I've eaten next to nothing today and the damned website says I've used all my calories

[Critters2]

The denomination has this website, intended to make us fat clergy healthy. You fill in a profile, and then it suggests a weight range and a number of calories you should eat each day. It says I should eat 1200-1300 calories or exercise more.

Then you log in what you've eaten and it counts the calories. Today I had a donut and orange juice for breakfast (not healthy, I know, but that's what I had). Lunch with a colleague--grilled cheese and tomato bisque. Supper--boca burger on whole wheat, broccoli, and an apple. It says I'm at 1278 calories. I haven't had any snacks, and this damn website is nuts if it thinks I'm not eating something before I go to bed.

So, I guess I have to exercise more.

Oh, and if you do what the damn thing tells you for a month, they give you $50.00. Most people think it's ultimately going to effect insurance premiums. Which would be WAAAYY too big brother for my tastes.

I'm going to have something to eat. Popcorn maybe. Care to join me?

[MoseyWalker]

1. Popcorn has loads of calories

get yourself another website!

[Critters2]

6. Best advice yet!!! nt

[Katherine Brengle]

2. 1278 calories is not right --

I'm not sure of your weight, but I assume it isn't incredibly low since you called yourself "fat" (not making fun, just trying to feel out the situation).

The advice you have been given is most likely terrible, let me know if you want some help coming up with a more reasonable "diet" to lose weight - trust me you can eat a lot more than 1200-1300 calories per day.

[Critters2]

4. I'm 5'7" and 150 lbs. No one really thinks I'm fat

A lot of clergy don't take care of themselves, physically. As a profession, we're notorious for this. So, I understand the concern.

But my weight is in the normal range by every chart I've ever seen, and my BMI is below 25 (not a lot below, but below).

So, I'm eating popcorn!

[Katherine Brengle]

9. Well, for the sake of passing along information...

at 150 lbs, your maintenance calories should be around 2100-2300 calories per day (about the same as my own actually). That means you could maintain your current weight eating roughly this much per day.

If you were trying to lose, you could do so at about 1800 or so, maybe as low as 1600 if you wanted.

If you weren't seeing results at 1200-ish, it's most likely because you have suppressed your metabolism to some degree (i.e. your metabolism has downgraded slightly to conform to the amount of food you usually eat). Good news is, by upping your cals to the maintenance point for a couple of weeks, you can usually correct this and then start losing weight without starving to death.

Just in case :D. Then just pretend you're using the program so you can get the $50.00 ;).

[Critters2]

11. I haven't really been trying to lose. Didn't think about it too much

until this website came along and said I should be 10 lbs lighter, and that eating 1200-1300 cals was the way to do it. I must admit, I like your way better!

[Katherine Brengle]

14. It works too!

Not that you even need to lose weight at your height and 150 of course.

1200 calories is like this magical number pushed on people by marketing gurus lol.

[LeftyMom]

3. Well, a diet of less than 1000 calories is generally only done on an inpatient basis

So 1300 calories is pretty low for weight loss, generally 1500 is more doable in the long term and any lower than that there should be medical advice involved.

Being more active isn't a bad idea though, if you can come up with something to do that you enjoy you're much more likely to stick with it.

[Critters2]

5. In warmer weather, I walk the beagle at least twice a day.

But it's 7 degrees, with a windchill of -3. We won't be taking a walk tonight.

[MoseyWalker]

7. Lose too much weight too fast and

you're looking for various organs to retaliate; primarily your gall bladder. Be careful!

[Critters2]

8. Then I could sue the website people. Wonder how deep their pockets are. nt

[Xipe Totec]

10. It's not who you sit next to that matters,

it's how much you've eaten....

Sitting next to nothing does not change what you've ingested.

:hide:

[Critters2]

12. I deserved that!!! nt

[Xipe Totec]

13. No you didn't deserve that

it was a cheap shot, but I could not resist taking it....

Thanks for being a good sport! :hi: