How many calories do I need?
 

I am a 5'5 female and I weigh 282lbs. I'm having truble trying to figure out how many calories I need. I started my weight loss journey about four weeks ago and I have lost about six pounds. Honestly, with as much weight as I have to lose I thought it would be more. But I can't complain, it's better than gaining!
I am trying to count calories and exercise. But I think I am not eating enough calories, could that be why I am not losing more than what I have? I have tried to figure it out with those calculators you see online and they tell me I should be eating like 3,000 calories and then subtract for exercise and so on. Could this be right? I don't see how I could ever lose weight if I am supposed to be having that much clalories and I have knocked down to about 1800. I guess my body is starving and holding on to the fat. I don't know I guess I am confused about how many I am supposed to be having and still be able to lose weight. If anyone can help me or direct me to maybe a previous post that would shed some light I would appreciate it! Thanks in advance, you guys are always so helpful.
Ginge

HHmmmm.... now I'm NO expert, but I'd say around 2,000 and you'd probably lose. Let's see what everyone else has to say, but that's my humble little opinion. Good Luck! (You should post here more often, too!:D) -Apryl

Okay....first, welcome! :D

Second, I plugged your info into the basal metabolic rate calculator at Discovery.com (http://health.discovery.com/tools/ca...sal/basal.html) and it says your BMR is 2039 calories. Your BMR is the number of calories your body would burn if you just laid around in bed 24 hours a day; it's what you need just to function.

Without figuring in any exercise at all, if you are eating 1800 calories a day, then you have a calorie deficit of 239 calories per day. This comes out to 1673 calories a week. You need to burn 3500 calories to burn a pound of fat, so at a calorie deficit of 1673 per week, you're burning a little under a half pound of fat per week. Six pounds in four weeks is right about on track, then.

I don't know if you should dip much more below 1800 calories a week. On the other hand, I am about 50 lbs. lighter than you and must exercise religiously to see a loss at my current intake of about 1740 calories per day. You might want to look more at upping the frequency and intensity of your exercise, if possible. (But do it slowly, and make sure you're doctor is okay with it first!)

Oh yeah...and drink your water. I guess current wisdom is 64 oz. plus an extra 8 oz. for every 20 lbs. over your ideal weight you are.

I hope I helped a little!

Hhmm, for me that means if I want to lose a pound a week, I have to get down to 1210 calories per day (with a combo of exercise and food). That sounds a little daunting, although I'm losing weight so I guess I'm doing it.

Ginge, I find fitday.com a great place to count calories and see how many calories I've burned with exercise. It's free. I cook a lot from Cooking Light magazine recipes and it's easy to sit down with the magazine and enter the nutritional information plus it has an extensive list of foods already in the database.

Good luck--and welcome!

282*13= 3666 cal to maintain, that is if your metabolism hasn't slowed to a crawl.

Make a food journal for 7-14 days found out how many calories you eat on average to maintain the same weight, then thru a combo of excercise and diet knock off 500-1000 a day. Talking to your Dr. or a nutritionist might be in order to jump start your success.

Miss Chris

I seem to lose nicely on 1800 calories.

Calorieking.com is the best for looking stuff up.

I use fitday.com too. It really keeps me on track. I believe it's the calorie deficit that really does it for you. And you can make it by either eating less or moving more. Best is a combination of both. I really like the food diary idea. Then you'll really know how much you are using to maintain your current weight. Good idea, Miss Chris.

See, I knew you guys would be so helpful! Thank you so much for all of the great info and useful resources. I especially like the idea that it is "free". You've all really shed some light on my problem and I think I definitely need to do a diary and see exactly how many calories I am eating a day. As far as water, I drink more than enough because that's all I drink. I may need to make my exercise sessions more intense, but I figured that would be easier when I lose more weight. Right now I am lucky if I get through my 30 minutes of Walk Away The Pounds tape. I think all of you have good ideas and I appreciate any help I can get.
Ginge