I have been told recently that to figure the number of calories that you are supposed to be eating in a day you take your body weight and add a zero to the end. Is that right? has any one else heard that? To loose weight you take 300-500 off of that daily total? that seems an off way to figure that out to me.

I think someone gave you some very questionable information. Let's see. That would mean that since I weigh 95 pounds, I should eat only 950 calories every day to be able to sustain my weight.

Well maybe I could sustain my weight on a raw food diet with only 950 calories a day if I stayed in bed all day and didn't move. No thank you. I think I'd rather eat more raw food and be able to move around so my little bitty muscles don't turn to jelly!

I have kind of a theory about calories that at least seems to apply to me. My theory is this: The higher up the food chain you go, the less calories you should have if you're going to sustain or lose weight. So, meat eaters (the top of the food chain) should eat a very small number of calories for sustaining or losing weight. Vegans who want to sustain or lose weight can eat more calories than meat eaters, and raw vegans can eat more calories than cooked food vegans. And if you happen to be a fruitarian, well you can eat calories through the roof and still lose weight.

I gain weight REALLY easy when I eat any cooked vegan food. Even if I only ate 950 calories of cooked food, I'm pretty sure I'd still gain weight. I remember one time I cross-country skiied all morning, came home and ate a small serving of kasha and an orange. The next day I'd gained 2 pounds. Every time I've tried to lose weight on cooked food, I've felt like I was starving all day long, and by the next day, I've still gained weight.

On 100% raw food, I eat over 2000 calories a day, I feel satisfied, and I don't gain weight. I've experimented with that a little, and it seems that in a given day, if I eat 90% raw food and just one small portion of something cooked, it puts me into the cooked food category, and I gain weight.

Even on raw food though, I do have to exercise (but I've come to LOVE it). Walking works great on days I can't run. And also for me, to avoid gaining weight, I have to limit my salads (now there's a novelty). I usually do 3 or 4 days of only fruit and nuts/seeds (no salads). I'll lose about 1/2 pound that way regardless of how many calories I eat. Then I eat a salad, and the next day, my weight is right up to where it was. I'm sensitive to greens anyway so I don't mind going a few days without them.

Thanks Luna for the soap box opportunity.

Love and best wishes, -Ally

no problem, Alley! didn't you say in a post somewhere that you have a son that is 36? I honestly couldn't believe that! All the time I've been posting on this site, I thought that would be closer to YOUR age! You have such an up-beat personality!!

Oh thanks Luna! Yes my son is 36 (my pride and joy). He and his wife have a son 3 years old who really keeps them on their toes! You have kids too right? How old are they? I love kids.

-Ally

I have a 17 yr.old son, a 14 yr. old daughter, and a 13yr. old son. my oldest will be graduating this year and the other two are so into their sports, they have little other things on their minds...... Needless to say, they keep me busy! Thanks for the info. on calories, though. I'm a stress eater, so I'm kind of cautious with that stuff....

-There is an actual formula. If you like....I'll look it up and post it later.

-David

Here it is:

[home.howstuffworks.com]

-David Mason

thank you for posting that for me! ! I greatly appreciate it!