Your calorie intake is probably the most important piece of information you need to determine when undergoing a weight loss program. Unfortunately, the number most people come up with is wrong from the start. To keep you from making a huge mistake before you even get going, you’ll need to understand how to calculate your calorie intake the right way.
How Many Calories Do I Need?
There are a couple of different ways you can use to calculate your calorie intake, and each one has its pros and cons. The more accurate you want the number to be, the more time and effort you will have to put into determining your calorie intake.
Regardless of which method you choose to use, these numbers are only starting points. That means adjustments will have to be made based on your body’s feedback and whether you immediately start losing weight or not.
Simple Estimation
A very easy way to determine your intake is to take your body weight in pounds and multiply it by 10-12. This number works more times than not, but can overestimate intakes for people who are very overweight. If you are very overweight or are more sedentary, you will be better suited to use the lower number.
Go ahead and do it now. Take your body weight and add a zero to the end of it. Congratulations, you just multiplied your body weight times 10 and found the lower calorie limits of what you should start eating at to lose weight. Very rarely should you start your weight loss journey at a lower number than this.
Weight Loss Calorie Calculator
This is probably the most often used method. You input your stats and your activity levels into a calculator, and through the use of highly-researched formulas and population averages, the calculator comes up with a fairly accurate intake for you.
The good news is I’ve created a calorie calculator you can use. It’s based on the Harris-Benedict equation, but I’ve simplified it and adjusted the calorie needs based on my own personal experience coaching over 1,000 clients. In most cases, these are the exact numbers I start my clients at.
Create a Small Calorie Deficit to Lose Weight
You don’t need a large calorie deficit to start losing weight. A 15% deficit from maintenance levels is a good start, and that’s what the calorie calculator above uses to determine your intake.
Bigger deficits might result in faster weight loss to start, but it also comes with greater side effects. And that faster weight loss only happens if you’re able to stick to your plan. The more likely scenario is you start with too big a deficit and experience some or all of the following negative side effects and end up giving up:
- decreased metabolism (including lower thyroid and testosterone levels)
- trouble concentrating and memory dysfunction
- low blood sugar
- fatigue and soreness
- bone and muscle loss
- reproductive dysfunction (loss of menstrual periods, infertility)
- depression and anxiety
- sleep disruptions
Remember, a small deficit that lasts months is better than a big deficit that lasts weeks. So start high, get consistent with your eating, and come down in small 50-100 calorie increments only when your weight loss pace slows or stops completely.
The bigger the calorie deficit the bigger the risk to your adherence. Without adherence to your plan there is no favorable outcome.
We’re all in a rush to lose weight and do it quickly, but creating a larger calorie deficit is not the answer. In fact, an overly aggressive calorie deficit is in direct conflict with your weight loss goals.
How Many Calories Should You Cut When You Plateau?
When your weight loss slows to below your minimum target pace you only need to make a modest cut to get things going. With my clients that minimum pace is .5% of your body weight every 1-2 weeks.
As a general rule I focus on trend over pace. If things are moving in the right direction we leave things alone. However, if the downtrend has disappeared, we reduce calories by about 50-100 per day and assess the results.
More times than not that small cut will take you down another 5-10lbs (or more in some cases). And then when that cut plays itself out you cut another 50-100 calories.
A very common pitfall is being impatient and getting too aggressive with your calorie cuts. You don’t want to get carried away slashing calories when you’re not losing weight – especially if it’s only been a few days to a week of no progress.
Getting too aggressive with your cuts tends to backfire on you – leading to hunger, cravings, less movement, and negatively impacting your mental well-being. It doesn’t take a big calorie cut to keep your weight loss moving forward.
Let’s taking a look at a coaching client of mine…
As you can see we made a very modest 74 calorie cut to his meal plan and that resulted in a resumption of weight loss. That weight loss continued for at least another 6 weeks.
Because we effectively implemented a small calorie cut, his calories will stay high and we’ll have plenty of room to further cut calories when progress stalls again – which it will. And his adherence stays high because he isn’t constantly starving and fighting cravings.
To better help you figure out how to get started and adjust your calories, I created a free bonus for you. It’s a 4 week calorie worksheet that shows you exactly how much to eat each day for the first for weeks.
That way you ensure you eat enough calories and you make the right size calorie cuts to most effectively lose weight. Just click here to download your bonus.
Eat as Many Calories as Possible
Your goal should always be to eat as many calories as possible that still enables you to lose weight. Doing so will provide you with more energy, nutrients, and satisfaction. And that results in more consistency and adherence – which leads to more sustainable weight loss.
Calorie calculators and estimations are just starting points. It’s what you do with that number and how you make adjustments that makes or breaks your results.
So start eating at the recommended intakes given in this article and get consistent at those levels for a couple of weeks. Stay consistent with your exercise during that time too.
Then assess your body’s feedback and progress and make smart adjustments. Repeat this process over and over again until you reach the goal you set out to achieve.
Trouble figuring this all out? Ask for help in the comments below…
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This is such a great idea. It certainly wasn’t what I had in mind when starting out to lose weight. I’ve always wondered though how a calculator could accurately tell me how much to eat. This is perfect and I bet a lot of people have great results when eating right for their metabolism. It’s amazing how much riff raff there is out there and I’m so happy to find someone who puts it to me like it is rather than blowing sunshine up my rear.
Yeah everyone is different. Calculators use population averages and are a starting point. How you adjust is really the most important part.
Hi I have a quick question for you. Over the past 2 1/2 years I lost about 110lbs and I developed a slight eating disorder, getting too thin and having to re-evoluate things. Now I’ve been putting some weight back on for the last 2 months (I’m around 160? now I believe btw I’m an 18 year old female) and I’m currently trying to figure out the balancing act. I work out three times a week ( for a little over an hour) and then I do a little over 5 miles of cardio a day 7 days a week. Now over time, with my cardio I just used to walk (I walk pretty briskly probably at least 4.7mph if not a little faster) and then eventually I added in running up a hill near my house, and then as time went on I ended up adding more and more running into my cardio sessions…Now the problem is is that I now feel like I can’t not do the running because I’m afraid if I don’t do it I’m going to gain back weight… Thus my “walks” are more like fast walking with running intervals in them (I probably run almost at least 40% of them now) and I don’t necessarily enjoy always feeling the NEED to run like I absolutly have to do it-again I’m scared that if i don’t it’ll negativly impact my weight/body/etc… What should I do? 😕 I love being built and in shape and stuff but sometimes I find myself wondering if i could just walk and not run or walk as fast but i end up not doing it because I’m scared that I’m going to gain weight or loose muscle, etc… thank you for your help on this, i really appreciate it!
You need to take a day off. A day where you do nothing but relax and eat right. Remember, you recover and get stronger when you’re resting, not when you’re working out. Your body needs time off, if you dont give it time off, you’re going to affect your central nervous system, adrenal glands, among many other things. Soooo, goodluck, and remember, give yourself a break every now and then!
I would agree with Angel. Training is a stimulus – recovery is where the “growth” happens.
Start by taking a day or two off each week while keeping your calorie intake the same and see what your weight does.
Over two weeks you should have a good idea if you’re truly going to gain weight, and if you gain anything, it will be a half a pound of fat (assuming 4 * 500 calories cardio sessions over two weeks).
Then start working on your mindset. Your thoughts drive your actions.
unfortunately so many people who are trying to lose weight are soooo afraid of gaining more that they will never try this method…..i wear a bodymedia fit armband so i know my tdee and eat to lose 1lb a week….BUT it took me over 4 years of losing slowly almost 80lbs to get to the point where the number on the scale doesnt really matter anymore even though i’m not at my goal weight yet….just doing what i know i’m supposed to do makes it okay to keep this way of life going forever….thanks for the article/suggestion, i will be spreading it around the MFP community to help others figure out their true burns …
You’re right, Denise. Most people will start their calories out too low out of fear of gaining weight. So they get stuck in a cycle of eating too few calories and then experiencing adherence issues.
Start high and come down in small increments. Maybe you gain weight at first or maybe you don’t. Either way you can adjust. It’s such a small blip of time in the big scheme of things. Better to do things right.
So when we are trying to calculate and start out with the 2000 calories, should we add in the fact that we worked out or not that day? For example, I use myfitnesspal, and when I workout, I add in the number to allow myself those calories to eat. I am currently at 1200 calories a day/plus what I burn in the gym.
At 5’4″, 120 lbs I would definitely gain weight at 2000 calories a day. 1200-1300 I lose very slowly, 1400-1500 I gain slowly. I work out 40-60 minutes a day (combination of light weights and cardio) but have a sedentary job. This small margin is frustrating. Any insights???
Thanks for sharing this. I’m in the same boat. I lost weight much easier when I had jobs that made me move around more.
Hi Donna, you most likely would gain weight eating 2,000 calories at your stats. The calculator gives me a 1500 number at your stats as a starting point.
So if you were to have started there and gained weight for two straight weeks then you’d reduce by about 50 calories and reassess.
You’re right, the margin is small at a weight of 120lbs. I would recommend you work more on changing your body composition at your current weight instead of trying to lose more.
I eat between 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day, moderate exercise 4-5 x a week, and don’t ever eat sugar or pop. I have for months. And in those months, I’ve slowly gained 23 lbs. I’ve gone over everything meticulously and the only conclusion is that I need less calories. Is there ever an exception to the 1,200 rule?? Your calorie chart says I need 1090. (I’m short)
I’d have to say though that your numbers aren’t adding up to me. You said you gained 23lbs in “months”. Let’s say that was 5 months. That would equal 1lb/week, or a total of 500 calories over maintenance calories each and every day for 150ish straight days.
While not impossible I would be looking elsewhere for a problem – even as far as what other lifestyle changes have you made (medications, sleep, stress, etc).
The calculator already assumes your activity level. 2,000 calories is about as high as I’d go with a female to start. Most will need no more than 1800 calories to start losing weight unless they are endurance athletes who run high mileage.
Tony
Thank you for always sharing your knowledge and always reaching out to help all of us!! I wanted your thoughts on this! I just retuned from a family wedding and my sister in law had lost 30 pounds. She said she lost 10 lbs a month!! She said she is doing the ketosis diet where she eats 75 percent fat low to no carbs and zero fruit!! Is this safe? And how does one sustain this over a life span? I have lost 40 pounds but in 4 years!!!! I set a 5 year goal for myself as I didn’t want to just lose weight I wanted a lifestyle and most important to KEEP IT OFF!! And I have and will because I know now what foods are good for me and there is a lot out there and also know to put some exercise in too!! Right now I’m just still working on reducing body fat and Toning I never look at the scale any more!! I can really enjoy my life now and not feel soo restricted !! You taught me a lot mentally and I thank you for that!!
Hi Karen, I think any eating style that gets you consistently eating majority whole foods is good for you. It’s not unusual to lose a lot of weight quickly when you drop carbs to zero, as you drop muscle glycogen.
I can lose 10lbs in a week dropping carbs to zero. I can also gain those 10lbs back by bringing them back up to the 200 range. While this was happening I really don’t change much in the way of body fat.
You also pointed something out – sustainability. Any time you cut out an entire food group or macro the added restriction can be a risk to adherence.
I personally think you’re doing it the right way. Only time will tell if your sister in law maintains her weight loss. I hope she does, but if you’ve maintained yours for 4 years you’ve created a healthy lifestyle, and that’s the end goal anyways.
Wow, this is awesome! I am going to start a food journal immediately!! This is just such a logical plan! Thank you! Kathy
Let me know how the journal works out for you Kathy
Hey Alison, can you tell me more about this scale that tells you how many calories you should eat? I’ve never heard of one like that.
Congrats on the body fat loss. It’s always good to see someone who knows the difference between weight loss and fat loss. Thanks for the comment.
Hi Coach, the scales I use are Tanita body composition scales (the GP’s in the embarrassing fat bodies series in the UK use these), they measure the following:
weight
body fat %
BMR
metabolic age
water %
visceral fat (the silent killer)
bone mass
muscle mass
These scales are my most important weapon in my aim to get people healthy. Almost everyone knows what they weigh but how many people know what their visceral fat level is or their metabolic age or as your article states their BMR these scales help them to see what’s going on inside and this is real and aften quite shocking. I’m a personal wellness coach and Independent Herbalife Distributor and I have been taught so much about nutrition and health and my aim is to now share this with as many people as possible and to help as many people as possible to achieve their health goals as it’s worked so well for me so far. Pay it forward!!!!!
I know of the Tanita scales, but how do they get stats like body fat %, or anything for that matter beyond weight, simply by standing on them?
The Tanita scales get the readings by doing an electronic analysis of your body composition. Never use them if you have an electronic implant i.e.pacemaker.
I’ve been using the Tanita BC543 for over 3 years and the extra analysis they give helps you to really target the areas that need attention. For those who are into body building and serious fitness regimes the BC545 is great.
My result was to lose over 70lbs, 8 inches of my waist and I now have no trouble maintaining my new body.
Where did you buy your scale?
I wish I’d seen this a year ago when I struggled to find what I called my “resting calorie rate’? It took me a couple of months to finally work it out. This definitely would have saved me several weeks of trial and error!
Hey Donna, your RMR (resting metabolic rate) is what you get before you add in exercise. A calculator gives you a nice starting point, but only testing and adjusting will get you the real number. Thanks for stopping by!
Great points, will have to try this. I need to lose a lot of weight and I’ve just started.
Good luck Huguette. Be consistent, and be patient, and you’ll get there
I don’t count calories. I simply limit myself to reasonably sized meals and never take seconds.
I think this is a great approach to take. I think the ultimate goal is to be able to eat without counting calories and instead use calorie counting as a short-term tool for either starting off a program or for troubleshooting issues.
Sounds like you’re doing great though. If you don’t need to count calories then don’t. 😉
I have five of your tabs open in my browser as I try to read, reread and make sense of this and what to do. I have a feeling I’m making it more difficult than it should be.
