How many calories do you shoot for?

[ThisYear]

A few different sites like freediet and sparkpeople have given me a target of about 2000 calories per day according to my weight/height. I was a little surprised because that is really a large amount of food compared to what i've been trying to stick to.

Just wondering, are any of you eating this amount and losing? How often do you scale down and eat less?

[Gracie789]

I aim for anywhere from 1200-1800 depending on my activity level for the day...I eat more calories on days I'm exercising and getting a lot of activity, less when I'm being slug-like. Also, I have a fairly inactive job. I spend most of the day sitting around the office, really only exercising when I workout, so this calorie range has worked for my lifestyle.

[playfullyme]

Great question.

I am a newbie but I am going for 1700-2000. Depending on what we are having.

[CLCSC145]

I started shooting for 1700, now I aim for 1500.

[crcossel]

Ok am smaller and I eat 1700 to 2000 a day. Being as you have more weight you should be eating more than me......

[dessi]

I shoot for between 1400-1700 depending on what I do that day, and what I have a craving for. If I really want chocolate, I'll have closer to 1700, if not, I stick closer to 1400. It really just depends on the day.

[KTFaith05]

I am trying to stay at 1600 and so far this has worked for me. Some days I eat less, but basically I try to stay at the 1600 count...if I am still hungry after that, then I just go to bed! LOL

[Enduring Infinity]

We're similar in height and weight and I'm eating 2000 calories/day (I actually average 2080 calories/day according to FitDay) and I'm losing about 1.5lbs - 3lbs/week while doing so.

[lavieboheme73]

I try to stay under 1500, but occasionally allow 1800. Most days, I average between 1200-1400.

[nngraves777]

I was doing 1500 but was still hungry and doing 1800 to 2000.I got on mypyramid.gov website and you put in your height and weight and it said I should eat 2200 and would not gain any weight at that intake.It is pretty good because it also tells you how much dairy,proten,meat,etc you should eat and you can plan meals on there too.My doc did tell me though that a person could eat 1200 cal a day and it equals having bypass surgry.He did say you should take vitiams to make sure you get all your vitiams in.Actually when i was on the pyramid site when i put my weight in it said i was to over weight to tell me the right calorie intake but asked if i wanted the amount for a healthy weight at my hieght and i said yes and it said 2200.Plus it also ask you what is your activity to figure your right intake so get on there it will help you figure better.I think if you stay under 2000 you'll lose weight.

[Heather]

I started calorie counting at around your weight and lost steadily (1-3 pounds/week) for a long time at 2000 calories/day. As I lost weight I began incorporating more exercise and that helped me keep it between 1800-2000 for much of my weight loss journey.

[catherinef]

Having been there, I'd say start as high as you possibly can, while still losing weight. I lost brilliantly at about 2K to start, and didn't even seriously start dropping my calories until I was almost out of the 300s. If it doesn't work, you can always reassess and drop a little, you know? It's easy to be all gung-ho at the beginning, but I think there's a danger of burning out if you try to slash your calorie intake too much at the start.

[Wild Vulpix]

I did 1650 last week but lost little/nothing. I'm going to try 1550 this week. Regardless, I won't go under 1500 until I lose AT LEAST 20lbs. So if the rate is too slow at 1500, then I guess I'll just have to burn more calories with exercise

[kayleystar]

I aim for 1400-1800 calories a day, depending on the day, and just how much I think I can eat! Sparkpeople tells me I need to consume 2000-2400 a day, but I just can't eat that much!

[ThisYear]

Thanks for the help, everyone. I think I'm gonna stay around 1900-2000 for a few weeks and then adjust if I need to. Thanks again!