1200 calories/ day or 1500/day for weight loss?

njbeachmom
njbeachmom Posts: 5
in Introduce Yourself
Different calorie calculators are giving all different numbers even though they ask the same questions!!!
Let's be real... 300 extra calories is a lot of wine! :happy:

Replies

  • _Corinne_
    _Corinne_ Posts: 188 Member
    Hi - I don't know the answer to your question but I agree about the wine! =)
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    Go with 1500. If you don't lose you can adjust from there. The more calories you can consume while still losing, the easier it will be and the more likely you will be to sustain it.

    Edited to add: BTW, everyone is different. I lose at about 2100 calories/day.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Go with 1500. If you don't lose you can adjust from there. The more calories you can consume while still losing, the easier it will be and the more likely you will be to sustain it.

    ^^^^ This.

    300 calories is a little over a half-pound a week. Start with 1500 because you want to start comfortable and develop good eating habits. Get your macros (fats, carbs, proteins) in balance. Get some sweaty workouts in and add those calories in. Get the water in. Start developing some good habits.

    See how you feel in 2-3 weeks. If you feel energetic and can support some nice sweaty workouts but aren't losing weight as fast as your goal says you should, drop the goal by the 300 calories and give that a week or two. Feel free to experiment, because the whole point is to learn to control your weight, not just lose it.
  • EmelyJ
    EmelyJ Posts: 208
    I was doing 1600 calories a day for a while, and it didn't work for me. It only helped me to maintain. So I've drop down to 1200 calories and so fair I seem to see results. I recently made the change about two weeks ago. But I can most def, see some improvement. I say go with what works best for you.
  • njbeachmom
    njbeachmom Posts: 5
    Great advice. Thanks! I found that my sugar is high and protein pretty low. At least based on when I started tracking yesterday.


    I'm a runner. Usually 10-20 miles a week. Got a bad sprained ankle a couple weeks ago, haven't been exercising and gained 5 lbs. ugh.
  • njbeachmom
    njbeachmom Posts: 5
    I am really freakin hungry! :cry:
  • ipsamet
    ipsamet Posts: 436 Member
    300 extra calories is a lot of wine! :happy:

    Woman after my own heart!

    Honestly, I have done way better the more I eat... but, I eat between 1900-2400 calories a day, depending on my work out and have been losing 1-2 pounds a week. Feeling hungry is not good, and not the basis for a sustainable diet!
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    I am really freakin hungry! :cry:

    When transitioning to a deficit, it's normal to feel hungry. Give your body time to adjust. Cinnamon gum and extra water helps

    High sugar/carbs and low protein/fat will make it worse. Until you adjust your diet, maybe allow yourself a little extra calories in the form of protein until you get your proteins/fat up.

    Try eating a bunch of smaller meals when running a caloric deficit. You'll never be full, but you'll never feel really hungry. This can help prevent cheating (it works for me, but you have to experiment to find what works for you - some people prefer one or two large meals, I find that puts me in a blood sugar spike/crash and I'm miserable).
  • tripitena
    tripitena Posts: 554 Member
    Go with 1500. If you don't lose you can adjust from there. The more calories you can consume while still losing, the easier it will be and the more likely you will be to sustain it.

    Ditto. Feeling deprived leads to cheating and failure. We are tempted to eat as little as possible thinking we will lose more but it never works. Certainly not in the long term. Eat right instead.

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