how many calories do you eat a day?

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  • czechwolf52
    czechwolf52 Posts: 194 Member
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    I eat about 1700 calories a day. I'm doing TDEE -20%. According to the machines at the gym I typically burn between 600-700 calories (and those are always low).
  • c_tap77
    c_tap77 Posts: 189 Member
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    I'm a 27 y/o, 5'8", weigh 204 lbs, and I have my diary set at 1200 /day. I try to stick very closely to that number in terms of logging, but I'm pretty sure I'm actually eating closer to 1300 to 1400 calories considering

    a) I'm not always perfect at measuring portions and
    b) When I cook, I like to taste things so a bite here and there eventually add up.

    I'm fairly new at this but I find the weightloss/ inches lost comes in spurts...and not always together. I will go awhile and not see the scale move and then all of a sudden it will drop 4-5 lbs. I will measure every week and not see a difference and then all of a sudden my waist will be 1 1/2 inches smaller. I'm not sure why it happens this way, but I think everyone's body is different and if you keep working at it, you will eventually see results.

    Best of luck
  • footiechick82
    footiechick82 Posts: 1,203 Member
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    I'm 5'7 I eat 1,800 on a good day because that's my TDEE - 20%.

    However, I also LOVE food, so I go up to 2,000 some days.

    If I'm having alcohol, who knows? I need to cut that habit again!
  • MercuryBlue
    MercuryBlue Posts: 886 Member
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    I'm 30, 5' 6.5", 155 lbs at the moment. I eat anywhere between 1300 - 2000 calories a day, varying depending on activity and hunger levels.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,651 Member
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    48, 5'2" and 133ish lbs. I average about 2250 calories a day but that's with a lot of walking for exercise.
  • laylaness
    laylaness Posts: 262 Member
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    34, 5'4", 163. I eat between 1600-1900 depending on activity level for the day. Been doing Insanity, so on those days, I eat closer to 1900.
  • Likensassafras
    Likensassafras Posts: 6 Member
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    I'm delighted by all the posts! Thank you. I feel encouraged and am certain that I was under eating. I do measure my food so I'm confident my calories are near correct. I think I was eating too low....and of course I should get more exercise.

    btw, I'm happy to share my diary...once I figure out how. And I will look at the links provided when I get a chance.

    thanks so much, due to the amount of quick replies, I really feel part of a community. Good luck to all of you :)
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
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    I am 65, 5 feet tall, have no thyroid and take cortisone by mouth each day and injected once a week. I eat no more than 1200 calories,which completely fills me up. I do not do cheat meals and exercise very modestly . I walk 30-45 minutes a day at a brisk speed and walk another 30 minutes with my dog . The dog walking is not logged. I eat a natural diet ( but don't bother with " organic " food ) that is fast food, processed food, white flour, sugar and additive free. I have eaten like this most of my life....so it's nothing new and since it's my choice it's also not a sacrifice.
    Since April 10th ( 4 month ) I have lost 31 pounds.....:o). My diary is open....feel free to check.
  • CynthiaEvans
    CynthiaEvans Posts: 37 Member
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    You may want to watch your carb intake as you may be carb sensative. I sometimes simply do not eat carbs after 3pm except for a small amount of vegetables with my protein for dinner which seems to activate the fat burning process and I lose more weight at a faster rate.
  • kaotik26
    kaotik26 Posts: 590 Member
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    I used to be doing 1200 at MFP setting but came across this formula in the Insanity Nutrition Guide. For women: 655+(4.35 x weight)+(4.7 x height in inches)- (4.7x age)---this gave me my TDEE at 2200 and suggested I subtract 500 for weight loss.

    So this week I officially began 1700 a day. Although it has been a little hard to get that high with healthy meals after staying low I have more energy and feel stronger during the workouts. In the end it's all trial and error since everybody is different.

    For sure if you are busting your butt at workouts you're probably going to need more fuel.
  • Mom2Lizzy
    Mom2Lizzy Posts: 23
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    I'm 173 pounds and about the same height as you. I'm eating 1470 plus some, if not all, of my exercise calories daily. My loss has been slow, but i'm seeing gains in muscle mass and loss in fat mass. I've found that drinking lemon water throughout the day (especially first thing in the morning) has helped and I've switched to black coffee and green tea vs. my usual, sweetened with milk or cream.. I've cut out gluten over the past 40 days and try to ensure that I eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. I've lost 1 1/2 inches off my waist, feel much better and know that i'm eating much healthier - less processed foods. My metabolism had become incredibly sluggish in the months preceding my starting to log daily. I felt tired all the time, had frequent episodes of a racing heart, and just was off... I had gained 25 / 30 pounds in less than a year, without eating a tremendous amount.... I believe my hormones are off, but my changes in diet are certainly helping boost my weight loss efforts and making me feel better. I recommend that you eat more.
  • red_road
    red_road Posts: 761 Member
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    I think a lot depends on whether people are working out or not and how much they have left to lose. To me net calories would be most important as someone may be eating 1500-1800 calories but then burning 600 a day therefore having a relatively low net while boasting about eating a lot of calories.

