How many calories a day to loose weight?

megadethkt
megadethkt Posts: 19
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone know the proper info to calculate how many calories a day to loose weight?

This site varies from other information I've read and it's really confusing.

I have been eating more "raw" fruits and veggies than ever before in my life. I recently got a food dehydrator for my birthday and have been dehydrating kale chips and other items as a healthy snack.

I have lost 15 since June 25th(21 days) :). My goal is still to loose another 100 lbs give or take. I was 140-160 in highschool and felt "okay" at 160 when I was 18.

Thanks

Replies

  • phyllisgehrke
    phyllisgehrke Posts: 238 Member
    Fifteen Pounds is a lot to lose.
    Be very happy with that loss.

    I went on a Challenge from June 15th to July 15th and only lost 6 pounds.
    You don't want to lose too rapid, or the weight will just come back on.
  • megadethkt
    megadethkt Posts: 19
    Yeah, I know. I don't drive and have to walk everywhere I go pretty much. Walking to and from work is like 350 calories a day burned.
  • carolyn0613
    carolyn0613 Posts: 162 Member
    I'm not entirely sure what your question is. if you want to know how much you have to cut down to lose a lb of weight then, as a rough estimate, it seems that 3500 calories deficit a week equals 1 lb of weight loss. There is a little science behind it but it's not great science ;-). However, since it seems to work fine for most people, you can give it a go and see if it works for you. it is the number that MFP uses. 3500 per week equals 500 cals deficit a day.

    The way MFP works is that you put in your stats - age, weight, height etc. You also say how many lbs you would like to lose in a week. MFP recommends 1 lb - 2lb a week. You are then given an amount of calories to eat. This amount contains the deficit you need to lose weight. On top of these calories, if you exercise, you should add those calories you have burned back on to your calories for the day. You will still have that deficit built in. MFP is designed so that the calories you burn during exercise you should use for extra food ( ie not extra weight loss). Too fast weight loss can stress your body, causing it to release stress hormones like cortisol. Cortisol is well known for being a factor in weight gain. So it makes sense to lose weight gradually.

    You said you have 100 lb to lose. It's a fair amount and you should plan to take over a year to lose it. Patience is the kay. You also need a diet plan that you can do over this year - giving yourself enough food so that you are not so starving that you will binge.
  • megadethkt
    megadethkt Posts: 19
    I wasn't sure if MFP was giving the correct about of calories to eat a day. I was looking up information and other sites for my weight/height etc were giving me more than MFP. This is where the confusion is coming from. Thanks for all the info.

    MFP says Target weight range for myself would be : 118.1 lbs - 159.6 lbs

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