excellent calculator can be found at Calculator that takes the average of 5 different methods if you'd like to run the numbers yourself.
Having said all this, I should mention that I'm not a big fan of scales. What is "weight' anyhow? Weight is your skin and everything inside the package - your bones, muscles, organs, tissues, water (which makes up 60% of your bodyweight), and fat. The stuff you want to lose is the fat. You need to preserve muscle tissue because that's what drives your metabolism. You need to maintain the fluid balance for normal healthy body functions. Most quick weight loss plans simply reduce water weight, which returns as soon as you start eating a normal diet again.
The problem is, scales just measure total pounds lost - not what the pounds lost are made up of. And it's essential to know that. The only way to measure fat is to have a Body Composition Analysis done, which tells you how much fat and how much lean you have. This can be done with an inexpensive set of special calipers that measure the thickness of a fold of skin on several sites on the body and can then give a fairly accurate approximation of the amount of fat you're carrying. Then work towards reducing the fat. Regular measuring, along with the scale, and also a full length mirror, and an overall improvement in how you feel is the best indication that you are making progress in your efforts towards better health.
[snapback]816[/snapback]
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To add to what brian is saying I would say that scale are only one tool that needs to be used correctly. scales that measure % body fat are a good guage of where you are at. BMR can be speed up slightly by adding more muscle.
This is some of the most sound advice you will get anywhere. It is about all you need to know. Knowing what healthy foods are are not rocket science. Excercise can be a bit more complicated depending on your goals.
Look at it this way we have to eat so we might as well be eating the most wholesome food we can get. |
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I've read that counting calories don't work.Don't fancy having to count calories for the rest of my life though! 
