how many calories does a women eat and be safe?

kparks770

I have no clue how much to eat exactly.I mean when i started this it said how much do you wanna loose and I had it at a pound a week.Well,I havent lost any in a while.I started exercising more,well that didnt do much either.Im older too just turned 34 so maybe thats why? I then looked and it has me set at 1300 cal a day.Is that not enough? whats normal

MissAnjy

make sure you're eating back your exercise calories. Make sure your NET is 1300 calories at the end of the day.

peanut929

1300 calories a day is normal when you want to lose around 1 pound per week. Take in account that on the days you work out you can eat more.

Good luck!
Karen

sarah44254

Follow the numbers given to you by this site, and you will likely see progress. If you exercise, and log it in, it will increase the amount of calories you are allotted to eat. Follow the numbers and eat them up.

1300 sounds like a decent base, but personally I eat much more than that to feel good on an average day. I am also rather active so that may play a part in it.

babytmarie27

at least 1200

magenta4c

"Im older too just turned 34 so maybe thats why?" RU kidding me? when i read older i was thinking 60+, then i read 34..
pffft... we are peaches! :-D

TourThePast

I'm a bit confused, you say "I then looked" - didn't you look before? I mean, how many calories have you been eating, have you been weighing everything or just guessing, and what have you been eating?

1200 is an absolute minimum unless you're extremely short or under medical supervision. Some people need more than that.

To be honest, you're not going to get an informed reply unless you allow others to view your food and exercise diary.

P.S. Despite being positively ancient, you can still burn fat... :bigsmile:

Dreawolf

Just make sure that you are not going below 1200 calories a day. If you go below that then your body goes into starvation mode.

kparks770

ok so hopefully this is ok. I heard somewhere I needed to eat 1500.Well,Also didnt know I was supposed to eat more cal if I exercised them off.I figured that would defeat the purpose? I dunno I guess just be more strict and try harder.Its disheartening when it stops.I can tell in my clothes but not in my weight.Well,Thank you and Good Luck to you all.

allystone

"Im older too just turned 34 so maybe thats why?" RU kidding me? when i read older i was thinking 60+, then i read 34..
pffft... we are peaches! :-D

haha made my day.

outersoul

Open your diary to the public so we can give a better answer.

jenomaha

"Im older too just turned 34 so maybe thats why?" RU kidding me? when i read older i was thinking 60+, then i read 34..
pffft... we are peaches! :-D

I know...older?!?!? I'm 37 and feel like a spring chicken :laugh: I'm in better shape now than in my 20's, lol!! 30 something is the new 20 something

kparks770

well honestly Im new to this and havent figured that out.I just went by what the site said on how to lose a pound a week was to eat under 1300 and exercise..Sorry about the older comment I meant Im not a teen or 20 yr old any more.It was a lot easier then.

TourThePast

I'm in better shape now than in my 20's, lol!! 30 something is the new 20 something

Actually I think you'll find that 40 something is the new 20 something. :bigsmile:

I took up rock climbing in my 40s and celebrated my 45th birthday by taking up SCUBA diving too!

james3302

If you are not losing weigh then reduce your calories, or exercise more. Weight loss is when you burn more calories then you consume. Maybe you are not logging everythign you eat, or not logging the correct foods(there are plenty of DB foods on here that do not have the correct amount of calories). At some point of eating less and exercising your butt off you should start losing. I will caution though, not to eat below 1200 calories.

TourThePast

I just went by what the site said on how to lose a pound a week was to eat under 1300 and exercise.

So are you certain that you have definitely only been eating 1300 calories?

If you're not measuring things out you may be eating far more than you think. Most people, including myself, are shockingly bad at guessing quantities which is why I never dare guess!

The other thing is, are you certain you're not losing fat? Have you been measuring yourself with a tape measure? Because really what the scales say isn't the best guide.

EDITED TO ADD: You say you haven't lost any for "a while" how long is that? A week? A month? Really, if it's a week, it could easily be just a normal fluctuation, don't be discouraged. If you haven't lost any for three weeks, something is going wrong!

Angiebug1969

I'm a bit confused, you say "I then looked" - didn't you look before? I mean, how many calories have you been eating, have you been weighing everything or just guessing, and what have you been eating?

1200 is an absolute minimum unless you're extremely short or under medical supervision. Some people need more than that.

