Hi everyone! I started counting calories on May 10. I have estimated my weight to be 215 lb; I am 4'10. I have a scale on its way to me. My goal is 1300 calories a day. I would like to get down to 130. I wear a size 16/18.

I would love any advice or encouragement.

If you are counting calories and have a smart phone I suggest checking out the app MyFitnessPal. It helps you keep track of everything and you can easily search for ALOT of foods/restaurants/etc. It also lets you add in any exercise you do so that you can keep track of that as well. Good Luck and welcome!

Welcome! I agree with the recommendation for MyFitnessPal. You can also use it on a computer. I suggest you request friends on there and get yourself a support network. My username is MovingForward2 if you choose to go that route. Anyone is free to add me.

I lost all my weight through calorie counting, roughly in your calorie range. One strategy I used was establishing and sticking to a routine. For example, I generally eat 2 eggs for breakfast (140 calories), 400-450 calories for lunch, and then save the remaining calories for dinner and extras. I quickly became accustomed to this pattern and it worked for me. You'll just have to find what works for you.

Calorie counting is great for improving your diet. Fruits and vegetables, because of how comparatively low in calories they are, have become a cornerstone of my diet. And protein is worth the calories because it keeps you feeling full longer.

Good luck!

Welcome. I'm 5ft ish and started 7 month ago at 222. I went from 2000+ cals a day to 1350. No working out to 4-5x a week. Now 175. Not saying you should but...... My only regret is I wish I would have gradually tapered off cals. Like 1700 for a while then 1600, 1500 and so on till I reached 1300. I would have stayed at each level until I plateaued. I went straight to 1350 and it worked great but it makes it really hard to shake it up when I do hit those plateaus. IMO

So you think I should start at 1700? I actually was told 1200 by my app (livestrong) but upped it because that didn't seem like enough.

If I could do it over I'd start at 1700 still I stalled then adjust it. I don't recommend 1200. And definitely not start at that. If I'm not mistaken those apps start pretty much everybody at 1200. Google "calories to lose" there are tons of sights to input your data and if gives you a number. I just suggest starting at an avg.
keep in mind, quickly taking off lbs wasn't as important as steady and permanently to me

my scale just died on me today, I guess I need to change a battery. But I was at 214 so just about the same! I'm also in 16s and 18s.

I'm really excited to buckle down this summer and develop some longterm healthy eating habits.

Good luck to you!

Hi. I'm new too. Just like you I'm counting calories. My limit is 1200 a day though I usually only have 800. I use the myfitnesspal app on my phone to help keep track too.

I've cut out all junk food and fried food...it's like a game for me counting calories...I will stand there and decide if something like a dinner roll (I love me bread!) is really worth all those calories when I can have 2-3 applies for the same amount of calories. Temptation is my worst enemy but I've found actually seeing what I eat and the calories in them has definitely curbed wanting the bad food. I find that if by chance I want, say a muffin, then I work out to burn all those calories off. Here's to us losing the weight and feeling confident! Good luck!!

Welcome and good luck on your journey!!