Appreciate the info and the free education. All I know (which is okay for today) is that my pants fit better than they did last week. So it’s getting in somehow 🙂
If your pants are fitting better you’re doing something right. Do more of that! 🙂
I am one of those people who is so focused on my weight that eating more scares me. I work out everyday – TRX 3 times a week and running 3 times a week. I still can’t drop a pound – I eat healthy and very seldom do I indulge in anything. Whats frustrating is I can’t drop any weight. I know I must be doing something wrong – I just can’t figure it out. any suggestions?
How many calories are you eating Carm? You say you aren’t dropping any weight, but what about body fat?
Thank you for responding.
I am eating 1200 calories a day. I don’t know how to measure my body fat. I am 5’5 and weigh 132 lbs and though those numbers aren’t bad I am concerned about the fact that my clothes aren’t fitting right – everything feels tighter. I try not to get on the scale but I do weigh myself at least 1/wk. I know that I shouldn’t focus on the numbers but how I feel. Right now I’m not feeling so good because I don’t understand where I am going wrong.
What does a typical day look like diet wise? 1200 calories seems low based on your weight and activity level.
Breakfast
3 egg whites and 1 whole egg with broccoli (omlet)
snack: 1/2 blueberries with 12 cashews
Lunch: 5 cups of salad with mixed veggies 4 oz of cheese
Snack -greek yogurt
dinner – protein (chicken/fish) with cooked veggies
While the food choices look good, are you sure that’s 1200 calories? A quick add in my head makes it look like only 900 calories or so.
WOW, I re-added my calories and your right – it came to just over 900 calories. I also did a count of what I ate yesterday and it came to almost the same amount. but shouldn’t I be losing weight if my intake is that low and I am working out? what suggestions would you make as far as adding food to my intake? there is so much information out there and it can get so confusing.
You should be eating as many calories as possible and still lose weight. Eating too few can have a negative impact on your metabolism. It can slow it down to a crawl, lowering thyroid hormone, and stopping fat loss in its tracks. I start adding calories to your diet and see what happens. Start with 200 more. Don’t be afraid if the scale jumps up the next day. Keep your calories at that level for 2 weeks and see what happens – then reassess.
hi there carm tassone,
Yes i`m the same … i use the gym 4 times a week And get
weighed there 1 time that`s on sundays,and i`m always watching my
weight 🙁 , i have been told i don`t eat enough by lots of people.
Food scares me and i stopped eating burgers etc a long time ago
unless i made myself.I`ve been trying to follow slimming world
diet(they don`t call it a diet though).My partner and myself have
just got bikes but my cardio side is rubbish 🙁 … we was on a
bike ride and we were both shatterd the wind was taking my breath
and i knew i needed to do more.i`m 41 this year i`m 11 stone
want to be around 9 1/2 stone,i`m 5ft 3inch.and a day for me
following the sw diet is something like this:
breakfast:fresh fruit and fromage frais.
break:muller light yoghurt.
dinner:tuna salad with extra light mayo.
break:apple.
tea:spagetti bolognaise.
3 coffee in day and 3 bottles containing 500ml of water.
and maybe 2 glasses of diet coke in the evening.
this is everything in one day nothing missed out.
But i`m staying the same on the scales which is very disapointing.
don`t want to do what most people do and use diet pills as i`m not sure they even work.
Hi Debs, your diet looks like it’s less than 1000 calories. I’ve never worked with anyone that had to go below 1200 calories. There are just too many negative side effects at that point.
In addition, I don’t see much protein in your diet either. Try adding in some more lean protein sources and an extra serving or two of veggies. Consider getting rid of the diet coke too. I’m personally not a fan of artificial sweeteners.
Make these improvements a little at a time and see what that does for you.
Hey Coach…
I see your comment on artificial sweetners. I can not have sugar so I use Splenda, Stevia, Agave..etc. What do you recommend in place of sugar and these artificial sweetners??
Hi, I started working out 4-5 days a week about 6 weeks ago. Prior to I was pretty sedentary over the past 2 years; only running 1-2 days a week at best. I’m not very good about drinking water, so I started added Mio to my water and I drink considerable more, likely the recommended daily amount. Does the positive of drinking water out weight the negative of the artificial sweetener? Is Stevia a good alternative? I should add, I have put on about 3 pounds over the last 6 weeks. Which I’m hoping is just muscle. Thoughts? Thank you.
Hi Cindy, that’s really for you to decide and it’s impossible for me to answer that. In my view I don’t touch artificial sweeteners. It’s one of the few things I avoid. I’d rather have a little sugar.
I guess it really depends on what you were drinking before. If you were drinking a 6 pack of soda a day and now you’re drinking water with a little sweetener it’s possible that’s an improvement.
Make sense?
This is my favorite post as it really gave me so many ideas that I must do to be successful. I plan to follow everything you’ve written.
Let me know how it works out for you, Deb!
thank u for all the info , i am 23 years old 5’1 and i am right know 200 lbs. i feel depressed, but all ur articles help a lot . thank u
I’m glad they help Indira. Good luck!
My concern is that if I discover that it takes me 2000 calories a day to gain weight and I want to lose 2lbs a day than I should only have a 1000 calories a day to lose 2lbs per week and if I get my body used to 2000 calories a day for two weeks, dropping it to 1000 per day would be very difficult to maintain since my body was used to 2000 calories? This would be the same if my gain weight point was 2500 calories and to lose 2lbs a week I would need to reduce it to 1500 calories. Please advise. Thank you.
Hi Lisa, I wouldn’t worry about losing 2lbs/week right now. That may or may not be possible. Just get your weight trending down eating as many calories as possible. Then it becomes much easier to make adjustments to your pace.
I am 39/ F/ 146lbs/ 162cms height., have been eating low carb for many years now (no breads, pasta, sugar or starchy stuff) I do have occasional cheat days(weekends/ birthdays) and I brisk walked on hills 3-4 days a week. I did not see much change in my weight other than my legs/thighs got toned and looked better.
Since last month I replaced walking on hills by 1 hour of Aerobic exercises/strength training 3-4 times a week (pushing my limits!) and am trying to keep my caloric intake to 1000-1400 Cals/day. I have put on 2 lbs! I believe it’s due to forming muscles. What do I need to do to START losing weight and/or inches.
I’m frustrated because neither the scale moves in the direction I want nor have I seen any major change in my dress size! I feel low in energy and am perpetually craving sweet and high carb food! Please HELP!
Hi Sandy, can you show me a typical day’s diet? It is not unusual to put on some weight when you first start lifting weights. If your calorie intake is below maintenance, it could be because you are increasing muscle glycogen storage capacity and the corresponding water weight that comes with it. Have you measured your body fat levels?
Hi Coach! Thanks for responding.
My typical diet is: B/F 1-2 eggs + Black coffee w/splenda, Snack- a handful nuts (walnuts/peanuts) + diet coke Lunch – 1 bowl lentils +veggies cooked OR I fillet Tilapia baked+ veggies Dinner – chicken + veggies OR Lentils/Beans + Veggies and plain yogurt. I sometimes also have a protien bar in between meals. Weekends are more relaxed with a slice of pizza sometimes and a couple of drinks! 🙁 I drink plenty of water all through out the day…Offlate I have been adding more food since I dont feel full enough…..I avent measured my body fat
levels..How’s that done? Thanks!!! 🙂
Hey Sandy, without knowing exact portions, I’m only counting about 800 calories or so in your diet. This is way too low. I don’t know your weight, but you shouldn’t need to go below 1200 calories to get results. If you go too low, things start working against you.
I would also really consider dropping the artificial sweeteners. I know it can be hard, but I’ve seen those also cause problems with people trying to lose weight.
Thank you so much for taking time to respond!
Since you mentioned, I have started using Myfitnesspal to record my food, I did notice that i might be eating very few calories earlier….I’ve eliminated diet soda for now and will try to slowly get rid of Splenda from my coffee as well….I have to stop my little treats soon too….Thank you again! I have joined your FB and G+ pages to get regular updates from you 🙂
I weigh 92.2kg in Jan 4th 2012,body fat 42.4,bmi 33.6,.march 30th i weighed in,89.6kg,body fat 39.6,bmi 31,exercise is 5km walk/jog in atleast 4 days in a week,i try to watch my food intake but not so successful cos most days i exceed 1200 kcal intake that i ought to since my height is 5.6.Coach,can this be termed progress cos i expect faster result.
Hi Maggie, it’s definitely progress. Any new behavior you take towards improving your life is progress.
Could it go faster? Possibly. Just focus on the process – make better eating choices and possibly add in some strength training. I think you’ll be happy with the results.
Hey coach I was wondering what you could tell me about the use of sweeteners. I do not consume much sugar at all but I do use up to 4 packs a day in my morning coffee? I consume about 1200-1600 calories a day and work out for about 1.5 hours most days with a combination of weights, cardio(machines) and cardio toning work(eg, burpies, sprint starts, jumping jacks —and all the toning stuff). I have noticed changes but have only lost 20 lbs and 4 % body fat in 7 months. I am sore all the time from working out so much and need a better system..but I thought maybe the sweeteners was making a difference as I was for a long time on a steady 1 to 1.5 a week loss which is what I would like to stay at. Since I restarted weights I have been up and down about 8 lbs but have not done body fat count in the past month since I gained most of it
PLEASE HELP!
Hi Jacquie, I think 20lbs in 7 months is great and right on track. We always want it to go faster, but if you’re trending in the right direction you’ll get there eventually.
I’m personally not a fan of calorie-free sweeteners. Can you lay out a typical day’s diet?
Eat very little processed foods…
Breakfast–Special K with 1/2 cup milk, few almonds/raisons or oatmeal. or egg white omelet with bit o cheese/vegis, 2 coffee with 2 French vanilla sweetener in each(figured it saved me 120 sugar calories so I can eat more good food)
lunch-wrap w/ chicken breast or tuna or turkey(1 portion size )& spinach with low cal sauce like salsa or low fat mayo or dijon mustard(1 tsp)…serving of fruit or veg OR Smoothie(1/2 cup frozen fruit, fat free vanilla yogurt, 1/4 to 1/2 cup of almond drink or skim milk or combo, scoop of protien powder, scoop of Chia seed, water if to thick)
Dinner-3 to 4 oz of white lean meat, salmon, or red meat maybe 2 a week ( once a week I may have a low cal burger or steak but in moderation). potato or uncle bens rice(1 serving only)..other half plate vegis/salad(low fat dressing-2 tsp max)
Snacks are vegis, fruit, raisons, almonds fiber one bar, popcorn(not more than 200 cal worth),sunflower seeds(measured half servings)
Occasional drinks 1 weekend per month(still gotta live..lol)
Vitamins-b complex, 1000 mg vit c, 1000 Vit D-1000
also take CLA tablets as I heard they help with belly fat.
I would like to think that maybe I am not eating enough with the amount of exercise i do…I would like to be able to do HIIT 3 times a week for 20 or 30, and just regular walks etc for the rest of the week…but I am scared to up my food intake.
Track your calories for a few days and see what it comes out to. I don’t think your diet looks bad and like I mentioned before, your weight loss pace is good too.
If you’re calories aren’t too low and you want to experiment with increasing your pace, just cut out or halve one of your dinner sides and see if that makes a difference.
I am trying to get down, and while I know its hard, I do want to at least lose some of it pretty fast. I need to see the progress again. I am starting from a very high number almost 393. I start everyday with dynamic resistance yoga, and do that for 30-50 minutes depending on work schedule. At night I do a 1 plus mile walk with the dog. My daily eating:
Breakfast, Apple, Slice of Glutton Free Toast
Lunch 5 Cups of salad, 7 oz of protein, 1 oz of sheeps milk feta, 1 fat
Dinner 7 oz of protein, baked sweet potato, veg, salad, 1 fat
Snacks: orange and 2oz of protein if time permits
According to my quick calculations its about 1200-1500 a day depending on my protein and carb of choice. Its really frustrating so far to be down 5lbs in 3 weeks. Ive done 5lbs in a day before. I want it gone for good this time, but I need to get some progress going. Goal is 30lbs a month, 5 accomplishes nothing.
thoughts?
Thanks
In 3 weeks Ive lost
There is nothing wrong with 5 pounds in 3 weeks. Sure, you are starting from a higher weight, but progress is progress. 5 pounds in a day would be mostly water loss, not fat loss. You certainly can lose 30 pounds in a month, but don’t beat yourself up if you only get 10 or so. Keep the weight loss fat, and you will be happier with the end result.
1200-1500 calories for a 400 pound person is also very low. Your diet looks healthy but I have to question if it’s satisfying enough for you. You want sustainable weight loss, and you’ll never get that by eating so little or by depriving yourself.
Most importantly, be patient and be consistent. Unrealistic expectations are a huge killer of motivation. This is going to take time for you – years. Don’t compare yourself to the dramatic magazine transformations. Your journey will be different.
Focus on your health and making good choices and changing your lifestyle. The change will happen over time.
I also have a few questions about my diet and exercise if you don’t mind taking the time to reply! Here is a typical week of work out for me: I usually work out 3-4 times a week, sometimes more sometimes less… I always try to do 30 min of cardio; running and stationary bike are my staples, and then push-ups, lunges, squats, followed by weights I like to focus on arms but also do abs, back, and legs about 2-3 times a week.
My eating habits might be where I’m having troubles though: Since I’m a broke college student I eat a lot of pasta, probably 3 meals out of the week is noodles, with olive oil and tomatoes with arugula or other vegetables. I have probably 2 coffees with soy and 1/2 teasp. of sugar per day, cereal or toast with peanut butter for breakfast, and then potatoes or vegies for dinner or pasta again, for snacks I try to do apples, bananas and nuts, since I know I don’t get enough protein but meat is expensive. I’m also 5’5″ 140lbs… thanks!
There’s definitely quite a bit of dense carb sources like pastas and breads in your diet. That’s not necessarily bad, but the calories can add up quicker with less satiating effects.
