How many calories do you eat?

kasgill
kasgill Posts: 12 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am wondering what other people are using as their goal caloric intake per day? I think my goal may be too low and that is why I am not losing weight? I'm 5'5" and my goal was 1200 cals per day and I usually work out about 5x a week. No weight loss over 7 weeks...

Replies

  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    I am wondering what other people are using as their goal caloric intake per day? I think my goal may be too low and that is why I am not losing weight? I'm 5'5" and my goal was 1200 cals per day and I usually work out about 5x a week. No weight loss over 7 weeks...

    I'm 4ft 11.5, 171lb, and eating 1600 per day,

    Numbers here - http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
  • Serenity64
    Serenity64 Posts: 37
    I just started back, but at 5'9" my calorie goal is 1200. I always eat more, however, because I eat back all my exercise calories.
  • caramammal
    caramammal Posts: 147 Member
    i'm 5'4" and weigh 130lbs, and netting1200 per day (definately eating back my exercise calories). I run around 3 miles a day, so in reality i eat around 1500-1600 calories.

    Progress is very slow..i only want to lose 10-12lbs and get back to where I was before xmas, but with a desk job, and working from home, means little movement throughout the day - i'm getting frustrated..i actually gained 1lb this morning!

    I've tried millions of calculations, what would happen if I eat less/more or do less/more exercise..whichever way i look at it, for my frame and current weight, 1200 calories seems the only way to go.

    Have you tried strength training? I had good results with that - the weight was slow coming off but my body shape comlpetely changed, i got smaller.
  • tabi26
    tabi26 Posts: 535 Member
    Mine is set to my BMR so 1450. Somedays I eat my exercise cals, some days I eat some of my exercise cals and some days I just don't.....all depending on if I'm hungry or not. Yesterday morning I weighed 139.9 and ate a little over 1600 calories, drank about 4 cups of water and this morning I weigh 138. I'm a scale junky lol.

    Maybe find a BMR calculator online and see what it says. I haven't had the greatest success with my 1450 limit BUT I drink too much (alcohol lol) AND I've been getting pretty lazy when it comes to working out haha. I know that if I just stuck to it,it would work because it did work before the drinking and the laziness lol. Stupid spring and it's nice weather! Makes me wanna sit outside and enjoy a beverage (or 10) lol!
  • nickyfm
    nickyfm Posts: 1,214 Member
    5"5 about 114 pounds (though am almost sure I am a pound less. just haven't weighed in in 2.5 weeks) I eat between 1250-1300
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    I just bumped my goal to 2,000. Now that I am under my goal weight I've begun to focus on building back the muscle I lost from eating too little (1,200) and dropping another 2% body fat.

    A good place to aim for fat loss is at least your BMR + 200 calories. Under eating will cause weight loss, but you'll lose a lot of muscle which will kill your metabolism.

    The Fat2Fit Radio web site is a wonderful place to start.
  • carajo
    carajo Posts: 532 Member
    Im 5'5 and weigh 120 lbs. I am at maintence and eat between 1500-2500!! Just depending on the day!!
  • kasgill
    kasgill Posts: 12 Member
    thanks for all the replies
  • Zichu
    Zichu Posts: 542 Member
    I'm 5'5", male and weighed 121.6lb on Saturday. I upped my calories to 2000 calories on my weigh in to see how I do till my next weigh in which is this Saturday. I lift weights 3 times a week, but I work on different muscle groups on those 3 days which can last from between 30 minutes to 50 minutes depending on what I am working and if my body let's me push to get those last few reps lol.

