Anyone find counting calories to be successful with losing weight? I read once that those of us born male should have a minimum of 1500 calories per day, and those of us born female should have at the minimum 1200 calories per day. I know we're all at different sizes, and so our calorie needs could differ (some of us just have a larger skeletal frame than others). Has anyone else also read this? I find that as I'm limiting calories a part of me is hungrier, but as I drink water that seems to take care of it. I just want to be sure that I'm not cutting too much, and thereby slowing my metabolism down preventing me from losing weight. I'm fairly sedentary and sit behind the wheel of an 18 wheeler for 8 to 11 hours a day. Any recommendations or suggestions?
I don't think your metabolism gets slower as long as you're eating fairly regularly, calories notwithstanding. That's my unprofessional "I saw it on the internet" opinion, but I know for a fact that weight loss is as simple as calories eaten - calories burned. If you replace a sizable portion of your diet with water, you're probably doing just fine, even if you drive a truck for so many hours. Good luck with your diet plans.
As said above, you won't slow down your metabolism if you keep eating steadily. Honestly, best weight loss is smart eating + exercise. The exercise part is key, haha. Cut down on the crappy food you eat, but don't cut down on the calories you eat immensely. Go running/biking, and you'll shed some points and your body will feel better.
Yeah I find it to be helpful, but I noticed for me to lose 2 lbs per week it recommends 1480 calories a day. Sometimes it can be 8 to 12 hrs between meals though before I get the rest of my calories. I don't know if that's good or bad?
A good diet plan is one that can you stay on forever. If you are going to cut your energy intake by a third or more, you are likely to be restricting yourself too much, and when most people do this they reach a breaking point after a week or so and then overindulge and undo all of what they achieved. If you think you can sustain this diet into the future, then it could work, but if you are feeling hungry or over-restricted then it is doomed to fail. I'd suggest seeing what it says you need to do for 1 pound per week rather than 2, because that will be more sustainable.