Your diet is mostly carbs and protein is very low. Some of the cheaper sources of protein are eggs, dairy, and beans. I’d look to add some of those items into your diet.
I love that you have been replying to people! Great article!
Hey! I’ve recently started working out five times a week, two lots of cardio and three lots of toning/weight exercises. I usually rest on the weekend but sometimes I’m active (walking/hiking). I’m jsut worried about my diet. Because I’m still living with my parents I have to rely on the food they buy. Today I’ve had quie a lot of food to work with but a lot of the time it’s less or more junk food. Here is what I’ve had today, would you mind giving your opinion?
Breakfast: Smoothie (1 banana, 1/4 cup blueberries, 1/4 cup raspberries, 1/2 cup strawberries, oats 1 tbs, organic coconut oil 1 tsp, 3/4 cup organic yogurt and 1/2 cup of fruit juice)
Lunch: Small cheese sandwich with sliced apple, snack-a-jacks and an activia yogurt
Snack: Blueberry muffin (made with 1/4 cup of oats, 1 egg, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tbs of milk and small handful of blueberries)
Dinner: Grilled chicken breast covered in dry spices in a flour tortilla wrap, oven baked potato (medium/large) and big handful of salad on the side and some mayo
I’m around 17st in weight and 5’8″ height wise. I still need to get some bathroom scales but as soon as I have I’ll be trying this, I don’t want to lose weight quickly I want to lose it properly 🙂
Sounds like you’re doing the best you can with the situation. That’s great!
Focus on being consistent with your eating and exercise and then adjust based on your body’s feedback.
Good Afternoon
I was checking out the on-line calories calculators and they are different….every single one gave me a different number….so I just wanted to know….I am 5’6, 190lbs and 35 years old…..I am looking into loosing 35 to 40 lbs…I do work out 4 to 5 times a week, unless I get a migraine….I’m currently eating 1500 calories a day, and burning around 1200….should I continue doing this or do I have to change my calorie intake?
Thanks!!!
Hi Jesie, I get 1886 calories/day with the calculator. Start there for a couple of weeks and see what your weight does. If no loss then cut 100 calories and repeat the process.
Also, what do you mean you are burning 1200 calories a day? If that’s all from exercise I’m afraid that’s probably a very high estimate. Unless you are running marathons, you probably burn less than half that in a typical 1 hour workout.
Well, I have the BodyBugg and every night I have to log in my calorie intake and then I connect the device and it downloads my activity for the day. I’m a stay home mom, so I’m usually up by 7 pm and I don’t go to bed til 12 midnight….I also walk 1 hr. in the morning, then around noon I go to the gym and work out some more (elliptical and some weights) then I walk in the evening about 1 1/2 hr. Maybe, I’m misunderstanding how to read my bodybug. Now there are times where I eat much less and burn more, currently I have been losing about 1 lbs a week….but I feel it’s to slow, and last month I maintained the same weight for 3 weeks straight and then week 4 I lost 0.6 lbs. Last week I lost .8 and this week I lost 1.0lbs. I eat very healthy, lots of green veggies and lean protein….I limit my carbs to 2x a day and it’s usually wheat carbs. I want to shock my body and get my metabolize active again.
FYI: I do drink Intek Protein at night (made with water and PB 2)
I’m assuming that’s telling you the total calories you’re body is burning in a day. It may or may not be accurate. Seems low to me.
Why don’t you lay out your diet for me…
Breakfast:
1/4 cup Egg White
3 Turkey Bacon Strips or Turkey Sausage
1 Sara Lee Delightful whole wheat toast
1 cup of mix fresh fruits
snack:
protein bar
Lunch:
Canned Tuna or 3 oz chicken breast…no skin or bone and I baked it in my nuwave oven
1tsp light sour cream
2 cups shredded lettuce
5 cherry tomatoes
2 Tbps low fat shredded cheese…(mozzarella)
Snack:
Plain Greek Yogurt
2 chopped strawberries or some blueberries (both are fresh fruits)
Dinner:
3 to 4 oz Protein….it can be chicken, turkey burger, lean steak, or fish
1 cup Mix Veggies steamed
1/2 cup cooked Quinoa or Brown Rice
Snack:
Intek Protein Shake (made with water)
1 Tbps PB 2
**Now through out the day I drink 10 to 12 cups of water, green tea, and deca coffee no cream or sugar. I do also take 1 day out of the week to indulge my self with something sweet…of course I make sure it’s not so high on calorie and as a pastry chef I like to bake my own sweets this way I know what I’m putting in my dessert.
Your diet looks good. I’m assuming the protein shake is protein only and no added sugar? How is your body composition changing?
You’ve losing close to 1lb/week, so I think you’re on the right track. Just be a little more patient. You could always cut out one of your snacks and see if that speeds up the pace a bit more.
I began working out a little more than 3 months ago and I’ve lost 30 pounds. I am currently 206 and I workout 6-7 days a week. I do RPM( stationary bike cardio circuit) Monday, step aerobics with a 6-12 inch step( high intensity cardio) then immediately after I do pump( full body strength training I uses 15-20 pounds of weights) on tuesday, RPM or a dance class ( like Zumba) on Wednesday, step and pump on Thursday, RPM on Friday, pump on Saturday and RPM Again on Sunday… Sometimes I will take Sunday or Wednesday off.
Breakfast: 3 egg whites 1 whole egg healthy life 100% while wheat toast.
Lunch: turkey wrap in a tomato and basil wrap with reduced fat provolone, mustard, avacado, baby spinach,and tomato.
Dinner: typical…. Chicken breast, broccoli and cheese( single serve green giant)
I drink 1-2 EAS carb control Protien shakes a day as well.
If I need more Protien or calories I eat peanut butter.
My normal daily intake is between 1200-1450 calories. I try not to eat outside of this but have had a burger along the way. I’m tryin to change my life not diet. I know I can not not have a hamburger for the rest of my life so I will not forbid myself that right now. I just choose not to eat it often.
Here is my question….. Why am I getting stuck? I know I have a lot of bread in my diet and I try to make sure it’s the best bread but I don’t eat pasta or if I do it’s always whole grain. But I feel like I am makin decent food choices and I get plenty of exercise so why am I not losing as I should? Sometimes I wonder if I’m taking in enough calories.
Hi April, you’re averaging nearly 3lbs of weight loss per week. I don’t consider that getting stuck. Calories are a little lower than I’d like to see it but if things are working don’t change it.
My biggest concern with that intake would be the higher risk to adherence. If you’re not starving or having cravings though, then ride it out. If you are experiencing these issues then try bumping up your calories by 200 or so and reassess.
I eat fairly healthy & have been just maintaining my weight the past several years without doing any exercise.(I take in between 2000 & 2500 calories a day) I’d like to add an exercise routine but I have scar tissue on a tendon in my foot. I work in childcare & am on my feet all day so by the time I get home I’m already hurting & have lost my motivation. Any suggestions of exercise that won’t over stress my foot?
I would definitely stay away from any running or high impact exercise. Does your foot hurt when you squat? Can you walk?
If these things cause you pain then you’ll need to just work around them. Upper body work is probably doable and I would focus more on the things you can do instead of the things you can’t.
I recently found you through a friend. I have greatly enjoyed learning so much from you over the last couple weeks and just fell across this article which was linked in another article I was reading of yours. I’m 49 this year, 207 lbs (having lost 80+ over the last 2+ years) and my weight loss completed stalled last October. I invested in a HRM and at that time, I had upped my workout routines to do cardio 3-4 times per week in the mornings and then strength training 3 times per week in the evenings after work and was burning about a total of 400-600 calories per day and all on the “recommended” calorie intake of 1200-1500 calories per day. Needless to say, I fatigued. I stopped in late November due to an arm injury and then slowly made my way back in January and February.
Over the last two months, I’ve developed a workout routine that is more conducive to my lifestyle and “doable” for me -I lift weights 3 times per week and do cardio 2 times per week and then one Yoga day and one rest day and I walk/sometimes jog with my dog daily but that’s just for him. LOL. I generally burn about 400-500 calories per day based on my HRM reading. After reading your posts, I’ve reincorporated some healthy grain carbs into my eating-at dinnertime after I lift weights. (Thank you for that – I notice I’ve been sleeping better!)
My typical calorie intake was still about 1500-1600 but after reading various articles of yours I increased it to about 1700-1800. Do you think I’m still eating enough? A typical daily menu:
Bkfst: 2 egg whites, one egg, spinach and 1/4 cup kidney beans & salsa + my beloved coffee no cream/sugar
Snack: medium Pear w/either cottage cheese or plain lowfat yogurt -3/4 cup (can’t eat greek yogurt it bothers my stomach)
Lunch: 3 cups salad greens, mixture of carrot, red bell pepper, cucumber + 5 ounces of chicken breast, 2 TBSP lowfat homemade ranch dressing; or leftover Chicken Satay or two Turkey Muffins
Snack: Power Crunch Bar or Apple & 2 TBSP peanut butter (if cardio after work)
Dinner: 5 ounces of meat, 1.5 cups of steamed asparagus or broccoli or salad, 1 small red potato steamed w/1 oz. skim mozzarella cheese.
Snack: Casein protein shake (w/water) if it was a weight lifting day and I’m still hungry
Thanks Coach -any suggestions? I met with a nutritionist last October and she told me I could either lower my calorie intake OR up my cardio to 1 hour instead of the 45 minutes I was doing at that time. I felt defeated and stalled. As I said, I started back up in January and have been trying to pay attention to other things rather than the scale or inches – like I can do two perfect tricep pushes now! LOL
Thank you.
Hey Laura, I definitely wouldn’t just keep cutting calories and adding exercise if you were already only eating 1200 calorie and doing all that exercise.
If you’re eating at 1800 calories now and it’s been a couple of weeks without any loss then you can cut 50-100 calories and repeat the process until your weight is trending down.
If you’re at your limits for sustainable exercise then I wouldn’t mess with that. I also like your mindset on focusing on other progress markers besides the scale and inches.
Coach – I have another question: I was recently told by a person at my health food store that I should not be eating grain carbs since they are “processed.” I’m not a bread eater and I usually eat eggs and spinach for breakfast but about two days per week I eat Kashi Go Lean with blueberries. I also have been having popcorn-not butter, no salt, as a snack now and then and based on your recommendations, on those days that I lift weights (3 xs per week) I eat Quinoa with my dinner after I workout. What is your recommendation? Are grains okay or are they considered to be a “processed” food?
Also, do you have any recommendations to replace processed meats? My husband drives truck for a living and he has really long days. I make him a breakfast sandwich consisting of eggs and turkey sausage and he takes fruit with him for snacks and a sandwich-but it is deli meat. I do make him tuna twice per week. He eats his veggies with dinner since he has to drive while eating. Do you have any healthy alternatives for his sandwiches?
Bread is processed, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad for you. Most food is processed in some way – it’s just the degree of processing that differs.
I think bread in moderation is fine so long as you can maintain an energy deficit without feeling hungry. If you need to eat less and bread is part of your diet, then I’d like to replace that with more voluminous foods.
Thanks for this post, Tony. It’s nice to know that it might not all be in my head when I feel like I’m starving to death on calorie counter recommendations and still not dropping a pound.
I am attempting to follow the steps you’ve outlined to find my ideal calorie goal. I’ve spent the past week eating about 2000 calories (700 calories more that what I’d been eating, thanks to what other calorie counters had me thinking I needed to eat to lose weight.) I exercised every day this week and only took one day off (I thought I was coming down with something — I usually try to work out every day.) My workouts consist of one day a week of hour long cardio and strength training, two days of 45-minute cardio exercise, and four days of really high-intensity circuit training for half an hour.
What’s been nice is that my energy level is better and I’m not nearly as cranky as I was after on 1300 calories a day. When I weighed myself today, though, I’d put on almost a pound in the past week and I’m trying not to freak out. 🙂 It’s hard, though, when I’ve already spent months losing nothing on restricted calories.
I’m going to make myself continue with the 2000/day for another week, as is suggested, even if it means putting on two total pounds. I’m worried that if I do gain weight another week, though, does that mean it’s going to be pretty much impossible for me to lose more than a pound a week? I wanted to try for a pound an a half, but that would have me at 1250 a day, and I was already starving on 1300… and not losing anything.
Thanks for any advice or reassurance you can offer, Coach! I really love all the information available here.
It’s been another week, how did your weight do? A lot of that pound could have been from extra glycogen storage within your muscle. It’s not something I’d worry about. Are your clothes fitting any differently? Have you measured body fat %? It’s highly doubtful that pound of weight gain was fat. For that to happen you would have had to eat over 500 calories a day above your maintenance calories. That would put maintenance cals at just 1500 calories. That is low.
Tell me how the 2 weeks went and we can go from there.
Looks like my fears were completely unfounded! Kept up with the 2000 calories a day (and actually went over a couple of days) and I’m showing a 2.6 lb. loss! More than makes up for the weight I “gained” last week. And that’s even with knowing I’m currently retaining water like a camel.
Lost about an inch or so, total, from my stomach and hips (though my neck gained an inch, no idea what that’s about) and my clothes have indeed felt a little looser. What is blowing my mind, though, is that my BF% that I measured last week (via a calculator — I don’t have calipers) was 42.4%, and with my new weight and measurements, it’s reading as 39.6%! Is the reading significantly off, or is it actually possible to lower body fat so much in a week?
I also accept that this might be some water weight, though I did lose 2 lbs. of that early on and it’s stayed gone. But with how much I’ve been beating the crap out of myself in workouts, some fat loss an a little lean muscle would be nice. 🙂
So I’ve proven that my maintenance calories are indeed above starving-to-death levels! I guess it’s time to creep it up a little more until I start gaining, right? I’m not sure I’m daring enough to go the full 500 — going up 250 at a time should produce the same results, right, just takes a little longer?
