Newbie wondering if this is a sensible plan

Hi there.  I've been checking out the site for a few days now and I'm impressed by the info and helpful comments.  Here is the qestion - I want to plan my food intakes for the day in a general way.  I mean give myself a couple of options for lunch I don't respond well to regimented plans.  I want to aim for 1300 calories a day in planned intake leaving myself a 100-200 calorie leeway if I decide to have a cookie, or piece of chocolate for a total of 1400-1500 most days.  I am 5'7" 183 lbs and I think my calorie output is about 2000 on a regular day (I am at at home mom with 2 kids).  I am aiming for a moderate 1/2 - 1 lb a week loss because I am trying to adjust my life (I am not on a diet!).  Does this seem sensible?  Thanks.

i think your plan sounds good.  and losing slowly makes it more tolerable (which will make long term success much more likely).  does CC say you burn about 2000calories a day?  i'm 5'7 and i eat a lot more than 1500, but i'm also very active.  if you're rather sedentary and your burn really is about 2k, then 1400-1500 is about right for weight loss.  although i may as well put in a plug:  if you lift weights, you'll maintain your muscle as you lose weight, keep your metabolism high and have an easier time.  you might enjoy the process more if you upped your calories and your activity level (ate 200 calories more and burned 200calories more).

but your approach is sensible and optimistic.  great.  best of luck.

Thanks for the feedback.   As for activity I consider myself to be in the light range.  Outside walking with the kids and doing houswork.  I  Free weights scare me and the pec machine/ cable row  hurt ( I know that means something was wrong)!  I like swimming.  I know it is an excuse but I have recently experienced a major upheaval in my life and geetting back on track at the gym lost priority.  I am worried that now that things are settled and I am out of the habit I won't go back - of course I am paying for it...any motivation ideas?

walking w/the kids is fantastic exercise.  do you play w/them?  i don't know how old they are, but oftentimes when you play w/kids, you're back and forth and back and forth, and that kind of conditioning exercise is a major calorie burner. 

lifting weights correctly is so incredibly important.  i can honestly say that i belong to a gym w/locations all over the place.  and of all the gyms i've been to, there are probably 10 ppl altogether who lift weights correctly.  most ppl lifting are doing it WRONG, hurting themselves in the process and not gaining strength.  it pains me to see.  i would suggest going thru a routine w/ a trainer, or reading about exercising onling (http://www.exrx.net).  but great things to do at home:  lunges, squats (even if you have to hold onto a table or railing in order to squat down all the way), pushups.  do 5 pushups when you wake up in the morning.  do 2 minutes of lunges in the mid-afternoon.  do 2 sets of 10 squats before you go do bed.  you'll feel great.  it's a great start to exercising. 

I have similar stats as you - and your numbers seem about right to me. I'm 5'8", current weight 187.5, estimated burn around 1900, I eat around 1300-1400. On days when I add in exercise, which I try to do about 4 times per week, then I burn around 300 or 400 more and I try not to eat that whole deficit back. Overall, I have lost between 1 and 2 pounds per week - of course it isn't necessarily consistent each week, but that is the average.

It sounds to me like you are on the right track.

I definitely agree with 'caloriecountingme' about the exercise and weights; but I haven't been able to add weight lifting into my routine yet. I do own 2 small hand weights which I use for upper arm (i.e tricep/jiggly arm) exercises. I don't belong to a gym or have any at home machinery; so for me, I walk a lot, do some cardio videos and some general exercises, too. Someday, I'd like to get into weights, but I'm not sure of all that yet.

Best of luck.

That sounds reasonable as long as you do not go under 1200 calories per day (more if you exercise). That's actually what I do. I eat as little as possible during the day, so if I accidentally exceed my calorie expectations with dinner (or have a craving for desert) it's no big deal.

Good luck!

With your stats, I would say stay closer to the 1500 or even above, and maybe try to get some exercise in to offset the calories.  At 5'2" and 175 pounds my BMR (or RMR) was 1450, so I'm guessing yours is certainly over 1500 and it isn't advisable to go below that number (that's what your body needs just to be living, and it will slow down your metabolism drastically).  Say you eat 1600 and get 300 calories of exercise 5 days a week, which really is something you could do with your kids, just go a little longer.  At that rate you would loose almost a pound and a half a week (if on a regular day you burn 2000) which is very healthy and likely a calorie and exercise amount you could live with and be able to keep the weight off.

Thanks everyone!  About the weights are those velcro wrist weights any help at all - I could easily add those to our daily outings.

This diet should function since it is almost the same one I made last year with my bariatic doctor's advise. It costed me $40.00 per visit. No Medical plan covers it. I went down 40 punds. The doctor advised me to diet for 6 days and the 7 th eat regular food , being moderate of course to avoid a platau and if fucntioned. I started again in this site. I is wonderful. Is Like going to the doctor. I am very committed . Hope can reach the goal together with all that are here.   What I do is I get the nutritional facts on every food I am going to cook or eat and jot them down. Kee adding in a book . I come to the computer, mustly in the morning and night and post everything.  Good Luck