how much calories to maintain weight

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alishali
alishali Posts: 56
in Food and Nutrition
how much is the least number of calories to maintain your weight for a lady or a growing teenager? is it 1200 or can i go lower like 1000, wont i gain on 1200?

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  • NatalieG926
    NatalieG926 Posts: 26
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    Most women maintain their weight around 1800-2000 calories, although I still lose eating that much, however it really depends on things like height, how much you exercise, lean body mass etc, ...for a teenager, it could be more because of higher metabolism. I don't know of anyone that would gain weight at 1200 calories a day, in fact that is recommended as the lowest amount to eat if you want to LOSE weight (and that is sometimes not a very healthy way to do so)

    And when I say most women, I mean women that are at their healthy weight for the age and height, not those that are obese or overweight because 1800-2000 calories can be a deficit then
  • seif0068
    seif0068 Posts: 193 Member
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    how much is the least number of calories to maintain your weight for a lady or a growing teenager? is it 1200 or can i go lower like 1000, wont i gain on 1200?

    Oh, dear. Just a warning, you are going to get all sorts of insults hurled at you for this post. But since you are asking for advice, I will try to explain without criticizing. This advice assumes you don't have any sort of health/hormonal issues that mess with the basic formula of calories in/calories out.

    The number of calories to maintain is specific to every individual, but it is almost certainly more than 1200. The number is called TDEE, or Total Daily Energy Expenditure. That is the amount of calories that your body burns in a typical day, meaning that if you eat that amount you will neither gain nor lose. Google TDEE calculator and try at least 3 different ones to get a sense of your TDEE.

    Note that if the number is very different than what you are eating now, you should gradually move towards this amount of calories. Do not be alarmed if you see an initial "gain" when upping calories - it is just your body adjusting. If you have been undereating at 1,000 calories it may seem difficult to increase and you will think you are full at 1,000; your body adjusts to what you give it and your hunger cues can get off track. But not being hungry does not necessarily mean you are giving your body enough fuel.

    EDIT: If you have an eating disorder, this should all be discussed with your dietician/counselor/doctor/etc. It is great to get some support from MFP, but also really easy to get carried away following the advice of a bunch of strangers who don't know you and your individual history/needs/etc.
  • futuremrsevers
    futuremrsevers Posts: 39
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    how much is the least number of calories to maintain your weight for a lady or a growing teenager? is it 1200 or can i go lower like 1000, wont i gain on 1200?

    Oh, dear. Just a warning, you are going to get all sorts of insults hurled at you for this post.

    She's right. lol. People are going to bash ya :/
    1000 is WAAAYYYY too little.... like that's really unhealthy... and anyone with that little of caloric intake is going to lose.

    But it all depends on your height and weight.

    i'm interested to see where this thread goes...
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Your profile says you have an eating disorder. Have you spoken to a doctor or dietician about how many calories you should be eating? If not that's what I suggest you do. Most women of average weight with a health metabolism should maintain on 1800-2200 calories, but it depends on activity level. Good luck to you. :flowerforyou:
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    Your height, current weight, activity level and age all play a factor, as does body fat percentage. The caloric needs or a 5'3" 105 pounds 22 year old woman who works out 6 days a week are going to be different from a 5'6" 160 pounds 35 year old who is sedentary and again different from another 5/3" 22 year old who weighs 200 pounds. Also two people can be the same height and weight, but have different body fat percentages and therefore have different caloric needs.

    Fitnessfrog.com and fat2fitradio.com plus scooby workshop have good BMR/TDEE calculators to figure out maintenance needs.

    edit: If you have an ED, you definitely need to talk to your nutritionist/dietician and/or therapist or doctor.
  • luckydays27
    luckydays27 Posts: 552 Member
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    It depends.

    I eat ~1700-1800 cals a day and still loose at least one lb a week. Since I am trying to eat at a 500 cal deficit, I could presumably eat 2200-2300 a day and either lose less or maintain.

    As mentioned, it is not recommended to go below 1200 cals so 1000 will be worse. When I was doing 1200 cals a day, I was not losing (even though I wanted to) and I was a royal bi!ch to everybody. I would get dizzy and nauseous. And worse, I was still freaking hungry.

    But hey, the best part about being free as that we all have the right to manage our bodies as we want. I want to be strong, fit, and not hungry so I eat more. Good luck.
  • alishali
    alishali Posts: 56
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    i checked my TDEE and it says 1627 so shall i eat 1500?
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    i checked my TDEE and it says 1627 so shall i eat 1500?

    Not if you want to maintain. Again, I strongly urge you to talk to a professional if you have an ED.
  • seif0068
    seif0068 Posts: 193 Member
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    i checked my TDEE and it says 1627 so shall i eat 1500?

    If your TDEE is 1627, it means you should eat 1627. But again, you really need to work this out with a doctor, preferably someone who specializes in eating disorders. You should also see a counselor - just this comment gives a glimpse into your unhealthy perception of calories/food. Even after having TDEE explained, you are inclined to eat at a deficit, even if you don't want to lose weight - that points to an unhealthy perception that you should be "under" calories.
  • alishali
    alishali Posts: 56
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    well today ive ate so many almonds and had a big white choco cookie and so much indian sugary dessert which is so calorie dense, how do i eat healthier?! what shall i eat?
  • antxoable
    antxoable Posts: 86 Member
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    go to your doctor and ask for a healthy balance diet, if you have been suffering for eating disorders for long time you will need to add your calories slowly, but start at least at 1300 and eating healthy choices as salads, grill meat and fish, pasta rice....proper whole foods.
    good luck!
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
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    Talk to a professional in your area who specializes in eating disorders
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    well today ive ate so many almonds and had a big white choco cookie and so much indian sugary dessert which is so calorie dense, how do i eat healthier?! what shall i eat?

    Again, these are questions to ask a professional. The easy answer is just eat food. Eat protein, veggies, healthy fat, fruit, grains, dairy, etc.

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