Women: how much do you eat NET to maintain

Seffell
Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
edited November 17 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
If you are maintaining at your goal weight, I'm curious to know how much you eat NET to maintain. Could you also add, please if you're strength training or not.

Much appreciated.

Me: I'm still cutting but I maintain at 1500cal net, no lifting. (Just starting a lifting program).

(Mostly women as I won't be able to relate to men's intake)
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Replies

  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
    Just a warning, my tracking has been spotty lately, I think I maintain on 1700-1800/day. I do at least an hour of low to moderate intensity cardio a day, my steps range from 12 000 - 20 000. I lift using dumbells about 4 times a week for about 20 min each session. I'm 5'4 and +/- 110lbs.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    1700 NET maintenance
    I'm 5'7"
    138 pds.
  • DanyellMcGinnis
    DanyellMcGinnis Posts: 315 Member
    I am 5'5", 39 years old, maintaining between about 117 and 120. I usually eat as close to my goal calories as I can, so my net daily intake (as determined by MFP) is around 1510-1520 (met by after-dinner snacks).

    My total intake for the day is generally between 2200 and 2300 (more on Friday) but I do a LOT of cardio.

    I am not lifting right now other than kettlebell workouts a couple of times a week (I do plyometric exercises during the breaks).
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    Thank you.

    That's interesting. My current maintenance is lower comparing to the above considering I'm 5'7 and 139lbs.
    I'm going to assume that the reason is that I'm almost obese going by my fat mass vs my lean mass. I've been a couch potato and/or on bed rest for many years and have almost no muscle to speak of.
    So my new lifting routine should have a positive effect on my maintenance. That's encouraging.

    I'm eager to see more replies.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    2000 net. I'm 5-7" and 145#. I'm a year into SL5x5
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    0
  • lionessNV
    lionessNV Posts: 136 Member
    Mine is about 1700ish. I do Daily Burn, it's mix of cardio and strength, everyday. I'm 5'6 and 160#
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,282 Member
    1710.

    Am 53 years old, weigh 62 kg, 164 cm tall ( bit under 5 ft 4 in) BMI 23.

    I do not do strength training.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    gebeziseva wrote: »
    TimothyFish wrote: »
    gebeziseva wrote: »
    TimothyFish wrote: »
    0

    Did you have anything in mind when you wrote this?

    Sure, the definition of "net" is that you take what you eat and subtract your TDEE. To maintain weight that number can only be zero.

    In MFP diary 'net = eaten - intentional exercise'.

    Thanks for your input.

    So, if you are asking about MFP Net instead of net calories, what you really want to know is NEAT.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited April 2017
    At 5ft 2 1/4" / 47yrs/ 128lbs my net (I use TDEE method) to maintain is 1900-2000 cals. My active lifestyle factors into that number.

    I strength train 2 to 3 times a week.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    NET would probably be around 1600 - it's the same as sedentary TDEE, right? It's nowhere near enough calories for me though so I try to stay active.

    I'm 39, 5'5", 140 lbs.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    net 1800 cals to maintain.

    i am a runner, i do a token amount of strength training 2 x a week.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    At the current trajectory of my sedentary maintenance, I suspect it will be around 1500±50 at my goal weight, which is about 10 pounds higher than your current weight. I'm around your age and 5'6, so close enough.
  • allyphoe
    allyphoe Posts: 618 Member
    5'4", ~150, 43, no particular strength training. Somewhere in the 2,050 range.
  • ChelzFit
    ChelzFit Posts: 292 Member
    5'7 135 and I NET 1,900 calories a day to maintain. I workout 4 days a week (hour mixed with weights and cardio) and on those days I consume 2,300-2,400 a day. The other three days I keep active with brisk walking and eat around 2,100-2,200 calories. I rarely ever eat 1,900 calories because I am so active.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    ~2200 calories net to maintain. 5'9", currently 171 lbs, goal weight undetermined. Heavy lifting 5X week.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    I'm 5'4" and 144.

    I maintain around 1800. Some weeks I might hit the 2000 mark for average, but I'll need to even that out across the month to 1800 ish if I want to maintain.

    I DO strength train. Mostly heavy/powerlifting type. Low reps and long set breaks. This strength training does very very little for my calorie burn.

    I am a "lightly active" person including my strength training and teaching job (my ACTIVE steps are not that high) though I get about 12k steps on average.

    No cardio. Cardio would increase my TDEE if done consistently but I hate it.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    Thanks everyone! This has been very insightful.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,225 Member
    Somewhere in the vicinity of 2000 net to maintain. I'm 5'5", weight in the mid-120s, 61 years old. I don't lift weights in any routine organized way, but I have a fair amount of muscle (especially for someone my age, I think). I don't know why it's that high (I'm sedentary outside of intentional exercise) - just lucky.
  • annaskiski
    annaskiski Posts: 1,212 Member
    edited April 2017
    I'm guessing everyone not specifically stating that this is their non-exercise # is offering their TDEE number....
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,225 Member
    annaskiski wrote: »
    I'm guessing everyone not specifically stating that this is their non-exercise # is offering their TDEE number....

    Not me. 2000 (approximately) is the number before exercise. TDEE varies by season (I'm an on-water rower in a region with Winter, and my exercise is a little more desultory in Winter.). TDEE in summer is probably 2300ish or higher. Calculators estimate my NEAT around 1500 based on 5'5", 120s, age 61, sedentary. For me, they're wrong . . . a lot wrong.

    Since MFP is a NEAT-based site, I'm a little more skeptical that people are offering their TDEE (though I know that some here prefer to use TDEE, especially in maintenance). I don't think you can infer from the numbers people offer that they're giving the incorrect (i.e., not net-as-MFP-defines-it) number, though they might be.




  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    No idea what my net is as I don't put much faith in activity/calorie burn calculators and so don't use them.

    I'm 46 and 5'6. I maintained within 5 pounds (145-150) on an average of 1700 calories a day for 3 months w/roughly 10K steps a day + 2 hours interval type cardio and 2 hours resistance training.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    I eat between 1850-2000 calories at 131.8# at 5'2". I don't pay attention to "net". I feel it's stupid. I follow TDEE as it's simpler for me. If I didn't exercise I'd be maintaining on 1200 calories.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    My wife is 5'2"-5'3" and will be 42...she fluctuates between 125-135 depending on the time of year...she lifts once per week and is an avid runner...her total (gross) maintenance calories are around 2300...she runs pretty much 5x per week and does a couple of 1/2s annually.
  • CJ_Holmes
    CJ_Holmes Posts: 759 Member
    edited April 2017
    I maintain at 2200-2400 calories total (I don't add/subtract exercise). I do CrossFit 3-4 times/week, bike 3-4 hours/week, run 1-2x week. I'm 5'7" and around 150 lb. I've increased my lean mass over the past two years by about 10 lb with lifting and CrossFit.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,743 Member
    MFP gave me 1470 for maintenance but I kept losing so I upped that to 1600. I walk and run so usually end up eating 2000 or more gross calories. I've been going over a lot lately, but not gaining, so I think even 1600 is probably too low. Now that I'm not race training, I hope to get a better idea of what I actually need.
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