Too few calories?

My weight stats are below in my sig. I'm 5'7" and 39 years old. I get out
and walk about 30 mins each day, more on the weekends. I've been doing some
on a stationary bike, usually 30 mins at a time, 2 or 3 times a week.

--
Linda
296/203/160
LC since Oct. 13, 2003
http://home.att.net/~lewis_linda/index.html


"The Voice of Reason" wrote in message
om...
"Lady o' the house" wrote in message
...
I've been wondering lately if I should up my calories. Lately, I've
been
averaging around 1200 calories and 30-35 carbs per day. I'm losing
about a
pound a week (I know, that's great and I should be happy---52 pounds in
a
year). But I read in DANDR that if one wants to count calories, to use
the
10-12x rule. I can't imagine losing weight eating 2000 calories. Some
here
have suggested that I may need to go lower than that, say 7 or 8x. My
calorie count is only a little more than 5 times my weight.

Also, could the fact that my calories are low be a cause of my thinning
hair? It seems to have happened shortly after I began to really count
calories. I've always had really thick and full hair; now I can see my
scalp through the top front of my hair.

Well, when you're eating that little you'll be malnurished. I suggest
increasing your food intake and increasing the exercise to compensate.
What does your workout look like, and how much protein are you
getting? What's your age, weight, height etc?

Hi, Lady,

Personally, I am against low calorie diets for the following reason
- there is very little room to go down. 1200 kcal is pretty much the
minimum for healthy living. And your body gets used to that. As soon
as the intake goes up, the weight comes back. So you're pretty much
restricting your self to around 1200 kcal for the rest of your life.
You might eat a bit more once in maintenance, but not by much. And as
we get older, we will have to eat less and less to keep the weight
off. I can't imagine how low you'll have to go if you're at 1200 kcal
now.

Through experimentation, I found that I can lose (very slowly) if I
eat about 1600 kcal a day, exercise 5-7 times a week (with
moderate-heavy cardio at least 4 times), and not eat after 5pm. In
fact, I would say that not eating after 5pm is the key. If hungry in
the evening, I'll have a green salad with squeezed lemon juice for
dressing, and tea. Except for TOM, when I go crazy, this is enough.
At maintenance, I think that I'll be able to eat around 1800 kcal a
day, and this would leave plenty of room for me to reduce the intake
if I have to.

In your case, I would be very careful when upping calories. If you
want to try eating more, you absolutely have to add cardio. I heard
that a person burns around 100 kcal per every mile ran at 5mph. If
walking at a fast pace, I'd think you'd burn around 80 kcal per mile.
So if you walk 2-3 miles per day, you'd be able to add about 150 kcal
per day (before 5pm). You could try that. Also, as others suggested,
weight lifting is also very important - preserves muscles mass, makes
metabolism more efficient, tones up flabby skin, etc. If you can't
have a regular weight lifting session several times a week, you can
add ankle weights or cary dumbles when you walk to add a bit of weight
training.

I've tried combining LC with Weight Watchers, and eating LC foods
at my points range (20 pts), which is about 1200 kcal, and I was
starving all the time. So I can't even imagine how you manage on
1200.

In either case, you have to experiment, and find out what works for
you. Best of luck!

Elana

"Lady o' the house" wrote in message ...
I've been wondering lately if I should up my calories. Lately, I've been
averaging around 1200 calories and 30-35 carbs per day. I'm losing about a
pound a week (I know, that's great and I should be happy---52 pounds in a
year). But I read in DANDR that if one wants to count calories, to use the
10-12x rule. I can't imagine losing weight eating 2000 calories. Some here
have suggested that I may need to go lower than that, say 7 or 8x. My
calorie count is only a little more than 5 times my weight.

I guess I'm wondering if I am getting enough nutrition. I feel good, and
the weight is coming off slowly. Wondering if I up the calories if the
weight will come off faster (wouldn't mind that right now, at least till I
get to Pre-Maintenance.)

