recommended calorie allowance question

[smallpackages]

hi there, i have been trying to lose weight but its not shifting. can anyone tell me how many calories i should be eating to lose weight? i have 5 stone to lose and am a stay at home mum so am not terribly active

[scotsgirl]

How many you should be eating depends on quite a few things - your weight, age, level of activity, etc etc.

There are lots of calculators online which are quite useful - try this one, which I find is about right for me:

http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

Basically, whatever your maintenance level is, on average you need to lower this by 500/day to lose 1lb a week, 1000 to lose 2lbs.

[smallpackages]

thanks i had been guided by an american site but have been eating too much oh well will start again.

[Ted_Hutchinson]

While the idea that reducing calorie intake to just below the amount of calories needed for basal rate metabolism
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) calculator (http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/)

Formula To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor (http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/)

Readers of the low carb thread will be aware that at no point since I started eating low carb have I bothered about calorie (or carbohydrate counting)
I just stopped eating those foods high in carbohydrates that cause insulin to rise.

Dr Dalhqvist's way of eating for weight loss and good health (http://blogg.passagen.se/dahlqvistannika/?anchor=my_lowcarb_dietary_programe_in) I also changed to using coconut oil as my main cooking fat.

This post by Stephan WholehealthSource (http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/12/omega-6-linoleic-acid-suppresses.html) explains how swapping the type of fat you use can alter metabolic rate.

Cutting out omega 6 oils and replacing them with coconut oil eliminating wheat and sugar are the first easy steps to losing weight the low carb way.

[scotsgirl]

It can take a while to find the right level for you, personally I have tried doing low carb etc in the past and just don't get on with it - but everyone is different.

I don't know how much you currently weigh or what level you would be trying to eat at, but I'm currently hanging somewhere around 1400 cals and I manage to do this quite comfortably - and no matter how healthy it is, I don't eat salad cos I hate the stuff!!! Happy to share hints/tips - I've lost about 4 stone since my heaviest, with more than a few ups & downs along the way!

Good luck!!!