5'7 women - how many calories do you eat?

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wonderwoman234
wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So all you 5'7 ladies, how many calories do you eat per day (baseline) and how many calories do you eat from exercise?

Maybe it's just my age (over 40), but this time around, I feel like my weight loss has been slower than ever. My baseline calories are 1330 and I eat back some of what I burn during exercise (maybe half). My loss as been 8.5 lbs in 7 weeks - not bad, but in the past I probably would have lost about twice that in the first month. I am doing WAY more weight lifting (with heavy weights), doing more intense cardio, and eating fewer calories than ever before, too. I used to eat about 1600-1700 and lose...without doing much exercise.

I will say that for only 8.5 lbs lost, I can see a considerable improvement in my body...probably moreso than I would have if I had just "dieted" without doing much exercise. I have also dropped down a size which seems great for just 8 lbs. lost. But I still need to lose a good 40 lbs. to be on the high side of my healthy range at 5'7, so it just seems slow to me.

I'm not sure if I should continue on the slow path or cut back on my calories a little more. After having read that it is a myth that eating too few calories will stall your weightloss, I guess I won't ask if I should be eating more.... :)
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Replies

  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    Between 1600-1800 baseline, and eat about 50% of my exercise calories back.
  • peejaygee1
    peejaygee1 Posts: 3,588 Member
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    I eat between 1400-1500 calories a day, and burn back my exercise to a base of just over 1200-ish calories net.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    Maybe your metabolism & muscle mass is lower than before. Also you're working out harder, which increases fluid retention in muscles. So you could have lost more than 8.5 lbs of fat. Are you measuring your body fat?

    By the way, calorie intake depends on one's activity level, and also weight, so asking only 5'7 women isn't very useful. It's like asking someone with the same car as you how much gas they use.
  • hzliiz
    hzliiz Posts: 166 Member
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    Hi, I don't share your stats exactly but I'm answering mostly because they're close and I'm over 40 (43 to be exact) :smile:

    I'm 5'6". When I had significant weight to lose, about 4 years ago, it wasn't quite as much -- I had about 30 lbs to lose. Because I was just sick of losing/regaining/relosing/regaining weight over and over, I decided to approach it very differently than I had in the past and I set my weight loss at only .5 lb/week from the beginning. It took me about 7 months to lose the weight -- waaay longer than I would have had the patience for in the past, but again I was trying to do things differently and break the yoyo cycle.

    While it took a lot longer, it was SO easy to keep at it because it was such a small calorie deficit. I wasn't hungry, I never felt like I was "dieting." I still ate out and had something decadent once a week. So for me, the slower approach was good. It also made it much easier to maintain. I did have some weight creep of 5 lbs last year because I started getting complacent, which is why I came back to logging, but I got it under control again using the same .5/lb loss approach and I've been maintaining easily now for several months. Also I started lifting (heavy for me) and have found my daily calorie need for maintenance has gone up significantly as a result. I never would have imagined that at 43 years old my calorie needs would be 2150, but it turns out I was jacking my metabolism up in my 20s and 30s with all the goofy dieting I was doing and now it's quite efficient, and that muscle really does burn a lot of calories! Go figure.

    ETA: I use the TDEE method so I don't calculate calories burned in, I just aim for about 2150 cals/day.

    Best of luck to you OP!
  • wonderwoman234
    wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
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    By the way, calorie intake depends on one's activity level, and also weight, so asking only 5'7 women isn't very useful. It's like asking someone with the same car as you how much gas they use.

    You are very wise, but I see that you are 100 years old, so that explains it! I guess I just thought women of my same height would be a good place to start. If you are feeling left out, by all means share your info, too.....100 year old man! :)
  • amyk225
    amyk225 Posts: 154
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    i eat 1800-2000 everyday and more at weekends, i burn between 200 -400 cals a day.
  • VeganAmandaJ
    VeganAmandaJ Posts: 234 Member
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    Well, it really will vary based off each person, so the hieght of 5'7 isn't going to be the defining factor. In almost a year I've eaten anywhere between 1500-2100 depending on my activity. I try not to eat back many calories from exercise and definitely try not to eat over half though sometimes I've had them all in which case I don't lose much. 8.5 pounds lost is excellent, anywhere from .5-2lbs a week is normal and safe. I've averaged out anywhere from .5-1 lb a week. It's been slower the past 6 months, I am trying to up my protein and watch my fat and carbs or macros. Also I'm about 10 years younger than you,but I have a long long way to go. Slow and steady is fine for me but try different calorie bases and see what works without depriving yourself. =)
    So all you 5'7 ladies, how many calories do you eat per day (baseline) and how many calories do you eat from exercise?

    Maybe it's just my age (over 40), but this time around, I feel like my weight loss has been slower than ever. My baseline calories are 1330 and I eat back some of what I burn during exercise (maybe half). My loss as been 8.5 lbs in 7 weeks - not bad, but in the past I probably would have lost about twice that in the first month. I am doing WAY more weight lifting (with heavy weights), doing more intense cardio, and eating fewer calories than ever before, too. I used to eat about 1600-1700 and lose...without doing much exercise.

