How many calories do you allow yourself and......

VaBeachNurse

1. How many calories do you allow yourself each day?

2. What percentage of Carbs/Protein/Fat is in your plan?

3. How much weight do you need to lose?

4. What is your activity level?

5. How tall are you, how much do you weigh? (if you want to tell)


I don't know how many calories I should be eating. MFP allows me 1210, but I have not lost any weight in a month.

Melbel85

I try to eat 1200 a day but sometimes I don't get to it. I started at 254.8 and I am now down to 216.5. How is your sodium and water intake?

BethanyMasters

I don't know how many calories I should be eating. MFP allows me 1210, but I have not lost any weight in a month.

I have a question for you.

Are you exercising and are you eating back your exercise calories?

If not that could be the cause of your plateau. Our bodies tend to get rather stubborn when we are not feeding them enough and making sure you are netting around 1200 calories a day is important to keep that from happening.

jesienia

1. My goal is 1200, but I rarely reach that.

2. I have no clue to be honest.

3. I'm trying to lose 19 lbs.

4. 30-50 mins. 6 days a week. I do a mixture of running and strength training.

5. I'm 5'7 and I currently weigh 144 lbs.

Amy_B

What do you have your goals set as? I think that is WAY too little for your current weight. I am at 1500 calories, and I am 154 pounds at 5'5". My activity level is sedentary, I think, right now, but I do exercise on average 5-6x/week.

ShellyMacchi

are you drinking lots of water and eating back your exercise calories?

5' 7.25"
19 pounds left to lose (lost 62 so far following mfp quidelines and % allotlments.. except for fibre which i upped, and sodium which i lowered)
i drink 12 glass of water a day minimum
activity level is set at sedentary... cause, i am *L*
am allocated 1200 cals per day and i always eat back most of my exercise calories... cause, it works *S*

i started at 242 in Nov/2010... joined mfp in January/2011 and from that point on i have followed 1200 base calories plus exercise calories.
As of my last weigh-in last thursday i am 179.5.
Goal is 160

note: when i hit a plateau i was only able to break it by consistently eating more (ie: eating my exercise calories)
feel free to look at my food diary if you wish, it's public *S*

krisnshan

I am 5' 10" and you can view my food diary it has all the details...I am trying to lose 20lbs and I am eating 1200 calories a day. I work out 3-4 times a week for 45 mins to an hour and I love to run and use the elliptical machine. I am not a professional at this but your welcome to view anything on my page : )
Best of luck to you!

janah84

1. 1,200 a day

2. No idea

3. 5-15 pounds

4. Very high. I am training for my second marathon. That being said I almost always eat more than 1,200 calories a day.

5. I am 5 ft 3 inches and last I weighed I was at about 141. I'd like to get somewhere btwen 125-135.

I have been doing MFP for about 5 weeks and have lost 8 pounds.

VaBeachNurse

I try to eat 1200 a day but sometimes I don't get to it. I started at 254.8 and I am now down to 216.5. How is your sodium and water intake?

I had my sodium at 2500, but just dropped in to 2000. My water intake varies from 24 ounces - 2 liters, it's very inconsistent.

baisleac

I'm 5'3.75"

I started at 186 with 37.5% body fat. From there to 160 I followed:

1. How many calories do you allow yourself each day? 1400-1450 plus exercise calories

2. What percentage of Carbs/Protein/Fat is in your plan? 40/30/30

3. How much weight do you need to lose? I started at 50ish lbs to lose

4. What is your activity level? Sedentary job, exercise several times a week.

*~*~*~*

From 160 until I get to 150ish I'm following:

1. How many calories do you allow yourself each day? 1550-1600 plus exercise calories (usually comes out to 1750-1900)

2. What percentage of Carbs/Protein/Fat is in your plan? 40/30/30 official, aiming for closer to 40/25/35 (C/F/P)

3. How much weight do you need to lose? Still have 20ish to go.

4. What is your activity level? Still have a sedentary job, still exercise several times a week.

5. How tall are you, how much do you weigh? (if you want to tell) - Current weight is 158-159, Body fat as of 2 weeks ago was 27.2%... new measurements tomorrow.

