bojibridge

Hey folks, just checking in here from Illinois. I joined FitDay three days ago, and so far, I'm enjoying all the tools and information. I've been a diabetic for 15 years now, but I've never had good control. I've spent the last six months really cleaning up my act, and managed to log an HbA1C of 6.8% (woot!) Now that I've turned that part of my life around, I want to seriously work on my weight. I've been at 180 lbs for several years, but when I got my blood sugars under control, I jumped up 10 lbs. I decided that I just wasn't going to worry about it, because to me, my diabetes control was more important, and I didn't want to try adding the stress of weight loss when I was already trying to make some serious life/health changes. Anyway, so I was at 195 back in March, and I'm currently at 189. I'd like to lose about 40 lbs. I've been seeing a nutritionist, and she recommended that I not dip down below 1600 calories a day, but I see many people are doing around 1200 calories. Anybody got any ideas about the disparity? Maybe a diabetes thing?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to this new part of my lifestyle change journey!

cjohnson728

Hi bojibridge, welcome to the forums. Congrats on your progress so far; that's no small feat!

Regarding the calorie discrepancy, my guess is that your nutritionist put you on an amount that, given what you burn in a day, lets you lose at a safe pace of 1-2 pounds per week. It takes 3500 more calories burned than taken in to lose a pound. Also, the smaller and older you are, the fewer calories you burn. Many of the people who stick to 1200 calories a day are likely shorter, older, and/or weigh less than you, so that may be part of why you see that.

For example, I'm 43, 5'2", and 105 pounds. FitDay says I burn about 1550 calories a day. I'm in maintenance right now, but if I were to try to lose, if I ate 1600 calories, I wouldn't get anywhere. I'd have to take it down to 1200 or so to get to a loss, albeit a slow one. The closer you get to your goal weight, the harder it is to lose, and that is one reason you will see lower calorie amonts.

It's also important to get to know your own body. There's a lot of variation and you will find the number that keeps you satisfied and lets you drop the pounds as well. Start with where your nutritionist put you and if it doesn't seem to work, ask to revisit it. Good luck to you!

bojibridge

Thanks for the information - to be honest, I don't know how I could eat 1200 calories a day! But then again, the site is telling me that my lifestyle and workouts add up to burning about 2800 calories a day, so I guess that makes sense. Thanks again.