1485 here. sounds like a lot but you'd be surprised how easily you can eat over 1500 calories without even realizing.

Here's a video that will help give you a better idea of what that actually looks like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMGUmcveQeg

well first of all I don't count calories because I just don't care. Most food serving and vitamins are based on a 2000 calorie diet so 1500 actually sounds low when I think of that. But none of that matters. It matter more about how active your life is. Do you run, walk or ride a bike? Do you sit around watching TV all day? I guess if you were a complete vegetable you might be able to live off of 1000 calories a day or maybe less. I've never looked at the health needs of people in comas so I don't know what they need. hahaha

Now if you want to know what I ate today and maybe you can figure out the calories. I had two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast, two crisp tacos from taco time for lunch, a hostess cupcake at one point and finally a burger I made myself with italian seasoning cheese and BBQ sauce for dinner. I was going to have two burgers but I was to full after the first one. It will be my breakfast in the morning.

By the way how do you know for sure how many calories you ate?

I also ate some Kookaburra Liquorice strawberries and cream flavored bites.

4 slices of bread rounding at 70 calories a piece = 220 cal
1 serving of peanut butter = 130 cal
1 serving of jelly = 50 cal
2 crunchy tacos rounding at 200 calories a piece = 400 cal
1 hamburger patty unseasoned = 200 cal
hamburger bun = 150 cal
1 serving of BBQ sauce = 30 cal
1 slice of cheese = 70 cal
1 ounce of Kookaburra Liquorice Strawberries and Cream bites = 80 cal

(Now keep in mind that you probably didn't have only the serving size so of course, these numbers are inaccurate and you should probably assume you've had more then the serving size)

But you probably had about 1330 calories today. Less then me, I'm impressed. Sounds like you barely have an appetite, lucky. Lol

I read the nutrition labels on anything before consuming it, and measure any food I prepare myself. The more energy you have the higher your metabolism is going to be. The higher your metabolism is, the more you can eat without worry. You're probably one of the lucky ones with a high metabolism because you have a good amount of energy and I'm guessing your energy is what keeps you active (assuming you are active) but some of us lack energy and find it more difficult to stay active, compared to others. So, we're left counting our calories down to a cynical grade. It's quite depressing. And I wish I could say we're just lazy but if we were, don't you think one of us would push out of it by now?

Also, do you get full fast? And how often do you get hungry?

No I don't get full fast usually. I don't know how often I get hungry. I usually snack through out the day eating what ever I can find that sounds good at the time. Some times fruit like a banana if they are available sometimes it's candy like Reese's Peanut Butter cups. Love those things.

One thing you should look at when you look at calories though is the serving size. Like I think a table spoon of peanut butter is kind of a lot and the same with the jelly. But as I recall on the jar of Skippy one table spoon is what they recommend per a serving. Usually serving sizes are small like two bite size 3 muskateer bars. I don't know who's only eating three of those things. But I'm not. hahaha

As for my energy level. It used to be fairly good. But for a number of years now I have felt really tired pretty much all the time. But I still usually manage to take my dog out for a walk down by the river for about half an hour to an hour a day. I've gone for bike rides to scout places to take pictures and I've done hour and a half walks from where I live to the neighboring town and back.

The odd thing to me was the most awake I felt in years was working at a K-Mart when it was closing down. Everyone else was sad about it. But I felt more awake then I had felt in years.

One more thing is you're thinking of suggesting it. Energy drinks do not help me at all. I work in a group home and had to do grave yard shifts a few times. I tried red bull, rock star, and even 5 hour energy and all they ever did was let me stay at my current energy level and then feel like crap when they wore off. I remember 5 hour commercials used to say hours of energy, no crashing. Well I called BS on that one years ago. because I sure crashed. I did have my current level of energy for about 5 hours. But I still felt like crap after.

You sound to me like a frequent eater which is ideal for keeping up a good metabolism. I only eat twice a day which is the exact opposite of what doctors' suggest :P And who doesn't love Reeses? I avoid eating them all together because if I have 1, I'll have to have like, 4 more. Lol It's all about control, which I lack when it comes to food sadly.

Those energy drinks are full of Aspartame which has been lead to causing Cancer in mice, so I've quit all diet/energy drinks. If it's not coffee, I don't want it. But yes, that's been my problem for a long time too: I'm always too tired. I barely could get myself out of bed in the mornings.

Most serving sizes are indeed too small. A serving of sugary cereal is 3/4s of a cup. Who on Earth is going to eat 3/4s of a cup of cereal? We poor AT LEAST a cup and a half of cereal into a bowl when making cereal so wtf?

I count my calories everyday as well as the amount of protein, carbs, and fat I consume. I range between 500 and 800 calories a day. I also exercise daily by walking and swimming when the weather permits which in the summer is just about every day. :)

When I have reese's I like to get those big bags at walmart. and depending on what ever one can last me at least a couple days. I think at most a week. My oldest brother doesn't eat Reese's but that is because he doesn't eat chocolate. He thinks he is allergic to it. I don't think that's ever been confirmed by a doctor though.

500-800 cal per day? Plus exercise? That's tough. I remember eating 600 cal per day when I was trying to lose weight. It took a year and a half but I managed to shed off 50 pounds. And that was without exercise. I wish you the best of luck. Have you spoken to a doctor about your low calorie intake?

@izzyphoto1977: What happens to him after he eats chocolate that leads him to believe he's allergic to it?

I have about 1400 calories a day. Need to change my eating life style again.

Yes my doctor is very aware of my calorie intake. A little over a year ago i started out with 1500 calories a day. April of this year i had hartpic bypass surgery. My stomach is the size of an egg so i can only eat about half a cup of food at a time. When i started getting healthier i weighed 404+ . . . Last weigh in I was at 298 :)

That's a pretty good drop. I hope when you get down to where you want to be that you can keep it that way. The human body is a crazy thing though.

Do I have to count the margaritas?

I didn't even mention what I had been drinking which was lemonade yesterday. Today it's Canada Dry Ginger Ale.

thanks . .one of the things that has really helped me is that I dont look at the way I eat as a diet . . . Its a lifestyle change. I try to make healthier choices everyday. My ultimate goal is to be around 150.

All the diets out there drive me nut and I don't even follow any of them. I just know that so many people keep looking for a way to lose weight and they get discourages when they don't work like they thought it would from the TV commercials. But then I think some people want or expect result to fast and that's when the get into trouble and get discouraged. It's just sad and some times scary the things people do to get what they think they want.

I'm glad you're making healthier choices and I wish you the best.

That's the way to think of it penny. We are all proud of you!

If you're a cannibal and you eat an entire person. How many calories is that? lol

You'll only consume the calories they'd consumed. Plus the few calories their blood absorbed.

I had McD's today. Cost me about 1450 calories.

So if I ate you then I would be eating 1450 calories. Can I take over the world with that?