What is your maintenance "magic number"?
 

I'm slowly starting to increase my calories till I find that sweet spot. :)
Out of curiosity, where are you guys in terms of daily calorie ranges?

I eat around 1100-1300cal on the weekdays and 1500-1800 on the weekends to maintain. I know that seems low for the weekdays, but it's balanced whole healthy foods that satisfy me. I follow my eating routine easily and hardly ever feel hungry. On the weekends, I might go out to eat or snack or have more elaborate meals. Note, these aren't "cheat" meals, I just give myself more calorie room to play with on weekends, but I'm still counting, following my plan, and choosing healthy foods. I just...eat more on the weekends, lol. I don't do much for exercise...make absolute sure that I'm "active" for 60 min. That could be going on walks, grocery shopping, vigorous cleaning, etc.

I maintain very easily between 125-128. I very rarely go out of that range, and if I do, it's just an odd fluctuation for a day. I still count, still measure, still make sure I'm getting at least a moderate amount of activity in. So I am still making a conscious effort, but all of those things are habitual and routine for me at this point. I maintain in my range very easily.

About 1400-1500 to maintain.

1800 a day with a weekly treat meal (where I don't go hog wild, but still have a nice dinner out, glass of wine, split dessert).

1500 and add 200-300 more of clean protein/carb on days I work out heavily.

1600-1900 on the week days and 2000+ on the weekends. I workout everyday, running mostly with some strength training.

I'm still trying to lose a few pounds, but I eat around 1800-2000 calories a day. My RMR is probably around 2200 or so.

1900-2100/day

I'm at 1,800 to 1,900 a day...work out 5 days a week and take weekends off but usually do something somewhat active so I'm not just on the couch. Elliptical for 35-40 minutes with lower body strength training Tuesdays and Thursdays, and a combo of elliptical, bike and treadmill plus weights for upper body 45 min. to 1 hour Monday, Wednesday and Friday. My heart rate monitor says I burn about 2,400 to 2,500 cals a week...

1850 average is ideal for me to maintain, I go higher some days and lower others to balance it out.

I try to exercise at 5 days per week minimum, sometimes 6. Weight lifting, cardio, running. Or used to run, getting back to it.

I was maintaining 143-144 pounds at 2100 cals/day. I started losing s-l-o-w-l-y in July at 1800 cals. I'm now at 135 and still losing at 1800 (I'm actually trying to stay at 1500 to lose a little faster, we'll see how that goes). I'm 40 years old.

I don't exercise, but I have an almost 3-year-old boy and I stay home with him part-time, so I'm not sitting on my behind all day.

I do think, after reading this forum, that I'm very lucky with my metabolism. But I've never been technically obese (though I've been close), so that might explain why I can maintain at what seems like so many calories a day. Well, of course the fact that I was maintaining at the very high end of my healthy weight range makes a difference. We'll see what happens when I get to goal (which might be 125, not what you see on the left).

im 5'6 and vary between 122-127....if I dont eat a min of 1500 I lose weight....most days are closer to 1800 and some days are as high as 2200...I try to just enjoy the caloric intake and make sure my weight is reasonable without too much obsessing.