What is the safest but the least amount of calories you should have daily. I have been cutting down my calorie intake to about 500 to 700 calorie for the last couple days. Im not sure if I should be eatting more but 1000 calories seems like a lot -- and I'm trying to lose weight. Anyhelp would be appriecated.

Thanks

Brit

How much weight are you trying to lose?

With only a 500 - 700 calorie intake I am sure you are eating nothing but fresh vegetables. 1000 is usually recommended.

However, calorie intake is also dependent upon your age. What is your age? Children and young adults need more calories, but not "empty" calories.

If you are working out with the calorie intake, make sure you are eating foods that give you energy.

The calorie intake sounds alwful low, this you need to watch. As well as watching caloric intake, watch fat intake in the foods that you are eating. Eat lots of fruits and veggies, salads are good but watch the fat content of any dressing you use. No fired foods, insead bake or broil what you like. Instead of the loved french fries, slice your potatoes thin and coat with olive oil and place on baking sheet bake till tender, season with garlic or other seasoning. Don't add salt to any meal, and try not to eat processed meats, i.e. hot dogs, lunch meats.

That is very low, think you should up it to 1000 per day, snack on fruit and nuts (raw not roasted), yoghurt, fruit and veggies. If your intake is too low your body will go into starvation mode and hang on to what it already has. Good luck.

As a general rule of thumb, if you take your weight and multiply it by 12, that is how many calories it takes a day to maintain your weight. Of course, if you are active, then multiply by 13 or 14 instead. So, lets say you weigh 140lb, assuming you are not active, you need at least 1680 calories just to maintain and if you are at all active, it is closer to 2000. I would just knock off 500 calories a day form that amount and you should lose one pound a week. That may seem slow, but it is the best and easiest way to lose weight and keep it off.

First of all, DO NOT STARVE YOURSELF. Your body will eventually go into starvation mode and start storing all the fat it can, and you will gain everything back, plus some. I would like to suggest the lifestyle change that my boyfriend and I made recently. We have both been losing a lot of weight consistently and neither of us is dieting. We never feel hungry, either, which is really important.

1. Eat as many whole foods as possible. Avoid packaged food as much as you can. Stick to meats, cheese, nuts, vegetables, and fruit. Do not limit how much you eat, just what you eat. I was afraid this course would be too expensive, but you would be surprised how economical it can be. I also add one glass of green tea in the morning.

2. Try to consume only whole grains and limit white breads, white rice, white tortillas, and regular potatoes. If you love some of these things, by all means, eat them, just try to eat less and fill up on the meat and veggies instead. Stick to oats, whole wheat breads, etc. There are varieties out there that actually taste good, it's just a matter of finding them. The more fiber the better.

3. Only eat sugar one day a week. I am an avid sweet tooth, so this was really hard for me, but I have been surprised at how well it works. On your sugar day, eat whatever you want. Go crazy. I actually get excited now thinking about what I am going to eat on my free day. Now, I understand that there will be times when someone shows up with donuts, cookies, cake, etc. and it won't be your sugar day. In that case, don't feel bad, eat one cookie or a very small piece of cake. Eat it slow, savor every bite, then move on and wait for your sugar day. Also, keep some apples or oranges on the counter, and when you really want something sweet, eat one. Eventually, I found that I preferred the fruit to the sweets, even on my free day.

4. There is a great website that I started using to get the ball rolling. I had no idea how to begin, because I was so used to eating quick, packaged meals. The site is modernmenus.com. The nutritionist gives you 5 meals per week and there are plenty of leftovers after. If you are struggling with eating right, it may help. The best part, it's totally free and you don't even have to register on the site.

Eating this way offered me other benefits that never would have expected, too. My mood changed and I have become a lot more laid back and happy, and I have a lot more energy. I hope this is helpful and you can use some of it.