My goal is 135-145 lbs with 19-21% body fat, with body fat being the more important number.

iambayd

I allow myself 1500 a day. I am 5'7 and started out at 205 and am now 160. My activity level is lightly active. I took a look at your diary and your sodium seems a little high and your water intake is low. I had trouble drinking water in the beginning too.

Amy_B

I still think you need to eat more. I can't imagine eating so little now, or when I weighed more. I, like another poster said, usually up my calories some (or have a "cheat") when I plateau, and it works a lot of the time.

VaBeachNurse

What do you have your goals set as? I think that is WAY too little for your current weight. I am at 1500 calories, and I am 154 pounds at 5'5". My activity level is sedentary, I think, right now, but I do exercise on average 5-6x/week.

I had them set on 1200, also on 1380 at one point. I just raised them to 1600, thinking that I should try to up them and see what happens. I'm 230, 5'7" and honestly somewhere in between sedentary and active. Exercise goal is 5-6 days a week.

ambermichon

1. 1200 a day + some of my exercise cals
2. 30 grams fat or less and high protein most days
3. 10-15 lbs
4. Very high...I workout 6 days a week, lift weights 3 days and cardio all 6 days
5. 5'4", 152 lbs

MFP for about 6 weeks and have lost 7 lbs. It works! :-)

mmiiaa

1. On very active days, I try not to eat over 1800 calories. On lazy days, 1400.

2. *shrugs*

3. I started at 280lbs, wanting to weigh 140 so I had 140 to lose..

4. Depends on the day. I go to the gym twice a week, and I stay for about 2 - 3 hours. I do walk to work though, and take frequent walks at night... not so much lately because it's been disgustingly hot out.

5. 5'6" and 247 pounds last weigh in.

VaBeachNurse

I don't know how many calories I should be eating. MFP allows me 1210, but I have not lost any weight in a month.

I have a question for you.

Are you exercising and are you eating back your exercise calories?

If not that could be the cause of your plateau. Our bodies tend to get rather stubborn when we are not feeding them enough and making sure you are netting around 1200 calories a day is important to keep that from happening.

I am exercising a few times a week, trying to get to 6 days. I usually eat part of the calories back but I have noticed that my net has been below 1200 a lot.

Derameth

1. How many calories do you allow yourself each day?

2. What percentage of Carbs/Protein/Fat is in your plan?

3. How much weight do you need to lose?

4. What is your activity level?

5. How tall are you, how much do you weigh? (if you want to tell)


I don't know how many calories I should be eating. MFP allows me 1210, but I have not lost any weight in a month.

My daily intake varies depending upon the amount of exercise I do. My biggest problem was that I hit a plateau, and stayed in the same place for almost 6 months. Until I started eating back my exercise calories. So I now eat between 1200 and 2000 depending on my exercise level.

2. I tried the monitor carbs, fat blah blah blah, but now it really depends. When I exercise, I know I will need the complex carbs to help me.. My proteins run around 100g-150 depending on exercise again.

3. I want to lose an additional 18 lbs as my goal weight is 175.

4. If I don't exercise, I am a pure, and simple, couch potato...but I am committed to exercising 6 days per week, and have kept that up for the last month...and three times a week at the gym before that and twice a week at home on recumbent bike.

5. I am 5'7" tall and currently weigh 192. Even tho the "charts" say I will be overweight at 175, I know I'll be perfect. I am already wearing a size 12/14 pants, but really don't want to get smaller than a 12.

