How many calories do you eat in a day?

juliebeannn

I eat between 1900-2200 calories per day and I am losing more than when I was eating 1200 calories per day.

And I am no longer constipated, I feel fantastic, sleep better, I'm happier, my workouts are better and I feel stronger etc.

On 1200 I was miserable, weak, constipated all wanting to snack all the time.

what she said. right down to the constipation.

i eat 2000-2200 every day (my full TDEE). work out 5-6x a week. i'm 28yo, 5'3" and 142lbs.

as others have mentioned, calorie dense foods, full-fat cheese and milk, etc. eat lots and lots of fruits, veggies and make sure to get lots of protein.

samntha14

2000-2500, 5'6'' 145lbs and I've lost 15 inches over the last 6 months.

I would seriously force myself to eat more.You probably aren't hungry because you have slowed your metabolism down to a crawl. Try adding 100 more calories and SLOWLY increase. check your BMR and TDEE and try not to eat less than your BMR.

RachelBiancaxx

I net less than 1000 calories almost every day. My hubby says I don't eat enough but I'm just not that hungry, having swapped boredom eating for exercise. I have lost 16lbs in 27 days... I know this doesn't sound healthy but I am. I have much more energy and feel a lot better in myself... Low calorie works for me... we're all different xx

Debbe2

I average about 1200 per day. I eat lots of lean protein, veggies, fruits, nuts, dairy. Some days higher calories and it's working well. I'm short and a petite frame.

buryingluck

Average between 1300 - 1700, I need food, I love food. Food is not the enemy, don't deny your body of it. It's a bit like trying to do Route 66 on half a tank of petrol.. Not gunna happen.

_Thanatos_

Eating too little for too long, you'll eventually plateau. So you may as well start upping your calorie intake a bit.

I eat about 1800~ calories a day.

Also just because you're losing weight by eating so little, that doesn't necessarily mean that what you're losing is actually fat.

V3ggieL0vinGinger

I'm 5'8 and 112 lbs. I'm maintaining my weight and I eat between 1400-1800 calories a day. Sometimes I'm below 1200, but not very often...I'm really trying to get my intake up!

buryingluck

I'm 5'8 and 112 lbs. I'm maintaining my weight and I eat between 1400-1800 calories a day. Sometimes I'm below 1200, but not very often...I'm really trying to get my intake up!

It's crazy how healthy you look at that weight! I'm 5'8 and weigh 136lbs and if I lost another 24lbs I would literally be on the verge of dying, I'd be a skeleton, literally. I can't believe how good you look! haha

V3ggieL0vinGinger

I'm 5'8 and 112 lbs. I'm maintaining my weight and I eat between 1400-1800 calories a day. Sometimes I'm below 1200, but not very often...I'm really trying to get my intake up!

It's crazy how healthy you look at that weight! I'm 5'8 and weigh 136lbs and if I lost another 24lbs I would literally be on the verge of dying, I'd be a skeleton, literally. I can't believe how good you look! haha

Haha! Thanks...I think?
I looked a lot less healthy a while ago because I was literally skin and bones with NO muscle and I was really quite sick. But as soon as I started eating more and lifting weights that changed

MissFit0101

2000 calories every day, and on long run days, 2300. The extra 300 come from my protein enriched chocolate milk recovery drink, yum!

rm830

Between 1500-1900 calories a day

stubbysticks

2500 a day. I suspect the OP isn't losing consistently or she wouldn't be asking the question in the first place.

It's like this...if you want your body to burn stored fat as efficiently as possible, it has to be consistently getting adequate nutrition to sustain its daily functions. I'll use my own numbers as an example...I had a metabolic assessment that measured my TDEE at 2150 calories. So if I eat 2150 every day, I'll maintain my weight.

To lose 1 lb per week, I need to create a deficit of 500 calories per day on average (2150-500 = 1650 net calorie target), so I could either:
1) eat 1650 daily with no exercise (sounds like a death sentence) OR
2) eat 2150 daily & burn 500 calories through exercise (YAY).
Both options bring me to the same target net of 1650.

If I wanted to lose 2 lbs per week, I could lower my net to 1200, but whenever I eat less than 1600 I am likely to kill people, so I would do extra exercise instead.

The problem here is that 2150 really isn't enough calories to fuel 1000 calories' worth of exercise every day. I've tried it, & it kinda sucks. My exercise is not very effective when my average net falls below 1650. Yes, that's just me, & perhaps I am a special little snowflake, but regardless of how small someone is, surviving on a net of zero or less - which is basically what you're doing if you eat 800 calories & exercise them all away - is not conducive to healthy fat loss. Any gravitational weight you lose will be both muscle mass & fat.

Your level of hunger has nothing to do with the amount of nutrition your body needs to function in a healthy way. "If you're not hungry, then don't eat" is a load of horse pucky when your metabolism has been damaged by too much time at a low net calorie level.

