2500cals...Really? (posted on main forum also)

I have read 80/10/10 three times and have listened to Dr. Graham's Perfect Health CD's even more, but I am still scared to death of gaining weight with that many cals. I'm 5'5 female with 40% BF and weigh 160lbs. I have been following another program that follows Doug Graham's methods, but the program limits us to 1200 cals per day with mandatory 1 hour walk in heart rate zone.

I haven't been able to stick to the program because I'm always craving my old favorite cooked foods. So from what I can understand from y'all is that if I fill up on enough fruit cals, I won't have the cravings right? My BMR says I need 1600 cals just for basic functioning, and then I also burn another 500 cals through my daily jogging or weight training. So if I eat 2500 cals per day, I'm still eating to much for weight loss. My goal weight is 120 lbs., so I from traditonalist, I should be consuming 1200 cals (because that is where I "want" to be) and then exercise also.

Are people losing weight here because it's LFRV, therefore high calories doesn't matter? Or perhaps they are the ones only eating juicy fruit and forgoing the starchy (yes, even if they're so ripe to the point of being black) bananas??

Are y'all just exercising alot? I usually burn about 500 cals in my morning jog, and sometimes burn 300-400 more when I lift in the afternoon or jog again.

I scoured the "before and after" thread and was COMPLETELY blown away by how awesome every looked and the confidence they seemed to have. What was the cal. consumption for some of these people and how much exercise was required for them?

I know there's alot of questions in this post, but I need re-assurance, before I go totally mad and start doing Atkins.

Thanks everyone

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Rita Jimenez on March 26, 2011 at 1:45pm

I'm still debating on whether to eat that many calories. To eat that much, one definitely has to exercise a lot in order to lose weight. If you're sedentary and eat 2500 calories a day, there's just no way the weight will come off. I'm in the same boat as you, I'm used to eating 1200 to lose weight. But you know what, for the past two weeks that's all I've been eating and exercising for about half an hour everyday and I feel fine. The reason this diet needs that many calories is because that's how one will get all their nutrients. But the way I view it is, I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm 80% full. And that's it. The amount of exercise you are getting is enough, so just eat fruits when you're hungry. I'm sure you will lose the weight that way and still feel healthy.

Permalink Reply by Ashley Christensen <3 on April 20, 2011 at 5:01am

I don't really think there's a huge huge problem in consuming the amount of calories your GOAL WEIGHT requires, or 5 pounds lower than your current weight, and keep going down as you reach small goals. But remember, just walking around during the day requires more calories than a basal metabolic rate (around 300-500 calories or more).. So if your goal is 120 pounds, you're most likely going to need around 1700 calories without exercise. Eating that many calories in cooked food probably made you gain weight in the past but in just fruit, you may bloat for the first week but the weight will come right off and your emotions will be balanced so it won't feel difficult. Remember, staying away from cooked food by keeping cravings to a MINIMUM (by eating enough fruit) is more important in the long run to your looks, health, and weight than just eating the right amount of calories to lose weight at the beginning. :)

Permalink Reply by Ina on July 30, 2011 at 9:04pm

I think you have to watch this video because it answers everything u need to know :)

http://www.30bananasaday.com/video/801010-monkeys-dont-count

Permalink Reply by LunaNueva on August 18, 2011 at 6:04am

I have to agree that 2500 calories sound like a lot, mostly if Livestrong Plate is telling me that in order to lose 1 pound per week I need to consume 1068 calories...

I am 45 years old, 160 cms tall (5' 3") and weigh 57 kg (125-126 pounds).

My weight has been pretty stable for the last few years ( I have had this same weight for the last 20 years!). My goal is to lose about 10 pounds because I can see that I have too much fat stored in my body and I definitivey could use some muscle definition and everybody tells me that the older you are the harder it is to lose weight.

Currently I am not working because I moved from my beautiful Costa Rica to Arizona, USA, and I am still working on getting all my papers ready (fortunately hubby has a good job) but, even though that means I have a lot of time in my hands, I barely exercise... maybe a little depresion and/or home sickness has settled in because the truth is that I do not go to the pool or to the gym and both are in our apartment complex!

