Between 1400-1600 is losing range for me, and an average of 1900 seems to work for maintaining, however I spread it out. Consistency is funny - sometimes an over 2000 splurge day will cause big problems, sometimes it will reassure my metabolism and help me kick start loss. I wish I could sit down and have a rational conversation with my body, figure out what it really wants from me.

Since I smartened up after Christmas and a January vacation, I've been (according to fitday.com) averaging between 15 and 1600 cals per day and losing 1.5 lbs per week.

Just a thought - a lot of people have found on regimens like yours that when they UP their calories for a little bit, they start losing again. The idea is that your body is used to this treatment and doesn't want to give up any more weight because it thinks you're going to keep feeding it so little and working it so hard. Going up to 1400 calories a day or so might make all the difference, as you'd still have a huge deficit. Good luck!

I eat 1800 calories per day on the days that I exercise (my workouts burn 450-500) calories. On the one day/week that I don't work out, I only have 1500. I also do strength/core training 3 days/week.

Like a previous poster, I had gone to my local gym (Lifetime Fitness) and had a O2 test done that measures how many calories my body needs each day to maintain the weight that I am at. It was pretty accurate.

I would highly recommend doing this if you belong to a gym that offers these tests and also getting a Heart Rate Monitor has been key to figuring out how many calories I am burning during my workouts and making sure that I am working out in my correct zone.

I am on my 2nd month of maintaining a 65 pound weight loss.

Most weeks I've been averaging between 1750 and 1950. More weeks in the 1850 range. On this amount of calories, and only working out between 2 and 3 times per week, I'm only losing an average of .8 pounds per week. I am weight lifting so hopefully that is adding something good :). I only WISH I could consistently keep my calories around 1600-1700, but I just never seem to be able to do it. I eat mostly healthy things, but I do have a HUGE appetite and constantly hungry or thinking about food.

I'm starting to think the ONLY way I'm going to drop the 1.2 lbs I need to reach my goal by June (according to fitday) is to work out more. I do have a tendency to not want to go to the gym when I'm at home (either working home during the week sometimes or on my friday off plus the weekend). Its not that I mind working out because I usually tend to like it once I'm doing it, but its getting out of the house that gets me stuck. I usually go when I'm down at the office. So I'm getting an elliptical soon (they delayed the shipment as I should've had it already). All weekend I've been thinking how I would be happy to work out on it, in my home with my baby hanging out nearby where we can be together. I'm hoping to burn 700 calories 5 days per week. It comes with a heart rate monitor so I'm really curious to see if the 700 calories the gym's machine says I burn is accurate. So hopefully burning 3500 calories on the cardio, plus another few hundred weight lifting 2 to 3 times per week, my weightloss will go faster.

Less than 1,850. I would like to not go over 1,800 but I typically always end up a bit over. Yesterday was 1,840 and the day before 1,810. I lose slowly, but I am losing.

Right now I am wating between 1200 and 1500 calories a day. I am going to start running soon - and will probably stay at this amount since the weight loss has started slowing down a good bit.

Mami,

If you need low cal foods, may I humbly recommend Lean Cuisine Dinners? I pretty much exist on them, they are low cal, filling and you can eat a few of them. :)

Just my two cents.

Gingercakes