Thank you so much! I shudder to think what my attitude would be like by now if I hadn’t read this. Boyfriend noticed the other day — “You’re a lot calmer and relaxed.” I replied, “Yeah, I’m eating food again.” 🙂
Sorry it took so long to get back. You’ve probably already made your decision on what to do, but if you were happy that the weight loss started to pick back up, I would probably leave your calorie intake as is. In my experience, 2,000 calories/day is about the upper limits of what females need to lose weight. However, it never hurts to experiment a little if you want to find what you maintenance calories actually are.
Right, just increase it by 500 calories. You can go in smaller intervals, but you can get from point A to B much quicker just going by 500 calorie jumps. Once you see your weight consistently going up, and you’ve determined your maintenance calories, then you can start creating a calorie deficit.
Good tips for me, Coach Calorie, thank you! I will start to lose some weight like 30 pounds in 3 months, I hope I can do that lol
I love this website. I have learned so much. But I have a question that relates to losing weight and how to balance that primary goal with the exercise I am doing that also needs substantial fuel. My preferred exercise is cycling. I’ve tried the gym, jogging, etc. but cycling has been a blast for me. But when I try for the LONG rides over 50-miles, I poop out. There are plenty of en-route feeding options, like drinks, bars and gels, but in the end, ideally I would want to complete my ride with a calorie deficit but have enough energy to complete the ride. Do you have any suggestions for someone trying to lose weight while also taking on sports involving large calorie losses during the event? I do use a heart monitor coupled to my Garmin-500 Edge and the calorie burn calc is generally 1100 – 2000 calories.
Thanks for what you do!
Your pre and post workout nutrition is going to be very important. Not sure when you’re cycling. If it’s in the morning, I’d try to get a post-workout meal in with carbs/protein, and then post-workout eat your next couple meals with carbs/protein. Keep those glycogen stores full. You’re going to have to play around a little bit to see how many carbs you need. If you find you keep hitting the wall, I’d keep adding more in.
I want to start out by saying, I love your Blogs!! They are very informative, even for a person as myself. I started my journey 4 years ago @ 135# and only 5’2″. Not extreme, but I was very unhappy with my size 9 and knew I had to do something about it. I started using one of your calculators, started Logging EVERYTHING I ate and began an exercise program. I still work out 5 days a week. Walking, Weights and Exercises such as crunches, push ups , pull ups Etc. AND 4 years later, I still log everything I eat, everyday. I have gotten more healthy in the foods I choose, High Fiber and Protein, Low Fat and Sugar. I am now down to 107 and I feel great again. My confidence is through the roof, and I finally feel sexy again in a swim suit! My goal was 110, and I have fallen below that, while trying to balance the calories with my active lifestyle to maintain and not lose anymore. I’m up to 1800 calories, bumping that up to 2000 for the next two weeks and see if that is enough.
Congrats Raquel! 1800 calories at 107lbs is great. If you’re satisfied on that amount then I wouldn’t mess with bumping them up unless you’re just trying to find your true maintenance calories. Nothing wrong with doing that.
Hi. I have been struggling to lose weight for 15 years. I have seen a nutritionist who told me to eat 1400 calls per day. I am 5’2″ and 175 lbs. I am a vegetarian. I eat dairy, eggs if it’s already backed into products but never just like that. I eat a lot of Indian food(veggies and home made bread. We do use canola or olive oil to cook vegetables about 2 tablespoon at the most for a huge head of broccoli, or cabbage or cauliflower, ivy gourd etc. I do eat some white rice. I think I maybe shouldn’t eat much carbs but I am a vegan it’s my main food source. I stopped eating bread from the supermarket. I have also tried wt watchers and I could only have 26 points to lose weight but I wasn’t losing any weigh so I am stuck and frustrated. I have started an intense kickboxing class and run on a treadmill or outside using the interval runnig app on the iPhone so I am just not on one consistent speed. I can’t lose a single pound. Here is what I eat
Breakfast
I cup cereal( honey nut Cheerios or frosted flakes I know that’s bad and loaded with sugar but it’s sometimes) oatmeal at times Quaker oat with favors already in them and I cup 2% milk
Snack none
Lunch used to eat sandwich with whole wheat Arnold brand bread and fat free cheese slice. , lettuce and tomatoe, 1 cup fat free popcorn no butter added, 1 banana or 2 carrot sticks
Dinner Indian food ) whole wheat roti or another type of bread no added oil just the amount that was used to mke the dough
Cup of vegetables cooked with oil
White rice 1 cup and yogurt or lentil soup
That’s all then. I’m having a hard time adding in protein and managing carbs
“
Based on the meal plan you laid out, it looks like you are only eating 800-900 calories. Way too low. Your nutritionist recommended you eat 1400 calories, so I would at least be eating that much. Try eating a protein fruit smoothie post workout for more calories. 1 frozen banana, frozen berries, 50 grams of a plant based protein, a little water and blend. If you eat dairy then you can use whey, milk, greek yogurt, etc for added protein.
Hey coach, was looking for a bit of advice. I currently work out 4-5 days a week. For breakfast I have 1/2 cup oats. 2 1/2 later have 85g chicken breast with 1 cup of mixed veg, 2 1/2 hours later I have tuna, 1/2 cup brown rice and 1/4 cup cottage cheese, some almonds in the afternoon with a protein shake, and dinner is 85g chicken with 1 cup sweet potato and veg. I have ate like this for 4 weeks and not dropped an ounce. I do heavy deadlifts, pull ups, bench press, basically all weights, then some interval training for 20 mins. Do I need to up my food? At my wits end because I eat clean and have not noticed any difference. I am currently 60kgs! Would like to be a lean 57g. Any advice would be welcomed.
Looks like you’re eating around 1100 calories. You could try to increase them some and see what happens. You definitely don’t want to go lower, so if you’re not losing weight, I suspect that is the problem. If you just started working out then that could also be an explanation.
Also, since you aren’t what I’d consider overweight, focus more on body composition changes instead of scale weight.
hello my name is Michelle I am 130 lbs and I am 4’11 in height. How many calories can I eat a day. And what can I do to lose my hips and stomach?
personally i eat 1500 calories a day high protien moderate carbs, weight training and 15 min of cardio 5 days a week and i have lost 30 pounds so far!
love your article coach calorie.
I normally exercises 3 to 4 times a week, that should enough to burn those unwanted calorie. 🙂
Hey, Coach, I’m a 53-year-old woman who recently hit menopause. In recent years it seems that my body’s need for calories has gone way down. I exercise every day–biking, swimming, walking, weights, and elliptical trainer in the winter– but still it seems that I just look at calories and gain weight. My weight has gone up to 176, far too much for my 5’4″ frame (I’d like to be 130). Five or six years ago, I exercised really hard, limited calories, lost 40 pounds, but I have gained it all back now. I’d like to lose it again, but this seems impossible given that my hormones want to hold onto every possible calorie and fat cell! I joke that if there were a famine, I’d be the last to die. :-/ know that there are other women with this problem. What can you suggest for those of us whose calorie needs have gone down, even though we’re just as active?
FYI, I’m a lacto-ovo-vegetarian who eats mostly whole foods and a lot of beans.
Hi Martha, there’s no getting around the calories in/calories out formula. Menopause or not, you still have to eat whole foods and get active. Hormones can influence the energy balance equation, but that just means you’ll have to eat less relative to someone else who has more “optimal” hormones.
I eat mostly whole foods, not processed foods. I exercise six days a week: Biking, walking, swimming, weight lifting. I spend about two-three hours a day (counting getting to the gym) in some form of exercise. I lift weights three days a week, swim three days a week, bike three days a week and walk every day. (On Sunday, I go hiking with the dog.) Lately, it seems like I can just look at calories and gain weight. I am wondering what I can do short of starving myself, since it seems like my body needs so few calories now compared to what I used to be able to eat..
You seem to be exercising a lot. Are you eating enough calories to fuel that activity level? How is your protein intake on your vegetarian diet? Are you eating essential fatty acids?
Hi, I am 5’7 and 245 pounds. I am trying to lose weight this summer and have been exercising an hour everyday now. However i am having trouble knowing what to eat everyday because I do not see any results from weight loss but i have stopped all junk food and sweets. I normally eat this:
breakfast: oatmeal on some days and 2 hard boiled eggs on others
lunch: indian food (roti with sabjee like cauliflower and potatoes)
snack: ricecake (70 calories)
dinner: carrots, broccoli, lettuce, green beans on some days or yogurt and granola bar on other days
I know i am not eating enough calories, but doesn’t that mean I will not lose weight? Please help me because i have a wedding to attend and this losing weight is just not working!
Hi Neenna, you are definitely under-eating. I only count 500 calories or so. That combined with all your exercise has probably brought your metabolism to a stand still. Eat more food. It’s about more than just calories – you need nutrients if you want to lose fat. You just can’t get enough of them with only 500 calories.
I know that is a problem I have. I don’t know what to eat because then i start to think I am eating too much and gaining weight again. What exactly is a proper meal for the day that i can make sure i will lose weight?
Thanks so much!
Try eating a lean meat/protein, a veggie, and possibly a fruit/starch at each meal. Something like a spinach chicken salad with olive oil dressing. Go to my Pinterest page and you’ll find all kinds of healthy recipes – http://pinterest.com/coachcalorie/
And you might need to put the idea of weight loss on hold for now while you work on fixing your metabolism and fear mindset. Remember that food is your friend – not your enemy. You have to feed the fat loss off your body.
I’m doing a 12week program for the second time (Michelle Bridges) you stick to.meal plans of 1200 cals. I work out 6 days per week and wear a HRM. I burn around 500-700 most sessions and over 1000 1 day a week. I ha previously lost 18kg On a protein diet and 6kg in first round of this. I no have stopped losing weight!!! I’m stuck at 75kgs, 169cm.
Should I be eating more??? So confused!
Hi Aimee, for the amount of activity you do and your body stats, 1200 calories is low. I would start closer to 1600/day and adjust. It’ll be much more sustainable that way.
hi! just found your article today and read it along with all the questions and responses — actually found it when i was googling about not eating enough calories preventing you from losing weight etc. which brings me to my question.. or i would really appreciate your opinion because i feel very lost and confused.
i changed up my workout routine (started following jamie eason’s live fit trainer – i have since stopped and just lift/HIIT) about 3 or 4 months ago (feb or march i think).. i used to do cardio atleast 5 days per week (times varied from 20-45/60 min and included mostly running on treadmill or spinning). i also used to do lighter weight training with either kettle bells or i took a ‘total body’ class which used lighter weights and did curls, squats, lunges, etc. however my NEW workout for the past 3-4 mths has been weight lifting, and 2-3 days HIIT. (usually will do legs one day, chest/triceps another, back/biceps another etc) and on a few days i will add in 30 min HIIT (running on a treadmill 30 sec on/30 off, or 45 min of an occasional spin class).
i have never been one to watch the scale as ive always thought i looked like i weighed less than i usually did — i was weighing myself in march and weighed around 140-145lbs (which i have weighed in that area for while now). however last week i got on the scale and saw that is said 150lbs (which made me worry.. logically it should be muscle, but is it?) i havent really been noticing a difference in how clothes fit so much, and if anything they feel tighter.. am i eating too much? not eating enough? training wrong? part of me isnt sure which way to turn cause its seems like mostly everything i read says i am training in a good way but im not sure. i read that perhaps i am not eating enough calories for my activity level so, this week ive started counting calories(online diary but you can find food brands etc) and tried to eat a little more to see where i am at.. this is what ive been eating:
btw, i am 26yrs old, about 5ft 7in.. dont know my body fat %.. not sure how to do that. also i have a desk job so i am pretty much sitting all day – usually work out either early morning (trying for this but its tough) or after work
i eat every 2-3 hours generally – sometimes the snacks are interchanged
breakfast
3 or 4 egg whites, 1 whole egg, 1 slice ezekial toast or 1/2 c oats
coffee w/ 1 tbsp xylitol, splash of half and half
snack
1/2 c 1% cottage cheese w/ strawberries (maybe 1/2 c max?)
or i would have nonfat greek yogurt w/ strawberries
lunch
chicken breast (not always good at measuring amount – mb 4/6oz?)
veges (broccolli or green beans usually)
1/2 c brown rice or sweet potato or potato
snack
homemade protein bars (clean recipe – strawberries, bananas, oats, xylitol, protein powder, greek yogurt.. usually i make ones without the fruit – will use oat flour and i have been grinding it myself)
protein shake after the gym (MRM brand- approx 87cal, 1g sugar, 18g protein)
dinner (sometimes ends up being late at night – 8pm/9pm)
chicken, steak, ground turkey
salad with mixed veges and homemade oil/vinegar dressing
sometimes w/ rice/potato (but not always)
i will usually have a cheat meal atleast once a week if i go out to eat and will have an occasional glass of wine or beer
when i calculated my meal yesterday it was just about at 2000 calories. so i am not sure where to go from here, stick with around 2000 for 2 wks and see what the scale says? go up? go down? any advice would be soo appreciated. i feel like im going crazy with all the contradicting stuff you read, plus i worry maybe even if i read that it worked for someone else maybe it wont work for me..? thanks soo much in advance!! 🙂
Hi Megan, 2000 calories might be too much. I’m glad you started high though. Now you just need to adjust. Give it 2 weeks here and see what happens. If not weight loss then cut 100 calories and repeat the process until your weight is trending down.
thanks so much, i really appreciate the feed back and article suggestions. as far as caloric needs.. i have been tracking on and off and it looks like i am usually somewhere in between 1500 – 2000 calories. am i just overthinking this and i should keep doing what i am doing? as you said, i am living a healthy lifestyle? i suppose those 500 calorie differences could also be the result of burning more calories one day vs another. i am having a little bit of a tough time as i want clothes to start feeling looser and it seems like thats not happening (in my mind i think they feel tighter.. although a lot of that could be in my head and they are actually the same as they have always been pretty much lol) thanks for the thoughts and tips, its good to hear if you are on the right track or what needs tweaking.. really appreciate it — great site!
