How many calories do you aim for a day?
 

I am a female in my 20s and very active (60 mins of cardio a day, strength training 3x a week, and walk at least 8K steps a day, often over 14K steps). I found that 1800-2100 is a good range for me. At the moment I am trying to get my weekly average to stay below 2000. I've constantly lost 1-3lbs a week since September. This seems a bit high, but its working and most importantly, its sustainable.

Sometimes I mess up and eat way over 2000 calories, but then I just say, ok, I'll do better tomorrow.

Im 20 and very active as well, I do 45-60 minutes of jogging a day as well as weight lifting 90 minutes a day and i keep my calories at 1200 with the max being 1300 if im feeling extra hungry and this is the calorie range that is most effective for me ive been doing this for about a year and have lost 20 lbs and gained muscle and definition.

You don't say how much you currently weigh, and of course this is a factor as well.

I am 44, and have about the same activity level as you. I am aiming for 1600-1700 calories a day. I had gone lower, but it was actually putting my body into conservation mode, which slowed my weight loss.

sounds like you're doing really well!

I currently weight 240. Fitday caculates my metabolism+lifestyle (seated some movement) as ~3000 and I usually have 3800-4000 with exercise.

To Jripp:
Ummm. I hope you are joking! That's seriously far to low.... Possibly even dangerous. When I went to a nutritionist she said to aim for around 1700 and I don't do nearly as much exercise as you do.

I cannot lose weight at all unless I stay below 1300 cals. I just "maintain" at 1600-1800. I am 45 and weigh 188 lbs.(I'm 5'9") My exercise is sporadic- I walk a fair amount and am not a couch potato kind of person (lots of projects, gardening, etc...). I get really frustrated because even at 1100-1200 cals I lose less than a pound a week, so I usually really blow it after about 7-9 days of this. I know that I am doing something wrong. I have been to a nutritionist who tells me I should lose at 1600-1700 calories, but it never happens....anybody else have similar problems?

I was confused about how many calories I shoud aim for. So I spent my first couple weeks just making wise healthy choices in food, proper portions, to see where I was at. I ended up eating 1300-1500 cal/day. I am comfortable with that and don't feel deprived. My calculated metabolism based on lifestyle is around 3000. Mainly just walking for exercise right now. Will see what will happen. Lost 2 lb so far.

1300-1500 seems to be my 'zone' as well. Works for me if I make sure I have a lot of raw/lightly cooked veggies around that fill me up as well as address that craving for something with 'crunch'. I looked up the foods that gave maximum nutrition and maximum satiation on [link removed] -- go figure: celery, broccoli, zucchini, etc. and used that as a guide. You can eat until you feel full and still not a lot of calories.

I have the same problem. I weigh about the same and am 45 also. I know I really need to boost my metabolism through exercise and have started again, but I still don't see a difference on the scales until I stop eating after 6:00 p.m. That's usually when I want to overdue it. It's been a challenge, but it works. I've lost ten pounds so far.

Me too!
 

If only we could unlock the key to this mystery. 45 years old....group exercise instructor fallen off the wagon!!! I am dedicated to regaining my self this year!

I am trying to stay at around 1600 cals per day. I love 1200, but I NEVER lose weight when I eat that little. Fit Day says 1900 for me, but I think that's a bit much. I gave up diet soda, I only drink water now. I had switched to regular soda, drinking the 100 cal cans, but I think it's sugar addicting..so best for me just not to have it.

I work out 6 days a week 45/60 cardio interval training on the elliptical
strength train 4Xs weekly split body part routines.

I am hoping to stick with this, this year. My measurements are not great at the moment, so I'm hoping to take this one day at a time, stay focused and get it done and be healthy!

I eat 1000 calories a day (sometimes a tad bit more- maybe 1100). I only eat 10 grams of fat a day (usually much less- about 6 or 7). I don't watch or count anything else.

I eat about the same as you.. how old are you and how much do you weigh? and height?

I'm 27 yr old male, weighing in at 255 right now (about 6'2") and was about 280 3 months ago. My goal is to be at 220 give or take by the end of May.

I usually aim for about 1800-2400 calories a day, depending on how much I work out that day.

Same calorie question
 

I am about the same as you asybeau145...except older (50). I used to be so healthy...now, after the big M...I have gained weight in my belly (NEVER had that before) and can't seem to lose it. I try to stay low with about 1200 calories but I don't lose weight. Many people advise - you need more calories. I eat 1500 and still don't lose. I am afraid to eat more.
If I eat 1000 then I lose weight - but it is SO SLOW when I do that so I give up.
Wish someone could help me.

