How many calories a day do people eat?

pipmcgrath
pipmcgrath Posts: 26 Member
edited November 26 in Health and Weight Loss
MFP recommends me to have 1200 cals, I find this hard to stick too and seem to hit between 1400 & 1600 most days. More at the weekends...........coz I have some treats. I lost 7 stone regained 2 when I lost it all I was eating in the region of 1200. Just can't seem to get myself back there for some reason. I got very ill with gallstones and had my gallbladder removed. Hence most of the regain. I am trying to lose a stone and a half. I think I was verging on the too skinny side at one stage though I didn't listen. I want to have a healthy outlook on food and enjoy some treats and not panic about eating. I was a bit too restrictive before and ate too little. I am trying to find more of a balance now but still want to lose weight.

I'm 5.5 and 36, I am medium to heavy build with high bone density etc. I currently weigh 12.7 which I know gives me a terrible BMI but clothes wise I am a 14 / 12 - sort of in between sizes at the minute. Trying to get back to 11 stone. 10.5 was my lightest. I go to the gym at least 3 or 4 times a week and do both cardio and strength work. I am working on my fitness levels and overall strength again after both were majorly reduced during / after illness. Operation etc. I have around 12.7 for 6 months now.

Replies

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited November 2015
    This content has been removed.
  • lemonychild
    lemonychild Posts: 654 Member
    Do u have weight loss input at 2lbs? That's too aggressive. Basically figure out ur maintenance cals... Cut 500 cals down from maintenance daily that is 7*500 = 3500 cals which is a pound a week. Also if u exercise on MFP has u eating back exercise cals
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    4350 a day, averaged over seven days. More on lifting days, less on off days.
  • pipmcgrath
    pipmcgrath Posts: 26 Member
    catscats222 wrote: »
    question: how did you know your bone density?
    i don't know how to get mine without paying $300 for it
    is there a trick on telling the doctor something to get insurance to pay for it?


    Im in the UK we can use machines here to tell us that. Gyms etc have them. They may not be 100 % accurate but give you a fair idea. No I think I am just made with heavy big bones! I don't drink milk, but do eat yogurt products and some cheese products but not enough to be having lots of calcium.




  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
    I'm 5ft2. I weight 124 lbs. I have a sedentary full time job and I weight train 4 times a week. I aim to get 6500 steps a day <- This is a realistic amount for me right now.

    I lose around 0.7lb a week (a little over half a pound) on 1500 calories a day.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    How many pounds did you tell MFP you want to lose per week? Often when people get a very low goal, it's because they chose two pounds per week as their weight loss target.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • pipmcgrath
    pipmcgrath Posts: 26 Member
    Yeah I said it was 2lbs a week. I have a sedentary job too. I have went from 10stone 5 27 % body fat to 12 stone 7 34 % body fat in just over a year! Not good at all

    Sort of feel I bit lost with it all now.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    My goal is 1270, but after my Fitbit is counted I regularly eat 1700-2000 a day to get my net up.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    pipmcgrath wrote: »
    Yeah I said it was 2lbs a week. I have a sedentary job too. I have went from 10stone 5 27 % body fat to 12 stone 7 34 % body fat in just over a year! Not good at all

    Sort of feel I bit lost with it all now.

    If you would like to eat more, you can always try adjusting your goal. That way you won't end up with the absolute lowest MFP will recommend for a woman.
  • staticsplit
    staticsplit Posts: 538 Member
    Try 1 pound a week for the first few weeks. You won't feel as deprived, you'll have more energy, and you'll probably be more likely to stick with it longer term.
  • pipmcgrath
    pipmcgrath Posts: 26 Member
    staticsplit wrote: »
    Try 1 pound a week for the first few weeks. You won't feel as deprived, you'll have more energy, and you'll probably be more likely to stick with it longer term.

    Thanks I'm actually going to set it for maintenance and try to eat lower than that and go to the gym as well and not eat back the exercise calories and see what happens. Its a psychological thing too it might spur me on if I'm under and not over my goal and motivate me a bit more
  • stormladyh77
    stormladyh77 Posts: 1 Member
    edited November 2015
    I'm 5'4" and around 190, and I eat 2000 a day to lose one pound a week. I have an active job, and I strength train 3 times a week, powerlifting style, and do a bit of cardio, jogging/running once or twice a week. Right now, I'm losing a little better than a pound a week, but that fluctuates a lot, especially when I ramp up the weights. I'll go long periods without losing any actual weight, but my clothes will get bigger, so I know there's some body recomposition going on.
  • kayleexbabeex
    kayleexbabeex Posts: 55 Member
    Mine is set at 1400 a day, I usually have between 50 to 200 leftover most days, although on Saturdays I go slightly over but with leftover calories from the week it makes up for it.
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
    2100-2800 per day depending on how active I am. I am 5'4" and 250 lbs and breastfeeding. I don't log my exercise but do eat back most of my Fitbit calories. I'm set to lose 1 lb/week but I am losing closer to 2-3 lbs/week.
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,649 Member
    1875 + exercise calories. 5'8" and about 1-2 lbs. from goal.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    I'm 5'2, maintaining around 123 lbs eating 2000-2200 cals/day. I lost most of my 30 lbs with a MFP NET goal of 1600 cals, eating back all my exercise calories.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    I'm 5'8" and 155. I was eating about 1500 calories per day and losing 2-3 lbs per week (down 30-35 lbs). For the past month I've been eating about 2000 calories per day and seem to be maintaining or losing 0.5 lbs per week.

