I'm currently limiting myself to 1200 (dropped from 1500) but I'm still not quite sure if that's a good limit or if I need more or less to lose weight.

A girl I work with says she does cycles of 500 (2 wks) 800(2 wks) and 1000(2 wks) and them drops back down to 500. That seems low to me but she sas it works...

Any input?

I'd keep it at 1500. You'll lose on that and you'll have wiggle room if you stall out and need to switch it up later.

I have almost the same weight/height as you and am losing on 1500-1600 cals a day.

I definitely would not follow your co-worker's example. I really believe that the body adapts to a lower calorie count, making it that much more difficult to maintain once you lose. Also, the faster you lose, the more lean muscle mass you lose, which---again---makes it easier to gain it back when you get to goal.

I would stick to 1500 calories per day. It's far less painful and much more sustainable.

Your co workers plan is not a good one, That is not a plan that provides needed nutrients and she soon will get tired of it stop and possibly regain, that is too rigid. I , like the others think 1500 is better for you.

Kayann, I absolutely agree with the other responses here. 1500 is a great level that I know works. Your coworker's plans sounds very ill-advised -- in fact, alarmingly unhealthy.

Your coworker's plan is dangerous and downright stupid actually. It's a good way to mess up one's metabolism and enter the cycle of losing and regaining. It will work, but it won't do any good for her in the long term. Your body needs a certain amount of food to perform basic functions—do not starve it. That's a good way to lose the muscle you want to keep

I agree with everyone above, 1500 is good. You can probably even go higher than that. When I was in the mid 120s I was still losing weight on 1600 calories a day.

im 5'8, 172, and im loosing on about 1700 a day.

up your calories as long as you can.

you will just stall out and then binge on 1200

I know there is no way I could drop my calories that low but I was still unsure of how many I should be eating. Thanks for the advice and I will stick with around 1500

I would wonder how long she's been able to sustain this? Sure, she can say it works if it's been a week and a half.

You coworker doesn't eat enough to stay alive. That's not going to work for long.

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Try the calc to see where you are for your height/needs.

A.

Whoooa...I've always heard that 1200 is the "magic number" for women. We aren't supposed to ever go under it. Even when I was working out at Curves they suggested going no lower than 1200 and only suggested going that low for like a week and then going back up to 1500. I've been sticking between 1200 and 1300 although I don't know if that's the smartest decision. I'd have to do some more calculations but I've been wondering if I should crank it up to 1500 myself. I don't work out a lot, that's what has me worried. I'm so stressed and busy because of school that I can't always get moving. Like tonight, I have class at 6:00...I have homework after that and I'm already tired. The chances of me working out just dropped dramatically.

It's really just up to the individual. The numbers you get from various calculations are sort of like guidelines, not hard numbers, you might need a bit more or a bit less. But going under 1200 is a no-no from what I've been told, by trainers, by internet resources, and by Curves so I would definitely not use your friend as a guide on this.