Hi Tony, I am 45 years old and at 210 lbs. I started with a personal trainer 2 months ago. I am working out 4-5x weekly and can’t drop a lb! I am so afraid of gaining I have cut my calories down to about 1300 daily. I am seeing that this is too much of a cut? Should I stick with 1800 for a while?
Hi Sherry, take a look at this article – http://www.coachcalorie.com/working-out-but-gaining-weight/
Don’t panic with your calories. Take a systematic approach and understand what’s going on with your body.
Hi
I have been trying to lose some weight and having a hard time. I have been trying for like few years and every time I seem to be gaining weight. My scale goes up if i eat outside one day. I didn’t exercise as i was on vacation and after 4 days, scale is up by 2 pounds. Although I ate out, i have been watching what i was eating. I used to under eat and now I eat 1600-1700 calories. I weigh 208 pounds, 36 year old and 5 4″ (female). I workout with a trainer 2 days (circuit training) and 3 days of cardio. When we did the body composition in the gym, it suggested eating 1900 as bmr. I don’t know if i should try eating more. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you so much!
My typical day is like this
BF : 2 toast + jelly or sugar free cereal + coffee with milk
snack – 4 brazil nuts + 1 seasonal fruit
lunch – 1 cup brown rice + 1/cup lentils + veggies
snack – coffee with milk
dinner – 1 egg/ bean salad + 1 cup milk
Hi AG, are you vegetarian? Your diet is pretty low in protein. I see maybe 50 grams of protein.
Calories also look closer to 1200 than the 1600. If that’s the case then I’d bump them up some and see what that does.
Thanks for responding. I track my calories and I try to eat around 1600 calories. Do you think I should up my calories more? I am a lacto ova vegetarian and my protein is around 70-80 gms.
Here is your diet and a generous calorie allotment/meal
BF : 2 toast + jelly or sugar free cereal + coffee with milk – about 200 calories
snack – 4 brazil nuts + 1 seasonal fruit – about 100 calories
lunch – 1 cup brown rice + 1/cup lentils + veggies – about 450 calories
snack – coffee with milk – maybe 50 calories
dinner – 1 egg/ bean salad + 1 cup milk – about 400 calories
That is a total of 1150 calories, give or take 100-200. I would be eating more than that, eating whole foods, and exercising, and I wouldn’t even consider changing anything until I did that for a month.
If you’re unable to maintain that level of nutrition for a month, then you need to focus more on how to make healthy eating a part of your lifestyle, and less on how much weight your gaining/losing. Make sense? You want this to last. You don’t want weight to be a daily obsession. If you don’t change your mentality, you will still have a weight obsession – even if you are lean. Trust me.
Thanks! I didn’t add the fat part in my sample day I gave. I try to eat more if my ca leeks have t reached 1400 by adding a whey protein shake or handful of nuts. Also lunch and dinner 1 tbsp olive oil. Also add avocado if I am low on calories. My average intake is 1600 calories. But scale is not moving even though I am consistent with my workout
Also I take 2% milk. I don’t do any fat free stuff as my naturopathist suggested to get rid of all that one year back. I eat home made food other than occasional outside eating
I’ve been meaning to lose weight over the summer and I’ll lose up to 15 pounds and then gain them back. Hopefully this won’t happen on my way their .I never really contemplated or thought of calories this way , gave me a completely different perspective on wight loss and calories. Thank you !
Also I’d like to add that I have a 30% body fat and I’m hoping to lose enough weight to be comfortable. I eat around 1,000 -1,500 calories a day . I find it quite hard to eat healthy and have more calories because I’ve been eating a lot of chicken breast. Should I allow myself to eat more carbs such as a cup of noodle soup or a piece of carne asada? What is morale the biggest point of dieting the carbs and protein or counting calories?
Brenda, try to get out of the dieting mentality. Diets have end dates. You want to change your lifestyle so that you can maintain your results forever.
Why do you find it hard to eat healthy? Is it the taste? Healthy food can taste amazing.
If you want to eat more carbs, eat more carbs. Just make sure they are healthy and not processed. Noodle soup is calorie dense and nutrient sparse. Try sweet potatoes, beans, veggies, fruit, etc
hi, im extremely cautious about my weight, i count my calories everyday (yes i know i have a problem) but i used to be chubby and i never want to bew the size i was again. im 5 ft 6 inches, 16 years old, and i weigh around 8 and a half stone. i do a lot of excersise i usually do aerobics about 4 times a week which are quite high impact workouts, then i also walk a lot as well on days i do not workout. i eat around 1,200 calories a day on average, although sometimes on weekends i binge and eat around 2,500 – 3000 calories, but then the next day i consume around 600 – 900 calories to make up for the day before so my diet is all over the place but during the week i do consume around 1,100 – 1,200 calories a day. i would like i know how many calories i SHOULD be eating as people tell me i should eat more, but all the websites have mixed opinions. what do you suggest? should i carry on as i am or start eating a bit more? i have an app on my ipod, which tells me my weekely average of calories IS 1,100 – 1,200 including the binge day as i make up for it.
I would focus more on controlling your binging and eating a more consistent calorie intake every day. It’s not just about calories, it’s about your behaviors.
Bingeing on 3000 calories and then overcompensating isn’t the same as consistency day to day. Make sure you aren’t undereating and depriving yourself so that those binges don’t happen.
Hi,
I tried to go to your healthy recipes and got sent to pinterest. I clicked on a recipe and all I saw was a picture of the meal and comments about it. Where are the actual recipes. I don’t want to join another site. Can I just go to the recipes?
Thanks for your help.
Jill
Hi Jill. Pinterest is where I’ve been collecting all the recipes from around the web. You don’t have to join. Just keep clicking on the pictures of the meals and you’ll be taken to the website that has the recipe. Just keep clicking 😉
Hi Coach,am a Nigerian and my current weight is 95kg,height 5ft 6nch,age 36yrs. I really want to lose at least 25kg in the next 3month. Pls i need your help, i dn’t have alot of money for diet but few suggestion would do. Meanwhile,gr8t job you are doing here. Am also a stay home mum,i’ll appreciate ur help.
Try setting a more realistic goal. 25kg in 3 months is a lofty goal. It took time to put it on, it will take time to take it off. 1lb/week is a good goal to start. But for now just focus on progress and getting things trending in the right direction.
Hi i was wondering if i’m eating enough calories? i’m 15 168lbs and 5’10 i started my diet a couple of weeks ago at 1600 calories then 1400 and 1200 calories and now at 900 calories with 900 calories a day i lose about 3-4 lbs a week, which i really like.. but i want to know if this 900 calorie diet is okay. I know people have said it will make it harder for me to lose weight but i seem to be doing just fine.
In time it can cause more harm than good. 3-4 pounds a week is quite a bit of weight loss, and it’s unlikely it’s all fat. You want fat loss, not weight loss. Eat more food. Make it into a healthy lifestyle – not a diet. You should be able to eat this way for the rest of your life. If you don’t think you can, you’re doing something wrong.
Okay so heres my problem. I think I have brought my metabolism to a dead stop! I started my journey to a healthier me at 5’8 250lbs. After my initial diet and exersize change I dropped 50lbs in 31/2 months. In the last month i have gotten a gym membership. I work out 6 days a week for 1/12- 2hrs doing both cardio and strength training. I have not lost any weight in 2 months, I have been stuck at 198-200lbs and cant seem to lose anymore weight. This is a problem for me because I feel that I still need to lose about 40 to 50lbs. I do know that on most days I dont eat nearly enough. based on my goals an online calculator says I need 1200 calories a day. I keep a food journal and record Everything I eat. On most days I can get close to 1200, but on others i am only consuming 600-800 calories. The site I use says I also need to consume the calories I burn off. ( is this true.) I cant eat that much food! I know a lot of my issue is psychological, I am so afraid I will put back on the lbs I have lost. So after weeks of no progress i have re evaluated my diet and decided to change it. here is my plan: 5 200-250 calorie meals a day. Do you think this is a good approach?
Typical Day
Breakfast: Omelette made with 1/4 cup egg whites w 1/4 cup spinach
Snack: 1/2 medium banana or a small apple
Lunch: Sandwich made with light wheat bread ( 45 cal per slice) 2oz of boarshead lean lunch meat.
Dinner: Mixed greens Salad w 3oz 97/3 lean ground turkey
I only drink water and unsweetened green tea
I will occasionally drink a whey protein shake pre work out. I learned the hard way not to work out for 2hrs on an empty stomach!
So do you have any advise for me on how I can re amp my weight loss?
Thank you 🙂
I honestly don’t think that’s enough food. Also, I don’t see any healthy fats. With the amount of exercise you do, you should be eating more food. Less food is not better. You need the nutrition if you want your body to rid itself of fat.
I was wondering if you could help me. I have just quit smoking… 6 days in. I have now started working out and trying to eat 1200 calories a day. I have for years maintained a smaller figure by eating way too little. Skipping breakfast and eating a small lunch and a large dinner… and pigging out on chocolate once a month for a few days. I am now gaining some weight which I really don’t like. I am 32, 5.7 and used to weigh 130 and now weigh 134. It’s not much, but it’s not been but a week! I have been using fitness blender.com workouts. Starting only this week. And have been upping my calories… I am trying to make them healthy ones, but I can’t help but to want to pig out… I am hungry constantly…. But am sure, that will eventually get better. I guess my question is, If I maintain a healthy diet and exercise plan, will my body catch up and figure out what is going on?? Or am I doomed to eating below what is a healthy calorie intake to maintain a weight of 130? Even being hungry constantly I am not eating but 1200 and at most 1300… and gaining…
Sherry, you don’t need to be hungry to maintain a healthy body composition. If you’re hungry – eat, but eat whole foods.
As for the 4lbs, that’s a decent jump in a week at 1200 calories. Double check your calorie counting. But if you’ve been severely undereating and then suddenly increase your intake by a lot or just started exercising, your glycogen stores could be getting topped up.
It’s very unlikely that 4lbs was fat. More than likely isn’t muscle glycogen, which is glucose plus water in the muscle – not fat.
PS: I just want to be healthy. I don’t want to get caught up in another unhealthy bad habit. I know that quitting smoking is great and I am proud of myself. I just don’t want to become an over eater to replace the smoking habit. I want to work out, and eat right. My health is not the greatest. I have polycystic Kidneys, although the only reason I know this is because one cyst is palpable… My kidney’s are fully functional. And I have been fighting anemia as well. I also have over the years had a problem drinking enough water. On a regular basis I would only have maybe one 8 oz. glass a day and only, if I was lucky. I would drink only coffee the rest. Which is a diuretic and is very bad to only drink that and no water to replace the water lost. So in conclusion I really want to be fit and healthy. I know weight isn’t my biggest problem. But also know that by fixing all the other unhealthy problems I will ultimately look and feel great.
Hi.. I have kept a food journal for 6 months.. eating anywhere between 1200 to 1500 calories a day.. some days I jump to 1700. My body will not lose a pound. I workout with a trainer doing weights 2 times a week, try to add another day on own, and vary my cardio workouts 4 days a week. 45 min to hour depending.
I eat very clean.. no processed foods. 120grams of protein per day, 50 grams fat and aim for less than 100 g per day. I am 49, 5 foot 3 and 26 BF … trying to lose last 5 to 7 pounds..No much, but for my size its a pant size.
If I was to follow you plan I should eat less, but thats not healthy. Should I stay at 1200 then for a little longer. Didnt want to lose muscle, and have heard you can slow metabolism by eating too low for too long. Yet, its already slow if I am doing what I am doing and not losing. When I was eating more… I was gaining.
Any ideas? Thank you!
Hi Alex, why do you say you would eat less if you follow my plan? Have you tried eating more and you’ve gained weight consistently over a period of time? I don’t know how much you weigh, so it’s hard to say if your calorie intake is high. Regardless, there is only one way to figure it out, and you have to not be afraid of gaining a little weight in the process. Worst case scenario, you end up putting on some extra muscle.
But if you’re currently around 120lbs, it’s possible that 1500-1700 calories is just too high. Pick an intake and stick to it consistently for a couple of weeks and see what happens. Adjust downwards 50-100 calories at a time.
Hi Coach,
I’m fascinated by this not eating enough to lose weight concept! I have been doing HIIT with bodyweight exercises and I run 5k about once a week. I never eat processed foods, and my diet is primarily low carb and high protein. I do indulge sometimes in some chocolate, i try to stick to the dark version, but sometimes I do give in and have a few squares of milk chocolate with almonds. I do drink but not too much and only one night a week and only wine never ever beer. Anyway, I can never lose weight, no matter what I do, I have experimented with different daily calories intakes, 1200, 1300, 1400 and 1500 and still no change in my weight. I understand its not all about the number on the scales and I am quite lean however I only want to lose about 5lbs, and it seems no matter what I do, it makes no difference.
An example of my daily intake is below, and I would be really delighted if you could have a look and let me know what I’m doing wrong
B/f 2 eggs dry fried, on wholemeal toast, coffee slim milk no sugar,
Break 50g greek yogurt with about 8 almonds, frozen raspberries and cinnamon
Lunch Mixed leaves, roast peppers, grated carrot, half an avocado, poached salmon/ chicken/ tuna and some toasted cashews or walnuts
Dinner veggies and lean protein
I usually have a little bit of chocolate in the evening, I drink 2 litres of water a day, pasta about once a month, no sauces, or dressings, no rice or potatoes ever, and the bread I have in the am is the only bread I eat all day.
I’m 35, 140lbs and 5 4
I would be really grateful of any advice you could provide,
Thanks a mil Coach,
Alison
Hi Alison, how many calories is in that meal plan you outlined? It looks around 1000 to me. You’re also very low carb. Not necessary an issue, but I don’t want you to fear carbs.
