i'm NOT losing it!

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mxhelili
mxhelili Posts: 33
in Health and Weight Loss
So, I've been to different websites trying to calculate my daily caloric needs and I've been getting conflicting results. I'm 5'3'' and 115 lbs. Some websites say I need around 1800 cals to maintain my weight, others say I need around 1500.:noway:
i know that in order to lose 1 lb a week, i need to reduce my daily cal intake by 300. But i don't know which caloric base to follow. does anyone have a clear idea of how much a 5'3'' 115lb person should consume per day to lose 1 lb per week?
thanks in advance for the help.:blushing:

Replies

  • TheGoblinRoad
    TheGoblinRoad Posts: 835 Member
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    It's 500 per day for a deficit.

    Takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose a pound.

    300 a day would amount to 2,100 a week = 6/10ths of a pound.


    Salt intake's going to throw that number off in either direction, though.
  • TheGoblinRoad
    TheGoblinRoad Posts: 835 Member
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    If 1800 is to maintain, then to lose 1 lb a week, aim for 1,300 intake.
  • KatWood
    KatWood Posts: 1,135 Member
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    Correct me if I am wrong but isn't 115lbs well within the healthy range for a woman who is 5'3"?

    That being said, losing 1 lb per week is not realistic since you have so little to lose.

    The variance in the calories needed to maintain your weight may be do to activity level. It depends on what various sites take into consideration. However, unless you have a very physically demanding job, 1500 cals is probably closer to what you need to maintain.
  • danielley08
    danielley08 Posts: 23
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    Each weight-loss website is like going to see a different doctor with the same problem...each one will have a different diagnosis...

    Just pick one and stick with it...Don't flip flop back and forth...if after a few weeks one program isn't working, maybe try another one...just depends on the time frame you are willing to commit to each program...

    But like TGR said...3500 cals equals one pound...so it would be 500 a day (500X7=3500)...
  • mxhelili
    mxhelili Posts: 33
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    wow. 500 is a lot. that means i only get to consume 1000 calories/day if i follow the 1500 maintenance guide. don't know if that's healthy or even attainable...
  • TheGoblinRoad
    TheGoblinRoad Posts: 835 Member
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    wow. 500 is a lot. that means i only get to consume 1000 calories/day if i follow the 1500 maintenance guide. don't know if that's healthy or even attainable...

    It's not. You have to get in 1200 minimum, according to the experts. Means you should be aiming for a loss of 6/10lbs a week at most, if all you do is change diet. If you're exercising then you could eat more. :)
  • golden1
    golden1 Posts: 11
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    Wow, I would kill a drifter to weight in at 115 again. Just eat right and stay active....you are perfect!
  • Timothy2000
    Timothy2000 Posts: 108
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    You should be at least eating 1200 anything under is not healthy, 1800 is to maintain so minus 500 that is 1300 to lose a pound a week, there are other factors that go into it as well. I do not know the whole science behind it, and I doubt anyone fully knows. What I do know is that from exercise and eating right I have lost 17 pounds within the past month and a half. I don't know my scale maybe be wrong but I started out at 217 and now I am at 200 so I don't know maybe it has something to do with being diabetic. I would not worry so much about the results. Just feel good about working out and eating healthy and results will come they may come slow or quick but they will come.
  • geicko
    geicko Posts: 151
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    Losing weight the healthy way when you don't really have weight to lose can take very long...

    At 115, my bet is your weight is not the issue. FAT probably is. By doing regular weight lifting and eating healthy, you will develop muscles, reduce your body fat, drop inches, but you might not necessarily see any difference on the scale.

    My body has changed a lot over the last 6 months. I didn't "lose" weight but my body fat % did drop.
  • mxhelili
    mxhelili Posts: 33
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    yes, the fat percentage, not so much my weight, is my main concern. i'm dancing a lot now, and i have noticed an increase in muscle tone but i still don't feel thin enough. maybe it's because i'm short and i can't really achieve the languid look i'm going for.
  • Chiny
    Chiny Posts: 321
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    Losing weight the healthy way when you don't really have weight to lose can take very long...

    At 115, my bet is your weight is not the issue. FAT probably is. By doing regular weight lifting and eating healthy, you will develop muscles, reduce your body fat, drop inches, but you might not necessarily see any difference on the scale.

    My body has changed a lot over the last 6 months. I didn't "lose" weight but my body fat % did drop.

    This is exactly what I need to do :brokenheart:
  • geicko
    geicko Posts: 151
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    yes, the fat percentage, not so much my weight, is my main concern. i'm dancing a lot now, and i have noticed an increase in muscle tone but i still don't feel thin enough. maybe it's because i'm short and i can't really achieve the languid look i'm going for.

    I can't speak for you, but I know I'll never have those sexy lonnnnnnnnnng legs I'd be dying for, whatever my weight is. Weighting less won't give me those extra inches I'm lacking ! Each body is different, and only a small portion of us have that great hourglass shape we see in movies and magazines... I have friends who are a lot heavier/fatter than me but still look a lot better because their shape is just what we are used to see :brokenheart:

    That being said, maybe you do have that great body shape (:grumble: ) !

    Just don't be too hard on you trying to reach unattainable goal.

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