How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

TanKiwi2394
TanKiwi2394 Posts: 21
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, i'm 18 years old, 5'7, female, 178 pounds and generally pretty active. I want my goal weight to be 135
I work out mon-fri, 30-40 mins cardio (high intensity for example if i was doing the cross ramp i would do level 10-12 resistance, or elliptical id do 11-14 resistance) i also weight train for about 20 mins, i always try to hit muscle failure, and just in general I THINK I WORK OUT REALLY HARD. I burn anywhere from 300-400 calories per workout
for the past year ive been trying to find my "calorie sweet spot" to drop weight, AND I SIMPLY CANT.
As to my diet, i try to have 40% protein, 40 % carbs, 20 % fats. I eat clean (mostly) and i drink like 3-4 quarts of water a day.
My BMR is 1660 calories.
So where should i net in calories to lose weight? I'm getting so frustrated, calculator after calculator tells me i need to be eating 2200 and net somewhere from 1700-1800 calories to lose weight. I did that before and i lost 5 pounds, .... but somewhere within a 5 day period i gained it all back and jumped right back up to 178. At first i thought it was water weight, but it has been a few weeks now since and it hasn't dropped at all...
I'm getting really frustrated and just want to cry and die in a corner, i'm about to go off to college and i already know that this weight loss thing is controlling my life and that i can never go out and eat with my friends or do normal college student things without having weight loss on my mind first.
When i was losing weight, i felt really awesome and a lot more stress free, but now that im back to my highest weight and am actively trying to lose weight and it isnt happening?! I'm becoming so upset and stressed. I know i CAN lose weight, but sometimes i feel like i'm the only person the planet who cannot lose weight and is forbidden to do so. I know it sounds silly but i'm just becoming super desperate and becoming so hopeless.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE someone help me. Where should i be netting???

Replies

  • mstimamom4
    mstimamom4 Posts: 1 Member
    I don't know what calculator you are using but that us way too many calories!! I was 194 lbs a year and a half ago I now weigh 134. I stuck to 1400 calories in the beginning doing mild exercise and worked up to more strenuous workouts and cut my calories down to 1200. I did high protein low carbs and dropped 50 lbs in 5 months. In November last year I started putting it back on slacking in the workouts and not watching what I ate. By may of this year I was back at 154 lbs now I am 133.5. I haven't exercised at all!! I have gone back to high protein low carb and I keep my daily calories under 1000. Don't give up, don't do the gimmicks, u have to find what works for you! Be careful eating out ( that's what gets me) and absolutely NO fast food!! Nothing not even salads the dressing will play against you. I haven't had mcdonalds big Mac in 18 months that really sucks but it's so worth it. I am 40 years old now, healthy, sexy even :) I feel better than I ever did. Good luck!!
  • moonpieto
    moonpieto Posts: 76 Member
    1200 calories if not working out and adding more if you work for it. hahahaha:noway:
  • moonpieto
    moonpieto Posts: 76 Member
    Get a pedometer at Academy or somewhere and set you activity level on here at sedatary and only count the pedometer kcals burned unless it is upper body exercises they do not record on the pedometer.

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