How many calories should I eat to lose the last 10- 15lbs?
Losewtforlife4him
Posts: 423 Member
I went from 168 lbs to 145. I would like to lose maybe 10-15 more lbs. I'm 5'6. How many calories should I be eating? Will there be a point where my body won't even allow me to lose any more such as a plateau? Do I give up and stay where I'm at? Thanks for any tips.
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Replies
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Enter your stats into mfp and it will give you a goal. Stick with it to lose.2
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You should look to go with .5 lb per week. The closer you are to your goal, the slower you should go. I'm almost there myself. 10lbs behind you, but I started at 181. Good job!1
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I'm right in your ballpark, too. 5'5", started at 175, now at 145. Want to get to 130-135. Weight loss has slowed, but I'm not about to quit until I get there! I net 1200 calories per day, most days. Slow and steady wins the race.1
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I'm right in your ballpark, too. 5'5", started at 175, now at 145. Want to get to 130-135. Weight loss has slowed, but I'm not about to quit until I get there! I net 1200 calories per day, most days. Slow and steady wins the race.
Awesome! I had been up to 180 a few years ago and then lost and hung out at 157-158 and gave up but have been back on the bandwagon! I agree...slow and steady wins the race! I made the mistake of not doing maintenance for some crazy reason when I had lost before. It's actually not as hard as I thought. I think having this community really helps too.
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Btw. I had also been doing the 1200 calories but was going to bed starved! I increased them to 1400 calories and have still been able to lose but that's also with exercise and not eating back the calories or maybe just half sometimes. I am now listening to my body for hunger and fullness and going with that too.1
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joobey, let me know if you find something that works for you, I started at 167 in September and am currently at 145, same height 5'6" and am having the hardest time with these last few stubborn pounds, I think my body is comfortable at this weight but I would like to be leaner overall, mabye 5-10 more lbs, I was at 140 lbs. 13 years ago when I got married so I know it is possible. I am also sticking to the .5 lb. weight loss per week and never eat back my exercise calories. I did purchase a food scale this weekend to help track portions better. Good luck!0
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Less than you expend.0
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joobey, let me know if you find something that works for you, I started at 167 in September and am currently at 145, same height 5'6" and am having the hardest time with these last few stubborn pounds, I think my body is comfortable at this weight but I would like to be leaner overall, mabye 5-10 more lbs, I was at 140 lbs. 13 years ago when I got married so I know it is possible. I am also sticking to the .5 lb. weight loss per week and never eat back my exercise calories. I did purchase a food scale this weekend to help track portions better. Good luck!
Thanks! Well I have been going back and forth between setting it for a 0.5 lb loss and a 2lb loss. Last week I actually did lose weight and that was with the extra calories when I was so hungry and reset it for the 0.5 lb weight loss. I am going more by what my body is telling me to do for awhile and see how that works. I have it set right now for 1200 calories again because I'm like you and would really like to get down to 140 lbs what I also weighed when I got married almost 22 yrs ago.
hey, we don't have too far to go do we? Yay us!!
Congrats and good luck to you too! We can do this!!!!0 -
joobey, let me know if you find something that works for you, I started at 167 in September and am currently at 145, same height 5'6" and am having the hardest time with these last few stubborn pounds, I think my body is comfortable at this weight but I would like to be leaner overall, mabye 5-10 more lbs, I was at 140 lbs. 13 years ago when I got married so I know it is possible. I am also sticking to the .5 lb. weight loss per week and never eat back my exercise calories. I did purchase a food scale this weekend to help track portions better. Good luck!
Oh and I also don't eat back my exercise calories unless I have my calories set for 1200 but know I could eat 1300-1400 and probably still lose weight, lol so sometimes dig into my exercise calories which normally daily I have around 400+ so may eat 100-200 of them somedays
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Remember to have patience! The last 10 is so slow, but it's worth it.
