How Many Calories are you Eating a Day?

Mateo1985

I'm 5'8. 150lbs. I was eating at about 1800 to maintaine. I'm now at about 2700 cals a day maintaining. But I exercise now thou

LorinaLynn

To maintain, I'm at 1700 + exercise calories, so typically around 2000 total. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

When I was losing, I did best around 1500 + exercise calories, typically around 1800 total.

I didn't like being on 1200. :noway:

themommie

I think everyone is different. I eat around 1200 cals a day and dont eat back my exercise cals. I have been doing this for 16 months and have lost 90 lbs. When i hit a plateau I zig zag my cals a little bit ( eating 1400 one day and 1000 the next) and add in a little more exercise and I start losing again. It amazes me how many cals some of you lose and still lose, you must be alot more active then me, your activity level makes a huge difference. Other then my daily walks and my 2xs a week gym workouts i am not very active

ackeebee

It just baffles my mind to think that you can lose more by eating more. Maybe I will try 1350 or 1400 for awhile? hmm

i think you should play around with the numbers and see. i was initially set at 1200 calories a day aiming to lose 2 lb a week and though i lost weight the first couple of weeks, i kept losing and gaining the same weight over and over thereafter. i revised my goal to lost 1.5 lb a week allowing me 1350 calories and same thing happened. i was heading nowhere. revised it again to 1550 aiming to lose 1 lb per week and i have been losing continuously.

Ipster

I'm 5'7" .. Currently 168 want to lose about 20 more lbs. My "goal" on here is 1200 calories a day but I've noticed some people say that may be too little?

I'm not a big exercise person .. I know I need to try to get in some cardio at least a couple days a week but it's very hard having 2 children and working full time! But when I do I eat my calories back (usually only burn around 200 anyway)

I'm 5'7" and I avg around2100 to 2200 a day avg.

HeidiMightyRawr

I'm eating around 3000-3200 every day except weekends (rest days) when I eat 2800 - I'm trying to gain though.

I'm 5'8, ~145lbs and maintain on around 2400 before workouts. My daily activity (not incl. as workouts) is around 1-2 hours normal pace walking. I imagine I could lose on around 2100 NET.

AddA2UDE

It just baffles my mind to think that you can lose more by eating more. Maybe I will try 1350 or 1400 for awhile? hmm

i think you should play around with the numbers and see. i was initially set at 1200 calories a day aiming to lose 2 lb a week and though i lost weight the first couple of weeks, i kept losing and gaining the same weight over and over thereafter. i revised my goal to lost 1.5 lb a week allowing me 1350 calories and same thing happened. i was heading nowhere. revised it again to 1550 aiming to lose 1 lb per week and i have been losing continuously.

This was an unforseen positive for me too. I "could" survive on eating much less everyday if I had to but I was very glad to figure out eating so little would be more of a hinderance, than a help to what I was trying to accomplish.

Meggles63

I'm 5'5", current weight 132. I set MFP to 1800, eat that daily as well as any exercise cals. According to MFP, I should be gaining 1/3rd lb. a week, but I'm still losing almost 1 lb. a week. Go figure!

meli_medina

I'm 5'5", current weight 132. I set MFP to 1800, eat that daily as well as any exercise cals. According to MFP, I should be gaining 1/3rd lb. a week, but I'm still losing almost 1 lb. a week. Go figure!

I'm the same height, and have about 20 pounds on you. I set MFP to 1900 and ate that and exercise calories (sometimes upwards of 3,000 calories per day, usually around 2200-2500). 1900 is what MFP says I should eat to maintain and I was losing about .7-1 pound per week with that. I bumped down to 1450 for a week to see what would happen, though. 1450 is HARD AS HELL. lol

epona_mus

I'm 5'9", CW= 185, GW = 137. MFP is set at 1200, and I eat back at least half of my exercise calories. I lose 1.5-2.5 lb per week.

You won't go into "starvation mode" by eating less than 1200 calories - but you'll probably be hungry and crabby!! :-)

Try eating 100 cal. more for a week or two and see if it stalls your weight loss. If not, add another 100 cal. until you find the cal deficit that is optimum for you.

08caseyk

I'm 5'2 and i've been eating between 550-1000 calories. I feel full when i'm done eating and i haven't been feeling faint or anything. So i think it's okay. But i'm also excercising as well. It just depends on your body i guess

Becca619

I recently changed mine and am trying to eat my BMR every day.

