Whats a good site to see how many calories you need to eat to lose weight?

What has helped me a lot so far with sticking to it is that I alternate higher/lower calorie days. I do 1200 one day, 1600 the next, back to 1200 the next and so on.(though you should figure out what numbers work for you, if you are struggling I would do as others have suggested and start higher). I still struggle sometime on the lower days, but knowing that the next day I can splurge a teeny bit helps give me the willpower to get through the lower calorie days.

That seems interesting....the high and low calorie days. Wish me luck as I try to begin my journey.

I do have one question though....how do you (anyone) handle all the temptation and the mindless eating?

Thanks!!

Dms6k -you sound so similar to me. 5'10 mid 40's . Supportive husband but who wont diet with me. Love my carbs. I highly recommend small steps. I stopped soda first. Then concentrate on good breakfasts choices, then to lunch and finally to dinner.

If i went cold turkey on everything, i would have quit long ago.

I keep my calories between 1500 and 2000. Which is in a loss range. Now that i have been at it awhile, i tend to stay closer to the lower number. Also dont feel that you have to give up everything. I still have pizza once a week. My biggest weakness. However, i do frozen which i can easily count and still stay in my calories

Good luck. Slow and steady wins the race.

You might want to check out The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person by Judith S. Beck, PhD.

She addresses the cognitive part of dieting and losing weight--how to stay motivated, how to handle different types of hunger, learning new ways to think about food, how to plan your food, how to talk back to yourself when you want to eat something not on your plan. It's a 6 week program, where you go through one page a day. It is not a specific dieting plan and can be used in conjunction with a diet (and backup diet) of your choice.

There's a website (http://www.beckdietsolution.com/) if you want to take a look at it before you look up the book. I'm at Day 11 into the book and am really finding its steps a good way to focus on why it is important to me to lose weight, how I'm going to do it, and avoiding temptation.

You CAN and WILL do this!! If anyone had told me a year ago that I would be counting my calories and losing weight, I would have rolled my eyes. I had been avoiding counting calories my entire life. I swear, I thought exercise was enough. Be patient. Be consistant. And you will see results!! Good luck!!

I have been using the mynetdiary app and webapp. Its great for tracking food, calories, exercise, water and morel. Its very intuitive and is full of useful information. The online community is lacking (that's why I am here!) but everything else about it is great. Planning is key I think. I have been completely planning my food for the next day and I think its getting easier. And if my friends want to go out for a spur of the moment lunch, I try and track things as best as I can and pick up where I left off the next day.

I agree with the above replies, I have played around with how many calories work for me, and i hate being told what i can and cannot eat so that is why counting cals works for me, i can eat what i want as long as i keep track, i would also suggest getting a phone app to help log your daily intake and keep track. best of luck with your weight loss!!!

I have been using my fitness pal the past few days then printing it off so I can visibly see it all day.

So im wondering if you (anyone) keep on track better by planning your day out or just by writing down foods eaten as you go about your day?

Me personally, i prefer to plan ahead if possible.

Planning ahead makes a huge difference for me.

I find breakfast easy, since all of my options (eggs, cereal, sausage) fit my plan. Lunch is pretty easy, too, because I've been packing a meat/cheese salad or bringing a frozen meal.

It's dinner that's hard for me. I've started making a meal plan for the week on Sunday and grocery shopping after work on Monday for anything I might need for the week's menu. So, I know when I get home from work exactly what we're having. It makes a huge difference and keeps me on plan. Not knowing what to fix for dinner makes us go out, or eat something that doesn't fit in my plan.

I have lost all my weight doing calorie counting via MFP and love it. Super easy! I also do more of the calorie zip zagging, going more for a weekly total of calories then a daily.

I use the program lose it. I love it! Just started 2 1/2 weeks ago and I have lost weight.

Honestly, I dont think I have ever heard of tracking calories on a weekly basis instead of a daily basis. is this something new? How are those doing that do this and what advantage does it have over tracking daily calories?

Also, when you track points instead of calories you have those flex points for extras that you might consume.
A) Does anyone allot "extra" calories on the day/week for that when tracking calories? Right now I am averaging 1800 calories (tracking through MFP) and from what I have read 1800 is good for my weight. However little extras come up sometime so Im curious how you track those?
B) Do you omit something you already have planned to eat so you can have the extras instead?
C) Do you just add the extra calories and do better the next day?
D) Or do you eat less than expected then use the extra calories for these things?

Sorry for all the questions but I am trying so hard to finally do this at this point in my life. Thanks for all the support!!

There are as many ways to do this as there are people.

For me, I'd totally reject (C) since it would be a slippery slope for me--I'd be too likely to do it too often, and not be likely to make it up properly. I do a daily tracking and each day is a new day.

A) I don't allocate extra calories, but I'm working at enough of a deficit that I could. Right now, I am not because I want to jump start my weight loss. When I am working out regularly, I could imagine adding a bit in, but nothing that would ever put me above maintenance level.

B) and D) are pretty much the same thing--adjusting within the day to compensate for an addition you're making. I think that's often the best course, since it keeps you/me responsible on a daily basis. I find that I adjust my dinner and if I have an evening snack just so that my numbers work.

However, I reiterate: there is no single right way. There are other people who do things differently than I do--and differently from what you choose to do--and are successful at it.

My advice would be not to worry too much about a 'perfect' way--there isn't one, and that gets in the way of action and increases tension and stress. (In the software world [and others], that's called analysis paralysis.)

Continue with your 1800 plan. If you know you're going to want a treat, plan for it and adjust your plan accordingly so it fits into your plan. After a month (or so), assess and decide if you want to make adjustments.