Female maintenance calories

Options
2»

Replies

  • basesteel
    basesteel Posts: 9 Member
    Options
    rolacola12 wrote: »
    Hi,

    All I see is females eating between 1100 and 1800 calories per day, 6 months ago I start on 1950 and found that a struggle and weekends generally were 5-6000 I am happy with my shape and stay fairly lean which I like. I am not hugely active I walk 5 miles per day and weight train 4x45 min sessions. Age 25 5'8 65kg. I have now changed to around 2,500 -2700calories per day to which will generally hit the same average, does anyone do it this way and still stay fairly lean? I feel as though I'm going to wake up and have ballooned it's a lot more food but finally keeps my constant hunger at bay. Also are there any women out there that eAt higher calories and stay lean?
    Maybe those women who eat more are more physically active, probably doing resistance and cardio exercises everyday, which may be why they can eat on avg 2000+ Cal. per day and still stay lean. Hmmm... we need tob interview those women to know for sure (-:
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,608 Member
    Options
    rolacola12 wrote: »
    Hi,

    All I see is females eating between 1100 and 1800 calories per day, 6 months ago I start on 1950 and found that a struggle and weekends generally were 5-6000 I am happy with my shape and stay fairly lean which I like. I am not hugely active I walk 5 miles per day and weight train 4x45 min sessions. Age 25 5'8 65kg. I have now changed to around 2,500 -2700calories per day to which will generally hit the same average, does anyone do it this way and still stay fairly lean? I feel as though I'm going to wake up and have ballooned it's a lot more food but finally keeps my constant hunger at bay. Also are there any women out there that eAt higher calories and stay lean?

    Nah, not going to "balloon" suddenly. It'll creep up, at worst.

    Set an acceptable weight range plus and minus a few pounds from your target weight, weigh regularly, and cut back if you start seeing weights at the higher end of the range for a minimum of a few days. Remember, you need around 3500 calories in excess of maintenance calories to gain a real pound (not just water weight). You'll be fine.

    FWIW, I seem to be still losing a tiny bit at 1700 (net, eating back all conservatively-estimated exercise), at 5'5", 60 y/o, weight in the low 120s (lbs - so 54-56kg kind of range). It seems improbable, but I'm tracking meticulously. Not quite maintaining yet - still searching for the right calorie level, but it's close. To turn the net cals consumed into gross consumption, assume I burn 200-300 exercise cal/day average, between regular rowing, spin class, weight training, core exercises, and occasional walks or bike rides) - so I'm eating close to 2000 most days.
  • becca5446
    becca5446 Posts: 14 Member
    Options
    I feel the same way! I'm 30, 5'5", have lost about 50 pounds, and I starve on anything less than 2000 calories per day. I have been maintaining at about 150 pounds for 6 months now but I feel like I am going to gain weight. I work out 5 days a week for 30 minutes. I'm scared I wont be able to stop eating so much if I start gaining! My Fitness Pal says I can maintain on 1900 calories on days without exercise so hopefully I wont but I've worked so hard to get here and I don't want to mess it up now.
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
    Options
    OP, I think for your age, stats and activity level, that sounds very reasonable for maintenance.
    I've been losing weight at 1350/day but I also eat back 1/2-2/3 of my exercise calories. As I move toward maintenance I'm guessing that will be more like 1700-1800 cals/day (total, including exercise calories) but I have PCOS and I think that slows my metabolism a bit, I'm turning 40 in a few months, and I don't have a lot of muscle. (Moving into a recomp now.)
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Options
    I could do that at 25 too. I'm 58. I put all my weight on after 40. My maintenance is lower. I'll also say that my NET calories are low (1700), but I eat more because I get at least 300-500 calories a day by measuring my exercise.
  • dlmciver
    dlmciver Posts: 149 Member
    Options
    I am 5' 5", 135 pounds and 60 years old. I've lost more than I weigh ! I swim a mile 3X per week, and shoot for 5,000-7,000 steps a day average. I'm maintaining at 1400 calories.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,493 Member
    Options
    dlmciver wrote: »
    I am 5' 5", 135 pounds and 60 years old. I've lost more than I weigh ! I swim a mile 3X per week, and shoot for 5,000-7,000 steps a day average. I'm maintaining at 1400 calories.

    Wow, I would hate having to live rest of my life eating so few calories with so much exercise. :( Congratulations on the loss but I wish you could eat more to maintain it.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,493 Member
    Options
    I weigh 105-110lbs 5'5, maintain on 1900-2500 depending on exercise for the day and how hungry I am.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    Options
    48, 5'9", 135lb, in a normal week I run for an hour or two and do yoga 5 hours, but have a desk job and have to commute to work. My TDEE calculates as 2,200 or so.

    Your 2.500 sounds about right, you have a few pounds more to maintain and a few years less.

    But I have had people telling me since i was 20 that "metabolism will slow as you age" and haven't experienced it yet. Maybe it happens at the menopause. But for now it seems to just have everything to do with activity level. When I had to park a mile from work, I had to eat more, my weight dropped too low and it was a noticeable difference. When I started working here, with the garage, I gained some and had to eat less because i don't have those automatic 10 miles walked each week.


  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,484 Member
    Options
    @robininfl, out metabolism does drop as we age. It starts in our twenties and continues by about 50-100 cals, depending on size, weight, and gender, a decade. The major cause is the decrease in daily activity, which leads to a decrease in muscle. Keep up you activity level and you will keep a higher than average metabolism for your age.

    Cheers, h.
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    Options
    rolacola12 wrote: »
    Hi,

    All I see is females eating between 1100 and 1800 calories per day, 6 months ago I start on 1950 and found that a struggle and weekends generally were 5-6000 I am happy with my shape and stay fairly lean which I like. I am not hugely active I walk 5 miles per day and weight train 4x45 min sessions. Age 25 5'8 65kg. I have now changed to around 2,500 -2700calories per day to which will generally hit the same average, does anyone do it this way and still stay fairly lean? I feel as though I'm going to wake up and have ballooned it's a lot more food but finally keeps my constant hunger at bay. Also are there any women out there that eAt higher calories and stay lean?

    Most women at a healthy weight have a Basal Metabolic Rate of 1600 - 1800 calories. Add in more if you exercise or have an active lifestyle/job or if you're taller and need to weigh more.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    Options
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    @robininfl, out metabolism does drop as we age. It starts in our twenties and continues by about 50-100 cals, depending on size, weight, and gender, a decade. The major cause is the decrease in daily activity, which leads to a decrease in muscle. Keep up you activity level and you will keep a higher than average metabolism for your age.

    Cheers, h.

    Thanks. In other words, it drops but not by much? Maybe 150 calories over 30 years? Yes it is absolutely possible that I am eating that much less without noticing, or working out that much more. I do feel like there will be space in my life to add more exercise into each day to overcome another 50kcal each decade, as my kids get older and we get more time. It's good to know it's not a sudden drop, which is what people made it sound like.

Categories