Women, what are "maintenance calories" for you?

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Replies

  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    I maintained at 2100 for 6 weeks. I am 5'0, but I have a lot of lean mass to feed, and I am pretty active in my free time. I lift 4 days/week and walk/hike a good 20 to 30 miles a week.
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
    I'm 5'4 and weigh 148 pounds. When I went into maintenance, I did 1400 for two weeks, then 1500 for two, then 1600, 1700 and lastly 1800, which seems to be my maintanance so far. I am only lightly active.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I'm 5"10", 55, weight 150 and net 1440. I usually add 300-800 calories/day to that base from exercise.

    But honestly, age (and height) have such a huge effect on it that it doesn't make sense to ask people what they do. There's a huge range. I eat half what my early adult sons do and half what I ate at their age. Slowing metabolism with age is what caused my weight gain.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    I'm 24 years old, 5'5", and 133 lbs. I lift heavy 3x/week and do 30 minutes of HIIT or cardio kickboxing 2x/week. I have an office job and no kids. I'm now eating an average of 1810 calories per day when averaged over the week (gross calories, not net). I'm still losing, but VERY slowly. Scooby's site says my maintenance is around 2200, but I have a strong suspicion I'll be maintaining at about 2000 calories per day.
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    23, 5'8 and 154lbs.

    Heavy lifting 4x a week (2 - 2.5hrs a session for 3 of those days, 1 short day <1hr). Fairly active, standing job.

    Maintenance is around 2800ish calories.
  • charliehefferon
    charliehefferon Posts: 223 Member
    I'm about 8 weeks away from reaching my maintenance weight. I'm losing at around 1,600 calories.

    On average, my maintenance calorie amount is around 2,000 per day. I lift 5x a week, HIIT cardio 2x a week and steady cardio 2x a week. Walk around 4 miles daily also.

    If I took a week off exercise, my maintenance would be around 1,500 a day.

    BTW I'm 5'1" and 26, weighing 110lb.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    As a cardio queen, I maintained eating about 2100 calories gross.

    Now that I lift and do minimal cardio, I maintain around 2300 calories.

    Right now I'm eating about 1600-1700 to lose bodyfat.

    ETA: I'm also 5'7" and weigh 140ish.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    5'9" - 42 years old - 135 pounds - maintain at about 2,200.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    1500 calories. I am five three and 45 years old.
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    I don't weigh my food, so it's a little bit of a stab in the dark. Maintenance, before exercise calories, is somewhere between 2100 and 2400. At the higher end, I'm in more of a recomp where I gain muscle and lose fat as the daily fluctuations in eating and exercise bring me over and under my true maintenance number. The scale goes up and down a bit more, but the results are worth it.

    On long run days, I can easily go over 3000 calories for the day.

    I'm 5'9" 42 years old and 165 pounds (25% body fat)
  • Eleonora91
    Eleonora91 Posts: 688 Member
    1800 kcals since I am completely sedentary (if I exercise I log my burned calories, but if I don't exercise, I don't even leave my room)
    On my days where I'm actually sedentary (as in don't move a muscle at all), 1,700 seems to fill me up.

    On days where I'm actually up and moving, I need around 1,900-2,200

    ETA: Oh, and I'm 23. About 5'5"ish or so.

    LOL are we twins or something...?
  • SARgirl
    SARgirl Posts: 572 Member
    I'm 5'5", 36 yrs old, and weigh roughly 125 (depending on the day) and eat between 1800-2300 calories a day depending on my exercise for the day.
  • Just_Ceci
    Just_Ceci Posts: 5,926 Member
    Under 1500. :sad:

    This is me! Exactly why I exercise almost every day. Eating back exercise calories saves me!

    I also don't weigh my food and I weigh myself twice a day, but don't worry about it unless I'm up more than 5 lbs from my lowest weight.