    I'm sedentary beyond an occasional walk or a bit of soccer or basketball while coaching.
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
    5'5", 172# I eat 1500 on non exercise days.....then eat half of the exercise calories on other days....anyway error from 1800 total to 250 total depending on how much I run that day.
  • LadyLallybroch
    LadyLallybroch Posts: 36 Member
    I have it set to 0.5 lbs a week, which gives me 1640 cals a day, which I treat as a "maximum" and not a goal most of the time. Most days I eat around 1400.

    I'm 5'7" and 154 lbs.
  • AspenDan
    AspenDan Posts: 703 Member
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    4350 a day, averaged over seven days. More on lifting days, less on off days.

    Holy jeez!
  • pipmcgrath
    pipmcgrath Posts: 26 Member
    LadyLallybroch wrote: »
    I have it set to 0.5 lbs a week, which gives me 1640 cals a day, which I treat as a "maximum" and not a goal most of the time. Most days I eat around 1400.

    I'm 5'7" and 154 lbs.

    That's what I've done, I've put it in for maintenance which gives me 1800 a day. Going to try and get nowhere near that and get at least a deficit of 500 minimum each day with food and exercise. Going to try it for 2 weeks and see what happens. Fed up with feeling bad when I eat over the 1200 so a different approach is called for.



  • lizzocat
    lizzocat Posts: 356 Member
    I eat anywhere between 1400 and 2100, depending on the day and intensity of my workout. On spinning and lifting days, it's usually around 2000.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    edited November 2015
    AspenDan wrote: »
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    4350 a day, averaged over seven days. More on lifting days, less on off days.

    Holy jeez!
    It does make the question the "you can't outrun a bad diet." I am about 95% certain I'm eating more now than when I was gaining 100 pounds. The difference is that I'm moving a lot more.
  • oolou
    oolou Posts: 765 Member
    I don't have a single set goal to aim for each day. As you say it can be demoralising to go over it. Instead I aim to eat within a range. My BMR is around 1500 and my TDEE is around 1800. So I aim to eat between 1200 and 1500 each day. I have days when I'm not that hungry and days when I'm wanting to eat a bit more than usual. Having a range to work within suits me better.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    I'm 5'2", set at sedentary, eat back all my exercise calories, and my daily intake limit is 1200. I've lost precisely 2 lbs per week since I started. I feel awesome at this level. No mood swings, no cravings I can't handle, no lethargy or anything weird. In fact, my general mood has improved and I'm less stressed out even though there's a lot of stressful things happening in my life right now.

    If you don't feel good at a caloric deficit this low, don't do it. There is absolutely NO reason on earth for weight loss to be miserable. If you're at 1200 and you feel tots fine and you aren't hungry all the time (I'm never hungry, hello calorie spreading) you're doing fine:) Don't try to fix what ain't broke.
  • Sabretooth333
    Sabretooth333 Posts: 7 Member
    2800 a day and eat back all exercise calories. After long rides or runs this can be over 5000 :)
  • sapphire1166
    sapphire1166 Posts: 114 Member
    I'm 5"8, started at 235 lbs about 7 months ago and currently at 191 lbs, and I eat 1450/day. When I first started and I was eating 1450 I easily lost 2lbs/week. That pace has been slowing the smaller the scale shows, but I don't plan on decreasing my calories. I have a sedentary job with little/no exercise.
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
    Depending on what my fitbit says I burned but my average is somewhere between 2300-2500, I'm 5'9" and ~175lbs male...
  • Meganthedogmom
    Meganthedogmom Posts: 1,639 Member
    My goal is 1200 a day.
    I have it set to lose 1.5lb per week, because I wasn't losing at all when my goal was around 1350 a day. I'm 5'3" and 165lb. 1200 a day can be difficult for me too, but it gets easier the longer you do it. I would suggest you change your goal to lose 1lb per week. Don't forget to eat back some of your exercise calories.
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