How many calories do you eat to lose weight?

  • Now that I'm sitting in the 130s, I feel like i am officially a feather with only 17 lbs left to lose. However, I'm going nuts and need some advice.

    I dropped my calories down to 1100 a day on average (i zigzag) and am afraid to eat more. i'm still losing weight, but slowly. I am 5'3".

    So for the people who are at or very close to goal, how many calories a day did you eat to bring you to goal?
  • psssssssst change your user title!

    I don't calorie count but I try to keep it under 1600 to lose.
  • Eating more helped me drop 10lbs I didn't want to lose. When I got up to 1600-1800 I kept losing. Even at 1900 I was still losing.

    I'm eating around 2000-2200 now, which I think might finally be my maintenance range...although I do have a strange feeling I may have to eat more. We'll see. I'm still trying to figure this out.

    I exercise 6-7 days a week with a combination of weight training and cardio. I lift heavy 1 or 2 days a week, with lighter weights mixed in with my cardio.
  • Quote: psssssssst change your user title!
    .
    huh? Maybe im slow today
  • jayohwhy's user title says "53 lb lost" but she's lost almost 100!
  • Quote: jayohwhy's user title says "53 lb lost" but she's lost almost 100!
    :] i'll change it, haha.

    Thanks for all your input so far, everyone!
  • I have found lately that I seem to need to be at 1000 - 1100 to lose weight but I have to confess that I have not yet added exercise into the mix.

    I am a little frustrated with such a low calorie intake but was determined to get back into my clothes.

    I know I need to exercise. Life's busy and its hard to fit it in.

    Lee
  • Quote: Eating more helped me drop 10lbs I didn't want to lose. When I got up to 1600-1800 I kept losing. Even at 1900 I was still losing.

    I'm eating around 2000-2200 now, which I think might finally be my maintenance range...although I do have a strange feeling I may have to eat more. We'll see. I'm still trying to figure this out.

    I exercise 6-7 days a week with a combination of weight training and cardio. I lift heavy 1 or 2 days a week, with lighter weights mixed in with my cardio.
    Wow 2000-2200.. I'm at the 1100-1300 just to maintain. But i have to admit I haven't excercised in a month Maybe I should get my butt in the gym!
  • I have been eating 1400-1600 calories a day and exercising for 1-1.5 hrs per day 6-7x per week. I notice that on the weekends I get hungrier or maybe it's just more bored, but I feel like I have to up my intake to around 2,000 just to feel full. I try not to eat bad stuff, just a little bigger portions and I think it keeps my body (and me!)from getting too worn out.
  • I eat 1250 a day when I don't exercise. When I do only light excersise, so just 1 run or something I still eat that amount. But I've been doing 1000calorie burns a few days in a row and then I eat 1500 calories.

    My weightloss goes really slow even with this few calories. If it stays this way for the next 2 weeks I might up my calories some. I lost 1kg/2.2lbs in the last 8 days. Maybe it's not that slow, but it feels slow. LOL
  • I don't exercise, but I do chase around two small kids all day, so I'm not completely sedentary.

    To lose weight steadily, my calories need to be pretty darn low. But I am only 5'0" tall with a small frame, so take that into consideration. Steady weight loss for me means 1,000-1,200 calories daily, and this is following a paleo diet, too (no grains, lots of meat and fat). BUT I always have one or two days (at least) a week when I bump up my calories significantly, mostly because Hubby and I are eating out or whatever. Those days, I may eat as much as 2,000-2,400.
  • I tried counting calories, but I often ended up being hungry at the end of the day. Instead, I focus on eating healthy 90% of the time, with 5% being fast-food/prepped food and 5% or less sugar-based calories. (This is by month, not by day.)
  • I ate 1400-1600 toward the end and I was in Marathon Training. I would calorie up to about 2200 on long run days to properly fuel myself. but I find for me now to maintain I can eat 1800-2200 but I also work-out 1-2hrs everyday between cardio/weights and that's 5-6 days a week. I am looking to toss some more so I'm here trying to capture some wind to start calorie cutting again- it's a big commitment to push your calories low.