Also, could the fact that my calories are low be a cause of my thinning
hair? It seems to have happened shortly after I began to really count
calories. I've always had really thick and full hair; now I can see my
scalp through the top front of my hair.

Or should I just do my own experiment?

Thanks. I'm really glad to have all you experts to bounce questions off of
(ewww, bad grammar! Sorry!)

Hi, Lady,

Personally, I am against low calorie diets for the following reason
- there is very little room to go down. 1200 kcal is pretty much the
minimum for healthy living. And your body gets used to that. As soon
as the intake goes up, the weight comes back. So you're pretty much
restricting your self to around 1200 kcal for the rest of your life.
You might eat a bit more once in maintenance, but not by much. And as
we get older, we will have to eat less and less to keep the weight
off. I can't imagine how low you'll have to go if you're at 1200 kcal
now.

Through experimentation, I found that I can lose (very slowly) if I
eat about 1600 kcal a day, exercise 5-7 times a week (with
moderate-heavy cardio at least 4 times), and not eat after 5pm. In
fact, I would say that not eating after 5pm is the key. If hungry in
the evening, I'll have a green salad with squeezed lemon juice for
dressing, and tea. Except for TOM, when I go crazy, this is enough.
At maintenance, I think that I'll be able to eat around 1800 kcal a
day, and this would leave plenty of room for me to reduce the intake
if I have to.

In your case, I would be very careful when upping calories. If you
want to try eating more, you absolutely have to add cardio. I heard
that a person burns around 100 kcal per every mile ran at 5mph. If
walking at a fast pace, I'd think you'd burn around 80 kcal per mile.
So if you walk 2-3 miles per day, you'd be able to add about 150 kcal
per day (before 5pm). You could try that. Also, as others suggested,
weight lifting is also very important - preserves muscles mass, makes
metabolism more efficient, tones up flabby skin, etc. If you can't
have a regular weight lifting session several times a week, you can
add ankle weights or cary dumbles when you walk to add a bit of weight
training.

I've tried combining LC with Weight Watchers, and eating LC foods
at my points range (20 pts), which is about 1200 kcal, and I was
starving all the time. So I can't even imagine how you manage on
1200.

In either case, you have to experiment, and find out what works for
you. Best of luck!

Elana

"Lady o' the house" wrote in message ...
I've been wondering lately if I should up my calories. Lately, I've been
averaging around 1200 calories and 30-35 carbs per day. I'm losing about a
pound a week (I know, that's great and I should be happy---52 pounds in a
year). But I read in DANDR that if one wants to count calories, to use the
10-12x rule. I can't imagine losing weight eating 2000 calories. Some here
have suggested that I may need to go lower than that, say 7 or 8x. My
calorie count is only a little more than 5 times my weight.

I guess I'm wondering if I am getting enough nutrition. I feel good, and
the weight is coming off slowly. Wondering if I up the calories if the
weight will come off faster (wouldn't mind that right now, at least till I
get to Pre-Maintenance.)

Also, could the fact that my calories are low be a cause of my thinning
hair? It seems to have happened shortly after I began to really count
calories. I've always had really thick and full hair; now I can see my
scalp through the top front of my hair.

Or should I just do my own experiment?

Thanks. I'm really glad to have all you experts to bounce questions off of
(ewww, bad grammar! Sorry!)

On 24 Aug 2004 09:01:59 -0700, Elana wrote:

Hi, Lady,

Personally, I am against low calorie diets for the following reason
- there is very little room to go down. 1200 kcal is pretty much the
minimum for healthy living. And your body gets used to that. As soon
as the intake goes up, the weight comes back. So you're pretty much
restricting your self to around 1200 kcal for the rest of your life.
You might eat a bit more once in maintenance, but not by much. And as
we get older, we will have to eat less and less to keep the weight
off. I can't imagine how low you'll have to go if you're at 1200 kcal
now.