I've lost 8lbs since new years, 5 more to go. Make sure you are using a food scale to weigh your foods. If you're not, the extra 100-250 calories you're eating by estimating will pretty much eliminate your deficit!1 -
Remember to have patience! The last 10 is so slow, but it's worth it.
I've lost 8lbs since new years, 5 more to go. Make sure you are using a food scale to weigh your foods. If you're not, the extra 100-250 calories you're eating by estimating will pretty much eliminate your deficit!
Congratulations on losing! I do use a food scale as well as measure. I find that measuring 1 tbs of peanut butter seems easier than putting it on a plate? How do you measure pb? It's worked so far for me with my weight loss of 21 lbs. I do always measure the 100-250 calories if I eat them. I don't estimate. What do you mean by "Make sure you are using a food scale to weigh your foods. If you're not, the extra 100-250 calories you're eating by estimating will pretty much eliminate your deficit!"
I appreciate your tips! Thanks 0 -
With peanut butter, I'm usually using it on something like Apple slices. So I weigh my slices, tare the scale, add my peanut butter and log that weight.
When it comes to butter in cooking, I weigh the spoon I'm using, tare, take out the amount of butter and weigh. It's not that difficult and only takes a few seconds.1 -
With peanut butter, I'm usually using it on something like Apple slices. So I weigh my slices, tare the scale, add my peanut butter and log that weight.
When it comes to butter in cooking, I weigh the spoon I'm using, tare, take out the amount of butter and weigh. It's not that difficult and only takes a few seconds.
When you tare the scale do you mean you zero it out?
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With peanut butter, I'm usually using it on something like Apple slices. So I weigh my slices, tare the scale, add my peanut butter and log that weight.
When it comes to butter in cooking, I weigh the spoon I'm using, tare, take out the amount of butter and weigh. It's not that difficult and only takes a few seconds.
When you tare the scale do you mean you zero it out?
Yup!1 -
With peanut butter, I'm usually using it on something like Apple slices. So I weigh my slices, tare the scale, add my peanut butter and log that weight.
When it comes to butter in cooking, I weigh the spoon I'm using, tare, take out the amount of butter and weigh. It's not that difficult and only takes a few seconds.
When you tare the scale do you mean you zero it out?
Yup!
Thanks!
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With peanut butter, I'm usually using it on something like Apple slices. So I weigh my slices, tare the scale, add my peanut butter and log that weight.
When it comes to butter in cooking, I weigh the spoon I'm using, tare, take out the amount of butter and weigh. It's not that difficult and only takes a few seconds.
When you tare the scale do you mean you zero it out?
Yup!
Thanks!
No problem! Tare is my favorite thing ever on my scale since I cook for me and my family.1 -
Remember to have patience! The last 10 is so slow, but it's worth it.
I've lost 8lbs since new years, 5 more to go. Make sure you are using a food scale to weigh your foods. If you're not, the extra 100-250 calories you're eating by estimating will pretty much eliminate your deficit!
Congratulations on losing! I do use a food scale as well as measure. I find that measuring 1 tbs of peanut butter seems easier than putting it on a plate? How do you measure pb? It's worked so far for me with my weight loss of 21 lbs. I do always measure the 100-250 calories if I eat them. I don't estimate. What do you mean by "Make sure you are using a food scale to weigh your foods. If you're not, the extra 100-250 calories you're eating by estimating will pretty much eliminate your deficit!"
I appreciate your tips! Thanks
Put the jar on the scale, tare it to zero. Scoop out pb until the scale says -32grams or whatever serving you are going for.
When you use volume measure like cups or spoons, it is not as accurate. When you have more weight to lose, you have more wiggle room for inaccurate logging, but when you are down to the last few, every calorie counts. I thought I was eating 1500 cals, but when I got a food scale I found I was actually eating more like 1700-1800 cals per day, and that was why I wasn't losing.1 -
Remember to have patience! The last 10 is so slow, but it's worth it.
I've lost 8lbs since new years, 5 more to go. Make sure you are using a food scale to weigh your foods. If you're not, the extra 100-250 calories you're eating by estimating will pretty much eliminate your deficit!
