For those losing, How many calories do you eat?!

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darciew2
darciew2 Posts: 50 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
For those of you who are losing 2 pounds a week, how many calories are you eating? I weigh 191 )5'8" and was keeping it around 1500 but really struggle with the linds moving at all. Thinking that I see a lot of goals set at 1200. Thoughts?? Anyone in my same boat?
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  • MiniMansell1964
    MiniMansell1964 Posts: 188 Member
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    How long have you been sticking with 1500? when i started it took a while to see any real difference. my goal at the moment is 1280 as i want to shift a stubourn 3lbs
  • darciew2
    darciew2 Posts: 50 Member
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    45 consistent days without going over. Down 4 pounds.
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    I had similar stats to yours - 5'7" started at 195 lbs. I lost on an intake of between 1600-1800 per day. I didn't usually lose 2 lbs per week tho.... I averaged 1.5 lbs per week in the beginning and then that slowed as I got closer to goal. My maintainance (at 145 lbs) is 1900 per day (lightly active).

    How are you measuring intake?
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
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    darciew2 wrote: »
    45 consistent days without going over. Down 4 pounds.

    That sounds perfect. About 1/2 to 1 pound a week is great!

    I'm 5'4" 35 years old starting weight 164 current weight 158- lost 6 pounds in about 2 months. This takes time to do properly. My calories are 1550, I try to get 100 grams of protein a day.

    I don't eat back exercise calories. I do 1 hour of weight lifting about 3 days a week and hiit cardio on the other days and 1-2 rest days a week.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    Between 1850 and 2200 plus some exercise calories.

    SW 275
    CW 245

    5'6
    46 years old, bad knees and menopausal.

    14-20k steps a day plus 5.5 hours of martial arts training per week, horseback riding and some farrier work.
  • NancyYale
    NancyYale Posts: 171 Member
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    1400 works for me. 1 to 1.5 a week lost.
  • Mumu190672
    Mumu190672 Posts: 76 Member
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    I am 5"6.
    SW 219 mid June
    CW 191
    I lost on average 2 pounds a week since I started mfp in August.
    I am currently at 1200 calories per day for a loss of 1.5 pounds a week. I exercise to get 0.5 pound extra loss a week and to get extra calories to eat.
    I know it is a low goal but it reassures me to set up a lower goal. If I don't exercise I eat 1200 max and if I exercise a lot like today I have eaten 1575 and had a lot of exercise calories left.
  • Athena_fit
    Athena_fit Posts: 55 Member
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    I'm 5'8 and I started at 204.
    I'm now 196.7, in about 2 months, although lost wasnt consistent because of business trips.

    I eat 1800 calories, workout (spinning) about 3 times a week and don't eat back exercise calories most of the times (except friday nights haha).

    So about 1 pound per week in average, but its more 2 pounds a week when i'm really at it, october was tough for me, i just maintained starting october 10th.

    Back on it though :) i eat like this cause i think it's sustainable for me !
  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
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    Water weight fluctuations can make a big difference and also, the calorie calculators are really just an educated guess. Everyone's TDEE will be different. Based on months of loss, mine is way over what MFP estimates but for others, it will be less. For some, it will be right on. Over time, you can figure it out based on what you have been eating vs what you have lost.
  • kshatriyo
    kshatriyo Posts: 134 Member
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    darciew2 wrote: »
    45 consistent days without going over. Down 4 pounds.

    4 pounds is a really nice achievement, if you think about it, if you maintain this, you will be down 30 pounds in under a year! If you are struggling to maintain your current deficit you might consider a high fat ketogenic approach that will reduce (if not eliminate) cravings. Might also boost your rate significantly.
  • SoUl_ReBeL2021
    SoUl_ReBeL2021 Posts: 120 Member
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    I'm 43 5"10 and SW 335 CW 260 my calories are set at 1900 per day for 1 pound a week weight-loss and I'm eating around 1,400-1,600 per day, losing around 2 pounds a week. I exercise 3 times a week doing cardio " recumbent bike". This week only been eating 1,100 cal a day I need to up that a bit, just not really hungry... remember one thing we didn't gain it overnight it's going to take some time to get it off! Wishing you the best!
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    edited November 2016
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    Are you sure you're actually eating 1500 calories? Do you measure your food? Weigh it? If you don't weigh you may be eating more than you think - which would be why you're losing more slowly than you expected (but still at a very reasonable rate of 1 pound every 10 days). But, honestly, you don't have enough weight to lose to warrant a 2 pound/week goal. That's for people with 50+ pounds to lose.
  • darciew2
    darciew2 Posts: 50 Member
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    Thanks for all the responses!
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
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    Im 5'7". I don't aim to lose very fast because I dont think Id stick with the low calories it would require. I eat 1400-1800 depending on activity and average .5lb a wk loss.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,870 Member
    edited November 2016
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    For the first 16 weeks, I netted 1250 calories a day. Then a 1-month break. For the next 16 weeks, I netted 1350 calories a day.

    I've been maintaining for the last year netting about 1500 calories a day.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,964 Member
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    I'm 5'4" and weighed about 20 pounds more than you do now, OP, when I started on MFP. For nearly four months I lost at a pretty steady 2 lbs a week with a net daily goal of 1500. I generally logged 100 to 200 calories from walking most days, so I was grossing between 1500 and 1700 most days, occasionally a little more, occasionally a little less (I focused more on a weekly average), until I was about 10 pounds lighter than you and shifted to a smaller deficit.

    1200 seems like an awfully low goal to me for someone 5'8" and 191 lbs. But if you're not losing at 1500 you're going to have to lower your goal I guess. (In reality I suspect your logging could use some tightening up, but the end result will be the same if you lower your goal but are really eating more than you think you are, or if you tighten your logging and discover your current goal or even a higher goal would work if your logging is more accurate.)
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,870 Member
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    I'll also just add that there are a lot of calories between 1200 and 1500. It doesn't have to be either 1200 or 1500 ... it can be 1372 calories if you want. You get to choose! If you're not losing at 1500, drop it by 50 calories, stick to that like glue for 3 weeks and see what happens. Still no results? Drop it by another 50 calories ...
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited November 2016
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    I was 5'8 and 215lbs when I started

    I spent the first 6 weeks at 1200 cos I thought I had to, I lost the majority of my 50lbs at 1500-1800 over 9-11months

    I maintain on 2200-2400

    So 1200 was that first half block ...the rest was 1500-1800 (that's gross calories by the way ..my activity level has changed significantly from when I was fat to now when I'm not)

    o0upmdpaxjy1.png

    This is an old chart ..the green bit is much longer and more stable but still a wiggly line within it
  • Sirick86
    Sirick86 Posts: 23 Member
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    I try to stay under 1530 a day. But sometimes I do go over(1-300) and still drop. I've lost 30lbs in 4 1/2 months. But I workout an hour a day with 30min of cardio.

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