When you say you can’t lose weight at any intake, how long are you testing out a particular intake for – days, weeks?
Coach, I’m not sure how I came across your blog/site but I am soooo happy I did! I 5’1 and currently 192 pounds. My highest weight was 267 and I have no real idea how I lost the weight but now that I am consciously trying to lose the weight…NOTHING! At present I have been going back and forth between weight watchers and calorie count and I alternate between Zumba and Insanity. Calorie Count suggests that I should eat about 1300 calories a day and I have no real idea about my caloric intake with WW, just the points :o) which was 29. All that being said, I have been at a plateau for the last 2-3 months and I’m beyond frustrated. Help! My normal menu is: Breakfast = two egg whites with 2 tablespoons of cheese and two slices of pepperidge farm light bread: Snack= Mrs. Mays almond clusters: Lunch= 3 slices of turkey luncheon meat and 1 slice of light cheese; greek yogurt, a piece of fruit: Dinner= a protein, vegetables, and some starch: Snack= a mini ice cream sandwich. I know some of my selections aren’t the best but I enjoy them and they keep me from sneaking other stuff.
Hi Karen, what did you do to lose that initial weight and why did you change things? Sounds like you were losing it effortlessly and then you fiddled with what was working. I’d get back to what helped you losing that initial 75lbs and do more of that.
hi, i have been doing weight watchers for the past week and i have uped my level of activityfro nothing to a 6.5 mile walk a day and 1 hour on the bike a daybut i am unsure of how many cals i am burning? i am 19 .6 stone and i am a 5ft11in girl can you help me work it out? as i dont want to stop doing the diet, thanks x x rachel x
Most people burn an average of 100 calories for every mile they travel on foot. Could be more or less depending on a lot of factors, but it’s a good guide.
oopps sorry i forgot to say my speed when walking is 3mph and on the bike the matchine says i am doing 5.2? i think thats right lol sorry x rachel x
Hi Debbie, are you taking body fat measurements? Your weight only tells part of the story, and it would be nice to know whether or not your body is changing for the better even if your weight isn’t.
As to smoking, tobacco can cause many negative changes to your metabolism. Being that it’s also a stimulant, it’s not unheard of for it to be harder to lose weight after ceasing smoking.
My body isn’t changing at all – my clothes do not fit properly and I don’t need body fat measuements other than my own two eyes! I’m thoroughly disgusted with this gain, but keep trying.
Do you know if you’ve put on any muscle? Body fat measurements tell more than just how much fat you’ve lost/gain.
Lay out a typical day’s diet, and tell me what you’re eating when you’re not eating good.
Muscle – probably not. I can judge everything by the way my clothes fit. I normally eat very healthy as I worked for Public Health for 34 years and know all about that. I’m 5′ 2′ and try to stay around 1200-1500 calories. My typical breakfast would be a hard-boiled egg, yogurt or oatmeal with fruit and OJ. Lunch might be cottage cheese with tuna or a turkey wrap with veggies and 8 oz. of skim milk. Dinner is 4-5 oz. skinless chicken, beef, pork or fish with 1/2 c. wild rice and veggies with no butter and 8 oz. skim milk. Somewhere along the way, I will have a few 97 calorie Miller Lites or Diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale. When I’m NOT eating healthy on some vacation and/or picnic days, I will have foods like breaded scallops, crabcakes, burgers and mayo based pasta salads, coleslaw and too many Miller Lites as a few examples. Either way, my weight doesn’t change. This is only since I quit smoking – I never had issues with my weight before that. Here’s the chat that I follow on that subject: http://www.metabolism.com/2008/08/23/smoking-affects-metabolism
Debbi, I’m sure you don’t want to hear it, but you can’t expect to make progress drinking a few beers a day. 97 calories a piece or not, it’s not just about calories. Alcohol affects your metabolism in many ways. In addition, get rid of the diet soda. Drink water.
How many calories are you eating when you have an off day, and how often does that happen?
Please explain what 3% alcohol can do to your metabolism ONLY after one quits smoking. As I stated before, I do not over eat and changed nothing in my diet when I quit smoking – including beer.
As for the diet soda, I bought a 12 pack for the first time in my life about 10 days ago and have had 5 cans. Not a problem.
I could not begin to even guess how many calories I consume on an “off day” and it may happen every 12 days or so if that – and usually in the summer or on vacation.
Before I start Debbie, I ask that you keep an open mind. I’m not trying to attack you or your lifestyle. I’m only making suggestions since you asked for advice. You laid out your lifestyle, and I’m showing you the problems. It’s up to you to decide if you want to take the advice.
First off, alcohol has 7 calories per gram. More importantly though, your body will not metabolize protein, carbohydrates, or fat until it finishes metabolizing the alcohol. It gets priority above all other macronutrients. This fact alone can put a halt to any progress, especially when you are drinking all throughout the day.
I have no problem with alcohol. I drink a glass of wine every so often too, but I don’t make it a habit to have it every day. Have people lost weight drinking daily? Yes, but it is not the norm. Those calories could be used to put nutrient dense foods into your diet instead of the empty calories alcohol provides.
I am however very anti artificial sweetener, so you will never see me recommending diet soda to anyone. It goes beyond weight loss, as I promote a healthy lifestyle.
I wish you luck!
Hi Coach,
I am hoping that you can help me. I am a 33 yr old F, 5′ 5″, and weigh 180 lbs. I have been trying for over a year to lose weight. So far I have only managed to lose 13 lbs. This is on top of quitting cigarettes last August. I work out 6 days a week & wear a HRM when I do to track the calories that I’m burning. On M,W,F I walk 3.75 mi – mainly up & down hill, am starting my 3rd week of c25k, jumping jacks, push ups, sit ups, weighted hula hoop, & lift weights. On these days, my total workout time is on average around 130+ mns w/ a calorie burn of 2100 – 2300. On T, Th, & Sat I walk 3 – 5 mi, weighted hula, jumping jacks & push ups w/ a total time of around 80+ mins and a total calorie burn of 1600+. I was eating 1400 cals a day until a nutritionist told me to bump it up to 1600 – 1800. The first week of doing so, I lost 5 pounds and nothing else since. I eat a high protein, high fiber diet and 1750 cals a day and am using MyFitnessPal. I’m trying to join the Reserves & my weight is holding me back. Please, please, please help!! Thanks.
Hi Mecca, over 2 hours of exercise in a day is unnecessary. Why not alternate strength training days with your c25k program? You need to make sure you are getting enough rest to recover from your workouts. You can’t exercise the same muscles every single day in a hypocaloric environment and expect to make progress.
Focus on shorter, more intense strength training workouts. 1800 calories seems OK based on a reduced activity level that I’m talking about. Your diet is the key to weight loss, not exercise. Exercise creates the metabolic environment that makes it possible for your nutrition to do its job.
Hi coach…I have been dieting for the past few months, I started out at 165 lbs and cut my calories (probably too drastically) to an average of about 1200 per day after using an online calorie calculator to help determine how many calories I should be taking in. I have been doing an average of 2 hours of exercise per day (alternating between brisk walking and biking). I was doing great, at first…I got down to 150 pounds, but now I have been stuck at this weight for the past two weeks. I have increased my daily exercise and have been trying to add calories because of this, but still find myself stuck at 150. I’m wondering if increasing my calorie intake to 1500 per day (10x my body weight) would be helpful to to kickstart my weightloss again? Is 1500 calories still too low?
Any feedback would be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you!
Hi Jessi, if you were at 2 hours of exercise a day and you increased it even more, I’d say you are overtraining.
Reduce the cardio and add in strength training. That is the key. If you are only eating 1200 calories with over 2 hours of exercise, you are severely undereating. Don’t be afraid to eat! Your body needs the nutrients.
I use my fitness pals and it sets my calorie goal a day to 1320 . Last month I lost 10lbs and this month im at a stand still. I workout 6 days a week burning 500 calories 5 days plus some weights then I one day of only weights. Do I need to eat more ? Why isnt my weight going down anymore ?
Hard to say without knowing your stats. But if you lost 10lbs the first month at that intake you definitely have a big deficit. You can either give it some more time or add in a few calories. Rarely does weight loss just stop like that. Instead, the pace slows over time as the deficit naturally gets smaller.
well i never thought u’d have to eat that much to start weight loss!!, but when u read it all through, it all makes perfect sense!!, i have been cycling 2 miles and swimming every day for the past 3 weeks, but only taking in between 700 to 1300 calories a day, with not had that much weight loss, but now feel fatigued!!, now i know why, now i know what to do, i cant wait to start in the morning!!, thank you so much for helping me understand how to understand my body!!
I can tell you that unless you are under 120 pounds, your calorie intake is likely too low. Start high and come down systematically.
This is an interesting concept. I had a food journal for a long time but get so irritated since I have a food allergy, my calories add up really fast. I was told to only eat 1200 calories and work out to lose weight. To add weight scares me. I am not sure about this….
It scares a lot of people Deanna, but what’s the worst that can happen? Do you really think adding 1-2 pounds over the course of several weeks is going to hurt you? If you’re eating whole foods and strength training, hardly any of that will be fat anyways. Give you body the nutrition it is demanding.
I have lost 192 pounds over the last 5 years. I started at 339 pounds. I lost the most weight within the first three years and the last two years i only lost 6 pounds 2 years ago and only 16 and 1/2 pounds the last year. I got down to 146 pounds but over the last couple of months have moved back up to 152 pounds. My BMI is at 23.6 % and my Body fat is 19.3% taken by a trainer at my gym. I work out in the gym almost daily. I have manitained my weight loss for 6 months or so. Some folks say I don’t eat enough and I am 52 years old. 5 feet 4 and 1/2 inches tall. I seem to have some hormone problems and lately seem tired don’t get enough rest (I don’t sleep well) I take estrdiol for hormones but still have night sweats and face breaks out so on and so forth. You know the hormone things that go on.
I really would like to lose about 12 more pounds but I cannot seem to budge any weight loss no matter how much I work out. and have experienced this 6 pound gain over the last few months. I do spin and body pump/ walk daily and at least once a week I do 11 to 12 miles at a time. I normally have one rest day a week? I have done several half marathons and am now training for a full marathoon
I need help and answers. I don’t take supplemnts or diet pills. I have lost the weight the right way but do not seem to be able to finish to my goal?
And I love exercise and working out. I like going to the gym and finding new ways to exercise.
I want to lose 12 more pounds and I would like my body fat to be about 16% I need to know how many calories should I be eating? By the way I eat very healthy food. No fried foods/ fish and whole grains (quality foods) and I eat about 6 times a day HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Advice please
Hi Glenna, I don’t know how many calories you should be eating. Why not try what I laid out in the article? That’s the only way to tell for sure, but I can tell you that it’s probably more than you think. The amount of exercise you do requires quite a bit of nutrition, and the fact that you feel worn down lately tells me you either aren’t eating enough, or you aren’t recovering from your workouts, or both.
Make sure you are getting at least 1 complete rest day a week, and take a good look at your diet. Create a smaller calorie deficit to lose the last pounds, not a bigger one.
Hi Sandy, I’m not sure where you see those. If you are talking about the calorie calculator link in the article, I am not recommending it. In fact, the whole point in the article was to show that calorie calculators are wrong, or at least can be inaccurate for many people.
Yes, exactly, it’s the site that you posted a link to for the calorie calculator…I posted a link below….at the bottom it recommends several programs/books…just wondering if you also recommended those! Thanks!: 🙂
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
I do not recommend that calculator or anything on that site. I linked to it to show an example of a calculator. Advice: stay away from the programs and diet plans. Good books are always a plus.
Hi Anjana, if your calorie burn is 2400 calories, you would need to eat more than 1000 extra calories a day to see any kind of change in your weight (higher).
Try upping your protein to at least 100 grams a day, and do not go under 1400 cals. Less is not better, it’s worse. In fact, I would aim for 1700-1900 if your BodyMedia is correct.
And last, take body fat measurements. Your scale measurement means nothing 🙂
Thanks. Should i increase the calories gradually (say 100 cals every week) or all at once? (from 1400 to 1700) I do not want to gain weight. Also, i had a question about rest days. I dont do workouts but i am not sitting also. I run errands, do other household work etc. I burn about 1900-2000 cals on rest days. Should i be taking it easy on rest day? Body fat is way high. Its 31%
I would just increase it to 1700. You’re not going to gain fat if you’re exercising and eating healthy foods.
And If that’s your only rest day for the week, then yes, I’d just take it easy.
Thanks a lot. Should i decrease the calorie intake on rest day or keep it the same (1700)?
Also, what should be the percentage of carbs (healthy), fat and protein in a day?
It seems in the past year, i have tried everything and cant lose weight. I have gone down to 1200 cals and upto 1500 cals with no results. I am going to increase it to 1700 now. I am currently doing Jillian’s body revolution workouts. Also, additional cardio workouts and walks outside.
I’d just set it at 1700 and forget it. As to macros, aim for 1 gram/pound of lean body mass for protein, eat carbohydrates in proportion to your exercise levels, and fill the rest of your calories with healthy fats.
Hey there! Love this article!
I teach 3 Zumba/Zumba toning classes a week and Im still tryin to lose my last 20-30 pounds. 🙂
I am gonna up my calories and write down everything I eat and see what happens b/c right now Im at a stand still…..
However, what about carbs? Or is it just calories?? (someone may have mentioned that already….. I didn’t read all the comments)
Thank you!!!!!!!
Hi Jeanine, eat a carb level that coincides with your activity level and food preferences. You don’t want to go overboard with them, but you still need them to fuel high-intensity activity.
THANK YOU for your help!!! It’s greatly appreciated! 🙂
Can you start to gain weight if you arent giving your body enough calories? I run marathons and train for about 1.5 hrs a day (anywhere from 6-12 miles on a weekday and 15-20 on Saturday). I think I am under eating. when I track my calories Im between 1600 and 1800calories. I have a small frame (113lbs, 5’6″) and have always been lean but I feel like I am struggling to keep my weight stable lately. I cant possibly need to eat less with how much Im running right? But Im scared to eat more than what I am eating because Im sure I will gain weight. Im just not sure what my body is telling me.