Congratulations on losing! I do use a food scale as well as measure. I find that measuring 1 tbs of peanut butter seems easier than putting it on a plate? How do you measure pb? It's worked so far for me with my weight loss of 21 lbs. I do always measure the 100-250 calories if I eat them. I don't estimate. What do you mean by "Make sure you are using a food scale to weigh your foods. If you're not, the extra 100-250 calories you're eating by estimating will pretty much eliminate your deficit!"
I appreciate your tips! Thanks
So, if your goal is to lose 0.50lb a week, that's a 250 calorie a day deficit (250 cals x 7 days = 3500 cals in a lb of fat)
Say I'm having some cheese every day, and the package says "1/4 (50g) per serving" is 150 calories. If I use a measuring cup, I could probably shove 100g of cheese in that cup if I really wanted to. Now, I've eaten 300 calories of cheese, but only logged 150. Now my daily deficit is only 100 calories, and I'll only lose 0.20 lbs this week instead of 0.50.
The food scale takes away all that over/underestimation. Peanut butter: Set jar on scale, hit tare, spoon out the serving in grams, make sure to lick spoon!0 -
This is the hardest part. You can't eat as low as when you have more body fat because you don't have as much stored energy to draw from on a deficit. It's more like a lab experiment so the advice above to measure all food is critical. It's a narrow tightrope walk, too low and you will feel like crap, to high and you won't lose fat. The body weight scale isn't much use, the food scale is what you need to focus on. Consistency wins along with an even keel of calories, not too low, not too high, and give it a couple of months at least without constantly looking at the body weight scale.0
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Remember to have patience! The last 10 is so slow, but it's worth it.
I've lost 8lbs since new years, 5 more to go. Make sure you are using a food scale to weigh your foods. If you're not, the extra 100-250 calories you're eating by estimating will pretty much eliminate your deficit!
Congratulations on losing! I do use a food scale as well as measure. I find that measuring 1 tbs of peanut butter seems easier than putting it on a plate? How do you measure pb? It's worked so far for me with my weight loss of 21 lbs. I do always measure the 100-250 calories if I eat them. I don't estimate. What do you mean by "Make sure you are using a food scale to weigh your foods. If you're not, the extra 100-250 calories you're eating by estimating will pretty much eliminate your deficit!"
I appreciate your tips! Thanks
So, if your goal is to lose 0.50lb a week, that's a 250 calorie a day deficit (250 cals x 7 days = 3500 cals in a lb of fat)
Say I'm having some cheese every day, and the package says "1/4 (50g) per serving" is 150 calories. If I use a measuring cup, I could probably shove 100g of cheese in that cup if I really wanted to. Now, I've eaten 300 calories of cheese, but only logged 150. Now my daily deficit is only 100 calories, and I'll only lose 0.20 lbs this week instead of 0.50.
The food scale takes away all that over/underestimation. Peanut butter: Set jar on scale, hit tare, spoon out the serving in grams, make sure to lick spoon!
This is great. Thanks for all of this info! How do you figure out the calorie per day deficit? I'm a bit slow when it comes to all of this science, lol! I wasn't sure exactly how I would place the jar of pb on the scale and tare it and how that would work out. I didn't know if I would need to do the math (subtracting what I want from the kg of what is in the jar) but it has a -15,-30, ...which makes it nice! Thanks! Just did it. Yay, so proud of myself lol!! I was wondering if as I'm scooping it out if that jarring hurts the calculations at all? Sorry for all my ?'s!
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Remember to have patience! The last 10 is so slow, but it's worth it.
I've lost 8lbs since new years, 5 more to go. Make sure you are using a food scale to weigh your foods. If you're not, the extra 100-250 calories you're eating by estimating will pretty much eliminate your deficit!
