Calories needed in a day Questions

  • Okay so I am starting my journey... again...
    I have been trying to figure out how many calories I need to maintain my weight and adjust from there to figure out weight loss.

    Well the first counter I came across said at 300lbs I needed 2625 (Calorie Control Council -asked for height) but the second one said that I needed 4091 (American Cancer Society ). That's a 1466 Calorie difference. Just not sure who or what to believe. Even Fitness Mags tool says 2905.

    Mind you lately I have been doing the zig zag method (which seems to be working ) and been staying around 1500 calories each day. I tend to plateau quickly when I adjust my calories.

    Would you just go with the lowest one? Thanks for the help. I w
  • You don't mention activity level that will make a difference but without that information I would go with the lowest figure. I have not checked these particular places for calories needed but others that I have checked suggest 2500 that is for little or no exercise.
  • I picked little to no for now since right now that is where I am. But I was projecting with light activity so that I could modify.
  • Try the calculator at myfitnesspal.com
    That's the one I use. Good luck!
  • I use the one at free dieting dot com and so far it has worked great
  • Any calculator is just a starting point because they cannot tell you how your specific body works. Just pick one of the numbers, maybe take the average of them, and see how it goes. If you are losing at a nice pace and feel good, that means you've found a good number to go with for now. If you are too hungry all the time or if you aren't losing much weight, then you can play around with the number and see how it goes.
  • Thanks. I started using MyPlate to track my calories and it has me assigned to 2507 based on my weight. So for now I am going to stick with that and see how it goes.