I have been yo-yoing since I was 12 (back when I was tiny and didn't know it)... I can't believe I don't know more about this How much calorie cutting does a person need to do to lose weight? And safely! My friend's friend is a nutritionist. She told her that she would never recommend anyone go below 1800 calories a day... but I keep reading about people going on 1500 calorie diets and lower. :/ I don't think I could handle eating less than 1800. But is that necessary?

I lost 15 pounds slowly over the last few years by making changes - adding exercise, subtracting certain foods - sodas, starbucks, etc... I think I'm at a point where I think I need to start paying attention to what I'm eating!

Thanks!

Eesabella

I try to stay around 1600 calories a day. Some days are more some are less. I use http://fitday.com to help me count my calories. Good luck!

Rule of thumb is that you shouldn't go below 1200 calories.

I usually do around 1400, take or give a hundred.

Yeah, usually everyone says that you shouldn't go below 1200cal. On average I eat about 1900cal a day (sometimes less, sometimes more ).

So you 4 are all near or under 1800 :/ I guess I may need to reevaluate my thinking! I've made up meal plans for myself to no more than 2100... I'm going to bump it down to 2000 and see if I lose any weight. At 1600 and below, are you very hungry??! I think I'd be starved! But I guess your body adjusts to it??

Thanks!!

Ees

Ees -- Bring your calories down 100-200/day, if you don't lose try 100 more the next week... I TRY to stick to 1400-1700/day, I get really angry when I go over 1600 though... I find 1600 to be a high day... Granted some weekends I have done 2000/day , I hate that!! When I have a really high day I try to have a very low day the next...

I'm wondering if your friend's friend's advice got lost in translation. Perhaps don't go below 1800 for maintaining or don't go below 1800 if you are over a certain weight? I'm almost exactly in line with Ilene (including the some weekends over 2000 ) since I'm easing into maintenance mode. When I was actively losing I was at 1200-1400 except one "free day" per week which I still kept under 1800. I think I'm ready to rededicate myself to losing this last 5#'s and I'll probably do it on 1300-1500 and just not worry about how long it takes.

I try to stay around 1200 calories - but I'm special - I have a low thyroid problem.
My sister (who does seem to have a thyroid problem) also has to keep her calories around 1200 a day or she gains weight. We were not blessed with much of a metabolism I'm afraid - but mine is much better since I now take 4 grains of Armour Thyroid a day.

I'm use to eating like this so I'm not hungry - now if I eat sugar it makes me hungry and makes me crave more sugar. But I do try to eat a lot of veggies which are very low cal - so I get some volume without big calories.

On 1800 calories a day I would hate to think of how much weight I would gain in a week - yikes! I also couldn't lose any weight on Weight Watchers. I love WW's program but it was just too many calories for me. But I might do better on their program now that my thyroid is being treated.

I also try to walk about 30 miles (or more) a month - how much exercise are you getting? That would probably make a difference in the calories you require.

take care,
Cathy

I follow Weight Watchers,which counts points instead of calories (you measure the calories, fiber and fat grams for an item, i.e., a serving of Shredded Wheat is 3 points, the banana is 2 points). I've been on it since May 2004 and it did the trick for me.

I would guess I eat 1650-1900 calories and I aim for 3-5 workout sessions each week.

I eat 1200 or so a day, just seems the only way I lose. Could be low metabolism, lack of exercise, or something else entirely. As a rule of thumb, you can kind of multiiply your weight by 10 to get an idea of how many calories your body burns naturally with low to no activity. Usually they suggest you eat 200 calories or so less than that, and try to work out an average of 200 calories or so over that. Of course, your metabolism can be a factor and if you plan to be very active you shouldn't go too low. Definitely don't go lower than 1200. I think Ilene has some good advice though, just take it a couple weeks at a time and see how you lose.

I just looked over my meal plan, and while I was trying to stay under 2100 - I planned (and stuck to) staying a little extra below that than I realized. Mon-1957, Yesterday-1981, Today-1783 (?! swapped a reg meal for a large salad).

I'm really curious about my friend's friend now!! I'm going to check again with my friend and make sure I didn't misunderstand her! I've been pretty full at almost 2000, so going at least 200 less doesn't sound too bad.

I don't work out a crazy amount - but I do pretty well. 3-5 hours a week of aerobics and yoga. I'm 5'8'' - height doesn't allow for extra calories, does it? I love these faces - this is my favorite hee hee!

SO! I guess I will take your advice Ilene!! I'm gonna bump it 1800 and see if I'm not too hungry/if I lose!

Do you workout a lot Shrinking?! Only wondering since you do 1900! Am I crazy for loving all of the planning? For some reason calculating calories and picking meals is really fun to me!

Thanks for of the advice Everyone - especially since this seems like a well-discussed topic (shoulda researched the old posts first!!). Thanks to for that fitday link Valeria!! That looks like fun!

Ees- I do work out (I try for 20min a day 7 days a week). But I think that I must have at least an average metabolism (or at least not slow). According to fitday I burn 1700cal bmr. So, (with bmr, activity level, and exercise) even at 1900 I am still a good bit under what I am burning in a day.

And you are right, the faces are fun! I have been wanting to post some for no good reason and this is my moment of opportunity----

and back to you! I know everyone uses that one * it's so cute though!

That's awesome that you can have 1900 and still lose weight!! More food is always better!! Fitday calculates that sort of thing for you? I'm going to go check it out now! That's pretty cool!

Here's a thought for you as well, Eesabella. Before actually trying to set up a plan for calories, you might want to track what you're eating normally (when you're not trying to diet) and see where your calorie count is. For me, I was between 221-227 lbs for about two years. When I decided to lose the weight, I just tracked what I ate for a couple weeks and realized that I was taking in an average of 2300 cal a day. Since I was maintaining at that, I needed to take in less than that in order to lose -- 500 cal less per day = 3500 cals less at the end of the week = 1lb loss, on the average. Add in some exercise, and I'm looking at 1-2 lbs per week, which is where I want to be. So I set a range of 1400-1800 (1800 being my "top" because it's 500 less than the 2300 I used to consume). Most of the time, I'm eating around 1700, although I've noticed I'm not as hungry lately and the past week I seem to be hitting around 1500+ on the average. When I hit a plateau (we all do at some point, don't we?), I'll track what I'm eating for a week or two and drop the range again to hit below what I'm taking in to maintain, and see if that works. And if it doesn't, I'll try something else (change in exercise, what I'm eating in addition to how much, etc. etc.) until I hit on what works again.

I feel like I'm rambling now, I hope that made sense.