Out of curiosity, how many calories do you usually consume each day and lose on? I'm just trying to find an ideal range to lose slightly/maintain at!

Exercise amount and height would also be helpful!

5 feet even I lose on about 1400 calories a day .But remember I am short and small boned.

5 feet four and a half, lose on anything less than 1700/day. I do minimally 30 min of cardio (the sweaty kind) per day.

I'm (just under) 5'5" and was 120.8 this morning. I haven't been counting calories as I've had meals delivered to me for the final stretch, but I think I've been unconsciously doing zig-zag calories, so anything between 1000-1600 a day. And I've been exercising 3 times a week for 30 mins.

Over the last 2 weeks I've lost 5 lbs.

If you have a smartphone I would really recommend getting an app which works this all out for you. It's not gospel it's a good starting point. Then to get an idea how that works practically you can pop in everything you eat as you eat it.

Otherwise this is v popular http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Hope that helps.

I lost on about 1700-1800/day (plus 25-30 minutes of cardio 5x a week and 20 minutes of strength training 2x a week). I'm presently maintaining in the low 120s at 1900-2100 calories a day and the same exercise regime.

i'm 5'5, right now i'm 119--i lose on anything less than like 1650. some days i eat more, others i eat less! i work out 6 days a week, with fridays or saturdays off. usually 30 minutes of some sort of cardio & then maybe 15-20 minutes of whatever type of weight training i can fit in before i have to go get ready for work!

How much did you guys lose per week on average? My weight loss has really slowed and I am losing like a .5 lb per week now. Want to speed it up by cutting calories more, but not sure if that's the best idea.

Whoa, I have a bit more weight on me than you, and I maintain at around 1400 (which sucks). Do you exercise too?

Hope you guys don't mind me bringing up this thread again, I'm new to the Featherweights board and this really interested me!

I've been stuck around 135/136 for awhile now, and I'm getting really frustrated. Now I'm wondering - am I not eating enough?

I usually try and eat anywhere between 1400 and 1500 calories per day, but I also work out a lot... heres a typical weekly workout schedule:

Monday: intense aerobics /weights class – 1 hour
2.5 mile walk home

Tuesday: 5 mile run
Weights class (1 hr)
2.5 mile walk home

Wednesday: 4 mile run
2.5 mile walk home

Thursday:
5 mile run
1 hour weights class (with some aerobics)
2.5 mile walk home

Friday:
1 hour dance class
2.5 mile walk home

Saturday:
long run (usually 8-11 miles) - will up my cals to about 1800 on this day since hr monitor says i burn about 1100 cals during a 10 mile run.


I see some girls here at or around my height eating between 1600-1800 working out less than i do. I know a lot of peolpe don't believe in starvation mode, but is my body trying to hang onto the calories??

No such thing as "starvation mode." Every anorexic knows she can continue to lose weight well below dangerous levels if she cuts calories down far enough (~500-900/day).

I don't lose weight on more than 1300 cal/day; maintenance for me, like for WildVulpix, is 1400/day, assuming I get in at least 40 min of exercise 4-5 days/week; otherwise, I wouldn't lose weight even on 1300/day. Yeah, it bites, but it's still better to have a crappy metabolism than to have cancer or Alzheimer's disease.

I don't believe in starvation mode either - I've known many anorexics who had no trouble losing weight when they stopped eating. But I do think, that our bodies adjust to what we do on a regular basis. If you've done this routine for awhile, same amount of running, same calorie level, your body has adapted to this and decided it's happy.

I think you need to change things up a bit. You could try eating more on the long run day to bring your metabolism up more (similar to how body builders do a re-feed day once a week). But likely, you are at a good weight for your height and if you are working out that much it's going to be hard to cut calories any more and be able to do all that running. If you do want to try to cut a bit, try maybe 100 calories per day and see if you can live at that.

I maintain on 2,500 to 3,200 a day (with the occasional 3,500+-day or two thrown in) and lost well by cutting my intake between about 500 and 700 depending on the day. I lost an average of two pounds a week. But I also run about 24 miles a week and lift weights for about 6 to 8 hours a week.

All right, this is all the convincing I need to become a serious, serious gym rat.

Man, I'm telling you, I don't know what I'd weigh now if I hadn't started working out seriously so many years ago. I like to eat so much. I just can't see myself eating what I would have to to weigh what I do and being happy if I'd never gotten into working out. I know there are people out there who happily maintain on 1,500 or less, but I'd be miserable. If I let myself I can eat all day. My stomach is a bottomless pit.

I haven't lost weight in a while, but when I get to 1500 kcal/day the weight magically melts off at 2-3 pounds/ week.

problem is, I can't do it for long (1-2 weeks at a time then I get antsy and want large meals), so I lose 4 pounds, gain 2 back, etc....