LisaMariaCallow

I'm 5'5 1/4" & weigh 128 lbs. I have 3 more lbs to go to reach my new goal!! I've eaten about 1200 calories/day since I started this in March. I eat alot of lean protein, limit my fat & most of my carbs come from fruits, veggies & whole grains. I don't count my carbs, I really only count calories. I'm pretty active normally, I usually try to work out 5-6 days a week (ALOT of cardio & upper body/abs 2-3 days/wk) but I broke my foot 7 weeks ago-I walked/worked out,etc on it for a month without knowing it was broken, and have been in a cast-shoe for 3 weeks until it's healed. I wear a pedometer to get in at least 10000-15000 steps, that & some upper body/ab work has been my workouts until I'm healed.

How active are you? If you're only eating 1210 calories/day & aren't losing weight I'd up your workouts. Also, are you measuring your portions? You may be eating more calories than you think. Good luck!! If you need a fitness buddy, friend me!! Trust in this process/journey...I haven't been this weight in 14 years!!

:bigsmile:

babyblake11

1. How many calories do you allow yourself each day?
i try to stay under 1500 and go over 1200 each day

2. What percentage of Carbs/Protein/Fat is in your plan?
i dont pay much attention to that yet but i cut off fats on meat and try not to have more then 3 servings of carbs per day

3. How much weight do you need to lose?
ive lost 10 kilos, i am 50 kilos now and i want to stay at this weight and lose body fat and build muscle but with my eating and exercise im still losing

4. What is your activity level?
i do 45 mins brisk walking or advanced wii fit and toning exercises each day
i sometimes go swimming once a week and about 2 days a week im very active(as in shopping, walking around)

5. How tall are you, how much do you weigh? (if you want to tell)
158cm and 49.8 kg

marjen002

1. 1300 (but I hardly make it & am rarely over); I did notice that if I have a vigorous workout & do not eat at least some of my exercise calories my weight does not budge.

2. Percentage of Carbs/Protein/Fat is 40/30/30...I try not to eat any carbs after 5pm in addition.

3. Weight to lose: 32+ pounds

4. Sedentary...I try to do something everyday but w/ a newborn and a 3 year old it's not always possible.

5. I'm 5'5"...started at 193 June 1st, currently 182.

anamikaraks

1. 1600, that said I am trying to lose slow and steady. Also I am having a horrible time reaching that calorie level. My intake usually comes in at 1300-1400.

2. Carb/Protein?Fat = 50ish/40insh/10 or less This is due to a medical condition that causes me to get sick if I eat fat (dietician supervised)

3. I need to lose 100lbs or more. I am looking at things like, can I sit in a standard sized kayak.

4. I am sedentary. Once in a while I go do something (like kayak) for fun, but usually nothing.

5. I am 5'4" ;started at 260; now at 244 after a few months. I figure it took me an awful long time to get to this point and it will take me a while to take it off.

Qarol

1. How many calories do you allow yourself each day?
1600

2. What percentage of Carbs/Protein/Fat is in your plan?
I'm on a low carb diet so:
carbs = 10%
protein = 40%
fat = 50%

3. How much weight do you need to lose?
I have 42 lbs to go

4. What is your activity level?
I'm a figure skater. I practice 3 times a week. So I'd say light to moderate.

5. How tall are you, how much do you weigh? (if you want to tell)
I'm 5'8" and currently 202 lbs

navvs15

It really depends on how active you are.
When I started losing weight for the umpteenth time in August 2010, my calories fluctuated from 1200 (being my MINIMUM) and 1900 (being my MAXIMUM. It took me 4 months to lose 20 pounds (and I wasn’t keeping track of fat, protein, sodium, etc) and still lost weight). Ultimately, it depends on how fast you want to lose the weight. Now, I keep track of most of the things above (not having a particular number to stick with) except my calories…the more exercise I do, the more I can eat. Right now, my calories are set to 1,920. I can eat that amount without exercise and lose 0.5-1 pound per week. I’m in no rush to lose the weight (as I’ve lost 75 pounds already anyway. I usually exercise each day, so I can lose a little more the the prescribed weight per week.

