How many calories should I eat?

[lollol1984]

I'm a 5ft 7, 30 year old woman.  I'm currently 220lbs (down from 235lbs).

I burn about 1500 kcals a day at the gym and Fitbit tells me that overall, I burn about 3500kcals a day.

What I don't understand is how it creates the number of calories I should eat.  I obviously want to lose weight, but i don't want to eat too much!!

Help please!!

[Jeroen]

An average woman can consume 2000 cals per day. When you set a weight loss goal in the FitBit app it will calculate for example a 750 cal deficit. Within the app you can see what you have still left to consume based on this plan. Hope this helps!

[whome]

You presumably entered your choice of weight loss goal and meal plan difficulty (hard, kinda hard, not so hard, whatever) when you filled out your profile. The Fitbit system uses this information to determine your daily deficit - your daily eating goal will vary according to this decicit and your daily activity. Trying to have too large of a daily deficit is usually not seen as a good thing. I believe I may have seen someone that probably know more than I know say that your deficit should not be more than 25% of your daily burn - so if you are burning 3500 calories a day (total) you should take in at least 75% of 3500 or 2625 calories a day. 

You seem to have made a good start. My way of looking at it is that it is better to be the tortoise than the hare. Slow and steady is better for you than an overly rapid weight loss. Avoid being a yo-yo dieter, change your lifestyle one step at a time.

Good luck

P.S. @Jeroen - I doubt most people will think 30 years old is overage - lol

[Jeroen]

@whome sorry Google spellcheck hit me 😉 meant average..... good luck!

[1stepcloser]

I agree with what everyone is saying, if you have put in what your goal weight is and how much you want to lose per week then fitbit is figuring your calories. Now here is also an important point...update your weight weekly, bi weekly whatever. How much you weigh will depend on the calories figured out. A 160 lb woman/man will burn more calories then say 120 lb adult doing the same things. So that needs updated.

[SunsetRunner]

hmm...haven't ventured into that feature of my fitbit yet for settings/goals, etc. and have been ignoring the calories burned # so far.

Depends on your activities and your goals.  A fitness nut can quite comfortably thrive on 3000-5000 cals/day of good foods.  Average person with better than sedentary lifestyle, generally, 1500-2000 cals/day should put you in the 'sustain' rhelm without really doing much exercise.  Stick in that range but add in exercise, should start to see some lbs shed and some firming up of your body depending on what exercises you choose.

Keep a log of what/when/how much you eat, and in a week or 2, check your progress...weight, appearance in the mirror, measurements and adjust.  Losing over all weight but still carrying weight around your middle -- need to cut out processed foods, adjust when you're eating what.  Make adjustments, reassess in 7-10 days....

Trending towards the lower part of the range should accelerate your loss.

But note, in my opinion, WHAT you're eating matters so much more than how much.  Eating 1500 cals a day of junk will be sabotage.  Eating 2500 cals a day of earth grown nutrient dense foods combined with even the slightest effort will be beneficial.  Body needs all nutrients, carbs, calories, fats, proteins in right balance for optimal health and wellness.  Migrating to a lifestyle of a variety of foods, eating 'the rainbow', cutting out processed carbs/foods and you're no longer on a 'diet'.

Eat earth grown, as close to natural foods as you can get.  Avoid processed junk.  Eat until you're satisfied, not till you're full.  Drink lots of water.  Eat something every 2-3 hours based on either what you just did, or what you're going to do......

[TCG]

I talked with a dietician about how many calories I should consume, she calculated my height, age, weight and activity and determined that I should eat 1500 calories a day. I work out twice a week with a trainer then I either walk 5 miles or bike 12 on two other days. I am always active but I stick with the 1500 calories. You should check with a nutritionist or go online and find a calorie intake calculator to determine how many calories you should eat. I eat three meals a day at approximately 300 calories each which allows me a few snacks, I was told to eat fruits, vegetables, lean meats and as little bread, pasta and potatoes as possible. If I plan to eat pasta for dinner, then I avoid breads or potatoes for breakfast or lunch. Check with your doctor, they probably have a better idea on how much you should be consuming.

[robbackatya]

It is a question only you can answer through logging, anaylzing and then adjusting. If you are using a regular tracker like fitbit you will need to manually adjust.

Adjust relative to what is happening to your weight.

The dieticain sounds like they are using the typical starting static equations. These need to be adjusted as you gain or lose weight.

[josephz2va]

Check with a nutritionist on how many calories and what foods to eat during weight loss. Even if you burn way more calories than what Fitbit suggests and how much calories it wants you to eat, you should follow what your nutritionist suggests meal plan wise to avoid starvation and to avoid gaining weight.

Fitbit suggests eating up to a 500 to 1500 deficit, but you need to be sure to eat the right kind of foods to Burn Fat and Gain Lean Muscle.