AZackery

1500 calories a day, sometimes more.

frugalmomsrock

I have my calories set to 1550, and I eat those plus some exercise calories back. I exercise anywhere from 400 to 800 cals/day on average (45-120 minutes cardio). I started on 1200 calories and rarely/never ate back exercise calories. It worked for a while. Then I started eating back some calories but stayed on the 1200 basic. That stopped working-I was so hungry I just got ravenous, blew it for a while, then got it back together when I upped my calories. I am finally below where I was several weeks ago when I lost it....

I'm 5'2 1/2", currently 155.

sunnyskyjb

I am 5'7'' also and my goal was set at 1,300 cals a day.

I've been sticking to that, unless I workout which gives me more cals to use.

I lost 7 lbs. in the first month I've been on MFP, and was down one more lb this morning!

I formally work out twice a week, and I might walk one or two more days.

I hope this is helpful.

jenniet04

I'm 5'9", CW= 185, GW = 137. MFP is set at 1200, and I eat back at least half of my exercise calories. I lose 1.5-2.5 lb per week.

You won't go into "starvation mode" by eating less than 1200 calories - but you'll probably be hungry and crabby!! :-)

Try eating 100 cal. more for a week or two and see if it stalls your weight loss. If not, add another 100 cal. until you find the cal deficit that is optimum for you.

Your body will go into starvation mode if you are eating less than 1200 calories. 1200 is the MINIMUM amount of calories a woman needs just for basic bodily functions (brain development, breathing, heartbeat, digestion, etc,). Do some research.

jenniet04

I'm 5'2 and i've been eating between 550-1000 calories. I feel full when i'm done eating and i haven't been feeling faint or anything. So i think it's okay. But i'm also excercising as well. It just depends on your body i guess

That is very dangerous.

aspen1377

Thanks to the "Olivia Method" (you'll see some posts and a group on here) I am now eating between 1500-2000 calories a day and LOSING....I was at 1200 according to MFP. It's great for people who don't have tons left to lose....

I am just under 5'8" and weigh 146....

harrysdiner

I'm 50 5"5 and weigh 118 now. I lost 35+ pds eating around 1200-1400 cal per day. I do work out and durning most of my weight lost I burned around 300 calories a day. I eat back some of the excersie cals. I did find that 1200 cal is alittle low and when I hit a platueau I actually added a small snack in the afternoon (100 cals) and becan to lose again. I also drink 1-2 glasses of wine per day so my acutal food calories were only around 950 don't reconomend that but its part of my life and I'm maintaining my loss and still losing very very slowly. another 2 pds to go.

meli_medina

I'm 5'2 and i've been eating between 550-1000 calories. I feel full when i'm done eating and i haven't been feeling faint or anything. So i think it's okay. But i'm also excercising as well. It just depends on your body i guess

That is very dangerous.

I agree, even more so with the exercise. Your body needs way more than 550 calories to be able to do things like get out of bed, take a shower, brush your teeth, prepare the 550 calories worth of food you're putting into it. If you were driving to California from New York, would it be better to start off with a full tank of gas or a quarter of a tank? Even though the check fuel light isn't on on the dashboard, doesn't mean you shouldn't take the time to stop and fill it. If you're filling fast, try eating more calorie rich foods like avocados and nuts. That way, you're getting more bang for your buck and filling that tank!

CMmrsfloyd

I am 5'4" and currently about 137-139 (depends on when I weigh LOL), I manually set my goal to 1350 (just over BMR) but I also eat my exercise calories, so most days I eat about 1800 total since I exercise every day if I'm not travelling. Even when I travel and don't get to exercise, I generally still eat higher than my BMR but try not to go much over maintenance (which is around 1700-ish).

Wynterbourne

You wont loose any weight on 1200 calories a day, as thats the bare minimum you need to keep going. Your body will hit starvation mode and stop you from loosing weight.

It takes a lot of getting used to, but eventually you find that in order to loose weight you need to eat, and you need to exercise.

