What is your "daily calorie goal", and are you losing weight

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niightwind
niightwind Posts: 81
in Food and Nutrition
Since I've started counting my calories, its been pretty difficult for me. I used to eat TONS of junk food, and over 2400 calories a day :embarassed:
I was shocked when I saw how much I was eating...
I'm trying to maintain now a daily calorie goal of around 1250-1450.
Some days I go over, but generally its been good:

Saturday: 1250
Sunday: 1862
Monday: 1568
Tuesday: 1293

However, I haven't noticed myself losing a whole lot of weight yet. I'm wondering if I should lower my calorie intake.
Can anyone give me some advice?

Replies

  • ashby00
    ashby00 Posts: 30 Member
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    I'm having the same dilemma....I've set my goal at 1400 net calories a day as I'm quite tall...I'm 5'9", and I would have been going through around 2400 calories pre-diet as well! I've yet to see if this has a significant impact along with making sure I exercise every day, I'm going to hang on for a week more at this level and see if it works anyway, or if I should bring it down to 1200, but I would also appreciate any advice anyone has on this..... All the best! x
  • dirtbikegirl5
    dirtbikegirl5 Posts: 391 Member
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    I am at 1200 per day. I never go over and I never eat my exercise calories. Truthfully, I have a hard enough time getting in the 1200. I have maintained my weight without gaining and it seems like I lose and gain back the same pound. However, I have learned to focus on the inches that I am losing instead of the weight.
  • itsuki
    itsuki Posts: 520 Member
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    Congrats on starting to count your calories!

    One thing I noticed when looking through your diary is that you still have a bit of junk food in there - nothing wrong with having a treat now and then, but there are lots of days when chips, cookies, and candy are more than 1/3 of your daily calories. That, and you seem to be eating a lot of sodium! Lots of sodium makes the body hold on to water.

    Try incorporating more fruits, veggies, and lean proteins into your diet, and maybe work on avoiding processed foods. Don't give up the treats entirely, just try to eat them in moderation!

    Oh, and to answer your question:
    I started out at 1200 a day, and I did eat my exercise calories back. Now I'm up to 1350 + exercise calories. I'm averaging 1-2 pounds lost per week, but more importantly I'm losing inches and building muscle. I definitely wouldn't recommend cutting back on calories!
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    What is your recommended calorie goal? If you are going over it, it will take longer to lose. You have lost 8 lbs.
  • paj315
    paj315 Posts: 335 Member
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    My goal is to eat my BMR which is 1561.

    I just started doing it this way this week. I was at about 1200 cal and losing only a tenth of a pound a week. So we'll see if I lose this week!

    My trainer says I will because I, previously, hadn't been eating enough to sustain the amount of working out I've been doing.

    I will TOTALLY blame him though if I gain this week!
  • krichardson0102
    krichardson0102 Posts: 19 Member
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    I think sometimes that it takes a little time for your body to start losing weight too. The first week I ate 1200 a day I only lost 1 lb, the following week I lost 6 lbs. Hang in there and try your best to eat less junk food and more healthy calories, things like veggies, fruit, and protein. Good luck to you keep it up!!!!!!!!11
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
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    I'm eating around my BMR, around 1380. I'm very close to it most days with one day a week at maintenance 1630. I'm not losing anything. :-(
  • ashby00
    ashby00 Posts: 30 Member
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    Thanks everyone, this is really great advice! X
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    OP, remember it takes a calorie deficit of roughtly 3,500 to lose 1lb of fat. Are you exercising too?

    Personally, im eating around 2,500 a day, and burning off 800-1000 a day. Working well for me, and i get to eat whatever i like after i hit my macros! :D
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
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    I see you joined just this month, and your ticker shows that you have lost 7 lbs so far. That seems like a great start to me. If you set your MFP goal to lose about 1 lb per week, eat all of your exercise calories, track both food and exercise as accurately as possible, you will continue to succeed. You didn't gain weight overnight, so you will not lose it overnight.

    To answer your question, I usually eat about 2,000-2,200 calories per day. That usually leaves me with a 350-500 calorie deficit, depending on exercise and how hungry I am.

    Also, no, you should not lower your calorie intake.

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