help needed please - how many calories to eat ?

Hi there !

I have been reading the 80-10-10 book for a couple of weeks now, very slowly to make sure I understand everything but I am really struggling with the amount of calories to eat.

I made the calculation for the BMR : 10 X the body mass in pounds to maintain that mass.

My body mass is 216 pounds at the moment and I want to lose weight so what body mass should I use in the calculation ?

Also, on top of the BMR I need to add the calories for the rest of the daily activity, how much do I had to this ?

I am getting really confused and not knowing how much to eat...

I need some help with this !

Thanks for your inputs and advices, explanations and anything that would make it clearer for me.

Catherine

Tags: 80-10-10, BMR, Calories, calories, enough, loss, weight

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Permalink Reply by Hummingbird on May 28, 2012 at 3:46pm

It would be great to get a solid answer on this as well. I have been struggling with interpreting Dr. Doug's very vague guidelines for how many calories to eat in the 80/10/10 book. I have read the chapter on how to calculate daily calories over and over again and still don't understand how to calculate my cals!

Going by "feeling" - whether that is feeling great, feeling full, etc. is not a usable measure for me right now. I have a long eating disordered history, so my hunger sensations are distorted. (At any given moment, I can sometimes feel simultaneously starving hungry and totally not hungry!)

Just going on the advice "eat as much fruit as you want" might work for some, but not for everyone... that could be a recipe for undereating.

Having a set goal for how many calories to eat can prevent both overeating and undereating, and be crucial for those coming from diverse physical AND psychological health histories.

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Permalink Reply by Catherine on May 28, 2012 at 10:47pm

Hi there !

I totally relate to this : I have read the chapter on how to calculate daily calories over and over again and still don't understand how to calculate my cals !

That is so much like me... I read it again this morning in the car, writing down at the same time on my notepad and trying to make sense of it.

So there is the BMR calculation : body mass in pounds X 10 +/_ 10 %.

On top + 200 calories and + calories for exercising between 300 - 600 calories.

On top calories for the work done or activity done in the day, that is where it is hard for me.

I can calculate the BMR and the + 200 calories. I can also have a good idea of my exercising calories through the HRM that gives that information at the end and during each training session but what about the rest : how many calories do I burn teaching, looking after my family and partner ???

Freelee recommends 2500 calories for women but with the book calculation I end with less calories than that... so what is it ?

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Permalink Reply by kris hilljac on May 28, 2012 at 11:21pm

excellent points Catherine! and greetings from NYC...I am scratching my head as well as there are differences between Doug and Harley etc. I really feel you will learn your body so well in the coming months regarding food intake, exercise and rest. But here is what helped me ENORMOUSLY...keep a food journal. I do not count calories but I know exactly the amount of food I ate. So for example I will write down ok this morning I am eating 5 bananas 10 large dates etc. and throughout the day i keep track. and then I will write in my journal any changes in how I feel, energy levels, how my clothes fit etc. I truly hope this helps Catherine because trust me calorie counting is so unnatural confining and pretty inaccurate! Let me know if this made any sense:)