Through experimentation, I found that I can lose (very slowly) if I
eat about 1600 kcal a day, exercise 5-7 times a week (with
moderate-heavy cardio at least 4 times), and not eat after 5pm. In
fact, I would say that not eating after 5pm is the key.

How do you do that? I typically don't get home until 6:30-7pm. Do you
take food with you and eat at work?

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

Thanks for the advice, Elana! When I first read it, I was about to cry
since the thought of strictly limiting myself FOREVER almost kills me (but I
have done well so far!) However, I am re-learning how to eat, and I don't
plan on ever going back to the way I used to eat (loaded up carbs, pints of
ice cream, etc.)

Let me ask you this, at the risk of sounding dense: by cardio, do you mean
anything that gets my heart rate up? The reason I ask is that I have been
using my parents stationary bike and that seems to get my heart rate up to
my training rate (been checking against DH's watch).

Or am I really doomed to a 1200-calorie existence for the rest of my life??
:-(

--
Linda
296/203/160
LC since Oct. 13, 2003
http://home.att.net/~lewis_linda/index.html

"Elana" wrote in message
m...
Hi, Lady,

Personally, I am against low calorie diets for the following reason
- there is very little room to go down. 1200 kcal is pretty much the
minimum for healthy living. And your body gets used to that. As soon
as the intake goes up, the weight comes back. So you're pretty much
restricting your self to around 1200 kcal for the rest of your life.
You might eat a bit more once in maintenance, but not by much. And as
we get older, we will have to eat less and less to keep the weight
off. I can't imagine how low you'll have to go if you're at 1200 kcal
now.

Through experimentation, I found that I can lose (very slowly) if I
eat about 1600 kcal a day, exercise 5-7 times a week (with
moderate-heavy cardio at least 4 times), and not eat after 5pm. In
fact, I would say that not eating after 5pm is the key. If hungry in
the evening, I'll have a green salad with squeezed lemon juice for
dressing, and tea. Except for TOM, when I go crazy, this is enough.
At maintenance, I think that I'll be able to eat around 1800 kcal a
day, and this would leave plenty of room for me to reduce the intake
if I have to.

In your case, I would be very careful when upping calories. If you
want to try eating more, you absolutely have to add cardio. I heard
that a person burns around 100 kcal per every mile ran at 5mph. If
walking at a fast pace, I'd think you'd burn around 80 kcal per mile.
So if you walk 2-3 miles per day, you'd be able to add about 150 kcal
per day (before 5pm). You could try that. Also, as others suggested,
weight lifting is also very important - preserves muscles mass, makes
metabolism more efficient, tones up flabby skin, etc. If you can't
have a regular weight lifting session several times a week, you can
add ankle weights or cary dumbles when you walk to add a bit of weight
training.

I've tried combining LC with Weight Watchers, and eating LC foods
at my points range (20 pts), which is about 1200 kcal, and I was
starving all the time. So I can't even imagine how you manage on
1200.

In either case, you have to experiment, and find out what works for
you. Best of luck!

Elana

"Lady o' the house" wrote in message
...
I've been wondering lately if I should up my calories. Lately, I've
been
averaging around 1200 calories and 30-35 carbs per day. I'm losing
about a
pound a week (I know, that's great and I should be happy---52 pounds in
a
year). But I read in DANDR that if one wants to count calories, to use
the
10-12x rule. I can't imagine losing weight eating 2000 calories. Some
here
have suggested that I may need to go lower than that, say 7 or 8x. My
calorie count is only a little more than 5 times my weight.

I guess I'm wondering if I am getting enough nutrition. I feel good,
and
the weight is coming off slowly. Wondering if I up the calories if the
weight will come off faster (wouldn't mind that right now, at least till
I
get to Pre-Maintenance.)

