i've never tried to track how many calories i eat in a day so i'm wondering how many calories i should be eating. i currently weight 236 lbs... my goal is 130 and i exercise at least 1/2 hour a day (generally walking to and from work)... anyone know how much i should be eating a day to loose weight?

I would say track what you normally eat and calculate the calories .. then subtract 500 calories and that should be what you aim for each day or average every couple of days ... that should produce a 1 pound per week weight loss

If you need help calculating your current calories you cna use this site:

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/co...Calculator.asp

It's a pretty informative site with lots of other health goodies.

Or if you like to claculate things manually try ehow. They have an equation with which you cna do it yourself. There seems to be some discrepancy iwth the numbers between the two sites. However, I trust the link above more.:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5138_calculate-total-daily.html

thanks.

wow that means i'm not actually eating enough ... i'm eating way under the amount recommended to loose 2 lbs/ week ..... makes you think.

Sometimes not eating enough can make your body "conserve" so you don't lose as much as you should - one way to know if this is happening is to ask the people around you if you are crabbier and grumpier than usual!
Calorie needs to vary from person to person. Some people will need to go a little lower to get any weight loss - maybe 800 less a day instead of 500
just never EVER on a diet that gives you under 1000 calories a day total, unless your doctor is watching you like a hawk, because starving is very bad for you!

I have to second Charlotte2's advice, you should always consult your doctor before making major lifestyle changes.

2lb's a week is the norm standard. However, I resent the term normal as there are( in my opinion) very few normal people out there)

Again I stress you should consult your doctor first. Online guides should be treated as just helpful tips until you get the heads up from your doctor.

Hope I helped ^^

Just don't be afraid to ask your Dr. questions. One of mine said "never ever diet" - a little prodding revealed that she meant, don't go on any crazy 'miracle" diets, but she thought that programs like WW were perfectly safe.