Thank you all so much for explaining this to me. I think I am really starting to get it! Is there a way to find out what your BMR is? I will try to search for that online somewhere. I think I am seeing the light though! Glad to know that you are all so helpful and will be there when I need you! Thanks again!

You can have a shot at figuring backwards. It's really hard to find anything specific to you, your height, your weight, your activity level, your lifestyle etc on line.

here's a for instance .... if LadyX has lost 10 pounds in 5 weeks by eating 1500 cals .... she's lost 2 lbs per week. that's about 7000 cals. or 1000 cal per day deficit. So her 'usage' must be 2500 per day.

If you know how many pounds you've lost and over how much time ... we can make an educated guess.

Tina -- You could go to nutridiary and have it give you a number, as I did for me. I would caution you to think of it as not exactly precise, as it can be affected by many variables (like your metabolism)!

I think I am lucky (?) in that nutridiary's estimates seem to be accurate for me. For example, it may say that over a 10 week period I should have lost 15 pounds, and I will have lost 14.5. But that's not the case with everyone. I think most of us have to play around for a while to find a balance of eating enough to get in enough nutrients but not going too hungry, along with the exercise we're doing.

Think of this as a lifelong journey however, and it becomes more about getting yourself fit for life than "simply" losing weight.

Tina, go to this site:

bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

It uses the Harris Benedict equation and takes into consideration your current weight, height, age and activity level to calculate your BMR.

I count calories on another site which gives me both my gross (pre-exercise) and net (after exercise) calories for the day. I also log my daily exercise.

Wyllenn: I was just wondering since you used yourself as an example..how tall are you? (if you don't mind me asking). You have lost a lot of weight and I weigh about 20 lbs more than you right now. I am 5'8". My question is how many calories do you eat a day? I think that I may be eating to few calories because my scale is stuck. Is that a possibility? I weigh 242 I have been eating on average a day 1750 in food but I have been getting my 10,000 steps in and that includes a 45min outdoor walk hills and everything. (about 2-3 miles everyday) My average calories with exercise is only about 1500 calories. Maybe I shouldn't change anything but I am getting frustrated not seeing results...THanks for the input...you are truly an inspiration to me since I can see myself in you! and so smart!