It’s unlikely you will gain weight eating too few calories. However, it’s possible that it can keep you from losing weight.
Keep in mind that your weight can also fluctuate from water weight. It’s not something I would concern myself with though.
A marathoner is going to need quite a few calories. Don’t be afraid to eat. You need the fuel for your exercise too!
Hi NeNe, when you say you haven’t noticed any changes, what are you gauging that by? Just weight?
I don’t want to discourage you, but no protein shake in and of itself is going to help you lose weight. Protein is just food. Shakeology might have some additional ingredients, but they don’t take the place of good nutrition and exercise.
My question to you is: What else are you eating besides what you showed me? Are you going off track during the week or the weekend?
If you’ve been at this 8 years, we need to take a different approach. We need to start changing your lifestyle habits. Be honest with yourself and write down all the bad habits you have. Artificial sweeteners, sodas, anything that you think needs work. Then, focus on changing that one single thing this week.
Hi, Just wanted to see what calorie intake you would recommend for me. I’m a 23 year old male, that lives a very sedentary lifestyle. 5 ft 8 and currently at 255lbs, lost 5lbs the last 4 weeks by limiting myself to 2000cals a day, though I’ve been having more like 1800 most days. Ideally want to lose another 60 or so pounds eventually and I’m under no illusion that this is some overnight thing and I’ve finally got the willpower and desire to kick this weight.
I’m just looking for recommendations on what my intake should be and any other advice or tips that could help me on my journey.
I would appreciate any insight you could give me and thank you greatly for taking the time to respond to all of us.
Hey James, I’d personally use the calorie calculator in the article. Because of your current weight you’ll start off fairly high, so you if you aren’t losing weight at that level you can take a bigger cut of around 200 calories and repeat the process.
When you say sedentary, are you still exercising? If not, I highly recommend that you don’t diet without strength training. It will make your job so much easier. If you are exercising intensely for an hour a day, then I’d be eating at least 2500 calories/day.
How can you eat 2000 calories without eating a lot of sugar and fat? If I stick to healthy foods: limiting my sugar intake to 24-30 grams a day and stay with a 40-40-30 ratio, it is so hard for me to eat that much. I am stuffed around the 1400 mark. Any suggestions?
Hi Ginee, it shouldn’t be that difficult to eat 2000 calories. 1400 calories is below maintenance levels for the majority of people, and you don’t want to be living in a perpetual state of calorie deficits.
Don’t be afraid to eat healthy fats. Nuts, seeds, healthy oils, and residual fat from eggs and meat should make it easy to hit that number. For an active female, 1600-2000 calories should be right around maintenance levels.
Hi,
I’m a great fan of your blog and read all your articles… Just wanted to ask your opinion on something ! (will keep it as brief as poss!)
last year I was at 13% BF at 109 Lbs 5″5..
this year I suffered an injury ( I fell from the TRX) I had to take time of training (3 months) which depressed me and my eating habits went downhill from there..
So Now I am approx 124lbs didnt bother to do BF because My trousers feel veryyy tight so I know most of the fat has gone to my middle lol
I remembered one of your quotes in your article is aim high in calories to lose weight… last year to maintain low body fat I didnt eat very much but maintained high training/resistance/cardio levels.
Now I am taking the opportunity to lose fat properly and to train smarter, can you look at my training schedule and a typical days worth of food?
Mon- 20mins jog warm up, 40 mins resisitance (press ups etc etc)
Tues 5 min jog warm up 15 min HIIT cardio 40 mins weights
weds – Rest
Thursday 20 mins4K run 40 mins resisitance
Friday- Boot camp Class ( this is quite high intensity and I consider it more like a HITT class)
Sat- Boxing Class
Sun – Rest
Breakfast – Oat Porridge, mixed with unsweetend Almond milk, Flax seeds cinnamon and Whey Protein
(usually gym time now)
Snack – oat cakes with almond butter
Lunch – veg stir fry, with baked salmon fillet small portion of baked sweet potato
Snack- egg whites and cucumber sticks
Dinner – baked turkey meat balls with green salad or mixed veg
I drink mainly green tea, water (2.5 Litres) ( I am weaning myself of the diet coke.. down to 2 cans a day now instead of 6!!)
am I on the right track?
I havent weighed myself… I am trying to rely on inch loss ( which I havent seen yet.. pants are still tightish)
I used to obess with the scales before weighing myself twice a day…. so I said to myself after reading your article on scales are not your friends that I wouldnt let the scales run my life..
many thanks
Elkie
Hi Elkie, glad you got rid of the scale.
As to your program, I think it looks great. Exercise looks good, and your food choices look good too. I don’t know your portion sizes, so I can’t see the macros or calories. The only thing I’d add is to not be afraid to eat healthy fats. A whole egg mixed in with the egg whites or some nuts could be a good addition if you find you’re low on calories.
Good luck!
Thanks for your reply I really appreciate your feedback!!
I’m glad I am going in the right direction! I put my “before I started to eat crap” work pants on and they are not as tight as before lol
I used to eat nuts but I became addicted to them and started to eat whole bags grrr Keeping away from processed foods is no problem for me, sugar .. white carbs etc.. but nuts have always been my downfall I cant just eat 10 almonds… so I decided to go cold turkey on them and only have them in the form of almond butter etc ( as I know I wouldnt eat the whole jar haha)
Will try to add other good fats (other than nuts lol)
I usually stick to around 120g-150g of meat/fish protein at meal times and and the other half of the plate is always some sort of green veg. Brekkie is 40g of oats/ 10g whey/ tbsp Flax seeds
many thanks again
Elkie
I am so confused. I keep a food journal and have set it to 1200 calories per day. I log everything I eat and exercise on “My Fitness Pal.” I work out 5-7 times per week and typically burn 400-450 calories per session (cardio/strength). I’m female 5’4″ and weigh 136.8. Since I started this program, I’ve lost inches but NO weight. I am getting more muscular and I love that, but I still think that weight # is too high. What can I do to shed more pounds?
Hi Chadwin, why do you think that number is too high? It’s just a number. What’s your body composition doing? That’s what you should be concerned about. You’re losing inches and gaining muscle – most people would be thrilled for that kind of progress. My wife is a similar height and weight, and I can assure you, she looks very fit!
I am female, 25 years, height 5 ft 4 inches and weigh 162 lbs. I have a broad built and so I think for me 143 lbs-150lbs should be good enough. I go to the gym 3 times a week, each session lasts for a bit more than an hour. Mostly I do cardio and some resistance training. Also I walk for 30mins at brisk pace everyday 5 days a week. My problem is that I feel I am eating too less, maybe that is why I haven’t shed any weight in the last two weeks. Also, I am having headaches these days. My diet is as follows and I have been following this for the last 3 weeks:
Breakfast: 1 or 2 slices of bread, one peach
Lunch: a huge bowl of salad, bread
Snack: black coffee without sugar and milk, one apple
Dinner: mixed vegetables cooked in olive oil
Sometimes I have yogurt as dessert, but that’s not too often. I basically try to avoid carbohydrates, but feel that I am not eating enough protein. I drink water, but not upto the prescribed amount. On weekend, I eat more than this and perhaps some meat. But on weekdays I dont have meat often.
Can you please suggest what my ideal diet should be? Because I am doing exercise, I feel I should eat more. I am currently working and so do not get time to prepare a proper breakfast. Therefore I have to grab a bread or two and a fruit on my way to work. Please help!
Hi Ipsita, your diet is certainly to blame for your lack of progress. I could MAYBE 400 calories in there, and less than 10 grams of protein!
I’m glad you seeked help 🙂
If you want to eat 4 meals, that’s fine, but each one should be based around protein. That means meat, unless you are a vegetarian.
Eat beef, chicken, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, seeds, potatoes, WHOLE grains, fruits, veggies, and some dairy. Try to limit the breads for now. There’s plenty of better choices out there.
For each meal, take 1 protein (beef, chicken, fish, egg), 1 carb (beans, potatoes, fruit, whole grain), and 1 veggie (broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, etc).
That is an overly simplified approach, but one that you need to get started. Drink plenty of water too. Good luck!
Hi
A friend of mine has given me your mail id and asked me to seek your help.
I am female, age 26years , weigh around 63 kgs and am 5’3” tall,quite an over weight right!!
I will be getting married in few months time,still approximately 3months are left.Can you just help me in reducing my weight by providing me a good diet?I seriously want your help.
I actually eat less but still i don’t see any reduction in my weight.
My daily routine is:
I get up late in the morning,have 1 glass of milk with 1biscuit
then i go for bathing then have little rice with fish,
then i leave for my university,
for lunch i eat generally 2 pieces of bread and fruits
then from lunch to dinner normally i do not take anything apart from 1glass of horlics with two biscuit
at night i eat 2 hand made bread , vegetables, one curry, and fish.
Although sometimes i have biriyani and pizza in our university but not every week.
i walk around 45mins everyday
still i do not see any reduction in my weight
please help
Nayantara kar
age-26 years
Hi Nayantara, if you need a meal plan or more personalized help you can see if I have any available spots for 1-on-1 coaching here – http://www.coachcalorie.com/1-on-1-coaching/
Your articles are THE BEST! It seems I always find something new in your advice I can try. Thanks and keep ’em coming!
Glad they help GJ!
How does one focus on losing body fat % vs body weight? Do you do something different than nutrition & exercise? If my goal is to go from 44% to 20% @ 1%/wk that equals about 24 weeks, weight wise that ends up being 3.5#/wk.
Hi MKS, 1% is the uppermost range that you can expect. Ideally, it’s somewhere between .5 – 1%/week. Yes, if you’re 350lbs, .5 – 1% would equate to 1.75 – 3.5lbs/week. Keep in mind that this is not every week. As your weight decreases, so will your pace of weight loss.
Body fat and weight are not always the same, but they can be. The key is to hold on to as much muscle as possible, and lose weight slowly so that a high percentage of your weight loss is fat. To do this you need to make sure you are strength training and maintaining a calorie intake that doesn’t create too large of a calorie deficit.
Very recently I’ve seen some commercials for a “Tummy Tuck Belt”. The system consists of a garment that looks like a mid-section “Spanks” and a “thermogenic”cream which causes abdominal fat to be burned . What’s that about? I am on a weight lose and fitness program. I have a trainer and I think I’m doing well, stronger, less knee pain and 45lbs down in @ 6 months BUT, if there is something more I can do to shrink my waistline I want to try it. What do you think?
Hi Lasaundra, don’t waste your time with gimmicky weight loss products. 45lbs in 6 months is great! Just keep doing what you’re doing. Be patient, and you’ll eventually reach your ultimate goal. Save your money and buy some protein powder instead.
No fat loss product will burn fat in and of itself without a negative energy balance. In all honesty, the marketers of this product lost me at “Tummy Tuck Belt”.
Good luck!
Thank you for all your articles and tips. I enjoy reading them and using them to eat healthy and to loose those last 10 pounds that I have been battling with. I also enjoy sharing your information with my family and friends and have even helped them get healthy. Thank you again!!
Glad it helps you and your family Linda, and thanks for sharing the information!
Thanks Coach! I just needed to hear the voice of reason.
I calculated my BMR, it’s 1521.75 I’m 169 @ 5’4 doesn’t that seem like a lot to have to lose weight? I’m getting so confused on all the ways to lose body fat that I’m not sure if I’m even doing anything right now. I was told by someone else that I shouldn’t have no more than 1200. Please help “in confuse” me. I don’t need it to come off fast, just to come off and maintain.
Hi Shelly, no, that is not a lot. My wife weighs much less and cuts on more calories. Assuming you are exercising intensely for around an hour every day and are active, that can easily put you at a 1lb loss/week. 1200 might work for someone who barely exercises and is sedentary all day. It’s not for an active fitness individual. Start high and come down if necessary. Never start low.
Great thank you so much, I’ve started to become active daily and eating clean and I’m starving on 1200 so bad I could chew on a table leg, so hearing this is wonderful. Thx so much:)
I’ve been eating 1200 calories a day too and I’m hungry. I weigh 200 lbs at 5’6″. I suppose I should eat more. After doing this for 3 weeks m not down even a pound.
Hello there,
I’m 6’5″ and weigh 13st 11 lbs. In the last couple of months I have lost 1st, through the 5:2 diet. Normal 2000-2500 cal for 5 days, 600 cal a day for 2 days. I have now stopped the diet and am now cycling a lot more. Averaging 100+ miles a week. Usually a 50 mile, 2 x 20 miles then maybe another 50+ at the weekend, all at around a 16mph average. During a 50 mile ride I will typically just have a banana. But will have eaten a bowl of cereal beforehand. And the salad (see below) when I get home.
My frustration is that I seem to have reached a sticking point as far as weight loss is concerned. I would like to lose at least another st. In the last month, through cycling and keeping to, what I think is about 2000 calories a day, I have gone 13.9/13.11/13.9/13.11.
A typical daily diet for me is a bowl of Alpen and a banana for breakfast. A salad consisting of beetroot, prawns, croutons, houmous, green leaves. Or some days just cheese on toast (3 or 4 slices). Tea consists of pasta or fish and lots of veg.
Having read a lot of the info on your site, which has been very helpful and interesting. Thank you. I am now wondering whether I am not eating enough for the exercise I am doing? I feel fine on the bike. I am not bonking. But cannot seem to shift anymore weight. I realise patience is key, but after a month of yo-yoing this couple of lbs, any advice or pointers would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Mark
Hey Mark, I’m not sure if you listed everything you’re eating, but that doesn’t look anywhere close to 2000 calories to me. You are definitely exercising a lot, and you’re going to need more nutrition to support that activity. My advice would be to create a smaller deficit an to just eat consistently day to day. The 600 calories/day for two days of the week creates some unwanted behavioral habits in my opinion.
