Weight Loss

I am a male at 188 5'9' pics in profile and im working on getting rid of fat.....flab to fab type things and i was wondering if 1350 a day with cardio is not enough calories...i dont want to mess up. I cant afford to go into starvation mode. So please offer insight if I should tweak it some..i ussually do light cardio. Brisk walking....Dancing....

I would say that, yes, you should be eating at least 1500. More if you're active.

hey buddy:) I remember you were the first to post when i started calorie count...ive dropped 4pounds since then....but

So I need to eat 1500 calories; If I do cardio with itwill that still be ok?

Congrats! :)

It's a pretty rough estimate, but that's an approximate estimate of what you need to eat a day, yeah.

And go ahead, go nuts with the cardio, though if you do alot of cardio, I'd eat a little more.

you know i have been trying to figure out how many i should be eating as well. im new to cc and have been lurking here for about a week. i have been following what cc recommended me to eat but then that number changed! i dont get it. i am a 26 year old female, 5'4, 149lbs. i want to lose 10lbs by Aug 12. If anyone can help me it would be appreciated. I tried reading coachdee's post on calories in and out, but I got confused. thanks in advance!

The numbers will change depending on which link you click.  One will give you what you need to maintain and one gives you what you need to lose weight.  And if your weight changes, so do the number of calories.

Mshoneybrown, based on your age, height and weight, if you are sedentary, your body burns 1700 calories per day. More if you are active. It is recommended to reduce your calories by 500 per day, though never go under 1200 if you are a female, because your body will go into starvation mode and it is possible that you mind gain weight, besides doing damage to your body.

Also be sure to have a good ratio of calories, 40-50% Carbs, 25-35% protein, 20-30% fat. Under 2500 mg of sodium and over 25 grams of fiber. This information can be found once you enter information into your Food Log and using the Analysis tool from the top menu. Also drink lots of water. The recommendation is 8 eight oz glass. I personally drink twice that, for 1 gallon of water per day, totaling 128 oz.

I use the following website when planning my grocery shopping, it is a list of The World's Healthiest Foods:

http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php

ok, right now i would consider myself sedentary. but i plan on walking at least 30 minutes a day with my dog. from what you said if i burn 1700 calories a day, i should be eating 1200?? if thats correct there is no way i can do that and not go crazy or binge. CC told me to eat 1505 at 1st and now its changed to 1400 something, and i haven't changed any of my stats, so this is what makes it a bit confusing for me.

1200 to 1300 calories is too restrictive for males who tend to have more muscle mass than woman.  The trick is not as much the calorie intake as the calorie expenditure.  If you lower your calorie intake, your basal metabolic rate goes down.  The body is set up to protect you during famine times (it doesn't know that we have been in feast mode for about 100 years.)  This is normal physiology.  The trick it to limit calories...1500 to 1800 is a good start and to increase daily exercise.  If you can expend 500 calories per day, you will lose weight and inches and firm up.  This would be about 1 hour of brisk walking, treadmill, or elipitcal.  Then you can do light weight lifting as well to tone the muscles.  Muscle burns more calories than fat.  Your approach needs to be balanced...cardio and muscle strength.

The number is 1500 calories for males. Never go below 1500 calories if you are a male. Raise the number if you are excerising, as a male your body needs 1500 calories just to survive and operate.

MsHoneyBrown, perhaps you changed your goal date? 1400-1500 calories per day is a good starting point. Get used to that number and once you feel comfortable, if you want to drop down to no less than 1200 you may. You will need more calories than that if you start walking. Try using the Activity Log when you start walking to redetermine the number.

CONFUSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have had 1488 calories today....i do have muscles i am told i have a muscluar build they just arent showing,,there is still flab there...ok....

So if I eat 1500 calories and burn 500 with cardio/walking/jumping rope...wont i go into starvation because I have only had 1000?!

could someone please tell me where to see the suggested amount of calories for me to eat PER day?

