How many calories to lose weight?

the_fat_monkey
the_fat_monkey Posts: 106
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm just curious about how many calories you guys think I should eat to be losing weight.

I tried doing 1800 as some sites and other people had suggested (before joining MFP) for a little over a month and didn't lose a single pound nor inch.

I'm 145 pounds, and 5'3". I'm 18 years old and my workout is lifting weights for 30 minutes 3x a week and walking for 45 minutes 5x a week at 3.5 - 4.0 mph. My goal weight is 122 - 125 pounds so I only have 20 pounds to lose. So, any advice would be appreciated!

PS my settings are set to losing 1 pound a week :)

Replies

  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
    I would start here.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717565-in-place-of-a-road-map
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    I would start here.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717565-in-place-of-a-road-map

    Online calculators and charts are just a starting point.
    What is the exact number of calories for you?

    We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.

    In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
    per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
    the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
    that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
    calculators and text books say otherwise.

    This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
    was just a bit off.

    -John Barban (The Body Centric Calorie Guide from the Venus Index and Adonis Index Manuals)

    The Theory of Fat Availability:
    •There is a set amount of fat that can be released from a fat cell.
    •The more fat you have, the more fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
    •The less fat you have, the less fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
    •Towards the end of a transformation, when body fat is extremely low you
    may not have enough fat to handle a large caloric deficit anymore.

    At the extreme low end, when your body fat cannot ‘keep up’ with the energy deficit
    you've imposed on your body, the energy MUST come from SOMEWHERE. This is
    when you are at risk of losing lean body mass during dieting (commonly referred to
    as ‘starvation mode’). This happens at extremely low levels of body fat, under 6% in
    men and 12% in women [Friedl K.E. J Appl Phsiol, 1994].

    -Brad Pilon and John Barban (from The Reverse Taper Diet in The Adonis Index and Venus Index manuals)
  • nesy66
    nesy66 Posts: 8
    Hi I was roughly your weight and height (although Im no where near your age lol!) and Ive lost 10lbs on 1200 calories a day. I now weigh 138lbs and am maintaining rather than losing. If I exercise then i tend not to eat more calories that day than the 1200. Everyone is different though and you sound more active than me so you may still lose whilst eating more calories. All the best!
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    I'd cut it by about 100 cals a day per week and see how it goes. I'm more than twice your age but was eating a little less than that when I was losing from 135. When I got to 130, I upped my calories to 1850 and was still losing, but more like half a pound most weeks even tho I should have been losing a pound a week according to the charts.

    I'm 5'3" also.
  • the_fat_monkey
    the_fat_monkey Posts: 106
    I would start here.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717565-in-place-of-a-road-map

    The site Dan posted a link to says I should eat 1921 calories to lose weight, which I find crazy! Or is that my TDEE so I should cut 20% from that number? Cause if that's so, then eating 1500 - 1600 calories is what I should be doing. At least on workout days.
  • the_fat_monkey
    the_fat_monkey Posts: 106
    Hi I was roughly your weight and height (although Im no where near your age lol!) and Ive lost 10lbs on 1200 calories a day. I now weigh 138lbs and am maintaining rather than losing. If I exercise then i tend not to eat more calories that day than the 1200. Everyone is different though and you sound more active than me so you may still lose whilst eating more calories. All the best!

    So, you eat 1200 on days you don't exercise? I think I'll try that and 1500 on the days I do exercise...
  • the_fat_monkey
    the_fat_monkey Posts: 106
    Bump :)
  • the_fat_monkey
    the_fat_monkey Posts: 106
    I'd cut it by about 100 cals a day per week and see how it goes. I'm more than twice your age but was eating a little less than that when I was losing from 135. When I got to 130, I upped my calories to 1850 and was still losing, but more like half a pound most weeks even tho I should have been losing a pound a week according to the charts.

    I'm 5'3" also.

    Soo, maybe I should try like 1600?
  • the_fat_monkey
    the_fat_monkey Posts: 106
    Bummmmp!

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