Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Calories, food portions, any advice?!?!?!?!?!?!

Hi Ruchie - Give folks on the board a chance to read and reply to your messages before you re-post them.

It usually takes a day or so for most of the board to see a message, so have a little patience (I know that's hard when you're not feeling well).

Your height and weight sound like they're at a healthy point, though you might be a bit underweight . Your body mass index comes out to 18, and an index of 19-25 is considered healthy. You would know best if your body fat percentage is within a healthy range, if you are just very small-boned, if you have good muscle mass, etc.

I found a chart on calorie requirements for women. The levels below are defined as:

Resting Metabolic Rate represents the minimum energy needs of the body, for day and night with no exercise or exposure to cold.

Sedentary includes occupations that involve sitting most of the day, such as office work and studying.

Light includes activities which involve standing most of the day, such as teaching or laboratory work.

Moderate may include walking, gardening, and housework.

Active includes dancing, skating, and manual labor such as farm or construction work.

Resting - 13 per lb. body weight
Sedentary - 14 per lb. body weight
Light - 16 per lb. body weight
Moderate - 18 per lb. body weight
Active - 22 per lb. body weight

This should let you calculate your daily calorie needs. Your portion sizes will depend on how calorie-dense the foods are. Fats are the most calorie-dense, so portion sizes for low fat foods will be larger. Most people drastically overestimate the portion sizes of foods, though. You're probably eating reasonable portions - most people eat too much.

I really wouldn't eat more than you need to fill you up - that's not good for your digestion at all. Keep your portions small, eat as frequently as you're hungry, and drink lots of water too.

If you're having trouble keeping your weight up, there is some info here web page

Best,
Heather

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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!

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