Am I eating too much? Help please...
 

Hi! I’ve been here for about 10 days already and loving it.
I am a woman of 27, height 5’’6’, weight 161 lb (started with 164 ). I want to lose some weight (maybe 10 pounds), and I am right now eating 1550 calories a day… is that too much? I do pilates twice a week and two days ago started walking for 40 minutes everyday...
I’m not sure I could eat even less but if that’s what it takes to lose weight, I guess I’ll do it. I dread thinking the 3 pounds I lost were just water weight and now comes the real thing and that is the reason why the scale hasn’t moved much in a week… what do you think? (talk from experience will be highly appreciated)

It doesn't sound like "too much," but that's hard to know without knowing what you burn each day and how quickly you want to lose.

To lose a pound a week, you need to (roughly) burn 500 calories per day more than you eat. To lose 2 pounds per week, you're looking at burning 1000 calories per day more than you eat.

So if you're a relatively short, older person who's close to your goal weight and burning, for example, 1550 per day, what you're eating is enough to maintain but not to lose. If you look at your numbers and see that you are burning 2050 cals a day through lifestyle and activity, your daily calories eaten should net you a pound a week loss. I think most people here try to shoot for between 1200 and 1800, so sounds like you are right in the middle, but it really depends on how much you burn and how quickly you want to lose.

Give your body time to catch up. It's not an exact science and it's way too early to panic over the scale not moving. Just don't give up, and you will see a drop soon.

At any rate, welcome to FitDay, and we hope to see you around the forums :).

Thanks a lot for your answer!!! It was exactly what I needed... I am burning about 500 calories more than I eat, so I guess I am in the right track. What I could do, is exercise more... hadn't thought of that! This way I could speed up things a little (although I'm more interested in lasting over time than in reaching my goal fast).
THANKS!!! It makes quite the difference to count on you guys' support.

keep it slow or the 1lbs per week
 

truly if you want to keep it of and not gain back what you have lost you need to loose weight slowly and in an healthy manner by using this program on fitday you will find it is about new healthy habits in your eating pattern and exercise. Sounds like you are off to a very good start. Good luck to you and make your goal 1lbs per week. Wish I only had a few lbs to loose, but for years I have dieted wrong, often used fads and the price has been high. Please use this site to keep you on the right track the right way.

You are doing fine. If you eating 1550 calories (and know this by weighing the food and keeping a very accurate count of it) and are giving it your all in Pilates, and walking at least 3 mph, (brisk but not huffing and puffing) the weight will come off. I eat roughly the same caloric count as you, (i'm 5'4") and continue to lose at a nice slow rate. Sure the scale will zig and zag a bit, but it will go in a downward trend. Logging on Fitday you can see that trend... don't get hung up on a high reading, just stay the course and don't give up even when the scale goes up a little, we fluctuate. I have weighed myself enough times to know!!!

For me it is hard to eat less than 1500 calories a day and remain cheerful.