Never drop below 1200 if you are doing under, I struggle to eat 1600, but if I dont then my weight loss stops

That is a completely false generalization. *Some* people may have problems loosing weight on 1200 calories a day, but as many people have stated a million times before everyone is different. I have been on 1200 calories a day for four months and I have lost 59 pounds, but according to your words that is impossible. It's not. Please don't use a blanket statement that is *not* true in 100% of the cases out there. And acknowledging that the numbers vary a bit person to person... you contradicted yourself in back to back sentences. With 1200 as the bare minimum to keep going, eating 1200 will keep you going. Starvation mode wouldn't kick in at the bare minimum to keep going.

mcrowe1016

I am 5'7 and about 188lbs. I net on average 1550 a day. I tend to eat lower during the week and have cheat days on the weekends, so 1300-1400 mon -thurs and 1650-1800 Fri - Sat.

I also work out about 5 days a week and eat most of those calories, though I don't record calories burned for strength training.

I just broke through a two month plateau. :-)

eddyca

I'm 5'2 and i've been eating between 550-1000 calories. I feel full when i'm done eating and i haven't been feeling faint or anything. So i think it's okay. But i'm also excercising as well. It just depends on your body i guess

That is very dangerous.

I agree, even more so with the exercise. Your body needs way more than 550 calories to be able to do things like get out of bed, take a shower, brush your teeth, prepare the 550 calories worth of food you're putting into it. If you were driving to California from New York, would it be better to start off with a full tank of gas or a quarter of a tank? Even though the check fuel light isn't on on the dashboard, doesn't mean you shouldn't take the time to stop and fill it. If you're filling fast, try eating more calorie rich foods like avocados and nuts. That way, you're getting more bang for your buck and filling that tank!

My BMR is 1,660, so I would need that many cals just to survive in a comatose state! So I wouldn't be able to function if I continuously ate 1,200 cals a day... but everyone's needs are different.

casirdms

I'm 5'7" .. Currently 168 want to lose about 20 more lbs. My "goal" on here is 1200 calories a day but I've noticed some people say that may be too little?

I'm not a big exercise person .. I know I need to try to get in some cardio at least a couple days a week but it's very hard having 2 children and working full time! But when I do I eat my calories back (usually only burn around 200 anyway)

I work full-time and have two toddlers as well and have, until now, used that as excuse not to exercise. I'm making the time (even when I so don't want to) even if its only 10-20 minutes each day. You deserve it ;-)

So true.. I would really like to start doing Zumba. But if I can't find the time to do that maybe I can at least get on my treadmill for a bit a day. .. if I can clean it off from being a coat rack lol

I also have two kids, and while I am a stay-at-home Mom, I am still super busy. I make and sell handmade items, and I homeschool. I know finding the time can be difficult, but here is an interesting little tidbit- 3 10-minute workouts throughout the day are just as effective as 1 30-minute workout! So maybe you can't get a full 30 minutes, but may you can find a few 10-minute blocks here and there????

This sounds like something I might could do .. even just running up and down the stairs on my breaks at work in between patients

Slaying_All_Day

I've noticed I can eat 1200 for a little bit, but eventually a couple of up days scattered here and there helps with weightloss more.

jnhu72

I'm 5'4" and 254 pounds and according to this site I am suppose to eat 1,370 calories. I am exercising though so I usually eat some of my exercise calories and get between 1600-1700 a day. Before using this site I ate between 1800-2100 calories a day and work out but did not count the calories I burned when eating. That was at the recommendation of a personal trainer.

HealthyHappy120

at 5'3 i'm eating 1,400 right now! Zig zagging throughout the week though. Add me!

casirdms

I am 5'7 and about 188lbs. I net on average 1550 a day. I tend to eat lower during the week and have cheat days on the weekends, so 1300-1400 mon -thurs and 1650-1800 Fri - Sat.

I also work out about 5 days a week and eat most of those calories, though I don't record calories burned for strength training.

I just broke through a two month plateau. :-)

This is what I find myself doing too .. less on weekdays and more on weekends. Specifically Saturdays when I have my bottle of wine at night! ha

08caseyk

If you looked at my diary it wouldn't seem like it would be that few calories, but thats what it adds up to be.
I started off being 278 lbs. That's what i weighed the day i had my son on october 3rd.. I'm currently 232. i'm also 5'2. I feel alot better with what i'm eating now, then with the way i was eatin before. I went as low as 450 calories one day, but my boyfriend was concerned so i've been eating a little more. My max i usually eat is around 950ish