At your height and weight, you have a Body Mass Index of 23.8. That's in the "normal weight" category of BMI (18.5-24.9). At 150 pounds, your BMI would be 21.5, lower but still normal.
(For others who may want to calculate their BMI, you can go here:)
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
Part of the decision about how many calories to eat per day depends on the amount of activity you do, and how quickly you are trying to lose weight. Do you have an idea of what your calorie intake is now?
One pound is equal to 3,500 calories. So to lose one pound, you have to either expend 3,500 more calories or cut back on that amount. If you do it over a week, you would lose a pound a week. Twice that would result in 2 pounds a week, which is a good steady rate of weight loss.
If you want to figure out how many calories you are taking in now, here's a great site where you can enter your foods and keep track:
http://caloriecount.about.com/
And while we're on calculators, this next one lets you input your age, weight, height and amount of exercise, and then it tells you how many calories you need to take in to either maintain or lose weight:
I don't know your age, but I put in 30 as a round number, and 3x a week for exercise. With your height and weight, it recommended 2138 calories a day to maintain your weight, and 1710 calories a day to lose weight.
If you get little or no exercise, it recommended 1866 a day to maintain, and 1493 to lose. That is lower than many guidelines recommend; most diet guidelines suggest that 1,600 calories a day is a healthy level -- you will lose weight, but you won't be as hungry, which will help you keep the weight off.
Remember, while all calories are equal -- 3,500 is 3,500, no matter what they come from -- your body does not benefit from all calories the same. You should get your calories from a mixture of lean proteins, whole grains and fruits and vegetables, and try to reduce in the areas of processed foods and foods with high levels of fat or sugar in them. (You do need some fat, though; be sure to work the good fats (monounsaturated, like olive oil) into your daily diet.)
I hope this helps! Come back and keep us updated on how you're doing!
Comment Reply
Hi, Kinnis, and thanks for the question!
At your height and weight, you have a Body Mass Index of 23.8. That's in the "normal weight" category of BMI (18.5-24.9). At 150 pounds, your BMI would be 21.5, lower but still normal.
(For others who may want to calculate their BMI, you can go here:)
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
Part of the decision about how many calories to eat per day depends on the amount of activity you do, and how quickly you are trying to lose weight. Do you have an idea of what your calorie intake is now?
One pound is equal to 3,500 calories. So to lose one pound, you have to either expend 3,500 more calories or cut back on that amount. If you do it over a week, you would lose a pound a week. Twice that would result in 2 pounds a week, which is a good steady rate of weight loss.
If you want to figure out how many calories you are taking in now, here's a great site where you can enter your foods and keep track:
http://caloriecount.about.com/
And while we're on calculators, this next one lets you input your age, weight, height and amount of exercise, and then it tells you how many calories you need to take in to either maintain or lose weight:
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
I don't know your age, but I put in 30 as a round number, and 3x a week for exercise. With your height and weight, it recommended 2138 calories a day to maintain your weight, and 1710 calories a day to lose weight.
If you get little or no exercise, it recommended 1866 a day to maintain, and 1493 to lose. That is lower than many guidelines recommend; most diet guidelines suggest that 1,600 calories a day is a healthy level -- you will lose weight, but you won't be as hungry, which will help you keep the weight off.
Remember, while all calories are equal -- 3,500 is 3,500, no matter what they come from -- your body does not benefit from all calories the same. You should get your calories from a mixture of lean proteins, whole grains and fruits and vegetables, and try to reduce in the areas of processed foods and foods with high levels of fat or sugar in them. (You do need some fat, though; be sure to work the good fats (monounsaturated, like olive oil) into your daily diet.)
I hope this helps! Come back and keep us updated on how you're doing!
February 25, 2009 - 10:32amThis Comment
Reply