How many calories do YOU eat in a day?
 

I'm noticing that most calorie calculators on the net say I need way more calories than I am currently consuming. Obviously, they run way high. And I'm afraid to eat more, frankly, and I'm curious to see what the average daily calorie consumption is for all the users in this forum.

Maybe we can each include:

Height/Weight: 5'10 / 193.2
Exercise: Running/Cycling ~10 hours per week
Calories per day: ~1300

For the 5 weeks I've been doing this consistently I'm averaging 2.8 lbs lost each week.

Height: 5'5
Weight: Currently 198
Exercise: Cardio 30-60 min/day, light weights 2x week
Calories per day: Currently 1400 (up from 1200)

For the first month I lost 2-3 pound per week, but since then I've averaged about a pound a week loss. Remember, 1-2 pounds is healthy, if you're losing more than that after your initial month it will be MUCH harder to keep it off.

I read this and thought that I would chime in, every calculator that I have ever punched my numbers into says I should be eating a ton of food. (I don't recall exactly what it says this very moment) but its up there. I eat 1500 per day and have done that since Jan 1st of this year. I am 114 days in and have lost 83 lbs so far as of last Friday. I think that the calculators are off just like those "this is what you should weigh for your height" calculators. 3 different Docs told me that 1500 is a good number to be at so Imma stick with that ;)

the first 2 months I lost an average of 1lb per day, and lately its been 2-4 per week with a spike week here or there thats 6+ lost. I do not feel hungry and a lot of times have to eat something at the end of the night to get in all of my calories. YMMV

Height/Weight: 6'5'' / 451lbs as of last Friday.
Exercise: I walk 1.5 to 1.8 miles per day @ about 3mph, and daily calisthenics
Calories per day: ~1500

H/W: 5'3" 150

Workouts: 3x high intensity step; 2x strength; 1-2x pilates; plus biking and walking on weekends.

Current daily calories: 1450-1700

I was trying 1400 a day between January and March and lost 0, because I couldn't stick to it and would end up overeating in spurts to compensate. I was HUNGRY, not just snacky.

Since I upped to this level, I've lost 4 more lbs.! (A weekly average wouldn't help here because it's only been a month and half of that was PMS/TOM. The 4 came off all at once.)

Everyone's different though, right? I cannot go below 1450 for more than a day or two or my body rebels. It was a relief to find that I don't have to to lose weight, and that trying to do what my body didn't want was a much bigger hindrance than 100 extra calories a day.

I suck at getting enough food quite frankly. I try to eat intuitively in the sense of eating when I'm hungry so have breakfast, lunch, dinner, have about 3 litres of water a day.

Yesterday had weetabix mug of tea; ham salad water for lunch; few organic raw cashew nuts n slice of ham when got in, went for run n had a baked spud when got back. Total calories? about 750 max :|

I've just eaten 900 calories of chocolate! Got my calories up to 1622 for the day. Feel slightly sick tbh but trying to at least 'spike' my calories a couple of times a week seeing as I'm not hitting target the rest of it :(

Oh and I'm 5 foot five n three quarters, weigh 158lbs this morning. Work out most days (3 mile run, mix it up a little with weights and swimming too)

I was trying to stay at 1500-1600 a day, and was STARVING. I thought more than that was too much food, but then I got a Sensewear monitor (like a BodyBugg) and found out that on a typical day I burn between 2500-3000. So actually the online calorie counters were way too low for me. I need to be very careful because it's too easy for my metabolism to slow down and keep the fat on. Josephine, for your height and activity level, 1300 seems like it's barely subsistence! How are you feeling?

I'm really interested in the Sensewear/BodyBugg, I need to find out more about those.

Well, my problem is that I am a compulsive overeater/binger, so I always am thinking about food and I also always think I'm hungry whether I eat 1200 a day or 3200 a day. So I can't really trust my senses (yet). I don't know HOW I'm feeling, really... you know? I know that my running/biking paces are are steadily increasing, so my general fitness has very much improved in just 5 weeks of intense effort. I sort of assumed I wouldn't see those kinds of gains in ability if I wasn't getting enough calories? I do have a small frame, so even for my height I'm really overweight.

So 1500 calories at 451 pounds, makes my 1300 calories at 193 seem not that low, right?.

Congrats on all your success!!

