How many calories are you guys eating in a day?

What are your opinions on how many calories you should be eating? A lot of people say not to eat under 1200. What are your opinions and experiences?

Oh, and feel free to add me for motivation and whatnot! :)
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Replies

  • katamus
    katamus Posts: 2,363 Member
    TDEE minus 10-20%
    It's different for everyone based on their height, weight, age, etc.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    TDEE minus 10-20%

    This.

    Personally... I net about 2500 when I'm trying to gain and 1900 when I'm trying to lose.

    .
  • I'm aiming for 1200 cals per day.. It might not sound like alot but I eat mostly whole foods so I get to eat more than what people may think!
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I'm aiming for 1200 cals per day.. It might not sound like alot but I eat mostly whole foods so I get to eat more than what people may think!

    In volume maybe, but 1200 cals is still 1200 cals.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    TDEE minus 10-20%

    This.
    Yep. Read the first post in this thread and do the calculations Dan sets out for you:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • amnsetie
    amnsetie Posts: 666 Member
    1400 to 1800 most days.
    Doing ok with it
  • 2000 calories! Many times in the past, I have seen awesome results on 1200-1400 calories a day, but it wore on me and I was hungry a lot. This way, I'm still in a slight deficit, and... I'm not hungry. Anti-binge! Yay!
  • Farburnfred
    Farburnfred Posts: 333 Member
    1300 plus exercise calories, which vary but usually give me at least 200 more :)
  • Well, I'm slightly anorexic... I mean... I don't eat much during the day. I try and MyFitnessPal has been helping me do that. I put inn my data, 325lbs-goal 110lbs- sedetary exercise- 5'3- 18 y\o- goal to loose 2 lbs a week, and it says I can eat 1780 calories, which is very surprising to me. I don't doubt that MyFitnessPal is incorrect, my anorexic mind just can't concieve how much that is! lol. Well, yesterday was my first offical day of using the app and I seriously tried to eat so much; I was SO full at the end of the day. I ended up eating a total of 777 calories - 184 exercise = 593 calories. And the app was STILL telling me that I wasn't eating enough! Oh well. Maybe I'll end up loosing more than I expected? Check out my food diary and give me some tips if I really am not eating enough, please! :)
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
    2000 - 2700 kcal. My maintenance, through trial and error, is around 2450kcal + exercise calories. If my fitbit was working properly I'd be trying to keep to that, but it thinks I weigh 369kg instead of 58kg, so I can't do that!
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    TDEE is roughly 2800 for me. I cut between 2200-2400 and I bulk around 3000-3100.
  • i'm on 1200 lost 2lb this week whoop whoop xx
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    At the moment, I'm eating about 1500 + exercise calories (so 1500-1900) to lose. I had dropped down to about 1400 + exercise cals, but I think I was losing too quickly for the weight I am now. My TDEE maintenance is roughly 1650 + exercise calories.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Going for 1700 normally. This week I'm having a diet break and eating at least 2000. Hit nearly 2400 the other day. :happy:

    Funnily, I don't appear any flabbier.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Well, I'm slightly anorexic... I mean... I don't eat much during the day. I try and MyFitnessPal has been helping me do that. I put inn my data, 325lbs-goal 110lbs- sedetary exercise- 5'3- 18 y\o- goal to loose 2 lbs a week, and it says I can eat 1780 calories, which is very surprising to me. I don't doubt that MyFitnessPal is incorrect, my anorexic mind just can't concieve how much that is! lol. Well, yesterday was my first offical day of using the app and I seriously tried to eat so much; I was SO full at the end of the day. I ended up eating a total of 777 calories - 184 exercise = 593 calories. And the app was STILL telling me that I wasn't eating enough! Oh well. Maybe I'll end up loosing more than I expected? Check out my food diary and give me some tips if I really am not eating enough, please! :)
    If you really want to consume more calories (which is definitely recommended), but can't stomach more food at the moment, try eating more calorie-dense foods such as seeds, nuts, nut butters, oils (cook with or add to salads), avocados, cheese etc. Stop eating reduced calories and reduced fat food, switch to full fat dairy for example. You can also drink your calories in milk, nut milks, protein shakes, smoothies etc.

    If you really think you have an eating disorder, my main "tip" would be to seek treatment for it now. :flowerforyou:
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    TDEE is about 2300, currently eating 2100 Monday through Friday to give me more wiggle room on weekends when I don't log my food.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Well, I'm slightly anorexic... I mean... I don't eat much during the day. I try and MyFitnessPal has been helping me do that. I put inn my data, 325lbs-goal 110lbs- sedetary exercise- 5'3- 18 y\o- goal to loose 2 lbs a week, and it says I can eat 1780 calories, which is very surprising to me. I don't doubt that MyFitnessPal is incorrect, my anorexic mind just can't concieve how much that is! lol. Well, yesterday was my first offical day of using the app and I seriously tried to eat so much; I was SO full at the end of the day. I ended up eating a total of 777 calories - 184 exercise = 593 calories. And the app was STILL telling me that I wasn't eating enough! Oh well. Maybe I'll end up loosing more than I expected? Check out my food diary and give me some tips if I really am not eating enough, please! :)
    If you really want to consume more calories (which is definitely recommended), but can't stomach more food at the moment, try eating more calorie-dense foods such as seeds, nuts, nut butters, oils (cook with or add to salads), avocados, cheese etc. Stop eating reduced calories and reduced fat food, switch to full fat dairy for example. You can also drink your calories in milk, nut milks, protein shakes, smoothies etc.