You have a couple of choices:
A. Keep eating too few calories & hope that you too are a special little snowflake with an ironclad metabolism that couldn't possibly be damaged by inadequate nutrition. Ignore all of the good advice that's been given here already.
B. Keep an open mind. Do some homework to find out what your TDEE really is, subtract 500 from that & use the result (or 1200, whichever is higher) as your net calorie target each day. Eat calorie dense foods like nuts, butter, olive oil, avocado, fattier cuts of meat &/or exercise less to meet that target. Give it at least 3-4 weeks for your body to recover from the lower calorie level & I'll bet you not only start dropping weight, but feel much better in general.

Look at all of the people here who have had success eating more calories. Give it a try, you've got nothing to lose but fat. If it doesn't work, go back to what you're doing now.

ETA: I average 2500 daily because my exercise tends to burn >500 calories per day. Plus 2500 is much yummier than 2150.

buryingluck

I'm 5'8 and 112 lbs. I'm maintaining my weight and I eat between 1400-1800 calories a day. Sometimes I'm below 1200, but not very often...I'm really trying to get my intake up!

It's crazy how healthy you look at that weight! I'm 5'8 and weigh 136lbs and if I lost another 24lbs I would literally be on the verge of dying, I'd be a skeleton, literally. I can't believe how good you look! haha

Haha! Thanks...I think?
I looked a lot less healthy a while ago because I was literally skin and bones with NO muscle and I was really quite sick. But as soon as I started eating more and lifting weights that changed

Yeah sorry it was meant as a compliment! You look really good!

graelwyn

I eat between 2000 and 2800 calories a day generally, it depends on how heavily I have exercised. If I have a day like today, and do hours of cycling as well as walking, I find my goal goes up to around 3000 calories. If I were sedentary, I would need 1700 to maintain. I am maintaining just fine within a few pounds on my current calorie intake.

harlanJEN

2500 a day. I suspect the OP isn't losing consistently or she wouldn't be asking the question in the first place.

It's like this...if you want your body to burn stored fat as efficiently as possible, it has to be consistently getting adequate nutrition to sustain its daily functions. I'll use my own numbers as an example...I had a metabolic assessment that measured my TDEE at 2150 calories. So if I eat 2150 every day, I'll maintain my weight.

To lose 1 lb per week, I need to create a deficit of 500 calories per day on average (2150-500 = 1650 net calorie target), so I could either:
1) eat 1650 daily with no exercise (sounds like a death sentence) OR
2) eat 2150 daily & burn 500 calories through exercise (YAY).
Both options bring me to the same target net of 1650.

If I wanted to lose 2 lbs per week, I could lower my net to 1200, but whenever I eat less than 1600 I am likely to kill people, so I would do extra exercise instead.

The problem here is that 2150 really isn't enough calories to fuel 1000 calories' worth of exercise every day. I've tried it, & it kinda sucks. My exercise is not very effective when my average net falls below 1650. Yes, that's just me, & perhaps I am a special little snowflake, but regardless of how small someone is, surviving on a net of zero or less - which is basically what you're doing if you eat 800 calories & exercise them all away - is not conducive to healthy fat loss. Any gravitational weight you lose will be both muscle mass & fat.

Your level of hunger has nothing to do with the amount of nutrition your body needs to function in a healthy way. "If you're not hungry, then don't eat" is a load of horse pucky when your metabolism has been damaged by too much time at a low net calorie level.

You have a couple of choices:
A. Keep eating too few calories & hope that you too are a special little snowflake with an ironclad metabolism that couldn't possibly be damaged by inadequate nutrition. Ignore all of the good advice that's been given here already.
B. Keep an open mind. Do some homework to find out what your TDEE really is, subtract 500 from that & use the result (or 1200, whichever is higher) as your net calorie target each day. Eat calorie dense foods like nuts, butter, olive oil, avocado, fattier cuts of meat &/or exercise less to meet that target. Give it at least 3-4 weeks for your body to recover from the lower calorie level & I'll bet you not only start dropping weight, but feel much better in general.

Look at all of the people here who have had success eating more calories. Give it a try, you've got nothing to lose but fat. If it doesn't work, go back to what you're doing now.

ETA: I average 2500 daily because my exercise tends to burn >500 calories per day. Plus 2500 is much yummier than 2150.

Fist pump ! Yea .. GREAT post ! ^^^^^ THIS

PrincessNikkiBoo

How do you work out how much you should be eating?

stubbysticks

How do you work out how much you should be eating?

Plug your stats & goals into your MFP settings. Start with trying to consistently meet the calorie target it sets for you. If you enter cardio exercise your calorie allowance will go up so you can eat more (yay!). Just try not to let your average net drop too low or you may not have predictable results. Stick with that for at least a few weeks then adjust as needed.

Beezil

Between 1900-2500 on average, sometimes less, sometimes more. I am maintaining on that, however, not trying to lose. When I was losing, I was strictly 1200 a day, one spike day a week. I recommend that you give yourself one high calorie day a week.

Forgot to add - I'm 5'7, 130lbs, 27 years old. I was 190lbs when I started losing weight.

ProjectTae

Female 5'9 157lbs I eat between 1970-2045 and net around 1600, and am losing about a pound a week.

NYChick84

approx. 1500 cals.... and i love every bite of it too! LOL