To be honest, you're not going to get an informed reply unless you allow others to view your food and exercise diary.

P.S. Despite being positively ancient, you can still burn fat... :bigsmile:

"Positively ancient" nearly made me pee my pants!! HAHAHA!! Too cute!

I do agree with 1200 ABSOLUTE MINIMUM... I'm trying to "reboot" my metabolism at the moment from trying to maintain 1200ish, and actually not quite getting that many calories, during the first 12 weeks of marathon training. I seriously think my metabolism crashed on me! But I'm trying to eat more (1600ish) and keep it balanced... more calories IN on my harder workout days.

Keep us posted! :flowerforyou:

kparks770

ok I think I made it public Im still learning
I did real bad sunday! Im starting to wonder whats up with me lol

ColoradoRobin

ok so hopefully this is ok. I heard somewhere I needed to eat 1500.Well,Also didnt know I was supposed to eat more cal if I exercised them off.I figured that would defeat the purpose? I dunno I guess just be more strict and try harder.Its disheartening when it stops.I can tell in my clothes but not in my weight.Well,Thank you and Good Luck to you all.

Depending on how much extra weight you have your body will tolerate a higher or lower caloric deficit before kicking in several survival mechanisms that help us survive famine. Too big of a deficit, and your metabolism slows, and you start burning muscle tissue rather than fat. By exercising you improve your overall health, and by eating some or all of those calories back, you keep your deficit in the right range. The more you need to lose, the higher your deficit can be. some people lose weight better by increasing their calorie intake above what MFP recommends; just be sure you are accurately measuring your food.

If your clothes are fitting more loosely but your weight is staying the same that is a great sign! Your body is likely recomposing itself, losing some fat and gaining a little muscle. Take measurements so you can track your progress on something other than the scale. Also weight fluctuates a lot based on water retention, especially for women. You can do it! Good luck!

kparks770

guess i need a measuring tape before I started on here I was 210 in a 20 then down to a 18.Now Im down to a 12 and weigh about 186

outersoul

I took a look at your diary and your cals are kind of all over the place. Sometimes you're under. Other times you're way under. Other times double your allotted intake. I vote for getting your cals under control first. Do that for two solid weeks and let's see what happens.

You have to remember for as many numbers that are thrown at us by MFP, a lot of it is experimenting to find what works for you.

kparks770

wow you must be really fit. I couldnt do that, I have to many things physically wrong but who knows maybe one day.

brbetha01

I know it's discouraging but just because the scale isn't reflecting weight loss, it doesn't mean you're not getting results. You could be losing inches - in other words, losing body fat and gaining muscle instead. Try taping yourself in addition to checking your weight and that might help explain the lack of loss on the scale.

BTW, it's recommended not to go below 1200 calories for women or else your body will do what it needs to survive thus slowing your metabolism and storing any fat.

kparks770

yeah I was confused when I first started I think I over ate cause I thought I was supposed to.Then it was under but the worst was I have a problem were I can be good a week or 2 sometimes a little longer.Then I go out and will eat with friends like this past sunday and ate so much I almost threw up.The whole day really.I was upset after leaving church,then a upsetting call from a aunt,and then just moody.So I ate a huge burrito supreme from a local mexican rest,refied beans and cheese,rice&cheese,and then on top of that id been throwing back a ton of chips and cheese dip and salsa and a non alcoholic strawberry daquiri. I walked that night I believe..but I still felt bad. I cant seem to control myself sometimes.I dont know why it happens.It makes me feel bad and guilty

JMCade

"Im older too just turned 34 so maybe thats why?" RU kidding me? when i read older i was thinking 60+, then i read 34..
pffft... we are peaches! :-D

ya 34 is not older! I'm thinkin older is like 60ish! We are yunguns

kparks770

lol my brain and mouth dont add up sometimes lol I feel like a teenager at heart my body feels like im 70 or 80 sometimes. I meant I dont feel as energetic as I was as a teen and early 20s:happy:

TourThePast

I meant I dont feel as energetic as I was as a teen and early 20s:happy:

You wait till you're not heaving all that weight around all day, you'll be amazed how much difference it makes to your energy levels!

You've already done well to get to where you are now. Is there anything else you can do for yourself when you feel down, instead of eating? Do you enjoy relaxing baths with special scented bath oils for instance?