    Sometimes I will eat my goal, maybe 100 calories above. It's good really because since I have started building more muscle I haven't noticed any bad changes to my body, mainly good and can see a lot more definition than when I started. So it's all good :D
  • shovav91
    shovav91 Posts: 2,335 Member
    1200 is extremely low. I would definitely up your calories in order to lose weight (and be safe). I eat between 1700-2100 normally, and I'm 5'9".
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
    5ft 1.8in - 1626, and never below 1519.
  • gemiwing
    gemiwing Posts: 1,525 Member
    5"6'
    BMR-1990
    TDEE-3100

    Daily intake 2500-2600

    protein- 260
    carbs- 188
    fats- 83
  • lindseejill29
    lindseejill29 Posts: 15
    Question... I just did the BMR calculator on the Fat2Fit website and it is saying this:

    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1655
    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 1896
    Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2137
    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2379
    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2620

    I work a desk job, but also try to exercise 5 days a week for at least 30 minutes. So which number do I go by? Also, MFP is setting my caloric intake to 1200. How do I change that without changing my goals? I am currently 133 and want to get down to 120-125. Sorry I am pretty new to all of this so I am a little confused!
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    I am wondering what other people are using as their goal caloric intake per day? I think my goal may be too low and that is why I am not losing weight? I'm 5'5" and my goal was 1200 cals per day and I usually work out about 5x a week. No weight loss over 7 weeks...

    Opposite for me.

    I am 5'7" tall, on 1200 calories per day and have not plateaued or stalled.

    The only time weight went back on was after a two week vacation away (two and a half pound gain), but that has gone now and I am back where I should be.

    I work out every other day.
  • weighlossforbaby
    weighlossforbaby Posts: 847 Member
    I am 5'7 and mine is 1200 calories per day but I don't always reach it because it is always lower. I walk 1 hour and 30 mins every day on the trail.
  • Elen_Sia
    Elen_Sia Posts: 638 Member
    5'1, 108 lbs and I eat 1588 cals on non-workout days and up to 2100 cals on workout days. Seriously considering upping it further.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Question... I just did the BMR calculator on the Fat2Fit website and it is saying this:

    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1655
    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 1896
    Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2137
    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2379
    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2620

    I work a desk job, but also try to exercise 5 days a week for at least 30 minutes. So which number do I go by? Also, MFP is setting my caloric intake to 1200. How do I change that without changing my goals? I am currently 133 and want to get down to 120-125. Sorry I am pretty new to all of this so I am a little confused!

    Choose activity level including your workouts.

    Go into your "goals" on MFP and choose to change it manually. I would set it to 2,000 - between light and moderate. Eat about that number every day, and don't look at the NET number on MFP any more if you log your exercise. Or don't enter your exercises in to MFP.

    The weight isn't going to come off fast because you don't have a lot of weight to lose. MFP set you to 1,200 because you told it you wanted to lose 2 pounds a week. Problem is, that is below the amount of calories your body needs for basic fuel. See how many calories it sets you to if you tell it 1/2 pound per week.
  • lindseejill29
    lindseejill29 Posts: 15
    Question... I just did the BMR calculator on the Fat2Fit website and it is saying this:

    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1655
    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 1896
    Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2137
    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2379
    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2620

    I work a desk job, but also try to exercise 5 days a week for at least 30 minutes. So which number do I go by? Also, MFP is setting my caloric intake to 1200. How do I change that without changing my goals? I am currently 133 and want to get down to 120-125. Sorry I am pretty new to all of this so I am a little confused!

    Choose activity level including your workouts.

    Go into your "goals" on MFP and choose to change it manually. I would set it to 2,000 - between light and moderate. Eat about that number every day, and don't look at the NET number on MFP any more if you log your exercise. Or don't enter your exercises in to MFP.

    The weight isn't going to come off fast because you don't have a lot of weight to lose. MFP set you to 1,200 because you told it you wanted to lose 2 pounds a week. Problem is, that is below the amount of calories your body needs for basic fuel. See how many calories it sets you to if you tell it 1/2 pound per week.


    Thank you so much! When I set it to 1/2 pound per week, it's telling me I need 1,460. I can't find where I can go in and manually change it. There is no option under my "goals".
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    My Home> Goals> Change Goals > click on "custom" option and continue
  • lindseejill29
    lindseejill29 Posts: 15
    My Home> Goals> Change Goals > click on "custom" option and continue

    thank you sooooo much for all your help!

Categories