    Age: 51
    Height: 5'2.5"
    maintaining around 135 lbs.
  • Followingsea
    Followingsea Posts: 407 Member
    I'm 29, 5'4", somewhere around 133 lbs, lightly to moderately active. I maintain anywhere between 1800 and 2500.
  • Rogiefreida
    Rogiefreida Posts: 567 Member
    5'5", 31 years old, mild PCOS and *apparently* I maintain at ~2100/day. I lift 4-5 days a week and do yoga once a week. I do almost zero cardio right now, other than the occasional hike. After taking up lifting heavy and ditching cardio I've found my maintenance calories have gone through the roof.
    I've maintained since the end of April at 1900-2000 calories so I decided to up my calories in hope to add some muscle to my body, and lo and behold, I have gained nothing. Nothing. So I get to eat more. Oh darn! :bigsmile:

    It's not that I don't believe that PCOS women have a lower BMR/TDEE, but I can tell you that mine has gone up A LOT with the addition of lean muscle mass.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    This has been a great thread to see what a vast difference women can have in their TDEEs, due to different factors i.e. age, height, activity levels, etc.
    Even some women who seem to have the same factors as another, can still have different maintenance levels.

    There does seem to be one constant, that if you can do strength training, it definitely helps.
  • romancefan1983
    romancefan1983 Posts: 88 Member
    My base calories are 1620 plus my exercise calories. I usually eat between 1900 and 2000 calories a day.

    ETA: I'm 30, 5'4" and 128lbs
  • romancefan1983
    romancefan1983 Posts: 88 Member
    Sad Truth! :sad:

    ETA: I was trying to reply to non-exercise days being sad but I hit reply instead of quote! lol :frown:
  • spikrgrl503
    spikrgrl503 Posts: 247 Member
    My maintenance levels are somewhere between 2300-3000 cals a day (if I run or not), but I'm a 6'-6'1 female at 175 lbs and 27 years old.
  • trophywife24
    trophywife24 Posts: 1,472 Member
    I can maintain at 2100 or below. :) I'm eating below for a while to get off a few pounds.
  • fushigi1988
    fushigi1988 Posts: 519 Member
    26 years old
    5'11
    weight hovers between 154-165 depending on time of the month
    I maintain around 2500-2800 calories.
  • littlekitty3
    littlekitty3 Posts: 265 Member
    5'3 and in the ballpark of 120-130...honestly no idea because my weight fluctuates 15 pounds. I run 40-60 min each time and cycle anywhere from 13 to 50 miles each time (50 milers are not often....if anything I'll stop at 30 and that's probably one a week at max). I workout 6 days a week max.
    I eat 2000-2500+ depending on my work schedule.
    I haven't lifted in a month and quit due to it causing chronic fatigue. But I will be picking it back up to once a week again.

    I come from a background of doing the same amount of exercise on 1200 calories for maintenance....sad right?
  • mondvay
    mondvay Posts: 21 Member
    I'm 20, 168 cms (5'6?) and 55 kgs (121 lbs) and I've always used freedieting.com's calorie calculator (http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm) to see how much I need. According to them I need 1900 cals for maintenence when I exercise 4 days a week, and 1600 if I'm sendetary
  • sunflowerhippi
    sunflowerhippi Posts: 1,099 Member
    5"6.5 28 years old 157lbs around 26.5% bf

    Non workout days around 2075, lifting days around 2275, cardio days 2475.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    5'9", 155lbs, maintain around 2500.
  • brevislux
    brevislux Posts: 1,093 Member
    5'4", 110-114 lbs, 1690. On days I work out I eat more.
  • KaterinaTerese
    KaterinaTerese Posts: 345 Member
    5' 5.5" about 150lbs, and I maintain between 1900-2100 calories at this activity level.
  • CharlieRoberts36
    CharlieRoberts36 Posts: 8
    Sugar plays a very important role in gaining weight so i will suggest you to advice all such food items which constitute of sugar and plus soft drinks and fast food because these food items leads to obesity!

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