The Student Room Group

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Reply 1
asda
does anyone else think the recommended calorie intake for a healthy lifestyle is really high: 2500 for men and 2000 for women, that means you could 10 mars bars and still be within in the limit (I know this is a flawed point as you would not get your other nutritional needs) but it still allows for alot of consumption... :confused:

If you think about it though a large sandwich can be about 1000 calories. So if your eating 3 meals a day with 2 snack times then it doesnt work out to be a lot.
Reply 2
i can't understand how anyone can be bothered to count calories... :p:
I can't understand racism...
Reply 4
md_red_uk
I can't understand racism...

I can't understand why you just said that out of the blue...:confused:
Reply 5
That was random
Reply 6
Monii, I take it your a fatty? :wink:
Reply 7
asda
Monii, I take it your a fatty? :wink:



no i'm really not...
asda
does anyone else think the recommended calorie intake for a healthy lifestyle is really high: 2500 for men and 2000 for women, that means you could 10 mars bars and still be within in the limit (I know this is a flawed point as you would not get your other nutritional needs) but it still allows for alot of consumption... :confused:


it sounds like alot, but it depends what you eat really
Reply 9
If you look at the average 'ready-meal' from a decent place like M&S then most will be somewhere between 400-600 cals. Not the really unhealthy ones, just a lasagne or something. Say that's 500 per meal, and you eat two of those (not necessarily take-aways but the equivalent) per day. Then you have breakfast, which for two pieces of toast with jam and butter comes to... approximately 250. A chocolate bars range from 135 (milky bar) to 310 (boost) so add on 250 approx.

That's 1500 cals for two nutritional meals, breakfast and one chocolate bar. But if you're in school chances are you'll have a mid-morning snack in the canteen, a bottle of coke or juice (depending on what you drink this can go up to about 300 cals) and maybe a snack when you get home. It does add up.

People who eat high-fat foods for one meal eat more calories, as do those who drink fizzy beverages. Pizza is the most calorie-filled food in the world. Alcohol is calorie filled unless you drink spirits straight. So yes, it adds up quickly, and you don't have to have an extremely unhealthy diet to fulfill your calorie requirements. Also, shorter people should be eating less calories- guidelines should stipulate height, for example I am 5'10" so I should eat 200 more calories than people under that height.
yeah, don't forget to add drinks to this as well, I just had a cup of hot chocolate and was shocked that it contained over 400 calories in that one mug :eek:

One can of soda is about 150calories alone


*edit: misread chocolate box, read the energy box instead.... true cals is 104 :redface:
A McDonalds meal is almost 1000 calories, I think. You get about 500-600 calories in the burger, 300 in the fries and then if you have a drink or doughnut or something....

Also, I was shocked to see that one of the salads they sell in M&S has over 800 calories!!!!! Watch those salads, they're not as healthy as they look.

I usually get a Boots meal deal at lunch time, and I like the Philadelphia light sandwiches they do, either Philadelphia with ham, or with roasted peppers, I think. There's about 380 calories in those, and they're on brown bread, which is so much better for you because the same number of calories last much longer than they would in white bread as the energy is burnt off gradually, and not all in one go. They also do nice fruit salads and light mousses, which are good for anyone counting the calories, and you can also get some really healthy smoothies in there.

Your calorie allowance can be quite easily used up, even if you don't eat too much. The trick is to eat "clever foods". Brown bread instead of white is a good example. If you eat complex carbohydrates (brown bread, cereal, brown rice & wholemeal pasta, for example) as opposed to simple carbohydrates (white bread, rolls, white rice and pasta) you will feel full up for much longer and won't feel the need to eat again so soon. An apple has as many calories as a small chocolate bar, but as well as having far more nutritional value, it is good, slow release energy.

Eating loads of veg and salad is great too, as it will make you feel full if you eat loads of it, but it's mainly water.
Cheesegoduk
yeah, don't forget to add drinks to this as well, I just had a cup of hot chocolate and was shocked that it contained over 400 calories in that one mug :eek:


:eek: What kind of hot chocolate are you drinking?!?!? Cadburys instant has 140cals...Options or Highlights only have 40.

There really is no "standard" caloric intake as it all depends on your height and weight. If you have to generalise then you should allow 10-12 calories per lb of body weight.
*starbuck*
:eek: What kind of hot chocolate are you drinking?!?!? Cadburys instant has 140cals...Options or Highlights only have 40.

There really is no "standard" caloric intake as it all depends on your height and weight. If you have to generalise then you should allow 10-12 calories per lb of body weight.


:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

There's no way that can be right! That means I should be consuming between 1250 and 1500 calories per day, which is not enough! I definitely get my 2000 per day, perhaps more, and I'm still pretty thin, even though I don't exercise excessively. Only once or twice a week.
Reply 14
susiemakemeblue
Your calorie allowance can be quite easily used up, even if you don't eat too much. The trick is to eat "clever foods". Brown bread instead of white is a good example. If you eat complex carbohydrates (brown bread, cereal, brown rice & wholemeal pasta, for example) as opposed to simple carbohydrates (white bread, rolls, white rice and pasta) you will feel full up for much longer and won't feel the need to eat again so soon.


This is not the difference between complex and simple carbs. Both brown and white bread/pasta/rice contain complex carbohydrate, mainly in the form of starch. Simple carbohydrate is sugars, like fruit juice and normal table sugar. The difference between brown and white bread etc is brown has more fibre and is less processed.
Reply 15
How are calories worked out, anyway?
Reply 16
1 calorie = the amount of energy required to heat 1g of water by 1 degree celsius.
Madelyn
How are calories worked out, anyway?


A calorie is simply a unit of measurement that is defined as the amount of energy it takes to raise the temperature of one gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. Food calories are actually equal to 1,000 calories - 1 food calorie = 1 kilocalorie. Different types of food contain different amounts of calories though I can't remember what they are and as I'm dropping to sleep I can't be bothered to look it up! Hopefully someone else will! :biggrin:
Reply 18
What I was trying to ask was, how do they know how many calories there are in that chocolate bar? And why is calorie-counting supposed to be an effective weight-loss method? Shall I just go back to my happy, calorie-free existence?
Reply 19
Madelyn
What I was trying to ask was, how do they know how many calories there are in that chocolate bar? And why is calorie-counting supposed to be an effective weight-loss method? Shall I just go back to my happy, calorie-free existence?


Yes, definitely. If by that you mean eating what you like and pretending they don't exist. Not if it means not eating at all.

I think they burn stuff to find out, but I could just be making it up. It would be exciting if they did though.