Will 1500 calories a day help me lose weight?

**Gypsy** · 07-19-2011 11:03 PM

I am a teenager and currently I weigh 270lbs (I know, its alot

). I have always had a bigger frame but last year I was hospitalized because of my asthma and put on a drug called prednisone the made me gain over 100lbs(I don't know if that matters or not

).

Anyways... I want to lose 100lbs in a year or less, will eating 1500 calories a day help me get there? I know I have to exercise too. Also, how many grams of protein should I eat a day? I am a vegetarian so I take whey protein and stuff but I don't know how much I should be taking a day.

**LuciGriffith** · 07-20-2011 01:59 AM

Gypsy,

I'll see what I can answer here.

A calorie is not an objective unit. It's the amount of energy needed to raise one kg of water one degree. So, the thing is, without knowing more about your body it's hard to know how many calories you need. And while some people experience weight loss from cutting calories, this practice can actually make your body horde more fat if you cut too many!

So, it's best to eat what you need rather than eating a set number. There is a lot of information online about "portioning" or "portions", which tries to get you to eat the right amount of foods, rather than eating a specific number of calories.

Also, some dietitians argue, and my personal experience has shown me, that cutting artificial sweeteners (high fructose corn syrup, corn sugar, sucrose, etc.) and artificial oils out of my diet helps with weight loss.

Raw nuts, nut butter (make sure to get natural ones), quinoa, beans, tofu/soy, lentils, and legumes are also good sources of protein for vegetarians. It's good to have a little bit of protein with each meal because it stabilizes blood sugar and helps your body burn fat. You don't need a whole lot, just make it part of the meal.

In my experience, weight loss is about a mixture of proper diet and the right exercise program. But in order to lose weight, you'll need to get your body to change its habits somehow.

Hope that helps! Good luck to you!

**Mes T** · 07-20-2011 02:05 AM

What do you mean the medication made you gain 100 lbs? That is a LOT of weight, and if the medication alone made you do that, then you need to get off of it asap and try something else for your asthma.

However if while you were on the medication you also changed your eating/lifestyle habits that helped to contribute to the weight, that's another story.

You need to burn more calories than you eat if you want to lose weight, in short. If you want to eat 1500 calories per day then you need to burn more than that amount through physical activity.

Also, those 1500 calories need to be composed of fuel that your body can use to help you on your weight loss goals, so for instance if you consume that many calories from soda and sweets, then you won't be seeing any improvements.

It really is about what you eat versus your physical activity. Your body is like a car. You have to put the best kind of fuel possible into it, and only the amount that you need to keep going.

But what you said about your medication worries me, I hope you come and give us a little update.

**Beautiful Disaster** · 07-20-2011 06:33 AM

Prednisone is a steroid, and can result in weight gain. There are side effects of taking steroids long term. I would highly recommend getting with your doctor and seeing if there is another alternative.

I highly recommend trying LoseIt (google it). Sign yourself up and start logging your food and exercise. It will calculate based on your current weight, height, etc how many calories you need per day to reach your goal. I think that you will find this very helpful if you will stick to the regimen of logging your food and exercise.

It's wonderful that you want to lose weight and are willing to commit yourself to doing so. Now is the time to do it. No day is better than today.

**jns** · 07-20-2011 07:40 PM

Your BMR and RMR are a little over 2000 calories a day using 16y and 5'8" so yes, you should lose weight. You can go to caloriesperhour dot com for a calculator and explanation. At that rate you should lose a minimum of a pound a week, more if you exercise or are at least moderately active. Controlling your caloric intake to that degree will have the greatest effect.