how do you know how many calories to eat in a day? i know there's a formula, i just don't know what it is-but is the formula even accurate? there are several days that i must eat around 3,000 calories, however, i'm 5'3, 15, and 115 pounds, so i'm far from overweight. sure i'd like to lose a few pounds, but i will do it through exercising more and eating healthier. i don't like to restrict much, but on some days i really feel as though i'm eating too much. i know i'm a growing teen and alot of teens can eat a lot since our metabolisms are fast. the other thing, since i love to eat, i often do when i'm not hungry. it's healthy food usually, but is it bad to do that?? basically i'm afraid that eating this much is bad for me, even though i feel fine right now.



hope someone made sense of that ramble and can offer some advice!

One formula to use is your weight in kilograms * 24 = # of calories. To convert pounds to kg...

for example, 130lbs * 1kg/2.2 lbs = 58.9 kg * 24 = 1415 calories. You have to add calories depending on your activity level (mental and physical 20-50%).

Sometimes you have to take a step back and look at why you feel you eat too much. Do you do alot of exercise? You have a bmi of 20.4 so you are not overweight - that is perfect for someone who's 15.

Do you eat when you are bored? Or maybe it's when you are stressed or tired? When you eat and you know you are not hungry for it, stop, take a glass of water, and perhaps go for a quick walk or power nap. Works for lots of people. Just - whatever you do, DON'T RESTRICT, COUNT CALORIES OR OVEREXERCISE!!!

i exercise almost daily. however i do eat when i'm bored. i always thought that it was okay since im a normal weight...however i guess i do need to try hard and stop it. it's become somewhat of an addiction for me, this will be hard.

i think i may have a problem coming. today, i tried to "listen to my body" and only eat when i was hungry. i felt..restricted i guess, even though i ate enough (1300 calories), and i just had a big binge including some nonvegan things. it was disgusting. so, i'm up to about 4500 calories. i remember in the past whenever i tried to lose weight i'd end up overeating 24/7. could it be possible that i have complusive overeating disorder or something?

1300 probably is not enough, especially since you're excersizing. For comparison, many diets recommend around 1500 daily. It could be this restriction that caused you to binge. Everyone does it from time to time.



Counting and crap is definitely something you want to stay out of. Is there anyone you can talk to? It is very possible that you could have some eating problems, and letting them germinate isn't going to do you any good.

i don't think i have um..mental eating problems. i never thought i was fat, i have a lot of self confidence. i cope with emotion well. i think you hit the nail on the head with the restriction. i thought 1300 was more than enough but tommorow i'll up it and see how that goes.

you don't have to think you are fat or have poor self image to have eating issues.. are you worried about how much fat you're consuming? calories? are you avoiding some foods due to fat/sugar/carb content?..

don't worry about me guys, my eating's back under control. i think was just really stressed out...but i've started some yoga tapes and i faced any doubts head on. i suppose i am an emotional eater, but lots of people are. i just have to keep an eye on it. ive been eating 1500 calories a day (that is, on days i work out, which is almost every day. when i dont work out its around 1300).

lilbellula: i'm not worried about fats/calories. i am a health freak and i eat barely any processed foods...but i don't mind healthy fats like avocados or something.

i'm fairly active and i eat more around 1800-2500 calories a day at five feet 115 pounds..

good for you...if your suggesting i should eat that much though, well i'm never hungry and i have enough energy. different people need different amounts of food.