how many calories do you eat a day?

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Replies

  • 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
    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
    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
    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
    5'1" and 52 years old. I eat anywhere from 1600 to 2100 depending on activity.
  • SmoothRiko
    SmoothRiko Posts: 193
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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:
  • anaboneana
    anaboneana Posts: 195 Member
    1500-1700, sometimes up to 1800 on the weekends (gotta leave some wiggle room for a Saturday shot of vodka)
  • Achaila
    Achaila Posts: 264 Member
    23, 5'8", 1200. :)
  • Achaila
    Achaila Posts: 264 Member
    I should add that I don't exercise. I just had my 3rd c-section and was told no exercising for a year besides walking.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
    All of them.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Between 1362 (my BMR, so I aim for no less than 1500) and 2300 (my TDEE) - daily goal is 1900 & I usually land right around there. I'm 45, 5' 8", around 136 lbs, it varies from day to day. :bigsmile:

    Good tools and info here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13