I am not only a calorie counter, and have not really been counting, but I want to. I also watch my fat, and carbs to...I do not have a set number, but if something is like 8 grams of fat I say no way. LOL.

Anyway--I am 21, 245ish, 5'2. I am trying to have a really strickt diet. Chicken, veggies, yogurt, fruit, whole wheat bread or tortilla with turkey lunch meat and sometimes a snack other than fruit like cheese.

I checked a website (forget what it was) and it said I should have 2700 cals! That seems like a BIG number to me?? I was thinking more around 1000?

Any suggestions?

I eventually want to be able to burn off all the cals I get in the day at the gym. Today I only burned 200 cals but I am getting there.

Hi, momto3kittiess!

Well, actually, I looked up your stats on freedieting.com for their suggested calories, and you should be eating 2000 cals a day for weight loss. Yes, that's right, for weight loss. So forget about the 1000 calories--that is WAY too low and wouldn't work out.

Also, your goal shouldn't be to burn off all that you eat. Your body needs a minimum number of calories per day just to stay alive! And in your case, it's right around 1900 calories. That number should be your minimum intake of food, on average. (A day or two here and there at a lower number won't make any difference.)

Don't worry about matching the exercise calories with anything--just get some good activity in every day for an hour or so.

So, the good news is, you may be able to eat more and still lose weight!

But of course, you'll have to try it out and see what happens. And try it out for a couple of weeks before you change anything.

Good luck!
Jay

I would like to begin this by saying the following statements posted by me are just MY opinions.

2700 does seem like a lot for one losing weight but on the other hand 1000 is much too low...in my opinion. My suggestion would be to start at 1800 calories, wait it out a couple weeks and tweak as necessary. No one is gonna be able to give you an exact number for caloric intake, it will come from trial and error.

Thanks for checking that for me. I am surprise, 2000?? I have not been eating 2000. No way. I will try my best though. Thanks for all the info and advise!

Thanks so much!!! I will try to stay around 1800-2000.

You're welcome. Good luck and keep us updated

These ladies certainly know what they're talking about. Eat throughout the day if you find it's too much to eat all at once, like a bunch of minimeals, instead of 3 big ones,at least I've found that helps.

Yes, I do this too. I usually eat 6-7 mini meals a day of low calorie, healthy foods that I can eat in large volumes. It's what works for me.

You could probably go down to 1800 a day and still lose very well

Never go under 1200 calories a day- it's just not enough.

Like you, I keep mine within those same limits. I just started a couple of days ago after falling off the wagon for a long time (and getting run over by it several times! LOL!).

I had decided that 1800 was my minimum amount of calories to hit daily and 2000 was my maximum....like on those few days just before TOM arrives when we all could eat the refrigerator and then some.

Welcome and good luck.

Let me add a slightly different take. While you will lose weight now by eating 2000 per day, 2000 is a lot of calories for weight loss in the long run. I would say while you are motivated, go ahead and reduce it to 1600-1700 calories a day. That is a reasonable level and the weight will come off faster.

Also, it is more in line with what you can eat long term. For most women of normal weight 2000 calories a day would result in weight gain, not weight loss. That's why I say plan ahead and cut the calories now while the motivation is high.

Of course, if you are very active and you know that will consistently be the case, then 2000 calories may be great. ( As a life-long exer-phobe, I realistically do not figure in much activity when determining my calorie intake.)

The other advice was good, but I just wanted to offer my humble opinion. (And it is very humble considering that some of the others offering advice are real success stories.)

Hello

Congratulations on your new lifestyle. I am very happy you asked the question. There are a lot of people that do not know, and don't ask questions, and in the long run make things worse.

I follow Biggest Loser method on daily food intake. You multiply your weight by 7. Here is your number. 241 x 7 = 1687 Of course this number will change as you lose weight, so you would need to recalculate. I do so with every 10 lbs loss.

I wish you the best!

Look at it this way. If you stayed in bed all day long and did absolutely nothing your body burns around 1745 calories that day according to www.freedieting.com

You should NOT be burning off everything you eat at the gym. Stick around the forums and you'll eventually start getting a better idea of what to do through trial and error. I know it seems logical to eat less and move more but your body NEEDS fuel. You wouldn't try to drive 100 miles in your car with an empty tank would you? Your body will do exactly what your car would do.... stall. And believe me, it is the most aggravating feeling in the world to work out, eat hardly anything, and NOT lose weight.

With your stats, I would begin at 2000 calories of straight whole foods. Drink your water, get your fiber. Don't have the expectation to burn all your calories in the gym. That may be doable in short term but cannot be maintained long-term. A good, brisk walk for 30-45 minutes would be ideal.

There really is no single answer for everyone. If you are heavier you NEED more calories because you burn more in everything you do!

What I recommend is picking a number -- maybe 1600 - 1800 calories. Then track everything you eat for 2 weeks, trying to keep to that number on average. Then see what happens with weight loss. If you're losing about 1/2 - 1% of your body weight a week, that's great! Keep at it... if you don't lose, lower the calories.

Remember, any calculator will just give you an estimate. You have to figure out what works for you!