    I will say that for only 8.5 lbs lost, I can see a considerable improvement in my body...probably moreso than I would have if I had just "dieted" without doing much exercise. I have also dropped down a size which seems great for just 8 lbs. lost. But I still need to lose a good 40 lbs. to be on the high side of my healthy range at 5'7, so it just seems slow to me.

    I'm not sure if I should continue on the slow path or cut back on my calories a little more. After having read that it is a myth that eating too few calories will stall your weightloss, I guess I won't ask if I should be eating more.... :)
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    Not 5'7, but rather I am 5'10. I am 38 and with hypothyroidism.
    I eat a base of 1500, to lose, and eat back most, or all of my exercise calories, meaning I total 1800-2500 a day.
    To maintain, I was eating between 2000 and 3000 calories.
  • CorlissaEats
    CorlissaEats Posts: 493 Member
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    I'm closer to 5'8" and 32 yrs old but I eat between 1800-2000 most days. I work out 4 to 6 days a week though, and my tdee is around 2500 calories. I was eating around 1300-1400 when I started, but had similar results to yours and actually had a 5 wk plateau about 1.5 months in-- until I increased my calories. I now eat at least my BMR calories at 1664 on days when I am not hungry and my diary is set to my sedentary tdee at 1954. I let my self eat some of my exercise calories when needed because of the way my diary is set up but my burns are not crazy like some database entries I have seen. Mostly my exercise supports my weightloss.

    My success when I ate less than the number my body needs just to be in a coma (BMR) left me tired, grouchy, and weak. It messed with my hormones, and couldnt be sustained long term. I lose on average 1 lb per week. 6 months (27 weeks) in and I am 27 lbs down and 4 of those months I have averaged 2000 cals when I look at my data.
  • awerewka
    awerewka Posts: 151 Member
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    I'm 5'7" roughly 1500-2000 net per day losing 1-2 per week.
  • wonderwoman234
    wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
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    Great replies! All very encouraging. I will agree that right now eating 1330 plus half of what I burn has been VERY easy to do. I don't feel deprived at all and feel satisfied. And I still have room for a treat every now and then.

    My cousin, who is a dietician, told me to only eat 1330 and no exercise calories. With all of the exercise I'm doing, not sure if that will be pleasant or easy to follow.

    The IIFYM calculator I've seen people suggest on here tells me I should be eating 1858 calories a day for "aggressive" weight loss. That seems high, but I might try it for a few weeks to see how it works. Then I won't have to worry about eating exercise calories.
  • JustJennie13
    JustJennie13 Posts: 218
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    My cousin, who is a dietician, told me to only eat 1330 and no exercise calories. With all of the exercise I'm doing, not sure if that will be pleasant or easy to follow.

    A very wise person once told me even "experts" don't know it all. I too seen a Registered Dietician. She advised me to NOT eat back my exercise calories. It did not end well. I am 5'9 I am currently doing a 1600 base and eating back some exercise calories. I average between 1800 and 2000.
  • AmandaLY17
    AmandaLY17 Posts: 184 Member
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    Im losing on average 1.4 lbs per week. I eat 1850 cal a day and dont eat back exercise unless I do more than my baseline (30 min walk every morning). 5'7 197 lbs and 32 yrs old
  • rayzerwolf
    rayzerwolf Posts: 203 Member
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    I get hangry if I eat less than 1600, and i eat most of my exercise calories
  • frankierosex
    frankierosex Posts: 3 Member
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    lowest 1600 for couple days maybe then between 1800-2500.i workout 7 days a week heavy with 3-4 sprint sessions and walk 1 hour a day sometimes more.
  • opalsqueak007
    opalsqueak007 Posts: 433 Member
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    Hi. I'm 51 and 5'7". I ate 1260 for 3 months and have gone up to 1400 now. I have lost 31lb since late summer. I do not eat exercise calories back since I have a physical job which my body is used to, and don't "work out" at all. I am finding it far, far harder to lose weight now than in my 30s. It was really no effort for me then to shed weight.
  • KameHameHaaaa
    KameHameHaaaa Posts: 837 Member
    edited November 2014
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    I'm 5'8", I use the TDEE method and eat between 2000 and 2200 a day. I'm down 87 lbs since January.
  • tindeyy
    tindeyy Posts: 25 Member
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    5'7" 150ish pounds. Right now, since I don't work out at all, I'm eating 1400, slightly above MFP's recommendation but not by much. I'm working on losing the last 15 pounds, and still want to average 1 lb a week which is tough.

    Before, this, when I was eating without care, I'd log occasionally and it was about 1900-2100 calories a day, with minimal exercise to maintain my weight.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    165lbs, was eating 1890 for a 20% deficit (~1lb/week) but just bumped it to 2006 cals tonight because my gym performance was iffy and I've been getting that "I want to eat ALL THE FOOD" thing that led me to go on a week-long break haha. I might recalculate though on another website and go with that number instead. not sure yet.

    I also do TDEE, exercise 3x a week.
  • pap3rw1ngs
    pap3rw1ngs Posts: 58 Member
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    I eat 1400 and I don't eat back my exercise calories. I've lost 47lbs (I was on 1500 for the first couple of months) and have approximately 33lbs left to go.

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