how many calories are you eating to lose 20 lbs?

alex_h_88
alex_h_88 Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys, I have about 20 lbs to lose and currently eating 1200 cals a day. Just wondering how many calories other people are eating when they are close to their goal weight.

I'm 5"3' and currently weigh 147 lb.

Replies

  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    Oh, I'm think you should just got to 200 calories less than the maintenance calories for your GOAL WEIGHT.

    The slower you lose the more like you can keep it off. It's the long haul that is important. It's not the first one to the finish line that wins. It's the one who can be the healthiest the longest. YOLO.... you only get one body, no trade-ins. I want it to feel good, so I can go out and have fun for as long as I can.

    I want to be capable and dance and run and swim and kayak and climb trees and backpack and throw my niece and nephews in the air. I don't want my body to stop me from living my life. But I also don't want dieting to take over my life... (Balance is so damn hard.)


    It will be frustratingly slow, but it will also be a lot easier, you won't be hungry and you won't get mentally fatigued.

    I found that once you get to your goal weight 200 calories less than your maintenance calories gives you a reasonable amount of wiggle room to accommodate for a bad day... Birthday parties happen and you don't want to feel deprived at every single one. People bring food into work. And I know I'm supposed avoid emotional eating and stress eating, but let's face it, it's not going to never happen again.

    So even on maintenance I give myself a deficit so that I can enjoy the surprises life has to offer.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    1510, my account is setup to lose .5 lb per week
  • tanzmitpalmer
    tanzmitpalmer Posts: 124 Member
    My loss goal is 45lb, but I don't really pay attention to that much. I'm in no right huge hurry to lose it, as long as I'm happy and healthy along the way. Currently I have my goals set to 1.5lb loss per week, which has me hitting at 1350 calories daily. As I get closer to my goal, I'll knock it back to just 1lb weekly so I can still enjoy some friggin' meal, man.

    Of course, the more I exercise, the more calories I get to nom, which is FINE BY ME, BUDDY.
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
    It depends on your body and your metabolism. Everyone is in a different situation, so there is no 1 answer for everyone. What I do and what I recommend to people is to eat at a calorie level that allows you to drop 1-2 lbs/week. This assumes an average calorie burn from you getting in all of your workouts. This will be different for everyone, so you'll have to do some trial and error to figure it out. I'd start ~1400 cal/day. Hit this goal, along with your macros and getting in your workouts, for a week. If you lose 1-2 lbs, you're good to go. If you lose too much, increase your intake and repeat. If you don't lose enough, reduce your intake a bit and repeat. After a few weeks, you'll figure out what works for you in your situation.

    Consistent exercise will help you make progress too. 5-6 days/week of intense, targeted exercise combined with great nutrition works so well.

    Allan
  • alex_h_88
    alex_h_88 Posts: 13 Member
    So many helpful replies! Thanks guys! I was just curious as to what other people are doing. The 1200 thing works during the working week..but comes the weekend and "life surprises" it becomes a little tough. I suppose though I didn't put the weight on over night and it ain't going over night either. Thanks again :)
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    I'm 5'3.5" and lost most of my weight at 1650 net (slowly upped calories and switched to TDEE when I got to maintenance). Definitely want to pick .5-1 lb loss goal as you encroach your goal weight.

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