Daily Calorie Consumption

[Urchin]

Just curious. I know it is relative to how much weight you have to lose, height, etc, but how many calories per day are you eating?

I see a lot of people limiting themselves to 1200 cals per day and that seems SO low! 

I currently eat 1900 cals per day and seem to be maintaining weight loss.

[Dominique]

I don't count my calorie intake, but since Fitbit tells me I burn 2600 in average and my weight has been more or less unchanged for the past 1.5 years, I must be eating about the same. That's about 1000 calories more than my BMR. I view being active / exercising as a license to eat more and get away with it.

[SunsetRunner]

@Urchin while I don't agree with a 1,200 calorie diet personally anymore (full disclosure: I did try Medifast which was a 1,200 calorie food plan but it was under the supervision of a Dr.) some people (in my opinion) just want to lose the weight as fast as possible.  While I can definitely feel that sentiment I also understand I didn't get overweight/fat overnight so I am not going to lose it all overnight either.  I am more about transforming my life into a healthy one (eating good foods and exercising more) and losing weight is just a added by-product of that lifestyle change.  If I never reach the "goal weight" I set for myself when I started my journey 2 years ago I am fine with that because I have already lost a lot of weight, eating much healthier foods, and am easily running 5k/10k's and cycling 30-50miles.  That in and of itself is the ultimate goal for me - to be healthier overall.

I personally shoot for a -500 calorie deficit a day so it fluctuates (depending on my activities) how many calories I can eat.

[_daniel_]

When I track calories, I eat between 2100 and 2600. I am not trying to lose weight, and I'm not trying to limit calories. That's just how much I naturally eat and there is natural variation from one day to the next. 

If I was trying to lose weight, I wouldn't drop down to 1200 because I'd be afraid such an extreme deficit would cause my body to go into extreme energy conservation mode. 

[trainer]

I don't think we can compare calories in across people. Your metabolism changes over time so what is right for a 25 year old very active male is going to be VERY different for a 60 year old post menopausal sedentary woman. Consider your BMR (basal metabolic rate). If your BMR is 2,000 and mine is 1200, we are going to automatically start out on different paths. So it doesn't really mean anything to compare calories eaten unless you control for all the variables.

[betpchem]

@SunsetRunner  Here, here! I agree with you completely.

[WalkingToGetFit]

It is too low.... your body needs that many calories just to function at a very sedentary level where only your brain works, heart pumps and organs absorb nutrients and produce waste which needs to be eliminated from your body. I don't think it really matters how tall you are or how much you weigh as that is just the basic number for your body to function without any activity on your part.  If you aren't sedentary, that is basically starvation mode and can really cause a lot of adverse health issues. 

Those who say they only take in 1200 calories a day either are under a medical weight loss program or have no idea what they are doing. I've done a lot of research so that when I am trying to be healthier and more active and maybe lose weight, I can do it the right way. I've see-sawed way too much and now it is time that I stay on the level and become healthier. Depending on my activity level for the day, I eat anywhere from 1800-2000 calories a day on average.