I was just wondering how many calories I should eat a day if I am trying to lose weight. My boyfriend and some health books I've been reading are telling me I need to eat more calories...is this true?

How many calories you should be eating depends on many things. Obviously a bigger person needs to eat more calories. Also, somebody who is very active needs to eat more. Using books to figure out how much you should be eating can be somewhat misleading.

Most books will tell you to multiply your bodyweight by a certain number and then use an activity factor to add in additional amounts of calories. This works ok to get you started, but you may have to eat less or more than what is recommended. Let me just say that you should not be going below 1,200 - 1,500 calories per day for even a short length of time even if you are a small person. If you are exercising 3-4 days per week for an hour or so this number should be more in the 2,000 calorie range. But again, everybody is different. Just don't think that eating less all the time is the right way to go when it comes to losing weight or looking better. It's not! The best way to go is to eat smaller more frequent meals throughout the day and to be involved in an exercise program where you are doing cardio and weight training on a weekly basis.

The cardio work is vital for health on the "inside" and for burning calories. The weight training is so important for developing muscles and having a healthy metabolism. You can't get muscles unless you eat!

When I talk about having a healthy metabolism I like to give this fact. One pound of muscle will create an additional 75 calories to be burned throughout the day even if you are just sitting around. This is hugely important when it comes to long term weight management. However, if you don't eat enough food and you don't do weight training you will lose your muscle mass. Now, when you do finally eat, those calories are more apt to be stored because your metabolism has slowed down.

If you don't exercise and you keep your weight under control by not eating very much you are setting yourself up for long term problems (osteoporosis, heart disease). If you do exercise that's great! Just make sure you take in at least 1,200 - 1,500 calories per day as a minimum!