can a small adult still maintain at a higher number of calories

i'm 21years old 5'3" medium frame, and weigh 110 pounds.  I am moderetly active but not too much. I'm wondering if I can eat 2500 calories/day and maintain weight.  Does any other of you girls eat  around that much a day and maintain with the same stats I have?

 I've been through eating 1200 cals/day - 3000/day cals when I'm binging.

 I just am wondering if I can stop the guilty feelings of thinking I'm binging and just feel okay with 2500 because I know others can maintain at that weight or should I be concerned about weight gain.  

If any of you girls have the same stats as me please inform me if you have been maintaining at a higher number of cals so it can ease my mind a bit. Thanksss

Well, i can only tell you from my experience- but im 5 ft, 22 yrs old, and i have been maintaining on 1900 calories for about two years now. i had an eating disorder before that, but ive been eating consistently, and exercising three times a week for thirty minutes.  i guess you just have to play it out and see how it goes. i dont think you should be going below 1600--its hard to get proper nutrition on such a low calorie diet.

anyway, hope that helps!

thanks thats motivating

2500 is the average maintenance for a man so that's probably a bit high. An average woman maintains at 2000 calories.

According to http://www.phord.com/cc/ maintenance for a person with your stats is 1700/1900 depending on what level of exercise you consider moderate.

I'm 5'4'' and a 135lbs and would maintain at about 1900 calories. If I were you I'd start at 1900 and see how you go on that before upping activity or dropping your calories to adjust.

Well I'm 20 years old, about 5'4" and 129 pounds. I maintain on around 2500-ish calories, but sometimes I eat more than that.  I exercise no less than an hour (usually closer to 2) every day, though.

Under 21, and very active (which a couple of hours a day is) is a completely different question.

I could eat 2500 calories at 20 and ate that way until I was 26, and 30lbs heavier. I just believe flashdance would be better off starting at a reasonable number and adjusting bit by bit than staying as she is (fluctuating between way too much and way too little). The alternative of jumping to 2500 and putting on weight and then having to lose doesn't sound like a great idea to me.

If an adult of 110lbs ate 2500 calories a day they would not stay 110lbs unless they were doing very intense continuous exercise everyday of the week.

I am only 4'11 and have been maintaining with a minimum intake of 1900-2000 but now i'm shooting for a minimum of 2000 calories. i exercise daily for 1 hour maximum but i also walk everywhere. the calculators say 1700-1900 is my maintenance level but i'm going to see what happens when i go higher. don't be afraid to experiment either, you can always decrease your calories to lose gained weight but i think it's worth the benefit to see what you can truly maintain at. 

I am 32 and 5'4, 117 lbs and am trying to figure out my maintanice calories and I think they are right around 1900.  I try to work out 20 minutes a day (I have two children so I know I get in more then that but that is what I set aside for hard exercise) and have been pretty steady.  Every couple of weeks I will notice that I will lose 2-3 lbs which isn't good.

I'm also 5'4", weight 117-118, but older than other posters (56).  I exercise at the gym twice a week - cardio and circuit training, and usually hike or walk once a week.

Calorie calculators have listed about 1725 calories for me as maintenance (I guess because of age they adjust downwards) but that's too low..I lose weight at 1725.  About 1850 keeps me stable.

So consider the calculators to give you a ballpark figure but adjust up or down to find your true maintenance amount.

Unless you are doing some heavy exercising daily, 2500 calories for 5'3" at 110 lbs seems too high, even for your age.  Why don't you try closer to 2000 for a month and then see where your weight is...then adjust up or down accordingly.