Hi again everyone...I know I'm really monopolizing the forums today but I'm wondering what you guys aim for as far as daily calories. I set my goal at 1200 - 1400, but find I almost always exceed that. I'm not heavy (134lbs) so I find to lose I need to be around 1300ish....what do you guys find works best for you and how did you determine that number?

Well it depends. I would love to stay at 1200 but a lot of days, I am just way hungrier. I tend to do calorie cycling without even trying. One day I will be at 1000, the next at 1600, the next at 1200. If I am staying OP, I would aim to stay under 1400. I found that if I try to stay consistently below that, ie 1200 or less, it tends to lead to a binge one day because I am so hungry. but it is tricky.. I still haven't really found my ideal calorie range. I really could eat 1800 but the weight loss can be slow for me at that, but I feel a lot more sane. I definitely am the type who needs more calories and do not typically feel satisfied on 1200 or so.

See the FAQ in the Calorie Counters forum... http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/calo...ease-read.html

I lost averaging 1700-1800 calories/day. I was running 5x/week. I did not eat the same amount of calories every day, but I am sure I never went below 1400, usually probably around 1600 with some days higher (over 2000 maybe once a week).

I generally eat healthfully -- lean protein, lots of veggies, lots of fruit. Limited alcohol.

ETA -- wow, lots of good info at that link. thanks, cornellchick!

thanks guys - wow this forum is HUGE i didn't even know there was a calorie counters forum....

I have been losing on what averages out to 1600-1800 a day. Very slowly too. I exercise at least 5 days a week for a minimum of 40 minutes cardio a day. I also try to eat clean whenever I can.

1200 would be nice but I don't have the willpower to eat that little without skipping meals.

well it's really nice to hear that i can lose on more than 1200 - i usually aim for that but always end up going over and am usually pretty demotivated by that. i'm going to aim for 1400 and see where that gets me.

thanks a lot

also, krampus, what exactly do you mean by eating clean? whole foods??

In the beginning, I was losing 2-3 lbs a week by eating 1200-1350 calories and working out 5 days a week. Nowadays, I am losing 1 lb a week, eating 1500-1600 calories and exercising 6 days a week<--------- I like this method better!

when I say "clean" my definition is just eating fresh stuff that's not processed. food where you watch it go from raw to cooked/ready and are present for all stages of the process.

Being male and pretty tall my calorie needs are a bit higher. The RMR calculator places me at needing around 2300 just to maintain current weight and I typically shoot for 1800-2000. I wildly guestimate calories though and I probably am actually eating a bit less than that on average.

check out http://www.caloriesperhour.com for a BMR and RMR calculator based on gender/ height/ and weight (RMR number is generally more appropriate for calorie counting).

If you are not feeling full, maybe increase your lean protein intake? Drinking lots of fluids helps too.

I found this website and it's guidelines to be really useful:
http://www.stumptuous.com/kristas-ka...c-konfabulator

wow, thanks for asking this!

I post in the calorie counting thread and find i tend to eat a lot more than the other posters. I try to stick below 1500 and I find this comfortable - I REALLY have to count and watch my portions as if I eat whatever I want I tend to eat about 2000 naturally. But 1500 gives me a good amount of food and I am not terribly hungry if I make good choices.

BUT, I was losing about 1-2 lbs a week and now have stalled and lost only 1 lb for the past few weeks I don't know if it was my body "adjusting" as I took a 2 week break in there for vacation where I ate whatever. but when I got back, I weighed and I was only up a half pound so I didn't really count that as a gain...but I'm only down about a pound since then in the last 11 days. Grrrr....

I am hoping it is some sort of water weight and soon I will weigh in and be 3 lbs lighter. LOL.

I'm glad you asked this! I was curious about others, but I admit, this is making me depressed! LOL!

I gain at 1200 these days. I have to stick with just under 1000.

I'm of the belief that you should eat as many calories as you can and still lose.

Eliana-- im right there with you

If im in fat loss mode i have to aim for 850 to 900. Doing that, i *usually* hit around 1000 lol!

I know people yell about never going below 1200, but what they *mean* in their ignorance is to not go below your bmr.
Well, guess what? Due to my history of undereating, dieting, overtraining, drug abuse and disordred eating (aka F**ing up my metabolism) my bmr IS around 1000 a day, or less. Sad...... Therefore i cant lose unless i go really really low.

it SUX

I lost the majority of my weight eating between 1500 and 1800 calories a day. I'm still trying to find right calorie level to lose my last five pounds. During the week I eat between 1400 and 1650 calories a day (I have a very physical job and need the fuel to get through the work day). On weekends I try hard to keep my calories under 1300. On weekends I'm not nearly as active as I am during the week and don't need as many calories.