How many calories per day do you eat?

savithny

I try and exercise a minimum of 3 days per week....20-35 minutes on the treadmill doing intervals. I do some weights as well...just light for my arms and only one machine for my legs to strengthen my quads. I have really bad arthritis in both knees.

I also run around walmart every saturday....clean house as well....I have a 4 year old and a husband so I stay active. I have had a fitbit since October....I had an HRM last summer but did not like it. It stopped reading when I started sweating, so I took it back and got the fitbit.

Some days I only get in 5,000-6,000 steps and others I do over 10,000....it depends on if I work out or not...how long/far I had to drive for work appts or if I had meetings that day.

During the summer, I walk at least 4-5 days per week....20-60 minutes at a time. I have run keeper on my Android and my speed is 3.3 to 3.5 mph when I walk outside. My HRM burned about 50 calories for every 10 minutes I walked at this pace, so I got good readings while it did work! :happy:

days that are only 5000 steps, even if you exercise on purpose, aren't enough to move you from "sedentary" to "lightly active." What are your overall average steps across the week? To use the "lightly active" numbers to calculate BMR, you need to have at least 6000 steps every day, or average that across the week. How fast do you do them? To count as "moderate exercise" you need to be taking about 100 steps a minute, or walking at least 3.5 miles per hour.

Eating out is an absolute killer. Things I've assumed are "good choices" because I know they're good choices when I make that food at home? I'll look them up on the restaurant's webpage and find out they've got 2-3 times as many calories in the restaurant version as they do at home. Restaurant salads, especially, are often worse for you than a simple sandwich or even a steak.

Mokey41

I have similar stats (except I'm 10 years older). I too gave up alcohol for lent and at the same time started the 5:2 fast. (There's a separate board for that, but essentially I eat only 500 calories two days a week and stick to 1200-1300 the other days). I do 30-60 minutes of cardio (fast walking usually) 3-4 times per week. I have not weighed in yet this week but lost 5 pounds the first week and 2 the second. Not sure what it was that jump started me, I'd like to think it was the 5:2 and not giving up alcohol that made such a difference. :laugh: Good luck to you!

If you average it out you're eating 1,000 calories a day. That would probably be the answer.

wormy80

bump

Nessiechickie

5'6 and weight roughly 128lbs
I eat 1500cls and don't eat back my exercise but some days I go over

ajbaccou

5'0 started at 187lbs after 4 weeks 179.2 1200 per day 2 hours of cardio brings it down to about 900 a day this was before my fitness pal

lh1626

I do have MFP set at sedentary and then eat back exercise cals if I feel I need it. My workouts are mainly intervals on the treadmill....I have been able to up my intensity these past couple of weeks. Someone mentioned stress being a killer...I have an extremely stressful job and am under pressure 24/7. I can't change that much, but I wondered if it was a contributing factor too.


I am loving all the feedback!!! Thanks so much and please keep it coming! I was afraid to post this, but now I am glad that I did! :happy:

MizTerry

Age may play a part.

I'm 44, 5'9" and my calories I keep around 1500. I've lost 18. I stalled about two weeks ago, but that's due to my slipping back into bad habits...totally my fault.

I can't drop weight like I did in my 20's. When I quit smoking last year, I packed it on, then opted to lose it this year. It is NOTHING like it used to be. I try to get up and do something every day too.

BikerGirlElaine

Someone mentioned stress being a killer...I have an extremely stressful job and am under pressure 24/7. I can't change that much, but I wondered if it was a contributing factor too.

You can't change the stressful situation but you can change how you react to it. Meditating helps me tons. One way to establish a habit is to start with just a few minutes each day and gradually work up to 20 minutes.

I meditate for 20 minutes at bedtime.

I know this doesn't fall under calories in, calories out, but it does make a difference *for me*. Maybe it just lets me think more clearly about what I am eating LOL.

michellekicks

I'm 5'7", 37 years old and started MFP last April at 180 lbs (down from 194 in January 2012). At the beginning of my weight loss on MFP I set my goal to lose 1/2 lb weekly with lifestyle set as "sedentary". That gave me a daily target of 1660. I would eat all 1660 plus exercise calories most days. I lost 8.5 lbs in the first 5 weeks. I was running 30-60 minutes most days of the week... usually taking only 1 rest day. My average daily food intake was 2100 calories.

I got to 157 lbs last September and have basically been maintaining since. In October I added lifting and backed off the running. I've stayed virtually the same weight (155 lbs today) but I've lost a few inches everywhere since then eating about 2300 calories daily.