While I am certainly no pro, I would advise all you calorie counters who are having a hard time to look up "calorie Zig-zagging". You still consume less calories, but not the same amount every day, which prevents your metabolism from slowing down because you are constantly fluxuating. Your body wont go into starvation mode. It's worked for me so far plus it's more sustainable. Kudos to all you avid exercisers. I can't even make myself start my Step program!

Do you have a website for the calorie zig zagging that would be helpful for an explanation and details?

Here's the one I used:

Calorie Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs

I eat right around 1,000 calories a day as well. I am 20 and weigh 122. I am 5'5. I am curious if this is a good amount. I want to maintain. I don't want to get really skinny because I have already lost 15 lbs. I was 138. I am in good shape. I bike and run. Should I be eating more? Also I try to balance my % on my graph for foods. More carbs than fat, more fat than protein...it seems to have worked so far. I am just curious.

CJohnson - Thanks for that calorie counter website you listed - it is great. I was clicking around and also found links to reviews on diets. Doesn't go into a lot of details on some but I love how they have the ones that make you buy food rated very low. I guess if it works for you any diet is fine however I know from past experience with my husband who use to belong to one of these clubs, that they do not teach you how to eat properly. It's fine when someone is measuring everything for you but you don't learn portion control and the weight soon goes back on (look at Kristy Alley)

Thanks Cjohnson...that website is nice. I like how it tells you calories for slower and more extreme weight loss. The extreme weight loss for me was 1400 calories. I would have thought that to be too many. I will try it.
Thanks.

Can anyone help me out? I'm doing the Insanity workout and I'm trying to get an idea of my daily caloric needs. I'm 34, 6'5", and 230 lbs. According to the fitness guide that came with the workout series I should be taking in between 3000 and 3300 calories a day. Does that sound anywhere close to right? WHat are your best guesses?

All depends if you are trying to lose weight or maintain.

That caloric count looks like it is in the ballpark for maintaining. Then again, I do not know what the Insanity workout is about.

how bout that im doing the insanity program too! just started it two days ago. Well i use to be a personal trainer but nutrition was never my specialty. im 21 6'2" 234 lbs so we are not so far off and for my age and activities my doc said its freakish how low my metabolism is(never a thing anyone wants to hear!). The most important thing is to maintain a high intake of protein. i try to keep it about 300 grams because i usually only take in about 130 grams of carbs. if you dont eat enough protein(especially while doing insanity) you will definitly start shredding muscles because your body will begin to use muscle tissue for energy. My only problem is that while im watching what i eat i am typically only getting over 2000 calories a day. After two weeks ill redo my measurements and see if i need to force more food down my throat. Just make sure you have plenty of quick absorbing carbs directly after the workout. i stick to about 50 grams of protein and 50 grams of carbs. get it from a protein shake or some kind of quick absorbing food. Replenish that body and dig deeper the insanity program isnt a joke! On the bright side if you really are keeping up with your stats on here it wont take long to see if you need to raise or lower your caloric intake! good luck

Due to injury i am unable to do much of a workout. starting weight 335 (Feb 10) :( right now i am eating anywhere from 900 - 1100 calories a day, mostly fat free foods or organic foods. I am now 325.6 (March 05)... 10 pounds, and i still dont think its enough...any advice? Nutrition Calculators ( this site tells me to eat 2826 calories a day to loose 1 pound a week. i just divided it in 3 to loose 3 pounds a week. to 942 calories a day...Ill see if it works

I'm a 5'-2", 41 year old female, trying to get down from 244 to a healthy weight of 120. I've lost 44 pounds so far by increasing my workout from 1-3 times a week to everyday. I go 60-90 minutes and I have no specific routine, just whatever I feel like doing, but 30-60 minutes of it is usually on the elliptical. I've done all kinds of programs and websites trying to figure out how many calories I should eat, and most of them put it around 1800-2000 calories. Well when I eat that much I get terrible heartburn and gain weight, regardless of my workout. So I've dropped it down to 1300-1500, every now and then I'm lower than that, but typically I'm at 1400ish. I'm comfortable at this amount, I get what I need vitamin-wise, I'm losing weight, I have lots of energy, I don't get heartburn and I feel good.

Meghan, 10 lbs in a month is excellent progress, especially if you can't exercise like we all should. If you cut your calories much lower, your body won't get what it needs, you'll go into starvation mode, and at some point you won't be able to take it anymore. Then you'll binge and put it all back plus a few pounds more. Slow steady weight loss is maintainable weight loss. Keeping it off for life is the real prize.

I'm a female, 5'6, 237 lbs with a seated with movement activity level. I have my goal set for 2,200, although I try to aim for 2,000.