Derrick2004x, Yes. You should check out some of CoachDee's posts. This is her most famous one: http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/4815 .html

BBunney, top menu under Tools, under Expediture

Read it. But im sorry I guess im no confused no one is making any sense to me....whats the difference in eating just 1500 calories....

and eating 2000 and then working out takign away 500 and then being at 1500?!

thanks everyone i just created my account, i'm looking to lose about 25 pounds and i could really use some friends, would anyone be interested in chatting?

Derrick2004x, I suggest making an appointment with your physician. The only information that we can give you is the guidelines. None of us are professsionals. Your doctor can answer your questions and help you make a plan that will be tailored specifically to your needs.

ok just so no one is confused, I am a female. CC recommended that I eat 1505 at 1st with the same goal date (i've never changed it) and then cc lowered it to like 1400. I weigh 149 and would like to at least weigh 140 by 8/12. This has always been my goal date. If I lose a little more than that, then great. But I am trying to be realistic and healthy. I plan on hitting the elliptical for at least 45 min 3x a week. I hope that this will get me to my goal. But I know there will be day where I will slack off and not do it. So when I have more sedentary days should I eat less than 1500?? Like yesterday to my surprise, I ate a about 1208 calories, and it wasnt on purpose! And I wasnt even starving. I really surprised myself. So maybe i can eat less than 1500 and still not go crazy?? I guess I should up the calories when I am working out, maybe then do 1500?

Derrick, HoneyBrown and all of you...

Some hopeful clarifications.

The numbers we're giving you: 1500 for men and 1200 for women, are averages given to us by doctor's. A "typical" woman needs at least 1200 calories just to live and a "Typical" man needs 1500.

These are estimates only, however our suggestion is that if you think you should go under these values, speak to and work with a doctor.

None of us, except for coachdee, have any sort of training or doctor's liscenece to go with our advice. We just pick up things that we see on this site, in books and on the net and try to quote the most sensible ones.

The fact of the matter is that if your calorie count is too low for too long, your body's metabolism will slow down to keep up with what you ARE eating. When that happens, a whole host of BAD THING can happen. I'm not saying they necessarily will, especially if we're talking about 50 calories or so, but they can, if your calorie count is too low.

The "Sensible" rule is... to EAT no more than about 500 calories LESS than the amount your body burns a day, assuming no exercise.  So if your body typically burns 2500 calories, try to eat 2000.
As you become more active, your body will need more calories. It takes energy to work your body, and to restore the glycogen you use during exercise. I, personally, have no idea how many more calories a day you need to eat, but it really depends on how hard you exercise.

Mostly I'd say, it makes sense before starting your diet/lifestyle change (or just do it now) to check in with your doctor. He can give you advice and he can warn you of any biological issues YOU may have that you need to work with. If you're confused or concerned, start with a professional.

mshoneybrown

I am older than you, but my maintenance requirement is 1,700. This is based on being "sedentary" which I really am not, but since my exercise tends to be sporadic (2-4 times per week some weeks, 1x per week on other weeks) and I sit at my desk all day, I chose sedentary when calculating my needs. On the days that I do work out I eat 1,600 calories, since my workout burns about 200-300 calories. On the days that I don't workout, I eat about 1,400 calories. I also divide these calories up into small meals during the day since I am a snacker by nature. I would start out eating 1,500 or 1,600 per day, and also continuing your exercise. You might want to increase to 1,700 or so on the days that you do exercise. Just do this for a bit and see what happens. I think it's best to start out with a higher calorie allowance per day, and then if you are not losing weight, rethink your calories. I never go under 1,350 or so and I am steadily losing. If I ate 1,200 per day I would chew my arm off out of hunger! LOL! If you do find yourself only eating 1,200 from time to time, increase your intake the next day to, say....1,600 or so. Just mix it up a little so that your body is not used to getting the same calories every day. I also recommend spacing your calories out during the day, or atleast limiting the number of calories you eat at dinner. I find that if I eat more of my calories before dinner (and eat no more than 500 calories at dinner) this helps. Again, every one is different, but I used to starve myself at 1,100-1,200 per day and exercise a lot when I was younger, and my weight stalled. This is much slower, but easier and doable.