Hi too anyone who can help me. I am a female wanting to begin the dash diet for hypertension. I have purchased the book based on my dr.'s advice and after reading it I still feel very puzzled about some things. I am 4'11 about 130 pounds, based on the book my daily caloric intake should be about 1,532 calories. Which seems like a lot espicially since I want to loose weight while on this eating plan. Is that right for me? Anyone tried this diet and did you find it successful? Any answers and comments would be much apperciated. Thanks!

Hi Giselle,
From what you have said here 130 lbs = 60 Kg - 4'11'' = 150 cms or 1.5 mts so your BMI would be pretty close to 26.6 - it is to high ( Gloria has rightfully pointed out on here that waist to hip measurement is a more reliable measurement of health).

1532 Calories =6434Kilojoules ( multiply by 4.2)

You can work out how many kilojoules you need to sustain any weight level you want by using this equation ( it is a huristic and has been proven over many years and trials)


Female ..... {655.1+(9.56 * weight)+ ( 1.85*height)-(4.68*age)} * 4.2 to bring it to kilojoules or leave this last bit out if you want the answer in calories. This is your resting metabolic rate, you then multiply the answer by 1.2 if you are sedentary, or 1.375 lightly active or 1.55 moderately active or 1.725 very active or 1.9 extremely active. What this tells you is how many calories/kilojoules you have to eat to maintain a certain weight. If you had included your age I would have worked it out for you.

What weight do you want to get down to, a BMI of 22 for you would be about 50 Kgs or 110 Lbs?
You only want to lose about 1Lb (0.5Kg) per week and to do this you only need to eat 2000 kilojoules ( 475 calories) per day less than you burn up. You can do it, just move a little more and eat a little less.
HealthCastle has an article on weight loss somewhere in its archives, I am sure I have seen it.

The DASH diet reduces blood pressure mainly because of the increase in calcium, potassium and magnesium. This diet has worked for thousands of people over a fair few years now, from memory I think Professor Dean Ornish did this or similar research.

I hope I have not complicated this to much.