I just backed off to 2000 daily in the last week since I'm going to Mexico in 3 weeks haha... figured I'd do a little cut to try and get there faster. But I've been known to eat 2500 calories/day and not gain anything.

ebaymommy

I'm 5'7", 37 years old and started MFP last April at 180 lbs (down from 194 in January 2012). At the beginning of my weight loss on MFP I set my goal to lose 1/2 lb weekly with lifestyle set as "sedentary". That gave me a daily target of 1660. I would eat all 1660 plus exercise calories most days. I lost 8.5 lbs in the first 5 weeks. I was running 30-60 minutes most days of the week... usually taking only 1 rest day. My average daily food intake was 2100 calories.

I got to 157 lbs last September and have basically been maintaining since. In October I added lifting and backed off the running. I've stayed virtually the same weight (155 lbs today) but I've lost a few inches everywhere since then eating about 2300 calories daily.

I just backed off to 2000 daily in the last week since I'm going to Mexico in 3 weeks haha... figured I'd do a little cut to try and get there faster. But I've been known to eat 2500 calories/day and not gain anything.

I like you!

I'm 5'5", 35 years old, 130ish lbs (not weighing right now, gave up my scale for Lent) and I eat 2000+ a day. Or as much as I can get away with and not gain. Ha ha!

sokkache

My calories are at 1390 a day, but it depends how active I am that day. If I'm playing a sport/working out, I usually have about 500 calories more or less burned, so then, I would eat around 1600-1700 calories a day. When I'm not working out, it's always a little bit under my goal, but unproductive days like today, I ate 1100 calories.

Btw, my starting weight was 155 pounds, current weight is 150 pounds and I'm 5'6''. My goal weight is 130 pounds.

Phrick

5'8", 35 years old, started MFP (again) on Feb. 21, 2013. Starting weight 254, current weight 246, and I eat roughly 1,900 calories a day (TDEE -25%). I'm on a few "weight gainer" drugs - lithium, abilify (for some it's a gainer for me it's been weight neutral) and a BCP and I'm still losing. I do not eat back exercise calories but this is because my exercise is already figured into my activity level for my TDEE number.

Mock_Turtle

5'11, 32 yrs old. I started at 236 lbs just over 17 weeks ago. Average calories eaten for the past 17 weeks is 1904.

Right now I burn on average ~ 450 ish cals per day, which is a combination of 10km run days, weight training days, and rest days.

tryclyn

Age 41, 5'5½" and 1900. I am fairly sedentary.

My sister did a reset(2800), for a month, over the holidays and is now losing faster(2400) than she was before. I'm with the above and wonder if you gave any plan long enough to show results. My diary is open.

Adrini

I'm told to eat about 1800 before workout but as I take care of myself I find myself eating less due to lack of appetite. I average about 1300-1600 a day all said and done. I'm still loosing weight so it seems to be okay.

meaningful99

You might try using a Fitbit to track your regular daily activity. I got one and realized that on non-workout days when I was at my office job all day, I was actually burning fewer calories than MFP gave me credit for at the sedentary level. Since observing that, I have taken every opportunity to add more steps in throughout the day to bring my base daily burn up. Workouts are important, but those extra random walks around the block or up and down a flight of stairs can make a difference.

postrockandcats

How long do you try each thing?

How much I eat depends on the day and how active I am. On days where I'm at the computer all day designing and I don't get out, around 1300-1400. I don't like doing that little, so thankfully those days don't happen often! I eat 1600-2100 on active days when I'm at the gym and/ or I'm at my part-time job. I eat 750 cals under my TDEE and have a macro ratio of 45/20/35 (carbs/ protein/ fat), run and lift heavy. I also use a Fitbit to track my activity; it's been the best thing I've bought myself!

This isn't an instant thing. I didn't start loosing for at least 3-4 weeks into my weight loss journey. Remember, it's not just how the scale moves, it's clothes fitting better, it's feeling better, and it's doing good things for yourself. If you can run or walk longer than you could a month ago, you're already ahead of the game.

volume77

5'6 and weight roughly 128lbs
I eat 1500cls and don't eat back my exercise but some days I go over

me toooooo were twins

kw85296

I'm in my 60's and have been at my weight loss journey since March of last year and joined MFP in September. I have lost over 70 pounds and am within a couple pounds of goal. I eat between 1200 and 1500 calories a day (occasionally a few more). I exercise almost everyday for around an hour or more. One of the things I am very careful about is getting a lot of in my diet is protein. I also take 2000 units of Vitamin D3 and Fish Oil.
This has been working for me, but one of my daughters friends joined a fitness challenge group and she too, was having difficulty losing weight. The trainer with that group told them that they should eat 11 times their body weight in calories if they were rather inactive that day, 12 times their body weight if they were moderately active and 13 times if very active. This is the first time she has had any success losing. It might be worth a try.

fresh_start59

sorry, duplicate post