How many calories for how many lbs?

2013Alli

Hi all

Does anyone know of an accurate way (maybe there's a website or something) of finding out how many calories i should eat per day to lose a specific amount of weight per week? I saw a website on someone else's post recently (forgotten the address) which told me how many clories i should eat to lose weight but it didn't specify how many calories per Lbs I want to lose.

My profile here suggest i eat 1200 calories per day but I just need a bit more info.

Can anyone help?

sandrajune72

Have you tried the search option on here? This may have been asked before. Or just google it! Sorry I can't be of more help.

ladyraven68

Hi all

Does anyone know of an accurate way (maybe there's a website or something) of finding out how many calories i should eat per day to lose a specific amount of weight per week? I saw a website on someone else's post recently (forgotten the address) which told me how many clories i should eat to lose weight but it didn't specify how many calories per Lbs I want to lose.

My profile here suggest i eat 1200 calories per day but I just need a bit more info.

Can anyone help?

If you try a TDEE calculator, like this - http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/ (put your current weight in as your goal weight, as this site is designed to get you eating the maintenance calories of your goal weight now and forever)

it will tell you how many you need to maintain, and then you simply deduct
500 a day for 1lb per week.
750 for 1.5 lb per wek
1000 for 2 lb per week etc

sometimes our bodies don't work with the maths, but you get the general idea.

Bambooblade

I think you have to under eat 500 calories a day (3500 calories a week) to lose 1lb

2013Alli

Thanks everyone. I'll try that fat2fit website :-)

susannamarie

50 calories/day is 0.1 lbs (one tenth of a pound).

2013Alli

So i looked at that website and on a few others and basically if I want to lose 2lbs per week (which I dont think to be unreasonable), I have to net 614 calories. Blimey! I dont have enough time to do all the exercise required to net 600. It's going to be a slooooooow journey - either that or I will have to start counting carbs as well - could get complicated. Hard work this dieting isn't it :-)

ladyraven68

So i looked at that website and on a few others and basically if I want to lose 2lbs per week (which I dont think to be unreasonable), I have to net 614 calories. Blimey! I dont have enough time to do all the exercise required to net 600. It's going to be a slooooooow journey - either that or I will have to start counting carbs as well - could get complicated. Hard work this dieting isn't it :-)

Are you really getting a TDEE of only 1614?

That seems very low. are are you confusing TDEE with BMR?

I'm only 4ft 11, and my estimated TDEE is around 2000,

2013Alli

ah no, it was my BMR - around 1645 I think. One site told me literally how many calories I need to eat each day to lose 2lbs per week which was around 600. This was based on my current weight, age & height. I tried several sites, they all said the same thing. Am I being thick? lol

2013Alli

Aha! I just did it again using my TDEE instead of BMR so my TDEE is 1928 so I need to net 928 to lose 2lbs per week. That sounds so much better! phew

MB_Positif

Aha! I just did it again using my TDEE instead of BMR so my TDEE is 1928 so I need to net 928 to lose 2lbs per week. That sounds so much better! phew

That doesn't sound right at all. Way too low. MFP recommends 1 pound per week, but if you really want to do 2 pounds per week then MFP would probably have you at the 1200. I personally tried 1200 last summer and I was cranky and hungry and felt stupid all of the time. I lost the most weight eating around 1400. I am getting close to my goal weight so I have slowed things down to 1/2 pound per week which gives me 1600 calories.

ElizabethRoad

Aha! I just did it again using my TDEE instead of BMR so my TDEE is 1928 so I need to net 928 to lose 2lbs per week. That sounds so much better! phew

How is that better? 900 calories a day is not even close to ok.

2013Alli

Do you think so Elizabeth? Dont forget I'm talking net. So I would aim to eat 1200 and burn 270ish. You dont think that's reasonable?

kaotika

If your BMR really is 1645 and TDEE is really 1928 then you should eat more than 1645 and less than 1928.

a 15% cut on your TDEE comes to 1638 which is lower than your BMR, so this tells you that you should

*NET* at least 1645

KeriLoy

Bump....need to look this up at home as well...great question!!

susannamarie

Do you think so Elizabeth? Dont forget I'm talking net. So I would aim to eat 1200 and burn 270ish. You dont think that's reasonable?

It's pretty low actually. Is there a reason you're fixed on 2 lbs/week? I mean, we'd all like to be skinnier faster but I doubt you put it on at 2lbs/week or even close.

rose313

It's not healthy to net under 1200, in most cases.

lisaslim1976

3500 burned/defecit = 1lb :-)

wild_wild_life

Would you mind sharing your weight and height? That TDEE still seems low unless you are very small and sedentery. You mention exercise so I assume you are not sedentery.

You cannot really think in terms of "net" when you are basing your goal off TDEE. TDEE includes your exercise so you simply eat a set amount each day.

mcarter99

Everything I've read (as in published) says 1200 is a healthy floor. Not BMR, not '1200 net'.

Despite that we all gained it slower than 2 lbs/week, authorities nearly all agree we can aim to lose it at the rate of 2 lbs/week. Will it always happen that fast? No. Most (or all) of us underestimate our intake and overestimate our burn. Plus our bodies run on their own 'clocks', not the online estimators.

Kim_S_G

This website does what you are asking for. At the top of the page, click on "settings', then click on "update fitness profile". Fill out the info asked for. At the bottom of that page is where you fill out how many pounds per week you want to lose. Click the green '"update profile" button, and your fitness and nutrition goals will be given to you.This information is displayed on your homepage every time you log in.

susannamarie

Everything I've read (as in published) says 1200 is a healthy floor. Not BMR, not '1200 net'.

Despite that we all gained it slower than 2 lbs/week, authorities nearly all agree we can aim to lose it at the rate of 2 lbs/week. Will it always happen that fast? No. Most (or all) of us underestimate our intake and overestimate our burn. Plus our bodies run on their own 'clocks', not the online estimators.

Sure. I wasn't meaning you should aim to gain it at the same rate you lost it.

But setting for a 1200 intake and a 1000 deficit means that you've cut by (about) 45%. That's awfully big. Unless there's some reason/deadline/whatever (such as health issues due to morbid obesity, job issues), I don't see why.

2013Alli

quite a debate! The reason I am looking at 2lbs per week is because I have an interim target in November that I am aiming for, for a specific occasion, however i realise to sustain this would be difficult so i'm not going to be too upset if i dont quite reach it but i'd like to get close. I also have read from many nutritionists and from many dieting clubs that 2lbs per week is a healthy amount to lose and that 1200 calories is a healthy amount to be eating, so i'm suprised that so many people are disagreeing with this.

My confusion I think was when i was trying to work out what that means for me personally in terms of calorie intake, was around which figure to use (TDEE, BMR etc..)

Anyway, I'm not going to be silly about the whole thing. If I'm not getting what i need from the 1200 cals, i'll just have a re-think :-)

Thank you for all your comments x

Martina_Who

to lose 1lb you need a calorie deficit of 3500

so either eat less or exercise more or a combo of both :-)


An average woman needs 2000kcal per day but obviously depending on your body/height/activity level that varies, you can google for a BMR calc that should give you your daily calorie needs!


Good Luck