how many calories do you eat a day?

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Replies

  • flrancho
    flrancho Posts: 271 Member
    To loose weight, around 1700-1800 per day if I'm hitting the gym. When I don't go to the gym (which are usually weekends or holidays when they're closed, about 1200 to 1400).
  • Dainty2018
    Dainty2018 Posts: 4 Member
    i try to stay around 1400 but I go up to 1700 if I dip into my exercise calories. I am trying to loose about 20 LBS. I was stuck at a plateau for months and didn't start loosing until I started tracking my calories, increasing protein and restricting my beverages to only water and my morning coffee. I have to bulk up on low calorie foods to remain satisfied. I make protein smoothies and stuff them with spinach before blending it up.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 1,983 Member
    Struggling with this one right now, hoping some meal prep will help me get back on track.

    Not having issues maintaining 155, but that's definitely too chunky for my frame, by at least 15 pounds, possibly closer to 25 pounds.

    Currently working out ~10 hours a week, about half of that is martial arts training the other half is weight lifting. Also have a reasonably spirited motorcycle ride or track day/race for at least a couple hours on the weekend before my part-time job.

    If I stick to my calorie range of 1,544 - 2,019/day, I can keep a slow loss trend (like .2-.5 lb/week), but tend to eat at the higher end. If I try to eat at the lower end, my energy levels and workouts seem to suffer almost immediately, but if I'm missing too many workouts in a week, I try to cut to the lower end of that.

    If I'm not tracking (like most of April for me), I definitely eat over that far too often (which is why I now have a couple pounds I need to re-lose :neutral: ).
  • SportyKirsty
    SportyKirsty Posts: 28 Member
    ive calculated my maintenance weight and then in order to loose 2lb (1KG) a week I need to have 1000 calories less than that as 500cal less per day = 1lb a week loss.

    So I have my maintenance calories and all the calories from working out added onto that and then provided I always have a surplus of 1000 calories at the end of the day im laughing

    so 1500 maintenance + 500 work out = 2000 so I eat 1000 that day and have 1000 towards my loss.
    or 1500 Maintenance + 800 work out = 2300 so I eat 1300 and have 1000 spare. so mines all depends on how active I am.
  • Running_and_Coffee
    Running_and_Coffee Posts: 811 Member
    I aim for under 1400 a day--usually hitting 1350-1390. I'm 5'4, 135 lbs., on keto, and active (running, spinning, weights, Orange Theory, etc.)
  • rianneonamission
    rianneonamission Posts: 854 Member
    ive calculated my maintenance weight and then in order to loose 2lb (1KG) a week I need to have 1000 calories less than that as 500cal less per day = 1lb a week loss.

    So I have my maintenance calories and all the calories from working out added onto that and then provided I always have a surplus of 1000 calories at the end of the day im laughing

    so 1500 maintenance + 500 work out = 2000 so I eat 1000 that day and have 1000 towards my loss.
    or 1500 Maintenance + 800 work out = 2300 so I eat 1300 and have 1000 spare. so mines all depends on how active I am.

