Another cliche topic, can someone help me?

Hi everyone! I'm 17 years old, female, 5'8 and I weigh 191 pounds down from 260. I was just wondering on how many calories I should eat per day. I've been eating 1500 calories, and I've just recently been exercising a lot lately. For the past 4 days I've been eating 1500 calories, and biking from 30-1 hour a day plus doing Jillian Michael's 30 day shred workout video. Last night me and a friend went for a half an hour bike ride and then a 2 hour walk, and I came home and had somewhat of a binge. Is this a sign that I'm not eating enough? I want to lose 2 lbs per week, so on sedentary days should I eat 1500 calories? How many should I eat when I workout? 

Thanks.

Hi  kelseymarie2. We roughly have the same stats. I'm a 23 y/o female 5'6 and weigh 192 (down from 228). Your caloric intake seems a little low. On my workout days I'm eating a minimum of 1650 calories.  And on my non-workout days I remain within the range of 1200-1450 calories. If you're working out at the level you say you are, you should definitely consume a little more.You can use this website as a guide, as it has really helped me along the way: www.phord.com/cc

Since you're under 21 your energy needs are higher than someone older.   This site is more appropriate for you in that case.... http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html  Entering your stats and reading off the Daily Requirement for 'moderate activity' (about an hour a day) and 'very active' (more than an hour) the numbers come back that you need between 3080 and 3710 to maintain your weight.   About a 3400 average

If you're planning to be this active on a regular basis I'd say you should reposition your weightloss intake at a steady 2500 per day so that you've enough energy to keep going and also be well-nourished at the same time.  Even if you do no formal exercise your intake has to still be up at 2000.   As you lose weight, you'll need slightly less energy so redo this every 10lbs down

1500 is the bare minimum for a normal-sized and completely inactive teenager.  And that's simply not you.....  Good luck

Congrats on your weight loss to date!  I am a your height, a lot older than you, and not as active, and I have been losing steadily at 1800 cal/day.  I want to second GI-Jane's recommendation to bump your calories up to above 2000.  You don't want to get in the habit of binging because you aren't eating enough on a regular basis.  It isn't good for your body or your soul.

You might want to be prepared for the weight to drop off more slowly now that you are out of the "obese" category (yeah!).  But that is okay, it is a marathon, not a sprint, and it doesn't really matter how long it takes, as long as you keep going.

Congratulations on the loss!

Wow, congrats on the weight loss!  That's no small feat.  Well, when I was in the 190s (I'm a bit shorter than you, though), I was eating about 1500 calories in a day.  I think that in the one instance where you had worked out quite a lot in one day, you were probably short a few calories for the day.  I LOVED the 30 day shred, I did it this winter when it was too cold to be outside.  Good luck to you!

I think that 1500 calories is about right if you want to maintain decent weight loss. As your weight decreases so will your weight loss, so don't expect the next pounds to be as easy as the first 70.

Congratualtions.

How fast are you losing at that 1500 calorie intake?