This doesn't seem right.

Doesn't sound too off for 192. Did you put it on sedentary? If not, it will take your word for it and you wouldn't want to include exercise as well if you're counting that as part of your activity.

If you have gained weight and/or maintained for the last few months, whatever you are eating now is likely over 2000. Eating 1500 should be at least a pound a week, which is very reasonable.

Instead of relying on calculators, just track your food for a week or two to see what you are currently eating, and if your weight stays roughly stable. Then cut 500 to 750 off that (just dont go below BMR) and you should lose 1 to 2 pounds a week if logging is accurate.

1500 sounds like a lot because everyone is conditioned to think you cant eat on a "diet". But really, eating anything less than you are eating now (assuming weight fairly stable) should result in weight loss. Best to eat as much as you can while losing weight slowly, so that when you stall, you can cut a little more . If you start really low, you wont have anywhere to go once that stall hits.

At your height and weight, it wouldnt surprise me if you are really eating/maintaining at closer to 2200-2400... so really you could even go to 1700-1800 and still lose a pound a week. Thats why its good to see how you are eating now first.

Stage14: Yeah, that many calories seems like a lot to eat. I guess that I am not really paying all that attention.

Aylajane: that tracking idea sounds good. I am just worried I am going to gain more. I've had a steady increase the past few months.

One thing I have always been curious about is if I should be eating Net 1547 or eat my 1547 and not eat back my workout calories. That sounds odd to me as well. Any ideas?

If you're using TDEE to get your calorie goal, then you are supposed to figure your activity level INCLUDING your exercise. Therefore whatever your TDEE -% is, you do NOT eat exercise calories back with that method. Eating them back (so eating 1547 NET) would be double-dipping.

Aylajane: that tracking idea sounds good. I am just worried I am going to gain more. I've had a steady increase the past few months.

First you have to know what you eat now. Then cut 500 off that. Try it a few weeks and see what happens to your weight. At *worst* you will gain at a slower rate than you are now (but more than likely unless you are really overeating you wont). There is no way you can gain more than you already are if you are tracking accurately - it just doesnt work that way.

If you dont lose weight after a few weeks, cut 250 more and try again for a few weeks. If still nothing, cut 100 every 2 weeks. Work your way down to whatever amount lets you eat the most possible and lose about 1-2 pounds a week. Stay there til the weight loss slows (use averages or weekly weights, daily will go all over the place) then cut another 100 and wait again til it slows. You dont want to jump all the way to the bottom, or your body will just adapt and stall out and you wont be able to cut anymore.

Also, instead of cutting down after the first 500 or next 250, etc you could keep it the same and increase your activity. Even just 3 or 4 10-15 minute brisk walks a day will burn another 100 calories or more (didnt look it up). So if you get down close to 1600 and *still* are not losing, up your activity instead of cutting your food.

You can lose a pound a week by "burning" 2500 calories a day and eating 2000, or you can lose a pound a week burning 1500 calories a day and eating 1000. Remember that your TDEE is not static - you can control it to some degree by upping your activity. So dont undereat too much... gradually increase your activity over time and you wont have to cut so much. I eat *all* day (1800-2000) and still lose weight because I burn about 2500. And I am only 5'5 and weigh under 135. So you should be able to do better than that being taller and heavier - you naturally have a higher TDEE to start with (it takes more energy to move 190 pounds than 135 just in daily life). You should be able to eat a decent amount of food (which translatest to more energy, which means you are ABLE to move more). I keep increasing my calories by 100, then end up burning 100-200 more since I have more energy with all that food