VaBeachNurse

I am playing around with my goals, so if y'all see my calories all over the place thats why. I'm trying to decide what to set it at.

kristinkt

bump

curvygirl512

1. How many calories do you allow yourself each day?

2. What percentage of Carbs/Protein/Fat is in your plan?

3. How much weight do you need to lose?

4. What is your activity level?

5. How tall are you, how much do you weigh? (if you want to tell)


I don't know how many calories I should be eating. MFP allows me 1210, but I have not lost any weight in a month.

I'm 5' 4" and weigh about 151 lbs. I sit at a desk all day, so my activity level is seditary. My baseline for calories is 1210, and I'm usually right under 1200 every day. I worked with my doctorto set calorie intake, fat, sat fat, sodium, cholesterol and sugar. She told me that as long as I eat balanced meals, I should not worry about percentages (your Q2). I can't lose any weight unless I up my activity level. It took me about 12 weeks to lose twelve pounds. I haven't exercised much in the last two weeks, and the scale shows it. I struggle to find the time to exercise Friend me if you want to discuss further. Good luck.

kensky

I'm set for 1650 each day.

My macros are set for 40/30/30 but it doesn't usually shake out that way. I'm usually a good bit over on protein (yay!), a little over on fat (meh) and definitely under on carbs on most days. So yeah, I should probably reset my macros. I feel best (more energetic) when my carbs hover under 100 grams. My protein bare bones minimum is 100 grams a day.

I've got roughly 5 lbs to go before I hit my first goal and from there I plan on doing serious bodyfat tweaking.

My activity level is set to lightly active. My work day as a primary-age Montessori teacher can on occasion be very active but usually it's just a good bit of getting up and down off a floor/wee little table, etc. That's my everyday life. My exercise level is a different story. I usually eat those calories save a small buffer for tasting dinner while cooking and that sort of thing.

I am 5'2'' and weigh 130 lbs. I started at 166 around midwinter but got pretty serious about things in February. I suspect when I get my lean muscle up and my body fat down I could get to the 119-123 range which is where I felt amazing once upon a time.

brandiuntz

1. How many calories do you allow yourself each day?

2. What percentage of Carbs/Protein/Fat is in your plan?

3. How much weight do you need to lose?

4. What is your activity level?

5. How tall are you, how much do you weigh? (if you want to tell)


I don't know how many calories I should be eating. MFP allows me 1210, but I have not lost any weight in a month.

As someone said, you may need to eat back your exercise calories. What is your weekly goal set at? If it's at 2 lbs/week, try 1 lb/week.

1. I eat based on MFP's recommendation, which is 1770 calories a day plus exercise calories. My weekly goal is to lose .5 lb/week.

2. Don't remember my setup. I think it's 35/30/35. I'm not hitting that in protein, but am working on it.

3. I have about 15 lbs left to lose. That's why my goal is only .5 lb/week.

4. I workout 4-6 days a week for 30 minutes a session. On the weekend's, at least one day is playing sports for a couple of hours. My workouts alternate between cardio and strength training.

5. 5'8", currently 170 lbs.

jamaicaqueen24

bump
I followed 1200 calorie a day and exercise 3-4 wk and didn't lose anything besides inches. Please keep me posted if anyone comes up with a better plan.

silkysly

WOW! You have a lot of sodium in your diet, girlfriend! I also eat a lot more over all food than you do & I only weigh about 128ish. (go look at my diary) I suggest making home cooked meals instead of something you nuke…, & drink more water. Good luck...

thecodester19

I try for around 3000 calories a day, but I am very active. I do yoga for an hour in the morning, powerlifting in evening and an easy bike ride last. I have still lost around 20 lbs with the caloric intake. I am 5'11 and 188 lbs as of today. 1200 calories seems uber low. I always prescribe to keeping my metabolism going with 4-5 meals of good food a day. Most of my calories come from peanut butter, cheese, fruits. I am more concerned with protein and calcium intake than carbs and fat so I do not really know those precentages. I do try for 200 grams of protein a day. Hope that helps.