What should my daily calorie intake be?

fatty2sixpack

I'm morbidly obese weighing in at 485 pounds. I have been sedentary for a long time butt everyday I walk about 2000 steps. I plan on walking more and adding in strength training. I calculated my tdee and it is 3585 calories per day that I eat at a maintenance. In your opinion what should my daily calorie intake be for me to start losing weight?

havalynd

2500-3000 should see you coming at it with weight loss, just make sure not to drop down too low too fast (imho don't go below 2000) but if you add in more additional exercise take that into account. I've had good advice on MFP from people who say to eat back half your gained calories thru exercise.

ncboiler89

Put most simply, your calorie intake needs to be less than when you burn. So, per your post, less than 3585 per day. Beyond that it depends on how fast you want to lose. If it's one pound per week, it would be 500 calories less than your burn. If it's two pounds per week it's 1000 calories less than your burn. Both of those are per day.

It's really up to you. Good luck my friend!

chine_samantha

Hi may i ask if how many calorie do i need a day to set my goal i am 77kilo and my goal is to make it 57kilo in 4 months highly appreciated for any responce thank you.

MissusMoon

chine_samantha wrote: »

Hi may i ask if how many calorie do i need a day to set my goal i am 77kilo and my goal is to make it 57kilo in 4 months highly appreciated for any responce thank you.

You should set up your profile here and it will give you options to lose NO MORE than 2lbs per week.

LivingtheLeanDream

ncboiler89 wrote: »

Put most simply, your calorie intake needs to be less than when you burn. So, per your post, less than 3585 per day. Beyond that it depends on how fast you want to lose. If it's one pound per week, it would be 500 calories less than your burn. If it's two pounds per week it's 1000 calories less than your burn. Both of those are per day.

It's really up to you. Good luck my friend!

^^ this

WBB55

fatty2sixpack wrote: »

I'm morbidly obese weighing in at 485 pounds. I have been sedentary for a long time butt everyday I walk about 2000 steps. I plan on walking more and adding in strength training. I calculated my tdee and it is 3585 calories per day that I eat at a maintenance. In your opinion what should my daily calorie intake be for me to start losing weight?

I think the most important thing for you right now is just not giving up. Whether you choose 2200 or 2400 as your first calorie goal doesn't matter at all. Getting into the habit of tracking your food and being concscious of the calories contained in what you eat is the most important thing you can do.

It's not easy, and there will be days you slip. That's ok. Just log the food and start again tomorrow.

ilex70

fatty2sixpack wrote: »

I'm morbidly obese weighing in at 485 pounds. I have been sedentary for a long time butt everyday I walk about 2000 steps. I plan on walking more and adding in strength training. I calculated my tdee and it is 3585 calories per day that I eat at a maintenance. In your opinion what should my daily calorie intake be for me to start losing weight?

The general rule of thumb is that it is safe to lose 1% of your body weight per week, which would be nearly 5 pounds a week for you.

But the best diet is the one you can stick to, so if cutting that many calories causes you to binge/quit then you are better off choosing a less aggressive deficit.

Be sure to get plenty of protein. .8 grams per pound of lean body mass is a good spot to target. You can fiddle with your macro percentages on MFP to get to that at a minimum. You can lose weight eating whatever you like while maintaining a deficit, but since you mention strength training I'm thinking you want to keep muscle.

In your shoes I would give 2,000 a day a shot plus walking a couple of times a day...short walks are fine.

Include protein in every meal, some fat, and add low calorie density vegetables/fruit to increase satiety. IIRC 2 cups of green beans are about 50 calories. I like garlic and pepper on them. Vegetables don't have to be deadly dull...use seasonings. Salad w/low calorie dressing is an easy add too; so maybe you still have some pizza or pasta, but a smaller portion with a big salad.

If you find that 2,000 with a well balanced diet still leaves you too hungry then you can move your calorie goal higher.

bioklutz

Pick a calorie goal under your TDEE that will be sustainable for you. Nobody is perfect - WBB55 is correct. You will have days where you will go over your calorie goal. That does not mean you are a failure. People who succeed have had many failures. They just dust themselves off and move on.

fatty2sixpack

Thanks everyone for your comments. I have to say I'm going to start off at 2000 calories per day. If I can't manage at that I'll keep increasing it by 100 calories but my maximum is 2500 calories per day.

WBB55

fatty2sixpack wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your comments. I have to say I'm going to start off at 2000 calories per day. If I can't manage at that I'll keep increasing it by 100 calories but my maximum is 2500 calories per day.

I think that's a great plan. At this point, the only real mistake you can make is giving up. Once you've lost 100 lbs or whenever you feel up to it, add more and more walking and weight lifting. But for maybe the first 6 months, counting the calories every day is -- in my opinion -- your highest goal. You'll never regret it.