Congratulations on losing! I do use a food scale as well as measure. I find that measuring 1 tbs of peanut butter seems easier than putting it on a plate? How do you measure pb? It's worked so far for me with my weight loss of 21 lbs. I do always measure the 100-250 calories if I eat them. I don't estimate. What do you mean by "Make sure you are using a food scale to weigh your foods. If you're not, the extra 100-250 calories you're eating by estimating will pretty much eliminate your deficit!"
I appreciate your tips! Thanks
Put the jar on the scale, tare it to zero. Scoop out pb until the scale says -32grams or whatever serving you are going for.
When you use volume measure like cups or spoons, it is not as accurate. When you have more weight to lose, you have more wiggle room for inaccurate logging, but when you are down to the last few, every calorie counts. I thought I was eating 1500 cals, but when I got a food scale I found I was actually eating more like 1700-1800 cals per day, and that was why I wasn't losing.
Wow this is all so good to know. I had no idea I could do this! As I asked the person who also commented, does the jarring either lifting the container to scoop or whatever, affect the measurements and weight or would it already be programmed since its been tared? Do you know what I mean? Say I get to the bottom of pb jar and I need to scrape sides. Will that mess up the results of the weight I need?
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californiagirl2012 wrote: »This is the hardest part. You can't eat as low as when you have more body fat because you don't have as much stored energy to draw from on a deficit. It's more like a lab experiment so the advice above to measure all food is critical. It's a narrow tightrope walk, too low and you will feel like crap, to high and you won't lose fat. The body weight scale isn't much use, the food scale is what you need to focus on. Consistency wins along with an even keel of calories, not too low, not too high, and give it a couple of months at least without constantly looking at the body weight scale.
Great advice. Thank you! So do you feel personally that as you reach goal, more calories are needed? What would you recommend I set my calories at? I've had them at 1200 but so sometimes play around with that number depending on how hungry I am and do exercise daily. I don't eat back my exercise calories but only half if I do. Would you set daily calories to a different number? I was 168 lbs when I started and now 145.6.
Thanks
0 -
Remember to have patience! The last 10 is so slow, but it's worth it.
I've lost 8lbs since new years, 5 more to go. Make sure you are using a food scale to weigh your foods. If you're not, the extra 100-250 calories you're eating by estimating will pretty much eliminate your deficit!
Congratulations on losing! I do use a food scale as well as measure. I find that measuring 1 tbs of peanut butter seems easier than putting it on a plate? How do you measure pb? It's worked so far for me with my weight loss of 21 lbs. I do always measure the 100-250 calories if I eat them. I don't estimate. What do you mean by "Make sure you are using a food scale to weigh your foods. If you're not, the extra 100-250 calories you're eating by estimating will pretty much eliminate your deficit!"
I appreciate your tips! Thanks
So, if your goal is to lose 0.50lb a week, that's a 250 calorie a day deficit (250 cals x 7 days = 3500 cals in a lb of fat)
Say I'm having some cheese every day, and the package says "1/4 (50g) per serving" is 150 calories. If I use a measuring cup, I could probably shove 100g of cheese in that cup if I really wanted to. Now, I've eaten 300 calories of cheese, but only logged 150. Now my daily deficit is only 100 calories, and I'll only lose 0.20 lbs this week instead of 0.50.
The food scale takes away all that over/underestimation. Peanut butter: Set jar on scale, hit tare, spoon out the serving in grams, make sure to lick spoon!
This is great. Thanks for all of this info! How do you figure out the calorie per day deficit? I'm a bit slow when it comes to all of this science, lol! I wasn't sure exactly how I would place the jar of pb on the scale and tare it and how that would work out. I didn't know if I would need to do the math (subtracting what I want from the kg of what is in the jar) but it has a -15,-30, ...which makes it nice! Thanks! Just did it. Yay, so proud of myself lol!! I was wondering if as I'm scooping it out if that jarring hurts the calculations at all? Sorry for all my ?'s!
So MyFitnessPal automatically calculates it for you, depending on your goal (lose .5, 1, 2lbs a week, etc.). This is already built in to your daily calorie goal so you don't have to worry about that.
Scooping/jarring the scale won't change anything.2
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