Hey everybody!

I just joined the forum and on this round I've been dieting for 3 weeks so far. At first I was trying to eat 1200 calories a day but it seemed a little low for my lifestyle. Now I've decided to eat between 1200-1500 and if I go over a little some days because I just can't turn down those french fries, I just make sure to stay at the lower range of my spectrum a few days after. I'm also exercising about an hour a day 5 days a week currently. So far I've lost 9 lbs!

So my question is do most of you prefer to stick to a strict caloric limit or do you stay within a range. Do you let yourself have a few days where you go over? (not cheat days...too pessimistic and too easy to go overboard) Has anyone tried both options and found one to be more successful?

I stuck to a range when I was losing weight. It was much easier for me to say, have a range of 1200-1400 and try to stick to the lower end of that than stress myself out about going over by 100 calories or so. I didn't get to that range until I was closer to my goal though.

I didn't really ever go outside my range during weight loss, and I had a nice, steady ride down to 120

Congrats on your weight loss so far!

im between 12-1500 . it averages out to just under 1400 most weeks. some days ill have 1600, but then next day 1200. usually its not more than 1500 tho.

I tend to net roughly 1400 calories a day. I plan my meals pretty much each day and on days I know that I will over do my calories I will exercise more to compensate.

I cycled my calories, so my weekly total was 9800 (so average was 1400 per day). So, I didn't eat a consistent 1400 per day. I reached my goal of approx 40 lbs lost in about 5 months.

My floor is 1200 my ceiling is 1400. Not often, but occasionally I go over, occasionally I go under. When life intervenes and you find yourself ill, or take a nap and sleep through a meal--you eat less. When you find yourself at a party or hungrier than usual...you eat a little---little---more.

I'm sure if I kept to 1200 the weight would come of quicker, but I also found it too restrictive. I was in a rush to get this weight off. I promised myself when I reached 179 I would stop beating myself up, and I am no longer in a hurry. Happily, I've continued at an acceptable rate to lose (minus the winter holidays of maintenance).

At 169, my current goal is 160, and I hope to hit that by July 1st. Clearly, I'm no longer in a hurry. I realized at the start this time around that I'd always done it wrong in the past...it was all about the losing, never learning to maintain. This time, I'm losing with an eye towards maintaining, which is why the winter holidays didn't drive me completely bonkers.

So, I don't necessarily cycle my calories intentionally, but I do cycle.

trisaratops,

I think you have a pretty good plan there. I think 1200 is too low to do on a regular basis. I do believe it would slow the metabolism down, especially with all the exercise you do.

I have found that since I have a Fitbit, I don't always look at the total calories I *consume*, but I look at my calorie deficit. I've lost about 30 lbs and would like to lose 10 more, but am not in a hurry. (Some weeks, I just want to maintain).

When I want to lose, I try to have at least a 500-calorie deficit. So if the Fitbit says I have burned 2000 calories, that means I aim to eat 1500.

But sometimes I burn a lot more than that, even without specifically "exercising" -- I just walk more than usual. So if I burn 2400, I aim to eat 1900 if I'm hungry.

On a very sedentary day, according to the Fitbit, I might only burn 1600 or even 1500. But on those days, I don't go for the deficit, I just try to stay under or break even. I never like to go under 1200, because I think it's unhealthy, especially on a regular basis!

I do not stay with the same level every day, but I don't intentionally try to vary it, so I guess you could say I cycle accidentally. It mainly depends on how active I am that day.

I tend to shoot for a range too, 1300-1500 a day. I stayed at 1200/day for a few months but I got tired of being hungry all the time. I do an hour of cardio every day, so I feel like I can afford to eat a little more and still lose. I lost 10 pounds a month for 6 months but now I'm aiming for more like 5 pounds a month. Like 124chicksinger. I'm starting to think about maintenance strategies so I'm not in such a hurry.

I eat between 1200 and 1600 calories a day.

Someone please correct me if I am wrong but I read in my hubbys us marine book to find out how many calories(for a woman) your body burns at rest(the energy it takes to breath pretty much) its your weight x 10.

Obviously being up and walking around also with your exercise routine you will burn a lot more, but I am pretty much eating at maintenance level right now-so when I do finally get down to 150ish I wont feel starved since my cal in will pretty much equal to my cal out(at resting rate).

Thanks guys. So far it seems to be working for me, I'm just hoping it helps me to keep from the dreaded plateau. Last time I lost weight (thought it happened kind of naturally...) I got stuck about 7 lbs from my real goal and never quite made it. Have any of you who stick to a more strict range had problems w. plateauing that were solved by occasional higher calorie days?

Also, now that I've been paying attention to what I eat I sometimes have trouble making it to 1200. Today I felt like I ate like a pig but after dinner I had only eaten 700 calories!

I never really had a plateau, but I did get stuck at 170 and 136 for three weeks each time. When I was stuck at 170 I switched up my exercise routine and noticed the weight started coming off. At 136 I just kept doing what I was doing, lost a lot of inches, and eventually the weight came off too.

I also have trouble making it to a certain count (as of right now, it's my maintenance range of 1600-2000, with me trying to land somewhere in the middle) and I had the same issue when I was on my 1200-1400 plan. I just don't get hungry so when I started to pay attention to how many calories were in food and tried to only eat when I was hungry...I wound up eating very little! I was a big boredom eater, so when I eliminated that, I found I really wasn't eating all that much.

My advice? Plan out your meals so you end up with the right amount of calories. Even if one meal is up in the air (for me, it's dinner) you can still plan the other ones

I pretty much stay around 1200 and that's been working for me. Because of the different things I eat, I'm never really hungry. I have small meals and light snacks in between. I work out 1.5-2 hours 5 days a week, so on those days, I find that I'll still lose if I let my calorie count go to 13 or 1400 a couple times, but even on those days, I try to stay near 1200.

dont deprive yourself of anything. that helps me. of course your diet needs to be healthy. most of the time i eat just veggies, high fiber, and protein. but if i want a pecan twirl,,,i will eat one. i just stay within my calories. if i want a snickers,,,,i will eat one. however,,,,eating healthy for the most part is VERY important and essential to your health and weight loss