how many calories does a women eat and be safe?

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kparks770
kparks770 Posts: 113 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have no clue how much to eat exactly.I mean when i started this it said how much do you wanna loose and I had it at a pound a week.Well,I havent lost any in a while.I started exercising more,well that didnt do much either.Im older too just turned 34 so maybe thats why? I then looked and it has me set at 1300 cal a day.Is that not enough? whats normal
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  • MissAnjy
    MissAnjy Posts: 2,480 Member
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    make sure you're eating back your exercise calories. Make sure your NET is 1300 calories at the end of the day.
  • peanut929
    peanut929 Posts: 31
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    1300 calories a day is normal when you want to lose around 1 pound per week. Take in account that on the days you work out you can eat more.

    Good luck!
    Karen
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
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    Follow the numbers given to you by this site, and you will likely see progress. If you exercise, and log it in, it will increase the amount of calories you are allotted to eat. Follow the numbers and eat them up.

    1300 sounds like a decent base, but personally I eat much more than that to feel good on an average day. I am also rather active so that may play a part in it.
  • babytmarie27
    babytmarie27 Posts: 161
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    at least 1200
  • magenta4c
    magenta4c Posts: 53 Member
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    "Im older too just turned 34 so maybe thats why?" RU kidding me? when i read older i was thinking 60+, then i read 34..
    pffft... we are peaches! :-D
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    I'm a bit confused, you say "I then looked" - didn't you look before? I mean, how many calories have you been eating, have you been weighing everything or just guessing, and what have you been eating?

    1200 is an absolute minimum unless you're extremely short or under medical supervision. Some people need more than that.

    To be honest, you're not going to get an informed reply unless you allow others to view your food and exercise diary.

    P.S. Despite being positively ancient, you can still burn fat... :bigsmile:
  • Dreawolf
    Dreawolf Posts: 37 Member
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    Just make sure that you are not going below 1200 calories a day. If you go below that then your body goes into starvation mode.
  • kparks770
    kparks770 Posts: 113 Member
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    ok so hopefully this is ok. I heard somewhere I needed to eat 1500.Well,Also didnt know I was supposed to eat more cal if I exercised them off.I figured that would defeat the purpose? I dunno I guess just be more strict and try harder.Its disheartening when it stops.I can tell in my clothes but not in my weight.Well,Thank you and Good Luck to you all.
  • allystone
    allystone Posts: 134 Member
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    "Im older too just turned 34 so maybe thats why?" RU kidding me? when i read older i was thinking 60+, then i read 34..
    pffft... we are peaches! :-D

    haha made my day.
  • outersoul
    outersoul Posts: 711
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    Open your diary to the public so we can give a better answer.
  • jenomaha
    jenomaha Posts: 631 Member
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    "Im older too just turned 34 so maybe thats why?" RU kidding me? when i read older i was thinking 60+, then i read 34..
    pffft... we are peaches! :-D


    I know...older?!?!? I'm 37 and feel like a spring chicken :laugh: I'm in better shape now than in my 20's, lol!! 30 something is the new 20 something :wink:
  • kparks770
    kparks770 Posts: 113 Member
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    well honestly Im new to this and havent figured that out.I just went by what the site said on how to lose a pound a week was to eat under 1300 and exercise..Sorry about the older comment I meant Im not a teen or 20 yr old any more.It was a lot easier then.
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    I'm in better shape now than in my 20's, lol!! 30 something is the new 20 something :wink:
    Actually I think you'll find that 40 something is the new 20 something. :bigsmile:

    I took up rock climbing in my 40s and celebrated my 45th birthday by taking up SCUBA diving too!
  • james3302
    james3302 Posts: 119
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    If you are not losing weigh then reduce your calories, or exercise more. Weight loss is when you burn more calories then you consume. Maybe you are not logging everythign you eat, or not logging the correct foods(there are plenty of DB foods on here that do not have the correct amount of calories). At some point of eating less and exercising your butt off you should start losing. I will caution though, not to eat below 1200 calories.
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
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    I just went by what the site said on how to lose a pound a week was to eat under 1300 and exercise.
    So are you certain that you have definitely only been eating 1300 calories?

    If you're not measuring things out you may be eating far more than you think. Most people, including myself, are shockingly bad at guessing quantities which is why I never dare guess!

    The other thing is, are you certain you're not losing fat? Have you been measuring yourself with a tape measure? Because really what the scales say isn't the best guide.

    EDITED TO ADD: You say you haven't lost any for "a while" how long is that? A week? A month? Really, if it's a week, it could easily be just a normal fluctuation, don't be discouraged. If you haven't lost any for three weeks, something is going wrong!
  • Angiebug1969
    Angiebug1969 Posts: 152
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    I'm a bit confused, you say "I then looked" - didn't you look before? I mean, how many calories have you been eating, have you been weighing everything or just guessing, and what have you been eating?

    1200 is an absolute minimum unless you're extremely short or under medical supervision. Some people need more than that.

    To be honest, you're not going to get an informed reply unless you allow others to view your food and exercise diary.

    P.S. Despite being positively ancient, you can still burn fat... :bigsmile:

    "Positively ancient" nearly made me pee my pants!! HAHAHA!! Too cute!

    I do agree with 1200 ABSOLUTE MINIMUM... I'm trying to "reboot" my metabolism at the moment from trying to maintain 1200ish, and actually not quite getting that many calories, during the first 12 weeks of marathon training. I seriously think my metabolism crashed on me! But I'm trying to eat more (1600ish) and keep it balanced... more calories IN on my harder workout days.

    Keep us posted! :flowerforyou:
  • kparks770
    kparks770 Posts: 113 Member
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    ok I think I made it public Im still learning
    I did real bad sunday! Im starting to wonder whats up with me lol
  • ColoradoRobin
    ColoradoRobin Posts: 510 Member
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    ok so hopefully this is ok. I heard somewhere I needed to eat 1500.Well,Also didnt know I was supposed to eat more cal if I exercised them off.I figured that would defeat the purpose? I dunno I guess just be more strict and try harder.Its disheartening when it stops.I can tell in my clothes but not in my weight.Well,Thank you and Good Luck to you all.
    Depending on how much extra weight you have your body will tolerate a higher or lower caloric deficit before kicking in several survival mechanisms that help us survive famine. Too big of a deficit, and your metabolism slows, and you start burning muscle tissue rather than fat. By exercising you improve your overall health, and by eating some or all of those calories back, you keep your deficit in the right range. The more you need to lose, the higher your deficit can be. some people lose weight better by increasing their calorie intake above what MFP recommends; just be sure you are accurately measuring your food.

    If your clothes are fitting more loosely but your weight is staying the same that is a great sign! Your body is likely recomposing itself, losing some fat and gaining a little muscle. Take measurements so you can track your progress on something other than the scale. Also weight fluctuates a lot based on water retention, especially for women. You can do it! Good luck!
  • kparks770
    kparks770 Posts: 113 Member
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    guess i need a measuring tape before I started on here I was 210 in a 20 then down to a 18.Now Im down to a 12 and weigh about 186
  • outersoul
    outersoul Posts: 711
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    I took a look at your diary and your cals are kind of all over the place. Sometimes you're under. Other times you're way under. Other times double your allotted intake. I vote for getting your cals under control first. Do that for two solid weeks and let's see what happens.

    You have to remember for as many numbers that are thrown at us by MFP, a lot of it is experimenting to find what works for you.

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