I'm 5'7", 190lbs. I eat 1200-1600 a day depending on how hungry I am. I workout: circuit training 4x/week, spinning 2x/week, running 2-3x/week (with at least one long 10k one). Some days I'm ravenous, others I'm not. I like having a range of calories because I can eat intuitively based on how I'm feeling that day. Originally I was eating 1200 only and didn't drop any weight so I bumped it up to an average of 1400. Sometimes if I've eaten low calorie all week I'll throw in a high calorie day of 1800-2000.

Hi Josephine,

If you struggle with the behavioral stuff with eating/compulsive overeating (and MAN do I know that song and dance) you might want to consider the Beck diet solution (we've got a thread but I'm not sure how to get over there to link to it without losing what I've typed here.:)) It's been really, really helpful for me to work on how I think about food and hunger and be a little more dispassionate about the technicalities of the diet. And frankly, without the Sensewear monitor, I'd have no idea how much to eat either. It was pretty spendy but IMO well, well, well, WELL worth it. It sort of took the self-judgement out of what I eat or don't eat, and just turned it into a numbers game. Which is what it actually is in the grand scheme of things. I found myself bingeing a lot - turned out (for me at least) they were triggered by actual hunger, which degenerated into out of control comfort stuffing.

For what it's worth. :) Happy to answer Sensewear questions! I'm a believer.

First, Thank you.

yeah the 1300 seems fine from my vantage point, but I don't claim to be an expert, just a fat dude trying to drop more than a few pounds :D I look at it this way, eat less move more and the weight should drop off, all of this eating X amount because I weigh X amount gets, well, too much for me. as long as 1500 per day is giving me results, and I can handle eating that many calories, thats where I will be.

My wife is on a low calorie diet as well, she is 5'4'' tall and 197 lbs as of this morning (ex athlete so she carries it well) , she eats 1300 calories per day and drops a steady 1-2 lbs every week (shes down 40 lbs now from Jan 1st) , and doesn't do a lick of exercise for the most part.

As Ever
Me

I eat 1350 5 days a week, and shoot for 1500 2 days a week. I exercise every day, cardio each day and 4X a week strength training.
I did have my calories at 1200 for a while, but have bumped them up to the current level and I continue to lose about 5 pounds a month. I wanted to eat more and still lose, and I have found that comfort level.

Those calculators say I should be losing more than that at my calorie level, but it doesn't happen. They also say maintenance calories for me are around 2200 - and I do gain if I eat that much.
Although, I suppose if I slowly worked up to that, I could probably maintain at that level. Instead of packing in more calories all at once.

You asked
 

I too checked on the different websites, the most recent being CalorieCounters.com. According to that and my level of activity, I "should" be eating around 2100 calories per day if I want to lose 2 lbs per week. So, that is what I try to aim for. I read on here "all the time" about other people who eat significantly less than I do. As long as I stick very close to that number, I can almost guarantee that I will lose 2 lbs a week. In a year that is 104 lbs. Now, can anyone argue that is not an impressive amount of weight to lose?

Do I go over? Yes, but I find that it easier for me to resume "cutting back " if I do. I likened it to a pendulum. I don't try to make real wide swings in how and what I eat. If I deviate, I try to stay really close to that "imaginary" center line.

I have tried to eat less than 1800 calories a day and I am starved even after eating. I seem to need more food but again it is not about quantity as much as it is about quality. I really try to adhere to the South Beach Diet principles. That means lean protein, lots of vegetables, fruits and some whole grains. I have almost made it my "new religion" of avoiding all white flour and white sugar.

Yes, even food that is good for you has calories. The difference is what your body does with it once you have swallowed it. I believe that is one reason why I can eat more than the rest of you and still lose weight.

I would like to keep track of calories, but it seems so hard to know how many are in various foods. I made spaghetti with meat sauce last night and have no idea how many calories were in it ???? I ate a normal/smallish sized serving (b/c I'm trying to lose weight), but haven't a clue to the calorie count. Today at work I ate 4 finger sandwiches for lunch (skipped the chips) and wish I knew how many calories were in those (????) I think it would be great to count calories, but so hard to figure it out that I would get frustrated and not be able to keep track.
Does anyone have any suggestions/ideas of how they do it to make it easier?
thanks

also- I forgot to add that yesterday I found a site where you could type in your age, height.... and it would tell you how many calories you could eat to maintain and to lose weight and I was shocked at how many it was -- I an 5'7" and 264 and 40 and could eat 2500 calories -- I thought that was a lot of calories

I'm honestly just aiming for under 2000 a day. I walk the dogs briskly at least 4-5 days for around 30 minutes in addition to going to the gym at least twice a week for alone time cardio/yoga/weights.
I find somedays I'm fine with 1300-1400 but others I'm still starving, like stomach growling starving, at 1700 so will have something extra. I think by not placing an actual number on each day as to what I can have I don't make myself eat if not hungry and if I am hungry I can eat.

