How many calories should I consume?

saundts
saundts Posts: 51 Member
in Getting Started
Hi all, I weigh 258 and wanted to know how many calories I should be consuming to maintain my weight. I plan to diet and exercise but this number will give me a good number to start. What is the realistic goal I should keep to lose in three months?

Replies

  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    How tall are you? Age? Sex? You want to maintain or lose? Confused.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    How many calories did it give you when you set up the program? For weight loss, the first week or two is usually (although not for everyone) a big drop in water weight, so big shift on the scale is not surprising, but should level out to about 1% of your weight each week.
  • saundts
    saundts Posts: 51 Member
    edited July 2018
    Thank you L1zardQueen, I am 5'9" 43 year old, almost 44. I want to lose weight for sure.
  • weiyaoshi
    weiyaoshi Posts: 2 Member
    just check your TDEE online, and if you wanna lose weight, take around 80% of the TDEE every single day. It's the first step
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    weiyaoshi wrote: »
    just check your TDEE online, and if you wanna lose weight, take around 80% of the TDEE every single day. It's the first step

    Or, just to keep things simple, since you're already here, just use the number MFP gave you when you set up your profile and goals. And whatever number you start with, be prepared to make adjustments based on results.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    You go to setup. MFP tells you how many calories to eat to maintain your weight, or lose 2, 1.5, 1 or 0.5 pounds per week. Initially, your body can use up 2 pounds of your bodyfat per week - up to 1% of your bodyweight is a good rule of thumb because it's a rate that adjusts to your weight as you lose. But that's the easy part. The hard part is sticking to the optimal calorie deficit, consistently, for weeks and months. So your job is to figure out a good diet and exercise regimen for yourself, something you can see yourself willing and able to continue, and then exert the necessary willpower to stick to it, and go back to it if you ever stray from it.

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