What's your calorie goal?

niamhdean97 · December 2018

I don't know if my calorie limit is really low or if I just eat too much but I am always going over it which obviously gets me down. Mine is 1430 and I'm a 21 year old woman 😂

ckaylee · December 2018

Im a 23 year old woman and my calorie goal is 1,770! Just depends on your level of activity and overall goal

kami3006 · December 2018

It's going to vary widely due to height, weight, age, activity level. You're also supposed to add in and eat your exercise calories.

AnnPT77 · December 2018

Why are you going over? (This is not a deep philosophical question, what I mean is: Did you set your target weight loss rate too aggressively for the amount you have to lose?** Are you hungry? Are you bored? Did you not get enough sleep? Are you stressed? Are you in social situations that make you want to eat because others are? Is it about habits other than social triggers? etc. )

You don't have to answer this, but thinking about your "why", and addressing any underlying issues, is part of your path to success.

I lost most of my weight at 1400-1600 calories plus exercise calories. I was typically getting 200-300 calories of exercise most days of the week. Just for context: I'm 5'5", was age 59-60 while losing (63 now, maintaining), retired, mostly sedentary outside of intentional exercise, healthy weight for my body configuration is 120s-low 130s because I"m narrowly built.

How active you are (daily life, not just exercise) is a big factor in how many calories you need daily, as is your current height/weight. You didn't tell us any of those things as context. What other people eat or can eat is completely irrelevant to your success, truly.

** It's not a good idea to target losing more than 1% of your current body weight weekly, unless severely obese and under close medical supervision. If you have less than 25 or so pounds to lose, it may need to be even slower than that, maybe a pound a week at 25 pounds to lose, 1/2 a pound at 10-15 to go. Don't believe everything you see on reality TV or see in tabloids in the grocery checkout line.

kellyjellybellyjelly · December 2018

I have my calorie goal set to 1800 calories (I work retail & burn a lot of calories throughout the day).

Generally I stick to that calorie goal unless it's around TOM & then I'll have a fewer higher calorie days while sticking to either maintenance for the week or losing at a slower rate for that one week.

jjpptt2 · December 2018

1400(ish) sounds pretty reasonable without knowing the other details (weight loss goal, activity setting). Many people new to logging/tracking/counting calories are surprised to find out how many calories they should be eating vs how many they are actually eating.

quiksylver296 · December 2018

1800-2000 calories. 43 years old, 5'9, 188 lbs currently.

jjpptt2 · December 2018

And for perspective... keep in mind some important context.

What one person logs/reports as 1600 calories may be very different from what someone else logs/reports as 1600 calories. So while my number may be very different from someone else's, even people with the same number could be eating very very differently.

amgreenwell · December 2018

Mine is 1400 (about). I don't have much weight to lose and I eat back all exercise calories. All depends on your weight, how much you want to lose and how quickly.

LovelySavannah · December 2018

Mine is 1800, because of my job and I'm trying to become more lean so majority of my calories are from meats and healthy fats. I'm also 21.

gallicinvasion · December 2018

Mine is set at 1530. I am 5’4”, 28, and 160 lbs. Aiming continue my weight loss, now at 1 lb per week.

lynn_glenmont · December 2018

Nominally 1770 calories for half a pound a week loss ("nominally" because that's what MFP kicks out for my stats, but I seem to be a lucky outlier in the right-hand tail of the TDEE distribution curve for my stats). (Also "nominally" because five years ago I mentally shifted from a loss goal to a lose-if-you-can-but-for heaven's-sake don't-regain goal, so I'm generally OK with eating up to maintenance on any given day if I'm hungry or I just want to.)

Oh, I'm a 56-year-old woman.

If you feel like your goal is too low, can you reduce your per-week weight loss goal (say, from 2 lbs to 1 lb or from 1 lb to a half pound)? And are you logging your exercise and eating at least a portion of the calories burned, in addition to your regular goal?

sketchergal · December 2018

I'm pulling my hair out!
I was on 1200 calories a day as I'm hardly moving right now ....I have a torn muscle in my foot.
I'm 5,1 40yrs and overweight due to an underactive thyroid.
I need to loose so less weight on the foot, but can't exercise.

I've gone from being a competition kickboxer (whilst being overweight) training hard to sitting most of the time with the foot.

It's nearly impossible to stick to 1200 a day when I leave the house at 6 and back at 4.30.... currently sitting in an office. I'm always starving hungry.

I lost 5lb in 6 weeks.
I changed my diet to eating lean rather than calorie watching and have put half my 5lb back on in less than a week.
I don't know why I'm bothering.

neugebauer52 · December 2018

The MFP calculation gives me me 1740 calories a day. I walk as much as possible and over the months I have been within that range.

What's your calorie goal?

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