Right now I'm 5'6" and 180 pounds. I'm taking in about 1500 calories a day, and one day a week I let myself go over. I exercise about 6 days a week.
I never know whether to up my calories or lower them. I read on this site about people who are eating less than me and those eating more than me. I read about people who upped their calories and that helped them lose more weight.
If I up my calories, will I lose more weight? If I lower my calories, will I lose more weight? Or will I stop losing if I try one or the other?
Who knows.
Beth

I'm eating somewhere between 1300-1600 calories a day, usually about 1400. I have a hard time hitting the same amount every day so I just try to average somewhere in that area, 1400 seems like a good number for me right now. I'm about 5 foot 7 and I probably do about 3 hours of cardio every week (sometimes more, sometimes less...I am such an inconsistent person, sorry!). I am losing about 1-2 pounds a week at this point, at most 3, some weeks I don't lose a thing.

I'm 5'6" (or a skosh over that) and currently 156 lbs.
I run/walk a combined total of 15-25 miles a week, and lift weights about 20 minutes 3-4 times a week.
I eat 1200-1400 Monday-Thursday, and aim for 1500-1800 Friday-Sunday.

When I'm on that plan, I lose roughly 1.5 lbs a week. I ate significantly more that that for a few weeks last month (though I kept up the exercise) and gained several pounds, but a week or so back on plan and I've dropped 3 of those pounds already.

Now, that said, there's some wiggle room, particularly if I pushed it extra hard at the gym. If I've eaten my calories for the day and I'm still genuinely hungry (not just having cravings) I'll have a little more. Hunger is an important tool, and we should listen to it!

i eat 1200 - 1700 calories a day, oviously i eat more when i am working out harder. I try and make the extra calories come from lean protien to help me build muscle

HI...i have checked out the online counters as well. I think they are really high also. My dr told me to do 1400-1500 per day. I am 5'7" and my weight was 306 then.In 12 full weeks i have lost 34lbs. I lost 10lbs the first week and then 4 the second but I average about 1-2 a week now. I lift weights 3 times a week and walk 3 times week. I have found I can eat alot of food for 1500 calories a day.I have to make the right choices. good luck

I'm 5'4". Currently 172. Aiming for 135. The various sites say maintenance calories for 135 is right around 1700 and maintenance calories for 172 is a little over 2000.

I am trying to eat a little below the maintenance calories for my goal weight, plus exercise at least 4x per week.

In theory that winds up being a calorie deficit of about 3700 a week - or a little over 1 lb per week.

In practice, I range between 1500 and 1800 cals a day and right now I"m a little stalled because I've been slacking off on the gym. However this past week I've been to the gym every day since Monday and I feel like I"m getting back on track.

My eating is holding steady, so we'll see.

.

Height/Weight: 5'6 / 230
Exercise: Walking 1hr/day, yoga 3x/week
Calories per day: Average 1800, range 1600-2000

I've been losing 1-2 pounds per week. On the days when I'm craving something like mad I eat on the higher end of the range. Other days I eat much less, sometimes even in the 1300-1400 range, but usually I hit 1700 or 1800. So far so good.

I have found a lot of them tell me too many calories too. I KNOW if I eat that many I gain not lose. I'd have to exercise a WHOLE lot more to burn so many calories, and I know myself...I will not do that!

Height/Weight: 5' 3 3/4"

Exercise: I take classes at the gym 5xweek.
Mon: Stretch and Breathe 30 min, cardio 40 min.
Tues: Yoga Stretch 30 min, cardio 40 min.
Wed: Stretch and Breathe 30 min, cardio 40 min.
Thursday: Yoga Stretch 30 min, cardio 40 min.
Friday: Cardio 40 min.
Sat and Sun - usually no exercise but sometimes I do walk in place during TV commercials.

Calories per day: I aim for no more than 1500, but at least 1000, but actually I never take in less than at least 1100. :D

Height/Weight: just under 5'4" / 116
Exercise: strength training 3 hours per week, swimming one hour per week, running intervals one hour per week, elliptical 45 min per week, abs 45 min per week, sometimes the occasional spin class instead of running/elliptical, circuit training class one hour per week.
Calories per day: 1200 to 1400 when trying to lose weight. I'm currently trying to work my way up to a maintenance level and am at 1500 calories right now. I have at least a couple of hundred more calories to go to get to maintenance.

