[BrittanyIsAStar]

Hey guys I was just wondering how many calories yall are eating or how many you think I should be eating. I'm 21 5'5 225 lbs and I want to lose weight at a healthy pace but I'd like to see results to keep me motivated. How many do you think I should be eating a day?

[Glory87]

I would start as high as possible and then make small tweaks to try to find the "sweet spot" - the amount where you can eat as much as possible and still lose weight. You can use an online calculator to try to find a starting point - like this one.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cal...lator/NU00598/

According to that calculator, you need an estimated 2000 calories to maintain your weight at a somewhat active activity level. Eating 1800 calories a day and burning 200 calories a day with exercise should generate about a pound a week weight loss.

Note, it's not a good idea to cut MORE calories to lose MORE weight faster. Throwing the body into "ohmygod, famine, no food!!!" mode is counter productive to long term success.

That being said, you might have to reduce calories farther down the line as you lose weight, since it takes fewer calories to maintain a smaller body on a daily basis.

In my opinion, all calories are not created equal. Definitely emphasize whole foods over processed. 5+ servings of vegetables a day, fruit, whole grains, lean protein, low fat dairy, healthy fats (like olive oil, avocados, salmon and nuts).
Good luck!