Ms. Betty,

Sorry to bug you again but I went to that site today and my maintenance at little/no exercise is 2065 calories, so does that mean if I want to lose 2lbs per week I would have to cut 705 calories per day which would only leave me with 1300 calories a day???????????  Somehow that doesn't sound right.  HELP!!

I know exactly how you feel.  I have been WAY below my fat grams on most meals, and have stayed at about 1400 calories even though it is recommended that I eat 1700.  Week one...only two pounds down.  The week before, without the pill, I lost two also.  Shouldn't Alli be increasing the weight loss?  I have never been this good on a diet before, so I am getting frustrated.  I know it's early in the game, and I have every intention of sticking with it for at least this month, but I thought as good as I had been I might have noticed an increase over what I was doing without help from Alli.

Hello, alot of this information is overwhelming for me.  When there's too much information involved I tend to get discourage. What are the key things I need to focus on? I work out 3 times a week. My cal intake is 1800 and fat g 15-19. I use the term K.I.S.S. alot to remind myself to Keep It Simple (and) Smart!! Thanks for your help

OMG, can I tell you how glad I am that I read this.  I was making a big mistake.  I cut my calories down to 1000 per day to lose weight faster.  I lost 14 pounds in a week and a half.  I'm starving right now because I've been pushing myself so hard walking every night and going to the YMCA and I feel like I'm getting weak and tired sooner.  I'm stopping the craziness diet tomorrow and going to stick to my original 1500 calories per day.  Thanks for the education in this area.

 Also, I just want to say that I've found my happy place as far as working out goes.  I love love love to walk now.  Me and my dog were out for almost 2 hours tonight walking around my town.  I listen to my MP3 and I get into this state of mind, almost zen-like.  I love it.

 Whew, I'm glad I get to eat tomorrow.  This has been hard.  AND I will of course stick to the alli recommended diet.  That's how I lost 40 pounds in the first place.

 Thanks Betty!

Hi, Betty, and all...

 This is only my second day on the capsules, but eating low fat, calories, for a week.  I find that I'm not reaching the my total fat or calorie intake.  I am trying to figure out how I can add some extra to my plan now, and I will try to use the prepared recipes more. 

Thanks for your information.

Mary

Hi Sophia1920,

I am here to help so you are not bugging me. When you want to lose 2 lbs per week you need to subtract 7000 calories from your maintenance calories for that week. This would mean that you could subtract 1000 calories per day (1000 X 7 days = 7000 calories) to lose 2 lbs. If your maintenance calories are 2065 you would have to cut back to 1065 per day to lose 2 lbs. That is very low to start with. I recommend that you do not go below 1200 calories per day. You can increase your activity to burn some extra calories.

Does this make sense?

Betty Kovacs, MS, RD

 I am posting this for my neighbor who has no computer. She and I are on alli and she said she has always had problems even when she was thinner getting 1200 calories a day. She works long hours and said that makes it even harder to get the 1200 a day. She said to get to 1200 she has to eat on the way home from a fast food jolint, come home and cook for the family eat more and eat more later on. Any suggestions for her.

Hi Mrstodd202,

There is no one right way to do this. The goal for your friend is going to be to find foods that she can eat in her limited time. She can look up the calories and fat content in the fast food place that she goes to. There will be options that she can choose from so she can set up her list of these options ahead of time. Frozen meals and/or meal replacement bars and shakes are also great options. She can have them with fruit or veggies to give some more volume to the meals.

How do these suggestions sound?

Betty Kovacs, MS, RD

 Thank you for this post. It was helpful to me in that I understand now the "why" of keeping calorie/fat intake to the prescribed amount.  I do need some help, though, in HOW to do that.

I have a number of issues that keep me from following the Allie meal plans.  I keep Kosher, which means I can't mix meat with dairy, eat shellfish or bottom feeding fish, or pork.  I was able to tell the preference part to eliminate pork (it doesn't, completely) and that helped some.  I am also allergic to dairy, and so I substitute soy milk for the milk in the recipes.  Additionally, I am hypoglycemic and need to eat frequently.  I've been good about entering the products I use in the define food area, and about recording what I actually eat. I joined on July 5 and have lost 7 pounds and one pants size. Actually, I seem to be losing from the bottom up, as my legs look thinner and my shoes feel too large!

Anyway, I have been eating three full meals and three snacks but often find myself full on less calories and fat.  I am, apparently, over the craving for sugar and sweets (who knew an apple could taste so good!) and am looking for healthy ways to add the calories/fat.  On the other hand, on a few days I have reached the limit but without sufficient protein to keep me from being hungry. Any suggestions?

