Can you tell me what I should do?

Hey there!I'm new to CC and so far, I think I love it. I'm 5' 10" and weigh 155 lbs. I've already lost 2-3 lbs with calorie counting. My goal weight is 135 lbs. I would like to lose 1-2 lbs a week with this (preferably two, lol). I started out doing 1,000 cals a day, but I can't do that as easily, as 1,200-1,400.

I just started working out more regularly and just more in general. These last few days (in weekdays) I've been doing...one pilates session, 30 min. treadmill, 100 jumping jacks, 100 skips with the rope, and then alternate from some little magazine routines I picked up (that takes 15-25 min). Usually I follow it with a 30-40 minute infared sauna sweat (but I don't sweat very much usually) for cleansing.

My question is, how many calories should I aim for in a day so that I could lose 1-2 lbs. a week? I don't want to eat too little, so that my body hangs onto body fat, yet, I don't want to eat too many calories that my body fat loss is slow. I'm thinking of 1,400 a day...what do you think?

My goal is to lose this weight by March 20th, my birthday. What's your thoughts and tips for me?

P.S. And since I'm new to CC, what's your favorite and most helpful tool here so I can learn to use it?

Eat under 1200 calories is unhealthy.  My suggestion is use the tool menu and caculate your BMI then find out what your target calories are if you want to lose weight.  These are my two favorite tools here along with the food log.

Yeah i think you shouldnt go below 1200 calories

At 5-10 and 155 lbs you are very healthy.. prolly more healthy than at 135..  But if you still want to lose weight, i think u should go with about 1300-1400...  that should be good enough for 1 lb per week with a lil bit of execirse....  it may be slower but it will be more steady and easier to achieve.  But im not a doctor or a nutrionist or an expert :D

According to the CC burn meter at your height/weight, with the activity level set at "light" to cover your exercise:

"Daily Caloric Expenditure
You burn 2100 calories during a typical day. Remember that this estimate is based on your body weight, height, age, gender, and your average level of activity.

You can use this information to help you figure out how many calories you should be consuming to maintain your weight. On active days, you'll need more calories, so it's okay to eat a little more than you would on an average day. But on more sedentary days, you may want to reduce your calorie intake. If you want to lose weight, try to stay below your calorie needs or increase your activity level. However, make sure you are eating nutritious meals and not restricting your calories too much - eating too little or losing weight rapidly can be unhealthy and dangerous."

You can safely aim for a 500 calorie per day deficit (so eat around 1600 cals a day), and that should get you a average of 1 lb per week loss.   If you start to exercise significantly more, you need to change your activity level or start logging it and adjust your calorie intake.

Also - note for you height, you are already at a healthy BMI.  Don't lose too much, OK?  Losing more than 15 lbs (140)  would put you at underweight for your height.  Try concentrating on toning instead of losing.  By toning, you can lose inches without losing weight. 

Good luck!

Thank you so much everyone...I think I'll go for try to stay under 1,400...depending on the day...maybe more or less. I'm a very healthy eater, so most of my calories come from very healthy sources, except for an occasional treat.

I think I'd be okay with being 140 too, at most. We'll see how I feel once I get there.

What do you think of eating 1,200 or a bit more, when all your calories come from really healthy, nutritious sources? Your body wouldn't start starving, because your stomach is full and you're getting your needed vitamins, right? Just wondering.

thmheh, what toning excersises do you recommend? I want to be tight all over...I do pilates very often (intermediate level) and I do arm weights when I do the treadmill...I've even started doing some chicometrics...are these good toning excersises?

Think of it this way. Your body needs energy to burn energy.  If all you are eating is 1200 cals a day, your body just isn't going to have enough energy to burn the fat off. Regardless of what kind of goodies you're eating, the body still needs to have a certian amount of energy to burn, or it will go into starvation mode and hang on to every last cell of fat.  

There is a calorie burner/intake calculator on this site. I'd try it out and see what they recommend for you. I do a range, though.  It's around 150+or- what CC says I should be intaking. Also, on the days you are active you need to be intaking more calories to offset the extra energy that you are consuming. That's the reason for the range thing I do

Go to the fitness forum and ask the question to the moderator, Melkor. He's pretty knowledgable about strength training. I always recommend Yoga, water aerobics, and swimming. Why? Cuz they are CHEAP AND FUN!!

At 5'10 you should weight around 150 lbs.  135 is going to be hard on you both physically and mentally.  Im sorry, but I dont think you should lose weight.  I know its your personal choice, but it makes me sad to see such normal, healthy girls like yourself work towards being underweight.  I say dont do it.

I did one of those healthy chart things and it said that a normal, healthy weight for me would be 137 lbs. I was 140 lbs the beginning of this year, when I was eating the healthiest I have ever eaten (mostly raw food) and I felt and looked so good, without a thought of calories or even food...it was a natural body weight for me I think. Then I started travelling more and I didn't eat as good and I ate food for pleasure whenever I wanted, not always healthy food either. I felt super healthy at 140 lbs, do 5 less make too much of a difference? But 140 lb. would be fine too.

well im 5'4 and ive read that a healthy weight for me is between 120 and 148lbs so it doesnt seem like you should be 137.  I dont know. i could be wrong...

A really good guide for women is 100 lbs for 5' and 5 lbs for every inch over that--at 5'10, 150 would be ideal and it puts you on the lower end of your "healthy bmi" range. (I've checked this for dozens of people and this formula always returns a lower-end bmi)

Once you are in the healthy range, losing gets really hard. You would be much better off focusing on strength training and fitness, eating AT LEAST what you burn at a "sedentary" rate for your height, age, and weight. The burn meter here says you burn 1800/day as a sedentary person, so anything you do above sitting around all day is extra burn. If you eat that 1800 and exercise moderately 3-4 times a week, you'll lose inches, feel great, and probably lose a few lbs over a long period of time.

So, perhaps you just need to take a deep breath and forget what that other site/formula said--137 would be pretty drastic and take an obsessive focus on your part and/or a really long time. Looking good and feeling good can happen a lot more quickly with an emphasis on fitness and healthy, sufficient caloric intake. It's your decision, of course. Good luck!