What Calorie Range should I eat to burn 2 pounds a week?

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Lauraraceli
Lauraraceli Posts: 2 Member
in Getting Started
I am 5'2, 147lbs I recently lost 20 pounds for eating healthy (taking out junk food and not over eating). However now I am stuck and cant seem to lose.
However I do realize that I have not been exercising and I will start soon ( I haven't in a couple months).

I plan to go down to 140 by jogging 30-45 mins a day, and after than I will incorporate insanity(I done it before) as well (but only 3 times a week).

However I need to know how many calories I must eat a day as thats where I am having trouble. I know I must eat more when exercising, but I don't how many will be healthy to burn 1-2 pounds a week as its the healthy amount.

My goal weight once I start insanity will be 125-130lbs

Also, I do eat healthy my problem is just how much of it. As well I recently bought a heart rate monitor, but need for tips on how to incorporate it with eating.

Thankyou so much in advance :)

Replies

  • ammo7
    ammo7 Posts: 188 Member
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    Hi there,

    Weight loss can often stall for a week or so, then have a big whoosh, so if you feel that you "can't seem to lose" but it's only been a few weeks, then don't be discouraged. However, if it's been a few months of no weight loss, then that means you are eating the amount of calories required to maintain your weight.

    A loss of 2 pounds per week requires a deficit of 7000 calories per week. That's a daily deficit of 1000 calories every single day, which really wouldn't be sustainable (us short people don't need many calories already, so there's not much room to shave off 1000 calories every day while still getting proper nutrition!)

    A more reasonable goal might be to aim to lose 1 lb per week (so eat 500 calories per day less than your maintenance calories) or even aim for 0.5lb per week (so 250 calories less than your maintenance calories) so that you can stick with it consistently.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    With only about 25 lbs to lose, one pound per week is an appropriate goal and even 0.5 lb/week when you get closer to goal (within about 15- 20 lbs) would be better. 2 lbs/ week is definitely too aggressive.

    You can just put current stats into MFP and select a rate of loss of 1 lb/week and it will calculate a goal for you. When you exercise and log it on MFP you should be eating at lease zone of those calories back.

    You mentioned a stall, are you logging everything and being as accurate as possible by weighing the foods you eat with a food scale? You can lose weight and still eat "junk" foods in moderation, and you can lose weight without exercising (as you've done up till now - congrats by the way!). Logging accurately within an appropriate calorie deficit is the key though.

    For what it's worth I'm same height and started at about 150. I lost 30 lbs in about a year and never ate less than 1600 cals. I'm currently maintaining that loss with a TDEE of about 2200. I never cut anything other than calories, but I added a lot of things like more protein, more veggies, more exercise...
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Set up MFP to lose 1.5 pounds (or whichever amount corresponds with 1% of your current body weight) a week, and it will tell you how much to eat.

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