It would be really helpful if there was a way to substitute indivdual ingredients in a recipe right on line. In other words, if I look at your recipe and it calls for beef and cheese, to be able to click on the cheese and find something else nondairy to substitute. I realize this would be a humongous undertaking, but it would be sooooo convenient.

Thanks very much.

Leslye Morrow 

 Hi Betty

Thank you for the information. Unfortunately, I don't know kilograms and centimeters :(

I am 5'4", 175 lbs. and 50 years old and pretty much sedentary.  I came up with 2694 calories so I must have done this wrong. I'd be bigger than my house if I ate that much daily :)

 Hi Betty  (and whoever else can be of help to me!)

I have been on this plan going on my 4th week now.  I am getting very frustrated with it.  Although I find the plan pretty easy to live with, I am not getting the results I had hoped for.

According to the website, I should be eating about 1600 calories a day to loose weight.  I began this journey at 194, and I am 5'4", 51 years old. I have no idea how many calories I consumed but I can tell you, it was no where near the numbers I saw.

Presently, I am eating between 1200 and 1400 per day, and averaging around 25 grams of fat daily. I am not hungry (although I DO miss beef!!!) I eat lots of veggies and fruit, and feel good.  I am just not loosing much.  Thus far, I have lost 5 lbs.  I have 50 to loose and this is not just a wish...its a must!  I hurt my back recently and its doctors orders!

Any advice?

Cam

Hello everyone,

I am a new user to alli.  I began my starter pack last Tuesday July 22.  I have lost a total of 5 pounds since I started the three day pre -alli plan (Jul 19).  I am having a hard time eating 1800cal  per day.  It seems to be toooooo much food.  Yes  I am overweight but my stomach doesnt appear to be large enough to intake this much food.  I have tried the recipe plans provided and I am beyond stuffed after each meal.  Will this impact my weight loss or health?  I  average about 1300 to 1500cal per day just eating enough to be satisfied.   Anything more I am pushing my stomach beyond satisfaction.  I am in the 1800cal per day and I need to lose a minimum of 60lbs.   I have tried to eat less but more often and it is very hard due to the fact I am an officer and do not have time to eat so often.

Can I eat higher calorie foods although low fat to help reach the  1800cal goal ? or any other suggestions would be helpful.  I exercise at least three times a week depending on what I feel like doing.  My job requires me to be on my feet most of the day, so sometimes I just cant stand in order to allow my feet to recuperate from a hard day.  When I do workout, I will jog a minimum of 3miles.  I have a stationary bike 30min or until my rear cant take it anymore and I also have cardio/resistance dvd's (minimum 30min).

I am also a big water drinker (8-12 cups per day) and always have been.  This may be why I get full but I drink after I eat and still am overstuffed after each meal maybe except breakfast which has the least amt of food.

Any suggestions would be great

thanks for the support

I'm not sure what my maintenance calories are.  I'm 74 yrs, weight 234, (SW239) am on 1800 calories a day . Following is my last week's calorie count.  I lost nothing for the last two week and count was almost the same no more the previous week.

Monday 1581.5

Tuesday 1453

Wednesday 1484.5

Thursday 1347.5

Friday 1727

Saturday 1300

Sunday 1700

My exercise is very, very low but I think I should have lost at least 1 lb in a week. Health problems do limit my exercise.

Thank you

llano1

Hi Leenieh57,

The site that I provided to determine your calorie needs does not require the conversion to kg http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm. I have had clients who have come up with 10,000 calorie per day so I know not to provide sites that require conversions :o)

I entered the information that you gave and came up with 1681 calories to maintain your weight. This means that you would cut back to 1200 calories per day and add some walking to your plan to lose 1 lb per week. I do not recommend that you go any lower than that.

Let me know if you have any questions,

Betty Kovacs, MS, RD

Hi Crlong,

I entered the information that you provided and came up with 1778 calories to maintain your weight without any activity. This means that 1200 to 1400 calories would be a good goal for you.

The only change that you need to make is to your fat intake. Here are the fat gram requirements for your calories:

• 1200 calories = 40 grams of fat
• 1300 calories = 43 grams of fat
• 1400 calories = 46 grams of fat

I have a post below this one about reaching your recommended amount of fat. Take a look at that for more details about how that works.

Betty Kovacs, MS, RD