    1000 calories a day isn't considered safe, unless you are a very slight very short person. Why such a great deficit? Your body will be burning a fair amount of muscle at those numbers.
  • midlomel1971
    midlomel1971 Posts: 1,283 Member
    edited May 2018
    I'm 5'8", currently about 180 and MFP has me at about 1400. I usually end up earning about 300 calories from working out. Some days I eat those calories (meaning I end up eating 1700 a day), but sometimes I don't. I'm aiming to lose about 1-2 pounds a week. GW is 150.
  • LaughHappy907
    LaughHappy907 Posts: 44 Member
    I'm at 1100. I'm 5'5" and have an office job and all my hobbies are tech related so I don't need much food to feel good since I don't burn much throughout the day. I hate working out so strictly control my intake. I eat a lot of eggs and veggie soup.
  • DawnBarstow
    DawnBarstow Posts: 14 Member
    I'm 5"2 and 33 years old. I'm on 1200 a day but often top up 200- 300 most days with exercise. At weekends I'll double my work out times so I can have treats. Seems to be ok so far
  • KcRavassa
    KcRavassa Posts: 45 Member
    I'm 28, 5'5" - SW: 151, CW: 145 lb with a GW at about 130ish (TBD) and a very sedentary office job. I have my calories set at 1400 and I eat back about half of my exercise calories mainly because I don't trust the values MFP gives for things. Seems to be working out so far, not dealing with hunger and I have energy to complete my workouts which mainly consist of rock climbing, lunch hour walks, and random bits of hiking/cycling here and there.
  • TitaniaEcks
    TitaniaEcks Posts: 351 Member
    I fear that I eat depressingly few calories just to maintain. I haven't logged in a while and prefer not to, I just know by instinct what I can and can't eat in order to stay at maintenance... but for the last few years I've wondered if I don't have a very bad metabolism. I just re-dropped 15 lbs (which I'd accidentally gained over the course of a year after being prescribed a new blood pressure med that's known to cause weight gain), and I'm enjoying being back at goal so I'm not about to start experimenting just now. But eventually I want to start logging and messing with calorie intake to see at what levels I gain, lose, and maintain. But I have a nagging suspicion that I maintain at 1200-1400 even though I'm 34 y/o, 5'8" and weigh 130-132. My maintenance calories should be around 1600.
  • allisonlane161
    allisonlane161 Posts: 269 Member
    1200-1500. I'm 5'7.5" and weigh 160-162. Want to lose around 12-15 more. I workout around 4-5 times a week, both weights and cardio. But I'm 56 and losing seems a bit harder to do. Gym days I'm usually around the upper 1400's, non-gym days under the 1400's. I eat a lot of raw vegetables and lower amount of fruits to keep the full feeling, along with keeping up with the protein numbers.
  • TitaniaEcks
    TitaniaEcks Posts: 351 Member
    On the other hand, though, what does it really matter if we discover our maintenance is 200 cals under this or 300 cals over that. There are bigger fish to fry, aren't there. One of my exes is 6'3" and weighs 145 lbs (!!) and by my calculations he eats almost 3000 calories a day... metabolism varies widely. If I have to omit one candy bar per day to maintain (I don't eat candy bars but you get my point), then big whoop as long as it keeps me at a weight I'm comfortable with. Am I right.
  • HilTri
    HilTri Posts: 378 Member
    MPF has me at 2020 I usually burn about 1000 (elliptical ~100, strength training ~200 and running ~700 or spin ~ 650). I don't eat exercise calories generally. My daily intake is ~1900.
  • SportyKirsty
    SportyKirsty Posts: 28 Member
    ive calculated my maintenance weight and then in order to loose 2lb (1KG) a week I need to have 1000 calories less than that as 500cal less per day = 1lb a week loss.

    So I have my maintenance calories and all the calories from working out added onto that and then provided I always have a surplus of 1000 calories at the end of the day im laughing

    so 1500 maintenance + 500 work out = 2000 so I eat 1000 that day and have 1000 towards my loss.
    or 1500 Maintenance + 800 work out = 2300 so I eat 1300 and have 1000 spare. so mines all depends on how active I am.

    1000 calories a day isn't considered safe, unless you are a very slight very short person. Why such a great deficit? Your body will be burning a fair amount of muscle at those numbers.

    I am a short person- Im 5'1. And I don't eat 1000 calories a day, I ensure my calculator has 1000 left on it left to eat. I maintain weight at 1450/1500. so I cut back 450/500 to loose and I leave my exercised calories on there too which gives me the 1000. I don't eat my workout calories back.
  • DomesticKat
    DomesticKat Posts: 565 Member
    I'm still breastfeeding a one year old and losing a pound a week with 2000 calories a day + steps adjustment. I'm 5'1" and 135lbs. I think my breastfeeding deficit is around 350 calories if I had to guess and my food deficit is 250 when l compare my MFP numbers with my Fitbit. I'm active (10,000+ steps a day) and follow a progressive strength training program 3 or 4 days a week so I've retained a lot of muscle as I've lost 60lbs. For me it all comes down to NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis).
  • RadishEater
    RadishEater Posts: 470 Member
    1600-1900 calories depending on how much I exercise, which is usually at least 200 worth of calories every day. I'm 5'7 129 lbs in recomp, trying to inch my way into being more toned.
  • llamb4160
    llamb4160 Posts: 3 Member
    I eat around 1200 per day. I'm 5'8" and I don't know what I weigh but guessing at 150. I exercise 5 or 6 days a week (cardio and pilates) and I never eat my exercise calories back. I find if I eat more than 1500 calories I don't lose anything and after about 1800 I put on weight. I'm 50 so maybe metabolism slowing, but I've always hovered around this size with clothes being tighter or looser depending on how fit I am and how much I watch my sugar/grain intake