How many calories to eat?

gettinghealthy777

Just wondering how many calories a woman should eat, that weighs 276 pounds to lose 2 pounds a week. I went on the calculator on this site and it says about 1300 cals a day?

But, that seems really low, I do not want to put myself in starvation mode.. And as far as exercise goes, now that is so confusing. I hear that you should eat all, part or none of your exercise calories back... sorry, but , I am still confused

loombeav

It's important that you Net at least 1200 calories a day, so with such a low calorie goal you'd want to be eating back most if not all of your calories.

crfeeney

I would start by slowly decreasing caloric intake. Maybe decrease by 200 every week until you get to 1300. Mine says 1300 too, but I think thats too much for me. I don't eat a lot. For me, it's about finding time to exercise. Good luck! Feel free to add me.

JeSuisPrest

Shape Magazine recommends women eat between 1500 and 1800 calories a day to lose weight. My scale did not move when I ate 1200 calories. With excercise I eat about 1500 and that scale is moving downward!!!

Jennyzfit

I would eat more fiberous foods such as lots of vegetables and some whole grains. this will satuate your hunger and keep you at an even keel. Once you start eating a bit differently you'll notice that you might be less hungry. Exercise is key to getting healthy as well. Start by walking 20 - 30 minutes a day will benefit you. It's hard to stick to the goals but at least mfp has nutrient tracking which will help you make wise choices. You might want to talk to your Dr. as well and he might suggest a nutritionalist to help you.

Just a few thoughts throwing your way. You may add me if you like

Best of luck to your healthy journey. ::d

Rae6503

What is your weekly goal set to? CHange it to a pound a week to give yourself more calories.

And yes, eat your exercise calories back. People with more to lose don't always have to but there's no reason not to.

NancyAnne1960

Just a thought, but try looking at it this way: How many calories did you eat up to in a day at 270 lbs.? 2500, 3000 calories ??? If you cut it back by 100 calories a day, and did nothing different, you would BURN 1 lb. in 35 days. If you were used to 2000 cals. a day, and maintaining whatever weight you were, and cut back by 200 cals. a day, you could BURN 2 lbs. in 18 days. That's 1800 cals. per day. That's not to say you would LOSE those pounds, because it also depends on what type of food you are eating. I started thinking of it backwards..... If I ate 200 - 500 cals LESS than what I was eating at maintaining my old weight, and cutting it out from processed carbs and fats, I would surely lose weight. To me it's much easier to think of it that way. I had a range of 500-1000 cals. less to eat to lose weight. That took me to roughly 1300 - 1800 cals. per day to lose some weight. Of course, the less you weigh, the less you need to eat. Keep in mind, it takes 3500 calories to burn 1 lb. This is just a thought to help you decide the number of calories that is good for you in order to lose weight. Just don't go below 1300 if that is what MFP has given you. Also, you might start by saying you want to lose 50 lbs. and then when you get close to that goal, adjust it down however many more lbs. you want to lose. Hope this helps. Good luck to you. This is a fantastic place to go to learn to eat healthy, and drop unwanted pounds.

PANZERIA

1300 IS too low and that WILL (probably) put you into starvation mode.

I love this site, but their calorie count, to me, seems quite off.

I would say that you should eat a minimum of 1500 per day, plus your workout calories.

CysBronner

I not only went into starvation mode at 1200 calories but started to gain weight!! My trainer started looking at my BMI and did some magic math which put me at 1570 calories a day to lose 2 pounds a week.

SaraSweetheart

First of all, you need to calculate your BMR. I'll give you an example using myself, as I don't know your age.

I am 66 inches tall (5 ft 6 inches), I am 22 years old, and I weigh 158 lbs.

So, you the formula we use is 655 (4.35 x weight in lbs) + (4.7 x height in inches) - 14.7 x age in years)

All the random numbers are constants and you just insert your own information.

So, for me, my BMR = 655 + (4.35 x 158) + (4.7 x 66) - (14.7 x 22)
= 655 + 687.3 + 310.2 - 103.4
= 1549.1 k cal

If you are sedentary, multiply this number by 1.2. For me, I can eat 1859 calories daily and maintain my current weight.

If you are moderately active (ex. You do 3 hours of cardio weekly), you multiply this number by 1.55. For me, I can eat 2401 calories daily and maintain my weight.

HOWEVER, you want to lose weight.

Decrease the above alotted calories by 10-20%. DO NOT DECREASE YOUR CALORIES BY MORE THAN 20% OR YOUR BODY WILL GO INTO STARVATION MODE AND ANY WEIGHTLOSS WILL BE TEMPORARY.

So, for example, if you want to decrease by 20%, multiply this number by 0.8.

If I want to lose weight and am sedentary, I can eat 1859 x 0.8 = 1487.2.

If I want to lose weight and am active, I can eat 2401 x 0.8 = 1920.8 daily.

This site calculated your calories so low because they want you to see results fast. However, you need to make sure you're eating enough... if not, you will just gain the weight back and screw up your metabolism.

That said, try eating the right kinds of foods. There was a study conducted where one group at less calories and one group at more calories than the first group but ate more produce and weighed LESS than the first group. Drink lots of water, and don't eat too much sodium and sugar. (The sugar in fruit doesn't count... it's natural so your body can break it down.) Don't drink "diet" drinks. Your body cannot digest the aspartame so it will be stored as fat, and it causes serotonin to be taken up faster, contributing to depression. Good calories come from good fats like avocados, olive oil, fish, etc. Try to eat whole grains. Try to avoid processed food (ex. order "whole cuts" at the deli). Of course, limit your fast food intake.

Also, I recommend cardio and weight lifting. That will make you skinner faster and healthier than a low-calorie diet will. Besides, you'll be able to keep the weight off if you eat as many calories as you're supposed to and couple that with exercise.

Good luck... sorry for the long spiel but I hope that was helpful.