help me figure out how many calories a day to eat

[canadatim]

here is my situation. I am a male, 5'8 176 pounds. I want to lose 10-12 pounds, I don't know how many calories i should be eating per day. According to my fitbit one, i have burned 2, 534 calories today, I set a 500 calorie deficit on the Fitbit app. Is 500 too high or too low?

[USAF-Larry]

A 500 calorie deficit will result in a one pound a week weight loss, which is a good sustainable plan.

[canadatim]

Thanks Larry, how many calories per day should I be eating to achieve the 1 pound per week loss?

[USAF-Larry]

Your FitBit tracker says you burned 2,534 calories between your BMR and exercise, so you would consume 2,000 to have a 500 calorie deficit.  Watch your daily calorie burn to see how you are doing with burn side of the equation, and then adjust your intake to consume less.  Set up your Dashboard with your current weight, target weight, rate of weight loss.

If you haven't already done it, review this FitBit Help page on weight loss: How do I set a weight or body fat percentage goal?

[canadatim]

How often should I check the calorie burn? would i need to consme 2,000 calories per day, everyday?

[USAF-Larry]

You need to track your calorie burn, and your calorie intake every day. The calorie burn is a moving target. If you are in reasonably poor fitness condition, any amount of exercise will result in a high calorie burn, but as your fitness level increases you will have to increase the exercise level in order to burn the same amount of calories. The more improved your fitness level, the more effiecient your body is as using its energy.

[canadatim]

Thanks Larry. it is much appreciated.

[JohnRi]

They only thing I would add, once you get to 9 lbs, you might consider dropping to a 250 deficit. The closer you are to goal, the higher your deficit, the more your body starts to burn more muscle than fat. 

You don't have a lot to lose, so it might be tough.  80% of weight loss is diet, so start there, and daily exercise will help.

Good luck and stay active.

[Ray94903]

Fiirst thing to work out is your Resting Metabollic Rate (RMR) - the energy required by an animal to stay alive with no activity (as if you stayed in bed all day) See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resting_metabolic_rate

Without having this basic baseline about yourself, most recommendations for calorie intake for you as a unique individual will usually be inaccurate.

- Ray