Josephine: 1300 calories sounds really low to me for someone of your height and weight. I think it is probably even low for me. When I recently started increasing my calories to to maintenance, I found that I lost a little more weight, which makes me think I wasn't eating enough when I was at 1200-1300 calories.

Height: 5'2
Daily Calories: 1400-1800
Exercise: 30-60 minutes a day (mostly cardio, some strength)

I'm 5'2" and current weight fluctuates between 111-115. I exercise almost every day averaging about 400 calories per day burn through exercise. I've been averaging about 1650 calories per day overall (I'm strict during the week and looser on the weekends) and am maintaining. The online calculators usually say that I can eat more, but that hasn't been my experience so far. But then I'm also 48, which makes a difference. I've only been on maintenance for a few months, so we'll have to see how it shakes out longer term.

Height 5'6"
Current Weight 182
Exercise: 3 days of long cardio (1.5 hours run/eliptical/stairmaster), 2 days short cardio with strength training (45min glider/eliptical), 1 day pilates
Calories: 1550 - started at 1350 but have increased as the length and intensity of my exercise has increased

Age comes into play as you metabolism decreases - I am 46.

For a man - 1300 calories is absolutely too low. I would suggest no less then 1700 calories.

In case you were referring to me, I'm a girl. Or a chick. Or a WO-MAN. ;)

Thanks for sharing your data, it is really interesting to see where everyone is at.

Maybe I will experiment bumping a few days a week up between 1400-1500 and see how that feels. I'm just nervous about fiddling with my food. Thanks for the input! It is interesting to read about the transition to maintenance, you've done so well!

I try to keep it between 1500-1700. My goal is lose weight SLOW, let my body adjust and learn to live in and around those calories. Some days are better then others:-). But that's usually were I balance out. I can honestly say though I rarely go below 1500 these days. I'm running again and my job keeps me on my feet. It always amazes me when folks say they had to stretch to eat 1000-1200 calories per day, they just weren't hungry :-). My stomach literally growls for it.

Here's to another great week of being kind to ourselves.

This has been so interesting to read.

I am 5'4 1/2 "

I aim to have been 1350 - 1600 calories a day. It usually works out between 1400-1500 calories. I feel "deprived" if I go any lower than 1350 calories.

As for exercise - because of a back and foot problems - at this time I do non weightbearing exercises and stretches 2-3 times a day.

At this point in time I am losing about 3-5 pounds a month. Hopefully, when I get my peices and parts healed I'll be able to get in more exercise and I'll lose a bit more quicky.

This is exactly my experience, and I love your attitude towards your appetite! Sounds very healthy to me.

I'll toast you (with my water bottle) on the kindness!

I am 303 pounds (just lost 12 YAY!!) so , my calories per day to lose about 2 lbs a week is between 1800-2000, but to tell the truth, I haven't made it up to 1800 yet because I cook low fat and use low fat products and Splenda... anyway, I pretty much eat what I want and like and still lose weight, so I'm happy for now. My problem is that I don't feel like I'm on a diet...

I think that's a GOOD thing!

I'm 5'2" and currently around 166 lbs. I try to keep my total daily caloric intake (meaning calories eaten - calories burned exercising) around 1300, so I usually eat between 1600-1800 and then burn off the difference in the gym or walking/jogging outside. So far, so good, although I'm sure my numbers will change as I continue to lose weight.

I'm 5'7" and currently weigh 236#. I was trying to stick to 1500 calories/day, but I have now changed it to 1500-1850/day depending on how much moving I'm to do for that day. As for exercise, I mix it up. I walk 1.5-2 miles almost everyday at the greenway near my house. I do elliptical 2x/week for 30-45 minutes total. I also have Turbo Jam dvds and do various workouts from those 5x/week. Plus, I have a big family that keeps me busy with their various activities. :) The days I'm constantly moving is when I need those extra calories. Oh, and I'm consistently losing 1.5-3#/week.

I am 5'5" and weigh 227 lbs.
Diet: I eat between 1100-1400 calories daily, 6 days a week. I allow myself one guilt free day, within reason. (I don't want to undo a weeks worth of hard work in one day) I drink 10-12 cups of water daily.
Exercise: 2 hours of water aerobics, 2 hours of cardio, and 1 hour of strength training, weekly. I am currently losing 2 lbs every week.