Hello Jennifer... and welcome!!! Your going to love it here. Everyone here is so nice and the support is wonderful. This is a great place to help you stay motivated.
Welcome to the 300+ area! We're glad to have you joining us. Please check out the "sticky" thread above marked for "NEWBIES". It has some tips for navigating in our area.
Please come join one of the numbered discussion threads. We'd love to get to know you better.
Thank you for the welcoming words. I am not following any standard plan (WW, Atkins, etc), but am just trying to eat healthier and exercise daily. I've been keeping my calorie cap at 2000, but don't feel like I'm losing weight quickly. I've been told by a few people that at my weight, pounds come off very quickly/easily so I'm thinking my calories are too high.
Does anyone have any thoughts? Am I wrong in thinking that 2000 is a good number at my current weight?
You really didn't give enough information to answer the questions... but I doubt if you calorie count is too high as long as you are eating healthful, unprocessed foods and not a lot of junk etc. My "guess" -- without your having said enough to really know -- is that your expectations of how quickly your weight will come off are way too high. That is the case with most of us... we want the weight off NOW.
Welcome to the group, nice to meet you! I have been here 3 weeks myself, and love it here.
I weigh close to your weight and I eat between 1200-1500 but that is less than my fitday says I "can" eat. I am satisfied with that amt of calories but I do think it is an individual thing.
I think you need to take into account how many calories you burn too, that's a factor. I'd say it's trial and error, maybe. Eat good healthy foods and document what you eat, and then give it a couple of weeks. If you're not losing anything at all, drop it a hundred or 2 hundred calories at a time and see how you feel with that. If you're just ravenously hungry, then it's too low.
I started out at 1000-1100 cals and that was just TOO low for me, I was starvin! But 1200-1500 range keeps me very satisfied.
Hello and It's always wonderful to have new people join us here. I always think to myself YES, somebody else is taking control of their life and wants to lose weight. This is definitely the best place for all the support and friendship you could ever need along your weight loss journey. I am looking forward to hearing your weigh in results and seeing the lbs flying away
I think you all are correct. High expectations, bolstered by the results of others and shows like The Biggest Loser, make me think the weight should come off quicker than it is. I've been dieting 3 weeks and have lost 7 pounds as of this morning, so that is about right, I guess.
Thanks for the quick responses, everyone. I'm so glad I found this place.
You didn't say how tall you are... but I am 5'9" and was close to your weight when I started. My doctor told me not to go under 1800 calories a day and that I would lose weight just as quickly on that as on a much lower calorie diet which would slow my metabolism. She has been right so far!!
Alice: Here's a nice thread from Calorie Counters here at 3FC's that talks about calorie ranges. Pay particular attention to what Aphil has to say. It makes perfect sense. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89153 You'll find other threads on the subject as you start to peruse the site.
Thank you for the link to the calorie ranges. The formula worked perfectly and it appears I'm on the right track for now. Eventually I'll have to reduce the calories, but for now, it is working.
Greetings from another Newbie
We're glad to have you joining us. Please check out the "sticky" thread above marked for "NEWBIES". It has some tips for navigating in our area. 
That is the case with most of us... we want the weight off NOW. 
It's always wonderful to have new people join us here. I always think to myself YES, somebody else is taking control of their life and wants to lose weight. This is definitely the best place for all the support and friendship you could ever need along your weight loss journey. I am looking forward to hearing your weigh in results and seeing the lbs flying away 
