Hello everyone from Calabasas

Hello fellow Calorie Count members. I recently joined this website, and there is a lot of information on these web pages. I weighed 192 lbs about a week ago. I am down to 185 lbs currently, but I feel a little week. I cut my calorie intake to 1600 calories. This website says my goal should be 153 lbs. That seems extremely low. My wife thinks I should be eating more, but I just want to get the "fat" gone. I have started working out again as well. Well anyway, happy to be here.

Hello gr8.  Welcome to CC!  The correct number of calories to eat and goal weight depend a lot on your height, age,  and current weight.  Based on your goal weight, I would guess you would be around 5'10".  If that is the case, 1600 calories is too low even if you are completely sedentary.  Take a look at this site for some really good information tailored to you:

http://www.phord.com/cc/

The thing we try to stress at CC is you should not be on a diet.  This should be a lifestyle change.  If you go on a diet for a limited time, somewhere in the back of your mind is the intention of going back to eating like you used to.  Eating like you used to is probably what got you to your current weight.  It will do it again.  Your real goal has to be to change your eating habits for the rest of your life, not just long enough to lose 30 pounds.  A new lifestyle.  So I would suggest that you do the following:

1. First, get a kitchen scale and weigh food to figure out if you are eating larger portions than you should.  Shrinking portion sizes is pretty easy. The scale will help you keep them that way. 
2. Then log everything you eat for a while at least.  Find out what foods are just more calories than they are worth.  Eliminate, or at least cut way back on those.
3. Then find some activities you enjoy doing and start doing them.  You don't have to go to a gym if that doesn't sound fun.  You do have to get out of your chair and do something though.
4. Now, take a look at how many calories you are eating and how many you are burning.  The site I suggested will give you some good guidlines on how much you should be eating. 

Take it one day at a time.  Focus on making today a day when you eat healthy and not too much.  Try not to focus too much on the scale.  If you want to keep the weight off, you are better off losing more slowly.  Try to make changes to your life style that you can keep up for the rest of your life.

My goal has been this.  Find foods that are just as good tasting as the stuff I used to eat, but are healthier and lower calorie.  That one has actually worked out really well for me.  I don't even like a lot of the junk I used to eat any more.  Now I just have to eat less...  Its a long road.  Good luck and feel free to add me to your friends.

Thanks Clharr. I will definately take your advice into consideration. I do have my person goal as to eat healthier for life. I have small children and I want to be around for them.

I will definately have to choose foods more carefully. Sometimes I want to "sneak" something here or something there because I don't feel full all the time. That's the hardest thing to overcome, but I am getting used to the lower calorie limit requirement.