Also, could the fact that my calories are low be a cause of my thinning
hair? It seems to have happened shortly after I began to really count
calories. I've always had really thick and full hair; now I can see my
scalp through the top front of my hair.

Or should I just do my own experiment?

Thanks. I'm really glad to have all you experts to bounce questions off
of
(ewww, bad grammar! Sorry!)

Thanks for the advice, Elana! When I first read it, I was about to cry
since the thought of strictly limiting myself FOREVER almost kills me (but I
have done well so far!) However, I am re-learning how to eat, and I don't
plan on ever going back to the way I used to eat (loaded up carbs, pints of
ice cream, etc.)

Let me ask you this, at the risk of sounding dense: by cardio, do you mean
anything that gets my heart rate up? The reason I ask is that I have been
using my parents stationary bike and that seems to get my heart rate up to
my training rate (been checking against DH's watch).

Or am I really doomed to a 1200-calorie existence for the rest of my life??
:-(

--
Linda
296/203/160
LC since Oct. 13, 2003
http://home.att.net/~lewis_linda/index.html

"Elana" wrote in message
m...
Hi, Lady,

Personally, I am against low calorie diets for the following reason
- there is very little room to go down. 1200 kcal is pretty much the
minimum for healthy living. And your body gets used to that. As soon
as the intake goes up, the weight comes back. So you're pretty much
restricting your self to around 1200 kcal for the rest of your life.
You might eat a bit more once in maintenance, but not by much. And as
we get older, we will have to eat less and less to keep the weight
off. I can't imagine how low you'll have to go if you're at 1200 kcal
now.

Through experimentation, I found that I can lose (very slowly) if I
eat about 1600 kcal a day, exercise 5-7 times a week (with
moderate-heavy cardio at least 4 times), and not eat after 5pm. In
fact, I would say that not eating after 5pm is the key. If hungry in
the evening, I'll have a green salad with squeezed lemon juice for
dressing, and tea. Except for TOM, when I go crazy, this is enough.
At maintenance, I think that I'll be able to eat around 1800 kcal a
day, and this would leave plenty of room for me to reduce the intake
if I have to.

In your case, I would be very careful when upping calories. If you
want to try eating more, you absolutely have to add cardio. I heard
that a person burns around 100 kcal per every mile ran at 5mph. If
walking at a fast pace, I'd think you'd burn around 80 kcal per mile.
So if you walk 2-3 miles per day, you'd be able to add about 150 kcal
per day (before 5pm). You could try that. Also, as others suggested,
weight lifting is also very important - preserves muscles mass, makes
metabolism more efficient, tones up flabby skin, etc. If you can't
have a regular weight lifting session several times a week, you can
add ankle weights or cary dumbles when you walk to add a bit of weight
training.

I've tried combining LC with Weight Watchers, and eating LC foods
at my points range (20 pts), which is about 1200 kcal, and I was
starving all the time. So I can't even imagine how you manage on
1200.

In either case, you have to experiment, and find out what works for
you. Best of luck!

Elana

"Lady o' the house" wrote in message
...
I've been wondering lately if I should up my calories. Lately, I've
been
averaging around 1200 calories and 30-35 carbs per day. I'm losing
about a
pound a week (I know, that's great and I should be happy---52 pounds in
a
year). But I read in DANDR that if one wants to count calories, to use
the
10-12x rule. I can't imagine losing weight eating 2000 calories. Some
here
have suggested that I may need to go lower than that, say 7 or 8x. My
calorie count is only a little more than 5 times my weight.

I guess I'm wondering if I am getting enough nutrition. I feel good,
and
the weight is coming off slowly. Wondering if I up the calories if the
weight will come off faster (wouldn't mind that right now, at least till
I
get to Pre-Maintenance.)

Also, could the fact that my calories are low be a cause of my thinning
hair? It seems to have happened shortly after I began to really count
calories. I've always had really thick and full hair; now I can see my
scalp through the top front of my hair.

Or should I just do my own experiment?

