Okay how 'bout this?

[piper]

I found out too, that if I don't eat that much one day, I retain my weight, but if I eat just enough, and don't starve myself, I lose some weight. What so you?

[Lesa]

If you starve yourself, your body will do its best to store up what it can to survive.  Then when you finally do eat, it stores all that up as well.

If you eat all the time at regular intervals, your body won't be worried about when it's going to get its next meal, so it gladly gives up the extra fat.

This is why eating 5 small meals a day is better than eating 3 big meals, even if the daily intake is the same either way.

[Kiwi]

I only eat once or twice a day . I try to eat more but I am not hungry and I can't make myself eat if I am not hungry. My Docs say I need to eat more if I am to stay healthy and avoid another MS relapse but I never have time to sit down and eat. At least with my new job I have had more time to eat since I work more normal hours. Hopefully when I start eating more I will have more energy to have fun with the family.

-Kiwi

[Soturiprinsessa]

thanks for the information ;D

[piper]

Kiwi said:

I only eat once or twice a day . I try to eat more but I am not hungry and I can't make myself eat if I am not hungry. My Docs say I need to eat more if I am to stay healthy and avoid another MS relapse but I never have time to sit down and eat. At least with my new job I have had more time to eat since I work more normal hours. Hopefully when I start eating more I will have more energy to have fun with the family.

-Kiwi

I'm the same as you. Only eat once or twice a day. I can't fathom eating 5 meals, because I just don't have the time for it. I do snack though.

[Lesa]

I'm pretty much the same way too.  But when I do eat, it's pizza or something else like that, and I'm only about 115 lbs at 5'5½".  Kiwi, I hope you start eating more.  I've seen your picture, and you can afford to gain a little weight.

[A1ecto]

Counting calories is always fun.

3. Overall caloric intake. For fat loss, aim for about 10-13 multiplied by your bodyweight. This gives you your daily caloric intake. For a 150-lb person, this is:

10 x 150 = 1500

13 x 150 = 1950

So, that means your daily intake of calories should be between 1500 and 1950 calories per day. Divide that by 5 or 6, and you have the total number of calories for each meal. Assuming we're eating the upper limit of 1950 calories daily, and we want to eat 6 meals, that means each meal should be around 325 calories. Now you're probably thinking, "No way! No way can I make a 300-calorie meal!" Well, think about this. A small skinless chicken breast, grilled, is around 150-200 calories. Throw that into a nice salad with a spoonful of olive oil vinaigrette and you have a very pleasant 300 calories. You get 6 of those a day! Pretty sweet deal.

By the way, maintenance calories (the calories needed to keep you in a steady state, neither gaining nor losing mass) are around 14-16 x bodyweight per day for an active woman. This will vary depending on the individual.

The caloric intake to gain mass is about 15-18 x bodyweight per day. Again, this varies depending on the individual. Activity is a big component of variation. The more active a woman is, the more she requires just to keep at the same weight. Age is also another significant component, as is fat-free body mass. In other words, a 200 lb. person with 10% body fat will likely not have the same caloric requirements as a 200 lb. person with 40% body fat. The second person can drop calories lower than the first person, without initiating an anti-starvation response. If the second person tries to lose bodyfat, she will also likely lose it faster than the first person.

From Krista Smash