Iam really scared that by increasing my calories to 2500 I am going to get heavier and fatter! I watched Durianrider's video twice (thanks for the link Ina) but still, I am scared to do it. I have checked out the numerous posts on the forums and while doing so, I ran into this group.

Just like a lot of people here, I have tried every diet on the phase of the earth and I really feel tired of this struggle. I want to embrace a lifestyle and stick to it and the LFRV seems to be the answer. Fruit and greens are things that I like and I am hoping that they can keep me away from cooked carbs (the staples of my cooked diet ... )

I would like to know if you guys have increased your calories to the levels recommended by 30 BAD as minimums and if the weight has started to fall off just like it is supposed to. I would also like to know how active you are. I need a little reassurance because my little mind is playing tricks on me and I am freaking out thinking that everybody around me is right and that if I don't kill myself exercising, I am going to get fat eating fruit.

Permalink Reply by Frankie L on August 21, 2011 at 5:49pm

@ Sweet,

Hey girl! I think you have got the right approach there hun. I didnt know about 801010 but at one point after being your height and reaching 64 kgs and not being able to change that for 2 years I stopped and said to myself. TWO years of yo yo ing? Seriously? And yet I wont try anything unless it will work and get me skinny in under a month? So this year I gave myself the whole year to get back to my 'happy' weight of 54kgs. I started out eating as much as I wanted of fresh lightly cooked or raw fruit and vegetables (some grains but never more then twice a day and only 20% of any meal) .

Well in 4 months I was 53kgs.

Make it easy on yourself to begin with. Slowly cut out things you dont think you should be eating.

I joined this sight because I was so happy to find that other people had the same ideas about what we SHOULD be eating. And I will try it 100% at some point. Its supposed to be fun and exciting right! Enjoy

Permalink Reply by Angela Camp on August 30, 2011 at 1:16am

Thanks for sharing, that was very reassuring!

Permalink Reply by Helena Santos Marinho on September 27, 2011 at 10:55pm

Hi darling!

I'm trying to recover from some years of the bulimia/anorexia see-saw for a while. And would like to share the experience I've been through this morning. Hope you don't mind...

(I threw away my scale for me to stop being frantic about a number, but kept my measuring tape, so, I'm not seeing things:)

I started to eat as many fruits I'd care for, even bananas and custard apples and etc (first in the form of smoothies) a couple days ago. I'm not exercising more than dancing in two different classes once a week, walking a little bit, lifting some weights and trying to learn how to ride a bike, because I still feel very tired from my severe restriction. (When I'm all better, I'll exercise way more. That's the idea of this diet. You feel sooo well, your body craves exercise and activities!)

And this morning, my thighs and my belly are thinner than I EVER saw, even restricting, purging, exercising like crazy and on Atkins diet... Besides, I feel GREAT, less tired, my skin looks happy, my hair looks happy, my body is thanking me SO much...

I'm still afraid of the calories, I'm still insecure, I'm still wanting very badly to be thin... But I guess that with this lifestyle is making me so happy content and satisfied that the recovery will come easily at some point!

You'll make it, I'm absolutely positive! :D You're doing great on your routine!

♥♥♥

Permalink Reply by Joanna Cantoral on January 5, 2012 at 4:11am

This is exact same thing has scares the crap outta me! I feel like im gaining with the food im eating. Im scared that if i go all out and just eat eat eat i will gain even more weight!

Permalink Reply by Alyson Burton on January 25, 2012 at 7:18pm

i feel this way too. helena thank you for sharing, it's really inspiring. ladies how are you doing now? has the high cal consumption worked out? its so sad that we as woman are so terrified of stupid little numbers

Permalink Reply by Christina on March 16, 2012 at 9:42pm

Hi all :-)

How are you all doing? Its been a year since you posted this, i note- I'm much in the same boats as you all and would love to hear how you guys progressed.

Thanks :-)

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