This is pretty much what I am doing. I'm actually sitting right at 1980. This enables me to feel satisfied most days and still lose 1.25 lbs a week fairly consistently. I thought I'd post the info in case any new people need ideas.
I've noticed the weight coming off a bit more slowly lately, will most likely need to reduce calories a bit more or add some exercise. I was pleasantly surprised to find I could lose weight while still eating 2000 calories a day. That high of a daily calorie level doesn't sound "diet-y" at all!
Last edited by Michelle98272; 06-01-2010 at 01:42 PM.
i eat close to 2000 healthy calories a day. I try to make sure that i burn 2300-3000 on days like this. i am not someone who can just eating tiny portions, if i do i end up bingeing anyways!
I have been eating 2000 calories or more per day on average the last few months. I do lose weight at that level, in the range of 4 pounds per month IF I am exercising vigorously at least 30 minutes per day. (If I'm not exercising, it's more like 1 pound per month loss. Exercise is really important for me in weight loss at this point.)
For June, I am dropping down to 1800 calories per day average, in order to see what that does for me. Last year when I was losing well, I wasn't exercising quite so much but I was eating at 1800 calories average. So, I know this is do-able for me; the only reason I'm dropping down these couple of hundred calories is because I'd like to speed up my loss a little. I estimate that my current maintenance calories are around 2400-2500.
Thanks for sharing this. I try to eat between 1600 and 1800, but some days I barely hit 1200 because I fear going over. I know I need to up my calories some more.
I used the formula below to figure out about how many calories I have to eat to be able to lose 2 lbs a week. The websites I look at all said it takes dropping about 500 calories a day to lose 1 lb a week. I subtracted 1000 calories from my BMR to get an amount to eat everyday. When your weight drops, you need to update and change your calorie intake to help yourself continue to drop the lbs.
Calculate Your BMR
Your BMR is the amount of energy your body needs to function. We use about 60% of the calories we consume each day for basic bodily functions such as breathing.
Other factors that influence your BMR are height, weight, age and sex.
Step one is to calculate your BMR with the following formula:
Women:
655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
Men:
66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)
Please note that this formula applies only to adults.
Calculate Activity
Step two: In order to incorporate activity into your daily caloric needs, do the following calculation:
If you are sedentary : BMR x 20 percent
If you are lightly active: BMR x 30 percent
If you are moderately active (You exercise most days a week.): BMR x 40 percent
If you are very active (You exercise intensely on a daily basis or for prolonged periods.): BMR x 50 percent
If you are extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training.): BMR x 60 percent
Add this number to your BMR.
The result of this formula will be the number of calories you can eat every day and maintain your current weightt. In order to lose weight, you'll need to take in fewer calories than this result.
As you lose weight, you can re-calculate the formula to assess your new BMR.
To learn more about counting calories and search for the caloric content of many foods, as well as keep an online food diary, visit About.com's Calorie Count!
I am eating around 2000-2200 for pregnancy and still losing a bit of weight, and pre-pregnancy I don't want to drop my calories lower than 1800-ish if I don't have to. I don't want to unnecessarily burden my metabolism to the point where my maintenance range is too low to comfortably sustain, so I won't be doing 1400 calories a day again (which is what I did in the beginning, it was extremely difficult for me).
I want to eat the highest healthy calories I can and still lose weight.
The trouble I find in most BMR and calories/day calculations is that while they may work for normal-sized people, and even into the overweight categories, obese bodies don't work that precisely.
I aim for 1800/day, but don't worry if I go to 2000, or down to 1400, so long as my weekly average is around/below 1800. I lose about 5-8 pounds a month (I'm a monthly weigher/measurer). It's slow, but fairly steady.
I average almost 2000 a day - it's great, becuase I never feel deprived. I used to eat 1500 and that just wasn't working for me and it ended up reflecting in my weightloss. Since I began eating 2000 at the beginning of June I have lost 7lbs!
I do exercise a lot though, so I need the extra fuel!