Thanks. I'm really glad to have all you experts to bounce questions off
of
(ewww, bad grammar! Sorry!)

Bob in CT wrote in message ... \

Through experimentation, I found that I can lose (very slowly) if I
eat about 1600 kcal a day, exercise 5-7 times a week (with
moderate-heavy cardio at least 4 times), and not eat after 5pm. In
fact, I would say that not eating after 5pm is the key.

How do you do that? I typically don't get home until 6:30-7pm. Do you
take food with you and eat at work?

Hi, Bob!

I most definitely take food to work. I'm a programmer, so I spend
most of my time at work at my cubicle, and eat there as well. My
workplace has a small kitchen with a fridge and microwave, so I can
store/heat my meals there. Sometimes I will bring food for several
days, and leave it in the fridge.

Here is my approximate eating schedue:
Morning snack: around 7:30 am, on my way to the gym. I have
something relatively high-carb like a fruit, crisps, high-fiber
cereal, etc, to give me some boost during workout. (about 100 kcal)
Breakfast: around 10-10:30. Also relatively high-carb, since this
is my post-workout meal. Usually, I would have avocado in some form
(salad, with crisps, pate, etc). Today I had two slices of
whole-grain bread, one with cream cheese, one with butter. (about 400
kcal)
Lunch: around 12:30-1pm. Today, meat-and-mushroom stuffed grape
leaves, 6 pieces, with sour cream (around 400 kcal)
Snack: around 3pm. Some peanuts, berries with sour cream, etc.
(around 200 kcal)
Dinner: around 5pm. Something large, to last me through the
evening. Maybe steak, patties, fish. I don't limit my portions here.
(around 400 kcal)
Evening snack: Green salad with lemon juice, tea.

Of course, this varies depending on my schedule for the day, but
this is what I try to follow.

Hope it helps,
Elana

Bob in CT wrote in message ... \

Through experimentation, I found that I can lose (very slowly) if I
eat about 1600 kcal a day, exercise 5-7 times a week (with
moderate-heavy cardio at least 4 times), and not eat after 5pm. In
fact, I would say that not eating after 5pm is the key.

How do you do that? I typically don't get home until 6:30-7pm. Do you
take food with you and eat at work?

Hi, Bob!

I most definitely take food to work. I'm a programmer, so I spend
most of my time at work at my cubicle, and eat there as well. My
workplace has a small kitchen with a fridge and microwave, so I can
store/heat my meals there. Sometimes I will bring food for several
days, and leave it in the fridge.

Here is my approximate eating schedue:
Morning snack: around 7:30 am, on my way to the gym. I have
something relatively high-carb like a fruit, crisps, high-fiber
cereal, etc, to give me some boost during workout. (about 100 kcal)
Breakfast: around 10-10:30. Also relatively high-carb, since this
is my post-workout meal. Usually, I would have avocado in some form
(salad, with crisps, pate, etc). Today I had two slices of
whole-grain bread, one with cream cheese, one with butter. (about 400
kcal)
Lunch: around 12:30-1pm. Today, meat-and-mushroom stuffed grape
leaves, 6 pieces, with sour cream (around 400 kcal)
Snack: around 3pm. Some peanuts, berries with sour cream, etc.
(around 200 kcal)
Dinner: around 5pm. Something large, to last me through the
evening. Maybe steak, patties, fish. I don't limit my portions here.
(around 400 kcal)
Evening snack: Green salad with lemon juice, tea.

Of course, this varies depending on my schedule for the day, but
this is what I try to follow.

Hope it helps,
Elana

On 25 Aug 2004 07:22:48 -0700, Elana wrote:

Bob in CT wrote in message
... \

Through experimentation, I found that I can lose (very slowly) if I
eat about 1600 kcal a day, exercise 5-7 times a week (with
moderate-heavy cardio at least 4 times), and not eat after 5pm. In
fact, I would say that not eating after 5pm is the key.