Last month I aimed for 1600-1700 cals per day. I could only really manage that if I was absolutely obsessive about it, so I figured I'd increase my calories to avoid any backfires and it seems to be working well because I've lost 8 lbs this month! :D

I try for 2000, but keep going over:(

24 year old dude here, around 165 lbs last I checked, might have put on some flub in the last two weeks off from the gym. When I'm taking time off from the gym I usually get between 1600-2200 cals/day. Weeks where I'm really active, I maintain on anywhere from 2200-3000 cals/day.

Workouts for me are 5 days/week, with a good 15-20 minutes light mobility exercises (lunges, slow squats, shoulder rolls), about an hour of heavy liftin' , followed by a good 15-20 minutes of static stretching, so I need all those calories.

-Nik

Less than 1000. Some really bad days I have 1300, but most days I hover between 850 and 950.

Hmmm. It says I can have fat loss at 1500 and extreme fat loss at under 1200. I am going to aim for 1200-1400 cal/day. No more than 1400 is key. I have achieved weight loss on that plan before. Problem is, it's difficult for me to maintain. I might try the "zig zag" thing where I am allowed more calories somedays as long as I eat less other days.
Today was my 1st day and I ate 1700. :eek: Not so hot but better than I have been eating in the recent past. And I worked out. I'm trying to focus on the positive here!!

@meaganxcore,

I think the key with zig-zagging isn't so much that you balance overeating on one day with undereating on another, but to match up the amount your eating based on the activity you do on any given day. For example, if you workout every other day, then maybe you shoot for 1700 on your workout days, then 1300 on your off days. That way you optimize fat loss while still allowing your body to recover from the exercise.

-Nik

I'm aiming for around 1800 per day. I have 27 more pounds to lose and I've set my goal for the end of 2010-totally achievable. I couldn't cut any less than that because I want to keep my nutrition up and stay healthy, not just see a smaller number on the scale. My plan is a healthy, maintainable diet and I exercise three times per week, plus walking daily on my dinner breaks at work. I'll be riding my bike more for fun now that summer is getting closer :)

It is clear to me and I'm sure many others that those of you who are eating 1200 calories and less NEED to go talk to a nutritionist in the worst way. It is IMPOSSIBLE for you to be getting the nutrients your body needs to be healthy.

If available, you should also go get your basal metabolic rate checked. Your BMR is the minimum number of calories your body needs to sustain itself if you are completely sedentary. To give you an idea. I'm a 29 yoa male, in average physical condition, weighing 190 #'s. My BMR was 1,950 calories. Now, figure in that I workout and am active everyday and you can figure that I use more calories than this. My nutritionist has me at 2100-2200 calories per day. This is very sustainable and I'm still seeing improvements.

Your body needs the nutrients and calories from food to be healthy, and you are NOT getting it if you're eating 1200 calories/day.

OMG....you need to go see a personal trainer, nutritionist and Dr. before you do major damage to your body! And I apologize if I sound brash, but somebody needs to say it to help you out.

SkinnyErin - your body is currently burning muscle tissue to sustain you. You re probably only burning a little fat. You are unlikely to lose weight in a sustainable manner because your body will give up on you. You really need to listen to the advice on here and start realising that starving your body is the road to ruin. The days you describe as "bad days" are the best ones for you.

Your most effective weight loss will come when you consistently eat roughly 20% under your daily calorie burn.

When you drop below that, your body becomes very effective at conserving energy, and asking for more food. (lethargy + cravings). That is a recipe for falling off the wagon and regaining all the weight you've lost.

It didn't take six weeks to put on the extra weight I'm carrying, its gonna take a lot longer than six weeks to take it off!

Good luck!

Meghann,

I know this is an older post, but since I didn't see that anyone replied, I wanted to...well...correct your math? :)

To lose 1 lb a week, you have to eat 3500 fewer calories a week, or 500/day. According to the calculator you used, the number of calories you need to lose 1lb is 2826, so to lose another 2 lbs a week (3 total) 3500*2=7000 calories a week. This means you need to eat 1000 fewer calories a day, which would be 1826, not 942 :) Just don't want you to get frustrated by not losing weight because you're eating too little! :)

I hope you've been doing well the last month and a half and don't even need my math! :D

Deb

New to the forum
 

Hi...I've been using Fitday since July 14th, 2010. I've found it to be most useful in counting calories. I see this thread has not been updated for a while but thought I would add my two bits worth and see if anyone responds. I am a 50 year old woman and have approx 45 lbs to lose. I have been getting great inspiration from reading Sean Anderson's blog. He started at 505 lbs and eats 1500 calories a day and is down to approx 230 lbs. I am eating between 1200 and 1300 calories a day and I'm dropping weight nicely. I'm not hungry and it just forces me to make better choices of what I am eating.