I'm honestly just aiming for under 2000 a day. I walk the dogs briskly at least 4-5 days for around 30 minutes in addition to going to the gym at least twice a week for alone time cardio/yoga/weights.
I find somedays I'm fine with 1300-1400 but others I'm still starving, like stomach growling starving, at 1700 so will have something extra. I think by not placing an actual number on each day as to what I can have I don't make myself eat if not hungry and if I am hungry I can eat.

Right now I'm 5'6" and 180 pounds. I'm taking in about 1500 calories a day, and one day a week I let myself go over. I exercise about 6 days a week.
I never know whether to up my calories or lower them. I read on this site about people who are eating less than me and those eating more than me. I read about people who upped their calories and that helped them lose more weight.
If I up my calories, will I lose more weight? If I lower my calories, will I lose more weight? Or will I stop losing if I try one or the other?
Who knows.
Beth

I'm eating somewhere between 1300-1600 calories a day, usually about 1400. I have a hard time hitting the same amount every day so I just try to average somewhere in that area, 1400 seems like a good number for me right now. I'm about 5 foot 7 and I probably do about 3 hours of cardio every week (sometimes more, sometimes less...I am such an inconsistent person, sorry!). I am losing about 1-2 pounds a week at this point, at most 3, some weeks I don't lose a thing.

I'm 5'6" (or a skosh over that) and currently 156 lbs.
I run/walk a combined total of 15-25 miles a week, and lift weights about 20 minutes 3-4 times a week.
I eat 1200-1400 Monday-Thursday, and aim for 1500-1800 Friday-Sunday.

When I'm on that plan, I lose roughly 1.5 lbs a week. I ate significantly more that that for a few weeks last month (though I kept up the exercise) and gained several pounds, but a week or so back on plan and I've dropped 3 of those pounds already.

Now, that said, there's some wiggle room, particularly if I pushed it extra hard at the gym. If I've eaten my calories for the day and I'm still genuinely hungry (not just having cravings) I'll have a little more. Hunger is an important tool, and we should listen to it!

i eat 1200 - 1700 calories a day, oviously i eat more when i am working out harder. I try and make the extra calories come from lean protien to help me build muscle

HI...i have checked out the online counters as well. I think they are really high also. My dr told me to do 1400-1500 per day. I am 5'7" and my weight was 306 then.In 12 full weeks i have lost 34lbs. I lost 10lbs the first week and then 4 the second but I average about 1-2 a week now. I lift weights 3 times a week and walk 3 times week. I have found I can eat alot of food for 1500 calories a day.I have to make the right choices. good luck

I'm 5'4". Currently 172. Aiming for 135. The various sites say maintenance calories for 135 is right around 1700 and maintenance calories for 172 is a little over 2000.

I am trying to eat a little below the maintenance calories for my goal weight, plus exercise at least 4x per week.

In theory that winds up being a calorie deficit of about 3700 a week - or a little over 1 lb per week.

In practice, I range between 1500 and 1800 cals a day and right now I"m a little stalled because I've been slacking off on the gym. However this past week I've been to the gym every day since Monday and I feel like I"m getting back on track.

My eating is holding steady, so we'll see.

.

Height/Weight: 5'6 / 230
Exercise: Walking 1hr/day, yoga 3x/week
Calories per day: Average 1800, range 1600-2000

I've been losing 1-2 pounds per week. On the days when I'm craving something like mad I eat on the higher end of the range. Other days I eat much less, sometimes even in the 1300-1400 range, but usually I hit 1700 or 1800. So far so good.

I have found a lot of them tell me too many calories too. I KNOW if I eat that many I gain not lose. I'd have to exercise a WHOLE lot more to burn so many calories, and I know myself...I will not do that!

Height/Weight: 5' 3 3/4"

Exercise: I take classes at the gym 5xweek.
Mon: Stretch and Breathe 30 min, cardio 40 min.
Tues: Yoga Stretch 30 min, cardio 40 min.
Wed: Stretch and Breathe 30 min, cardio 40 min.
Thursday: Yoga Stretch 30 min, cardio 40 min.
Friday: Cardio 40 min.
Sat and Sun - usually no exercise but sometimes I do walk in place during TV commercials.

Calories per day: I aim for no more than 1500, but at least 1000, but actually I never take in less than at least 1100.

Height/Weight: just under 5'4" / 116
Exercise: strength training 3 hours per week, swimming one hour per week, running intervals one hour per week, elliptical 45 min per week, abs 45 min per week, sometimes the occasional spin class instead of running/elliptical, circuit training class one hour per week.
Calories per day: 1200 to 1400 when trying to lose weight. I'm currently trying to work my way up to a maintenance level and am at 1500 calories right now. I have at least a couple of hundred more calories to go to get to maintenance.

Josephine: 1300 calories sounds really low to me for someone of your height and weight. I think it is probably even low for me. When I recently started increasing my calories to to maintenance, I found that I lost a little more weight, which makes me think I wasn't eating enough when I was at 1200-1300 calories.

Height: 5'2
Daily Calories: 1400-1800
Exercise: 30-60 minutes a day (mostly cardio, some strength)

I'm 5'2" and current weight fluctuates between 111-115. I exercise almost every day averaging about 400 calories per day burn through exercise. I've been averaging about 1650 calories per day overall (I'm strict during the week and looser on the weekends) and am maintaining. The online calculators usually say that I can eat more, but that hasn't been my experience so far. But then I'm also 48, which makes a difference. I've only been on maintenance for a few months, so we'll have to see how it shakes out longer term.

Height 5'6"
Current Weight 182
Exercise: 3 days of long cardio (1.5 hours run/eliptical/stairmaster), 2 days short cardio with strength training (45min glider/eliptical), 1 day pilates
Calories: 1550 - started at 1350 but have increased as the length and intensity of my exercise has increased

Age comes into play as you metabolism decreases - I am 46.

For a man - 1300 calories is absolutely too low. I would suggest no less then 1700 calories.

In case you were referring to me, I'm a girl. Or a chick. Or a WO-MAN.

Thanks for sharing your data, it is really interesting to see where everyone is at.