How do you do that? I typically don't get home until 6:30-7pm. Do you
take food with you and eat at work?

Hi, Bob!

I most definitely take food to work. I'm a programmer, so I spend
most of my time at work at my cubicle, and eat there as well. My
workplace has a small kitchen with a fridge and microwave, so I can
store/heat my meals there. Sometimes I will bring food for several
days, and leave it in the fridge.

Here is my approximate eating schedue:
Morning snack: around 7:30 am, on my way to the gym. I have
something relatively high-carb like a fruit, crisps, high-fiber
cereal, etc, to give me some boost during workout. (about 100 kcal)
Breakfast: around 10-10:30. Also relatively high-carb, since this
is my post-workout meal. Usually, I would have avocado in some form
(salad, with crisps, pate, etc). Today I had two slices of
whole-grain bread, one with cream cheese, one with butter. (about 400
kcal)
Lunch: around 12:30-1pm. Today, meat-and-mushroom stuffed grape
leaves, 6 pieces, with sour cream (around 400 kcal)
Snack: around 3pm. Some peanuts, berries with sour cream, etc.
(around 200 kcal)
Dinner: around 5pm. Something large, to last me through the
evening. Maybe steak, patties, fish. I don't limit my portions here.
(around 400 kcal)
Evening snack: Green salad with lemon juice, tea.

Of course, this varies depending on my schedule for the day, but
this is what I try to follow.

Hope it helps,
Elana

Ah, I see. I was thinking of bringing dinner, although I also bring lunch
and we have one of those tiny refrigerators; I don't think I could fit any
more in there. It would be nice to not eat so late -- I'm typically
finishing dinner at about 8pm, and I go to bed at 9pm (to get up as early
as 4:15 am or as late at 6am).

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

On 25 Aug 2004 07:22:48 -0700, Elana wrote:

Bob in CT wrote in message
... \

Through experimentation, I found that I can lose (very slowly) if I
eat about 1600 kcal a day, exercise 5-7 times a week (with
moderate-heavy cardio at least 4 times), and not eat after 5pm. In
fact, I would say that not eating after 5pm is the key.

How do you do that? I typically don't get home until 6:30-7pm. Do you
take food with you and eat at work?

Hi, Bob!

I most definitely take food to work. I'm a programmer, so I spend
most of my time at work at my cubicle, and eat there as well. My
workplace has a small kitchen with a fridge and microwave, so I can
store/heat my meals there. Sometimes I will bring food for several
days, and leave it in the fridge.

Here is my approximate eating schedue:
Morning snack: around 7:30 am, on my way to the gym. I have
something relatively high-carb like a fruit, crisps, high-fiber
cereal, etc, to give me some boost during workout. (about 100 kcal)
Breakfast: around 10-10:30. Also relatively high-carb, since this
is my post-workout meal. Usually, I would have avocado in some form
(salad, with crisps, pate, etc). Today I had two slices of
whole-grain bread, one with cream cheese, one with butter. (about 400
kcal)
Lunch: around 12:30-1pm. Today, meat-and-mushroom stuffed grape
leaves, 6 pieces, with sour cream (around 400 kcal)
Snack: around 3pm. Some peanuts, berries with sour cream, etc.
(around 200 kcal)
Dinner: around 5pm. Something large, to last me through the
evening. Maybe steak, patties, fish. I don't limit my portions here.
(around 400 kcal)
Evening snack: Green salad with lemon juice, tea.

Of course, this varies depending on my schedule for the day, but
this is what I try to follow.

Hope it helps,
Elana

Ah, I see. I was thinking of bringing dinner, although I also bring lunch
and we have one of those tiny refrigerators; I don't think I could fit any
more in there. It would be nice to not eat so late -- I'm typically
finishing dinner at about 8pm, and I go to bed at 9pm (to get up as early
as 4:15 am or as late at 6am).

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply