Hi,

I am 5'5" and now 179 lb

I used to do Atkins but just in October this year tried to do calorie counting so it's all new to me. It feels so good to be able to eat toast and fruits. I never thought it would work as Atkins drilled in my head that if I eat a banana, my diet is ruined so I would just eat everything in sight (so bad I know but that's the root of my weight problems)

Now...
I lost 16 lb in 8 weeks by eating 1,600-1,800 calories
No exercise at all.

Unbelievable to me also because I was convinced by my sister who is a long time cc that I will not loose unless I eat 1,200 cal.

I just wanted to see what everyone else's calories and weight/height look like as I think I need to adjust/redce to keep on loosing.

Thanks for any replied

The number one rule in calorie counting is that it is NOT one size fits all, that there is no "black and white" area.

If you have been able to eat 1600-1800 calories and lose weight then do so, as the more you start out with the more "wiggle room" you have as you get closer to goal weight. Personally I feel comfortable eating between 1200 and 1400 with a higher calorie day now and then (normally on the weekend). But, I have a messed up metabolism and don't really lose at anything higher.

I would advise staying the course and continue doing what you have been, but, maybe add in exercise . If you get to a point where you aren't losing anymore you can always adjust from there.

I'm 5'6. Now weigh 127 pounds- down from 203. I roughly eat anywhere between 1400 and 1600 calories a day. Rarely go below that, with 1400 being my average though. I haven't exercised up to this point - just started, day three.

I'm 5'4, 170 pounds and I eat 1500-1600 with minimal exercise. I am very happy with that number.

i am 5'4 and currently 273 (at least i was last wk..)..my cal count right now is 1400-1500. I feel like i have lost weight, but if i have i think it might be 2-3 lbs. i say do what you feel best at. i am just starting so im sorry i dont have a better answer/experience yet

I'm currently 182 [was 225] and tmy entire way I've eaten 1650 a day, and exercise at least 5 times a week. I eat back anything I burn off over 400 calories - So I net somewhere around 1300-1400 on average a day.

I'm 5'-2" 163 lbs and I am for 1300 on non work out days, 1500 on workout days. I have been losing weight so far and Im not starving all the time so it seems to be working for me.

You may need to adjust the calories as you continue to lose weight, or you may not, you'll really just have to experiment haha. I'm 5'4", currently around 158 lbs, and I eat ~1,300 calories, with the occasional higher calorie day, but I used to lose on 1,600-1,800 calories or more. I workout as well.

If you're happy with your calories as they are and you're still losing, just keep it up for now. If you hit a stall, adjust your calories and/or add in exercise until you start losing again.

I eat between 1600-1700 a day. With intense exercise 6-7 days a week. I am still losing 2 lbs a week.

I eat between 1650-1950 and exercise intensely to lose weight. To maintain I just eat more on the weekends.

I'm 5'6", ~142lbs, and exercise 3-4x/week (most weeks). I maintain without much effort by averaging 1900 calories/day. In reality, my daily amounts vary from 1700-2100.

When losing those last 10 lbs, I exercised 5-6x/week and averaged closer to 1500 calories/day.

There truly is no one-size-fits-all here, and I expect that it also varies with time. So what is working now may not work for me a year from now. I'd say, if you are losing, don't mess with the calories. Stay the course until your weight loss slows, then either reduce calories, increase exercise, or monkey with the mixture of foods that you are eating (increase protein, for example).

I'M 5'8", 185. I eat ~1700 per day, and do about an hour of exercise per day. On weekends when I hike or do more walking, I'll eat a few hundred extra.

Depends. I eat anywhere from 1200-1500, sometimes even more.

i try to eat 1600 per day, doing 1 hour of exercise.
But for the past 3 weeks i am eating close to 2000 cal, and I am up like 4 pounds

I notice no one has mentioned age? I do think age has something to do with it (not sure how much, it's just another variable).

I'm 5'2", 33 years old, and have done pretty much all of my 60 lb loss on an average of 1350-1400 cals a day. I've lost an average of 1.5-2 lbs a week. I exercise 30 minutes a day, 4-6 days a week - primarily Jillian Michaels' DVDs, although I'm looking to branch out. Honestly, I still really dislike exercise and know I should do more.

If I had it to do all over again, I would have started a little higher, perhaps in the 1500-1600 range, just to see if I could have lost there. Starting so low has given me very little wiggle room as I approach normal BMI and my weight loss has slightly slowed down. I feel very satisfied on my calorie allotment, but I'm wondering if I'm going to end up with a lower maintenance range than I might have had to.

Of course, I'm short, and have a lifetime of obesity behind me, so it's likely that my weight loss/maintenance calorie ranges were going to be on the lower side, no matter what.