how much to eat too lose weight?
 

I don't know if I am in the right section, so please direct me in the right direction if I am not. Thank you.
I weigh 145-148 pounds, i'm 5'4 and 18. How much should I be eating to lose weight?

The first time I started 'dieting' I would eat 1200-1400 cals, lose like 6 pounds and binge eat and gain it all back. So I was thinking 1500-1600 calories a day. I sit around most of the day and only get max 1 hour of exercise (dancing). So what do you guys recommend?

How much weight do you want to lose?

Do you know how much you're eating on a regular basis without dieting?

You say you binge eat -- do you know what causes this? Are you talking to a counselor about the factors behind this?

Maintaince for you is between 1700 calories a day. You'll need to cut your intake to 1300 for you to lose a pound a week. Thats not including your excerise because I'm not sure if thats for the week or everyday. Starting a weightloss plan is going to be full of trial and error. So experiment with various amounts of calories and excerise and find what works best for you :) Good luck

On a side note you need to figure out why you binge. What your trigger food is, or emotionally why you do it. I would work on that first before starting to try and lose weight :)

Sometimes when people binge it's because their diets are too restrictive. Are you certain you're eating 1200-1400 calories a day when you diet? You might be overestimating your calories and eating much less. Conversely you might just need to eat lower-calorie foods that fill you up such as veggies.

How do you feel when you eat at the level? Do you feel hungry? Do you feel satisfied?

You might also consider cutting your calorie intake to around 1500 and adding exercise.

What kind of foods are you eating?

1200 calories of whole foods heavy in veggies and lean protein will be much more satisfying than 1500 calories of processed food.

Most people are similar in that if they eat refined sugar and processed food they need a lot of calories to feel full.

I hate to break it to you but you will most likely need to completely change how you eat. Granted I don't know how you eat now but most people eat a lot of processed crap.

The good news is that you don't have to make every single change at once.

Also, the suggestion of exercise is an excellent one. Just don't over do it. If you're not used to exercising take it easy at the beginning. I personally think everyone should lift weights for many reasons but ultimately you need to find something you enjoy or at least don't hate. Even brisk walking is very beneficial.

My wife lost about 40 lbs and the only exercise she did was brisk walking. She built up over time and then was doing about 45 minutes a day.

Boy, this question keeps coming up a lot, doesn't it? :lol: I agree with John that you need to maximize your calories -- becuz you only weigh 148 lbs presently. In order to lose weight, you will need to eat a bit less, but you'd feel better eating NUTRIENT-RICH WHOLE FOODS, and lean proteins with lots of veggies & salad to fill you up, so you'll feel more satisfied too.

Some people binge becuz the food they are eating has little nutritional value; others, have some emotional stressors in their lives (or maybe it's a bit of both). Tracking is helpful for many people; and will allow you see any patterns, plus what & how much you are really eating.

I agree to start out walking; and then speed it up as you go along. Walking is free and very good for you. I also enjoy using hand weights 3 days a week; very easy ... good luck!

Oh & BTW, you can continue the dancing, esp if you really love it -- like I do ... ;)