hi,
i figured id post here because beinging in a similar weight range might get more real-world accurate answers.

im a 21year old comp sci student who eats horrible and finally wants to loose weight.
currently im just trying to focus on my diet and il worry about exercise once ive got a good hold on diet.
i dont get much of any exercise i do how ever go on a 30min walk 5 days a week for the last few months
just for kicks yesterday i ate a standard amount of food and using sparkpeople i decided to calculate a rough estimate on my calories

4,161 calories
580 carb
81fat
241 protein

according to calculators anywhere between just below 2800-3100 calories
depending on the one i use
what should it be roughly?
for loosing the maximum weight without slowing my metabolism

as for today i really watched what i ate (yogurt and apples for breakfast, rice for lunch)
and im at approximately

438 calories
99 carb
2fat
9 protein
although i havent ate dinner yet
but sill with me it seems to be go big or go home
i dont feel super hungry cause im used to not feeling super full when i eat alot(unless it like a all you can eat smorg or something )
so how do i balance it out this is difficult

thanks

i started close to your weight and I am older than you ( which makes a difference) and I usually eat between 1800-2000 cals a day. I use a Go wear fit so I know that I burn about 3000 cals a day, leaving me with a deficit of 1000 cals a day, which translates to about a 2 lbs loss a week.

good to know thanks for the input

Hi dietdude and welcome!

As a guy, you'll need more calories, probably about 2500-3000. Avg carb counts for healthy lifestyle range from 250-300g (basic nutrition advice). Don't drop your protein grams because it can cause muscle wasting and hair loss during rapid weight loss. You want to lose fat, not muscle.

Please be careful suddenly going low fat. This can mess your gall bladder up royally.

I'd suggest going to Fitday.com to record and manage your food intake (it's free). There's even a screen to put in your goal weight and calculations how many calories you need to decrease per day to get to your goal in a reasonable time.

Hugs,
Ratkity

I guess a lot has to do with what type of plan you are going to follow. Are you going for low cal/low fat, low carb, etc.