???How Many???

im new here and i just want to know if ANYONE started where im starting and how to go about this...   im 48yrs old - 5'7" - 260lbs...  and i just started Counting Calories...  i work at a Computer all day long, so you can say i have a Very Sedentary Lifestyle...  i DO take 1 mile walks everyday after work but thats about it...  how many Calories should I be eating??? when i look it tells me i should be eating between 1500 - 1700 everyday but now that ive come here "My Account Home" EAT METER is saying my Daily Goal is 1950... COULD THIS BE REAL???  i can see myself losing any weight at that many calories...   PLEASE HELP ME!!!

Whatever your burn meter says you will have burned at the end of the day, eat 500-1000 calories less than that.

1500-1700 sounds perfect.

I am 5'7" - started off at 185 and have lost 20lbs by sticking to a 1200-1500 cal diet. 

Good Luck!

I am 5'7'' also I have lost 8lbs in about a week and a bit (hit a plateau though :'() via calories and a bit of exercise.

Looks like a lot but it's not... honest!!

@rollingdogchick Wow, 8 pounds is a lot for just over a week.  I'm thinking that's not really a plateau, just the numbers catching up to you. 

@buubuu Generally, a 2 lb per week weight loss is recommended.  As you get close to your goal weight that gets harder to sustain and most are happy to lose 1 lb a week as they get close.  Yes, you can lose weight at 1500-1700 calories.  I started at 172, '54" 44 years old and I was losing weight at 1400-1600 calories.   I've maintained this summer  at about 2000 calories with some exercise.  I'm getting ready to try to drop the last 15-20 lbs now, so I'm going to drop to about 1600-1800.   Your body needs that many calories to keep you going. 

When will I lose again?! :'( I can go for ages usually and lose loads in a really short amount of time... grrr

Karozel is right though buubuu you do need a crazy amount of calories to keep you alive! I mean sleeping and breathing burn calories :D

i started at 320 pounds, and now i'm at 235 pounds, so you CAN do this! 1500-1700 calories will help you lose that weight. if you're sedentary and only move about when you go for your walk, those amounts of calories will definitely help you lose weight. just know that it will take a long time, but don't give up! everybody on CC is here to cheer you on!

btw, i sit at a computer all day, too. but i get up every now and then and walk around the block. i also workout formally 3-5 times a week, 30-60 mins each time. but don't worry if you don't want to/can't do that right now. when i started i could only do 15 minutes, and i couldn't walk AT ALL without holding on to something. now i can hike for miles and miles and not even be out of breath.

I'm 39, 5'8 and started at 277. My goal is to have between 1700-1900 a day (actually average more like 2100 a day!) and have lost about 30 lbs in just under  a year. I also started out very sedentary (sit at a computer at work and then would go home and sit in front of a tv or computer!). 

I usually just try to end the day with my eat meter being lower  than the burn meter on the My account home page.  Aim for 500 - 1000 lower and you should lose 1-2 lbs a week on average.  Don't stress if some weeks it goes up and others only down a little. The weight will come off but everybody is different and loses at different rates.

Good Luck!

Original Post by dalmalama:

i started at 320 pounds, and now i'm at 235 pounds, so you CAN do this! 1500-1700 calories will help you lose that weight. if you're sedentary and only move about when you go for your walk, those amounts of calories will definitely help you lose weight. just know that it will take a long time, but don't give up! everybody on CC is here to cheer you on!

  thanks for the good word!  i have been waiting all day for someone who weighed about the same or more than me when they started so i can see that it WILL work for ME!  DID YOU LOSE SLOWLY?  because ive been Counting Calories for a few weeks now and i dont see any difference at all...  i lost those 5lbs BEFORE i started counting calories...  what will give me that Jump Start?  i know this is NOT a miracle cure for me or anything...  i just want to see my scale move!  even 1lb...  a 1/2lb... something... you know?

 

Original Post by augette:

I'm 39, 5'8 and started at 277. My goal is to have between 1700-1900 a day (actually average more like 2100 a day!) and have lost about 30 lbs in just under  a year. I also started out very sedentary (sit at a computer at work and then would go home and sit in front of a tv or computer!). 

I usually just try to end the day with my eat meter being lower  than the burn meter on the My account home page.  Aim for 500 - 1000 lower and you should lose 1-2 lbs a week on average.  Don't stress if some weeks it goes up and others only down a little. The weight will come off but everybody is different and loses at different rates.

Another One!!!  now im gettin Happy!    Thank You!!!  im learning!  and i wont be so naive for too long...  i wont bother you guys too much and i will remember your names...  Thank You!!! 

yeah, i'm losing slowly. i started trying to lose weight 2 yrs ago, but i didn't really do anything to lose any wt at all last year, so i've been actively losing weight for a total of 12 months (long story). anyway, 85 lbs in 12 months is a little more than 1.5 lbs a week. sometimes i lose more than that, sometimes less. sometimes i lose nothing, for weeks on end. but that's when your patience has to kick in. since you're just starting, be patient. don't throw in the towel b/c the scale hasn't moved yet.

Original Post by dalmalama:

yeah, i'm losing slowly. i started trying to lose weight 2 yrs ago, but i didn't really do anything to lose any wt at all last year, so i've been actively losing weight for a total of 12 months (long story). anyway, 85 lbs in 12 months is a little more than 1.5 lbs a week. sometimes i lose more than that, sometimes less. sometimes i lose nothing, for weeks on end. but that's when your patience has to kick in. since you're just starting, be patient. don't throw in the towel b/c the scale hasn't moved yet.

how many calories do YOU eat daily?  just so i feel better...  did you do it the way i am?  at between 1500 - 1700?  or did you do MORE at 1st???

I have really calorie counted over the last two days to get rid of this halt on my weight loss... in two days I have lost 2lbs!! I just stuck to my 1500 calorie limit (what lost me my first lb was having 1000 calories to spare and going to mcdonalds with my fiance... had a medium meal and diet coke... and bam! goodbye pound!) I really think watching the calories is the easiest way (and kinda fun too) to lose weight!

*Ps: I do not condone eating McDonalds at any time* lol