    I am 5'8, 23 and i net 1500 calories a day. I average one pound a week. I started at 202 and i currently weigh 175, my goal is 160.
  • Nislosing
    Nislosing Posts: 2 Member
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    Age: 26 CW: 129 HW: 140 LW: 112 5' 2"
    I would say for about 2 months now, 1000-1200 a day and it's really working! I've lost 11lbs so far. I have been trying to lose weight for about 2 years now by working my butt off, trying various diets and or eating insanely healthy, but I finally found a plan that works for me and it's as simple as counting calories, eating what I want (which is still healthy 90% of the time) and just being normally active. It's slow, but it's working. My goal is to reach my normal weight of 115 by the end of September--wishful thinking? I work out about 3 times a week by biking with friends and family, walking my pup or occasional jogging, nothing cray--well, maybe I throw in zumba here and there haha. If it's late and I am hungry, but have already eaten all my calories for the day, I drink something warm, like chicken broth. Also, I do not eat more if I work out that day. :)
  • sunshyncatra
    sunshyncatra Posts: 598 Member
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    I'm 37, 5'7", 165lbs and eat at least 1450 a day. I eat more if I exercise (I always keep my "net" calories above 1200). I have experimented with less, and now I'm committed to experiment with more for at least month to see how it goes. I'm still losing slowly, but I'm not having the headaches I was having when I was eating less.
  • jadethief
    jadethief Posts: 266 Member
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    5'1" and 52 years old. I eat anywhere from 1600 to 2100 depending on activity.
  • SmoothRiko
    SmoothRiko Posts: 193
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    According to this site I am alotted 1990 a day. Before my workouts at night, I always have 300-450 calories left to consume. So about 1690 consumed.

    Then i burn 1200-1500 calories doing cardiovascular stuff, then by 10 pm I have 1350-1950 calories to eat before midnight. Which obviously I leave alone. lol.
  • sarah6336
    sarah6336 Posts: 108 Member
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    Hi, I looked at your diary. I am a little concerned you are eating a lot of artificial stuff. Supplements, shakes, powders. I know you mentioned you are concerned trying to meet your macros. It is less important to hit a number, than having a well balanced diet. Try more fruit and veggies, lean proteins. Try to plan to have half the plate produce, a quarter lean protein, and a quarter whole grains.

    Good luck!
  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
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    Hi. I'm a 42 y/o female, 5'7", 204lbs. I'm a grad student and spend much of my time in class or studying. I've been tracking with this app for six weeks now and am beginning to wonder if I'm eating the correct number of calories. I simply targeted 1200/day as that's what myfitness pal offered me based on my profile. Sadly I've neither seen nor felt any weight shift or loss un six weeks :(

    my metabolism is notoriously inefficient as I tend to avoid food during stress. I'm also a lymphoma survivor, 9 years remission, and wonder if this has an impact. At 42, perhaps I'm facing a life change but the Dr. says my hormones are fine.

    I eat very well...whole foods, organic, plant-based or lean proteins; I do eat healthy oils and avoid processed foods, refined sugars, and alcohol; I limit dairy as well as red meats.

    Incorporating supplements, like Vega and Raw Meal shakes, i was able to meet nutritional needs at 1200 calories but again no weight loss at all.

    Advice? I'm thinking of increasing calories but am not sure by how much. Info I've found range my base calories from 1682-2250. I was thinking i might bump up to 1450....just as a shot in the dark.

    (oh, for what it's worth I'm also taking Garcinia Cambogia and Tonalin CLA.)

    Yeah, trying bumping up your calories a bit and see if that shakes things up :)

    As for me-I'm technically in maintenance, but am still losing weight here and there-today I was actually down a pound for a new low, go figure :tongue: I'm naturally eating around 1,400-1,600 calories a day-this puts me at feeling full/no hunger at all. I need to start bumping this up I guess, because I'm getting towards the low end of a healthy bmi (will probably just eat more nuts and seeds to get some more calories in). I eat a whole foods, plant based diet and I naturally eat lower fat/higher carbs/protein is at or slightly above what the CDC recommends for my age. My fiber is also higher than MFP recommends, but in line with the type of plan I'm following. Everything is 'really' regular over here :laugh: Exercise is around 10 miles of walking and a couple miles of slow jogging a week.

    Losing weight (and maintenance) is really about experimenting-if what you're doing isn't working, then start tweaking until you find your sweet spot :)
  • WanderingCavalcade
    WanderingCavalcade Posts: 15 Member
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    My daily goal is 1200, but day to day I might be anywhere from 1000 to 1200 calories. I focus more on getting the amount of protein I need each day, and fill in the rest depending on how hungry I am.

    As long as I'm hitting my protein requirements and meet my goal when I average my week out, I'm usually happy
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    I'm 5'4.5"
    CW: 177.2lbs

    Depending on the day and how hungry I am I generally eat between 1500 - 2500 calories per day. :flowerforyou:

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