Just hit my goal weight!

I am really pleased to finally be at a weight I'm happy with - 137lbs and 5'8". I'm 22 years old. I'm allowing myself a buffer zone of between 135-140 lbs that I can comfortably fluctuate within.

Now, I usually work out about 4x a week - it varies a lot but includes running, fast hill walking, cycling and the elliptical. I usually burn 400-500 cals each workout using the CC exercise burn estimates and I'm aware that I'll have to eat these calories back.

Apart from these workouts I probably go on about 3 30 min walks a week, but apart from that I'm very sedentary as I'm a distance student so I study from home.

CC says my sedentary calorie intake is 1790 (on days I don't work out). For someone 5'8", does this seem a little low to anyone? I'm just wondering - even though I'm sedentary, it doesn't seem much for someone young and tall.

Thanks for any advice!

Congrats, meryl! I think that if you are working out 4x/week, you don't want to eat as low as sedentary on your non-workout days. But honestly, I've been "maintaining" for over a year, and I'm still trying to figure out what my actual maintentance level is.

grats :)

you are not that tall so that seems about right.

if you think it could be very wrong.

look up your BMR and see how much you lose by doing nothing.

then add a few hundred for the usually daily slobbing about.

then that should be about how much you use on a slobbing about day

I ran the Harris-Benedict fromula for your ht, wt, age, activity, and sex.  I came up with 1753 for you.  I did go to another site that also said to factor in the thermic effect of food at 10%.  It does make a difference, though, of the nature of the food, such as some fat is burned by the body much easier than some vegetables, for exxample.  However, should the Harris-Benedict formula not include the thermic effect, then I would think you could add some calories to the 1700+ you should be taking in.

Congratulations on your success and healthy weight loss!

Thank you so much for posting this! 

It's so motivating and inspirational to see that someone can achieve this. 

Well well done.  Huge congratulations. 

Congratulations!  That must feel great!

Thanks everyone

phord.com/cc gives you a sedentary maintenance at 1718. Keep in mind though, that's on days you do jacksquat!

At 5'6", my jacksquat maintenance is 1522.

and congrats :)

http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_BMR.p hp

This site questions the validity of the Harris-Benedict formula and offers alternative ways of figuring your daily calorie burn.

According to this site,they "use the Harris-Benedict equation for BMR, and the Mifflin equation for RMR."

Congratulations on reaching your goal weight!  I think you have a good plan w/having a buffer zone of about 5 pounds, I do the same too.  1790 does sound a bit low, but if you're sedentary and add in any exercise, I suppose it's about right.  :)

Yeah, I guess I was just hoping 1790 was too low because I'd like to maintain on a little more, haha. I should have added that I also lift some weights as part of some workouts - should really do more but I will start properly once I've finished reading my copy of NRLFW.

pilgrimdude and qmwillcand- thanks for the links! I have checked them all out - some great stuff.