I'm stumped on what my calorie intake should be

marissamacko13

I'm 21, 5'3 182 pounds. I've had my calories set at 1200 but I'm not sure if that's actually what it should be at.

As for exercise, I get to the gym 5 times a week. I get about 15 minutes of cardio in, then the rest of the time I do weights.
I burn maybe 300 calories a day with my step counter/exercise at the gym.

Is 1200 too low? I'm trying to lose the maximum weight per week, but in the healthiest way possible.

Please help

sbrownallison

As an older female, I use 1200 plus whatever exercise calories I earn; virtually no one should go below this. As a younger person, yours may be higher. Your MFP home page should display a caloric formula for you. If you log a given exercise, it should raise the 1200 (or whatever you choose as a healthy amount of calories). This should still allow you to lose weight. It is great to set goals for yourself, but difficult, as a younger person, to be patient and formulate realistic goals. As cliché as it sounds, slow and steady wins the race. DON'T GIVE UP on yourself if you don't lose weight as quickly as you want. Forming good habits (like logging food, weighing/measuring food, and integrating exercise into your life) will give you to key to the kingdom...Good luck!

BioQueen

I'm 5'5" but I started at 181 pounds. I was able to eat 1,200 for a little while, but it soon became too little and I would be hungry a lot. I can and could eat between 1,200-1,400 and lose weight and I've been successful doing that. If you are finding you are hungry throughout the day, eat a little more, but make sure you are also getting enough fats and proteins. Eating too many carbs makes me hungrier. Good habits and being healthy will get you where you want to be in the long run