    If you really think you have an eating disorder, my main "tip" would be to seek treatment for it now. :flowerforyou:

    ^^^ What she said. Even though you have lots to lose, you can still become malnourished and ill if you're not eating right. Yes, there are people, like those who've had weight loss surgery, who eat that low while they're losing, but it's temporary, medically supervised and they're meticulous about nutrition.
  • I'm usually just under 1200 a day. I'm losing steadily, feel great and am not hungry. I'm not eating rice, pasta or breads, so my calories are from protein, dairy, fruits and veggies. It's not for everyone, but is working well for me.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    Maintaining at my TDEE of 2000-2200; I lose with 1900 but I'm highly active.
  • AmbushReality
    AmbushReality Posts: 3 Member
    I just used the "In place of a road map" post (thanks for the link :) ) to calculate my target calories and apparently I should be eating 2000 calories/day to lose weight. Does this sound right...it seems very high to me. Lately I've been trying to eat 1500 cals/day and this week I worked out 5 days (mostly cardio) and haven't lost a single pound. I've been on a plateau for a long time now. I'm hoping maybe this increase in calories will help get me losing again?

    Anyone been following the "20% below TDRR" method and exercising and losing weight? Side note: MFP says I will lose 0.4 lbs/week eating this many calories :/ is MFP inaccurate or will I really only lose that much eating 20% below TDEE? Thanks :).
  • Deisel1974
    Deisel1974 Posts: 19 Member
    Ahhhh, this saves me from having to make another thread. The question was going to be, Do any of you take days "off" ? And if so, how far can you go offtrack in one day ?


    EDIT: This was supposed to be tacked on as a quote from someone else, sorry to hijack.
  • sin485
    sin485 Posts: 125 Member
    What are your opinions on how many calories you should be eating? A lot of people say not to eat under 1200. What are your opinions and experiences?

    Oh, and feel free to add me for motivation and whatnot! :)

    mine says 1200, checked my bmr and its about 1236 so i figured id stick to that. most the time i eat back my excersise cals too so it depends whether i work out or not really
  • ipsamet
    ipsamet Posts: 436 Member
    1900-2500, depending on if it's a day I've worked out or not.
  • allisonmrn
    allisonmrn Posts: 721 Member
    It varies, but I eat enough to fuel my workouts. I judge it based on energy levels, mood, and hunger, and cravings. I follow the Metabolic Effect teachings for female fat loss. This is a response to this question by my "dream" man Dr jade Teta....

    The idea that people would think that the calories on a women without hunger, no cravings and and high energy levels is too low is really a major block to understanding hormonal metabolism. Having arbitrary numbers in your head like the brain requires X calories or a person of a certain weight requires X calories is part of the reason people are so confused about what fat loss takes. The calories are a secondary concern with this. The idea that calories drive metabolism in this way is simply not true. It is also not wise for us to make a statement/prediction about too low calories form a single day of intake. In reality calorie intake fluctuates between low days, high days and moderate days. Unless you are a rigid calorie counter, which we don't advise. Are we suppose to eat the same amount of calories every single day? What is the right amount? The impossibility and shortsightedness of this way of thinking is something that fat loss seekers should work hard to avoid. It is true that we each have a certain amount of energy required to keep our bodies functioning every single day. If this women eats less than 800 calories does her brain suddenly shut off? Of course not........she derives the extra calories she needs from stored glucose fat and protein...........her hunger, energy and cravings as well as her fat loss results tell us she was making up the difference in and calorie deficit by burning her own stored fat. This is the whole point.......are we suppose to regualte her intake to where her body gets all the energy it needs from food? If we do that, she is not going to lose her stored fat. This type of thinking will get you in trouble. Calories are not the drivers of metabolism, hormones are.---Jade
  • RushBabe214
    RushBabe214 Posts: 469 Member
    TDEE - 15%, which for me right now is 1709 calories per day. I don't believe anyone should be consuming less than 1200 calories per day.
  • My daily goal is 1210. I stay pretty close to that, sometimes a little more or less. I am 5'5 and I want to lose 20 lbs. Lost 10 so far.
  • NickiRae04
    NickiRae04 Posts: 37 Member
    The calories you eat all depend on what your BMR and TDEE is

    The rule is DO NOT eat under your BMR and if you are trying to lose weight eat 10-20% under your TDEE.

    My BMR is 1470 My TDEE is 1780 at sedentary (which means no activity/office job) so I eat around 1584 calories. I work out 6 days a week as well

    Check out my social media links below for help

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NickisFitnessJourney
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickiRae04
    Blog: http://nickisfitnessjourney.blogspot.com/
    My Fitness Pal: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/NickiRae04
  • debbiekuhn123
    debbiekuhn123 Posts: 67 Member
    .
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    I am eating at TDEE - 20% which for me is about 1600 cals. TDEE is different for everyone, it is an estimate based on your height, weight, age, gender, and activity level.

    I started at 1200 here but I was starving all the time, I only lost a couple of pounds and then all weight loss stopped. It wasn't enough. If you are very small, it might be enough for you, or if you are very obese, it can be okay to eat that way for a time. But eventually you may need to change your calculations and goals.
  • candicejn
    candicejn Posts: 458 Member
    I try to net around 1400 per day (my BMR is around there). I eat most of my exercise calories back, plus I have a Fitbit so I know if I'm more or less active some days and I'll adjust based on that : )