Great article. Really great article. I think one more thing to add here is that when you workout and build muscle, you increase your BMR overall so you burn more calories at rest. So exercising creates a win situation all around!
I am based in Australia and just came across your website by accident and I am so grateful I have – finally someone who explains the whole process of healthy living and ‘healthy’ weight loss properly in a positive and easy way. Your ebook is going to be my health bible, I have struggled for years like most women with body issues which have been made worse by all those diet books out there and hardcore eating plans etc that it made my head spin and I’m still stuck at the weight I’ve been (and random binging of junk after such restrictive eating plans) and I want to just lose those extra few kilos. With your wonderful straight forward smart advice I’m hoping that will finally happen. Can’t thank you enough. Natacha
Well thank you Natacha. Glad you found the ebook helpful 🙂
Hi….been on a health kick for past few years actually but really eating nutritious food and excersiing for year and half now. Went from 275 to 145 pounds. i excersise every day…total of two hours incline walking on treadmill at 10.5 incline at 3.6 speed. I do one hour in the morning and feel better and sleep better when i do another hour late in the evenings. Also strength train 5 days a week for about 30 – 45 minutes. Am i excercising doing to much you think….am i doing more harm than good? also ii believe My sedentary bmr is only about 1540…and im guessing with my workouts my tdee is about 2800….i try to create a 1000 deficit so i take in about 1800 daily calories. Am i taking in enough calories you think or not enough?
Hi Charlie, that is definitely a lot of exercise, but certainly doable if you are adapted to it and you have proper nutrition. As for your calorie intake, if you are 145lbs, I wouldn’t be creating a 1,000 calorie deficit. You shouldn’t expect to lose 2lbs/week if your body fat/weight is already that low. Try losing .5% body fat/week and set your calorie intake accordingly.
So at 145 poundz you dont tnink i can lose 2lbs a week or i should at any rate….my goal is 135 lbs…oh and i am a female (charlie) by the way lol. So youre suggesting i maybe do a 500 calorie deficit instead? i also want to say i find this site and your comments…blog soooo informative. What you say makes so much sense to me. Very informative. Thanks
Hi Charlie, at your weight, 2lbs/week might be unrealistic. Aim for between .5-1% body fat loss per week. The lower number is more realistic.
If you are 20% body fat, and want to be 135, that would be an eventual body fat of 16%. That means you have 4% to lose. If you lose .5% a week, that would be 8 weeks. To lose 10 pounds in 8 weeks, you’d need a daily deficit of 625 calories. You follow?
Hi Coach
About 4o weeks ago I went to a nutritionist who compiled a plan for me based on single and double training days (i.e. 1 day I do single session of CrossFit, 1 day I do 3-8 mile run plus a session of CrossFit). The thing is, first week I was shattered – no energy on the plan, 2nd week better and saw a 4lb drop in weight (which I more concerned about dropping body fat), 3rd & 4th week, weight has gone back on and I’ve keep to plan with 1 cheat day per week which meant including more healthy carbs more than anything. The plan is as follows;
Post work out – 50 gm of dextrose 183kcal
Breakfast – 40g Granola 170kcal
Mid morning – 1x scoop of protein, 15gm oats blended into a drink with water 200kcal
Lunch – Small sweet potato, flesh only no skin 160kcal/ Salad or veg to suit 50kcal/ 100g white fish 90kcal
Mid afternoon – Mid morning – 1x scoop of protein, 15gm oats blended into a drink with water 200kcal
Tea – or Ratatouille with 4 egg whites, or 150gm white fish. 150kcal
Roughly about 1200 kcal and this increases slightly on my double days.
I’m not necessarily feeling lethargic, but I’m concerned that working out up 9-10 times per week, this isn’t anywhere near what I should be having!
Any positive advice?
Many thanks in advance
Hi Wilms, I don’t know what your stats are, but I personally would not recommend a calorie intake that low with your activity levels. I would also have much more solid food in there and would drop the dextrose.
Hi, I wonder if you could help me. I started dieting and working out 9 weeks ago. My weight started at 249lb, I was eating around (well I think I was)1300 cals per day and I started working out 4 times a week, by doing cardio and resistance training, also started free weights and zumba class. In 7 weeks I dropped 28lb, now the last 2 weeks I have seen no change in my weight, despite increasing the weights on resistance and free weights and now working out 5-6 days per week for 1.5 hours a time.
My typical food diary is:
Breakfast: 2 weetabix with skimmed milk, cup of coffee, sometime half a banana
Lunch: wholemeal bread (2 slices) filled with ham or tuna and salad. Fat free yoghurt and a piece of fruit. I sometimes will have poached eggs or tomatoes on toast, with low fat cottage cheese on the side.
Dinner: jacket potato or baked sweet potato with salad, filled with prawns, tuna or veggie curry. Or spag bol made with extra lean mince, chicken and veg tagliatelle, salmon and stirfry veggies with a jacket potato.
Snacks: fresh pineapple, apple, clementines, fresh grapefruit. Sometimes in the evening I have 2 biscuits(rich tea) with a cuppa.
Any advice would be more than welcome. Thank you 😀
Hi Emma, any reason you increased your exercise when you were already losing 4lbs/week for 7 straight weeks?
I’d reduce your activity levels some so that your energy deficit isn’t so large and see if the weight loss resumes with a little patience.
I own a bodymedia link and Love it…Long story short I was on a study for a medicationand in 10 months being on study put 85 lbs on. In beginning lost 40 lbs had to take meds again put that 40 back on, Im down 20 and have the 65 to go and I hit a 2 month plateau. I did the eat to live for 2 months to just clean my body and lost 15lbs and 19 inches which I know was probably allot of my muscle because wasn’t eating animal protein. Now going back to the diet I had sucess with prior to taking meds again. I love my Bodymedia they just dont give allot of info and so glad I ran across you. I want to lose my 2 lbs a week I have started my Strenghth training on resistence machines, walk run intervals for 75 minutes a day 6 days a week as well as yoga 3 days a week. I am eating a 1500 calories I usually have a 1500 calories deficut and have not been losing any weight my question is am I burning to many calories and not eating enough.Can you give your advice as to carb, prot,fat ratio. Id really appreciate any feed back.Ive never been over weight an this is the most frustrating thing I’ve ever gone thru. PS 50 years old post menopausal to ad to stats. Just want to beback to my pre med weight HELP!!
Hi Janice, I wouldn’t worry about losing 2lbs/week. Just get your weight trending in the right direction doing something you know you can adhere to long term. Once you’re consistent with that you can make minor modifications to influence the pace.
Hi Coach,
I read a few articles on the use of Splenda, but the evidence for its negative effects on health is equivocal. I consume Splenda only in small amounts, at most 1.5 – 2 tablespoons to sweeten coffee or tea, 3-4 times a week. I will occasionally bake with it. Do you think it is best to use regular sugar? If I am trying to lose weight (by tracking calories and working out regularly), can Splenda hinder my progress?
Thank you!
Hi Valerie, I avoid artificial sweeteners like the plague. I don’t think they have any place in a healthy lifestyle. Opinions will vary on that but I personally don’t think there’s a such thing as a free lunch with your health. It could be a while before science proves whether it’s “healthy” for you or not. I won’t take the chance and I’d rather ingest something my body recognizes – sugar included.
Hi. Just wondering if the weight * 12 is in kg or lbs? Thanks 🙂
It’s in pounds.
Hello Coach Calorie,
I’m so glad I bumped into your blog on pinterest. It has taught me so much. However, I found it at a time when I’m currently on a VLCD diet, I eat 600 – 800 cal a day and 1200 when I work out. It is under medical supervision. However, reading your blog I’m now worried about eating too little cal. I like that it does foment eating whole foods (it’s all lean meats, vegetables, nuts, fruits n whole grains no replacement meals) but now I realize it’s just too little of it. Nevertheless, I’m worried that if I change my eating to a more healthy calorie intake like you suggest I will gain all the weight back and some. Please let me know your thoughts and suggestion for my main priority is to learn how to eat correctly, weight isnt an issue for me as much as losing inches. Btw I’m 29 years old weigh 204 lost 13lbs and dropped a dress size on the VLCD program in the one month I have been doing it. Thank you for your help!
Hi Roseann, I don’t like VLCD diets. They might have their place in rare circumstances, but they are usually unnecessary. Don’t worry about weight right now, just worry about being healthy. If you’re already eating 1200 on some days, I’d start there and increase your calories a little each week until you are at your desired calorie intake.
Tony – 12 times my body weight? Is that in lbs x 12?? Daft I know but my cals come out at 1968 a day and that seems like too many but then again perhaps I don’t realise that I may be eating more than this? Whatever I am eating now I am maintaining my weight and have done for some time so at least I know this.
Yes, 10-12 times lbs is the sweet spot for majority of people. I like to start there and come down as necessary. I’d go with 10x in your case for a couple of weeks and see what happens. Then adjust if you need to.
Hi! I’m 32 y/o and have already lost a total of ALMOST 100 lbs. I went from 211 to 118 in a year. I count every calorie. My main intake consists of fresh or frozen fruits and veggies, yogurts, nuts, and lean meats. I am on a 1200 cal per day diet (not that I am actually dieting, but that is about what I eat per day). Do I need to be concerned about “counding calories” if I am only eating these items?
If you’re making progress without counting, you might as well not change anything. Calorie counting isn’t the end goal. It’s just a tool.
Hi, I am 5’5 inches and 153 pounds. I do about 20 minutes of exercise 4 times a week, but maintain a very active lifestyle (2 kids, full time job, school full time) I bike and walk often as well. I have not been able to lose any weight in the last couple of weeks that I have been working out. My diet usually consists of breakfast: a peice of fruit and coffee with 2% milk and splenda, Lunch: Chicken salad and another peice of fruit, Dinner: Veggies with some chicken or steak. For a snack throughout the day I would usually have some peanuts, yogurt or some jerky. I would like to know what I should do to lose weight: change my diet; or fit more time in for exercise.
Put your stats into the calculator in the article and eat there for 2 weeks. Then come down in 50-100 calorie increments every couple of weeks if your weight isn’t trending down.
Hey, I’m 5’7 and weigh like 260 pounds. I need to lose 120 pounds to be at a normal weight.But I find it really difficult to lose weight. Actually, I don’t lose weight, I lose inches (I’m pretty sure. Whenever someone tells me I look skinnier, I go on the scale and the scale number hasn’t changed or gets higher) Is that a bad thing? You say to eat 10 times your body weight (2,600 calories), I feel like that would make be gain weight. I don’t have a problem with exercising, but my diet sucks. I have insulin resistance, crave sweets. and I’m terrible at staying with a diet. I’m really impatient when it comes to results because I’m expecting them to come a lot quicker than they really do. What should I do? I need some guidance…
You’ve identified your problems. I’d suggest working on those (improving your diet and being patient).
10-12 times body weight is a guide, but if you’re very overweight, it could still be too high. Regardless, it’s a good starting point while you work on changing the quality of your diet.
Once your diet is 90% whole foods, you can look to start cutting calories if necessary. Your diet will naturally get lower in calories as you eat more whole foods anyways.
I weigh 118.8 as of today and 5’3″ (female if you havent guessed yet). I work out like a maniac…seriously. Intense Crossfit style workout for 20-25 minutes followed by 20 minutes of HIIT cardio then 10-15 minutes of steady state (HR 65-70%) cardio. One day a week I will also do Hot Yoga for an hour. This schedule is Tues-Sat. On Sundays I hit a mountain and jog/fast hike all the way up interval style then run down. The duration is 1.5-2 hours depending on the mountain. Mondays is my day off.
I started my calories at 1420-1450 per day (that was multiplying 12 by my starting weight of 119.4). After two weeks, I dropped to 118.0. Awesome, I thought. But still only 1.4 lbs…and, surly, not all of that was fat. So, I dropped my calories to 1350-1375 keeping my exercise the same. Then that brought me to the 118.8.
I try and keep my sodium at little to none and I get about 6 hours solid sleep every night. I drink a ton of water and eat a max of 60 carbs per day. All coming from veggies except the 12-15g right after my workout. This is usually half a protein bar which has some simple sugars in it. Lean protein, healthy fats, blah blah. I know the deal.
I must admit, my body fat is really low already. Since I havent had my period in quite some time, I am guessing it is below 15% maybe below 14%. BUT, my arms and abs are not as defined as I would like.I want to eventually prepare for a fitness competition and document it, but I want to make sure I can do it first. It isn’t working 🙁
Any recommendations?
Hi Christina,
One thing that really raised a red flag for me here when reading your comment is that you haven’t had a period in a while, which unless you know of another physiological reason for this, signals that you have too much of a negative energy balance. This means there is too much of a gap between the amount of calories you are taking in and how much you are expending. Once it starts to affect your reproductive system, it can really wreak havoc on your system: cause fertility issues, cause anxiety and depression, and also cause your body to store more fat.
Rather than decreasing calories, I would either decrease the amount of intense exercise you are doing or increase your calories a bit. Doing so much intense exercise, your carbohydrate levels are also pretty low, you might want to think of having a “refuel” day where you eat a high amount of carbohydrates, they can be complex carbs like oats, sweet potato, potato, quinoa, etc. It really sounds to me like your body is begging you for more fuel for all of the intense demands you are putting on it. I say this from personal experience because I went through the same thing. Bodybuilders take in more calories than you might think to get that lean look!
Good luck!
I’m in the same boat. I started at 260 and there is no way that 2600 would be an appropriate calorie goal for me everyday.
I try to eat around 1500 calories minimum and don’t worry about going over too much if I’m legitimately hungry. I’d guess most days are between 1500-1800. Portion control and drinking more water have really been the keys to my success.
I figure I can always reassess my method if I stop having success for a prolonged period of time, but for now, it works.
In June of 2011 I weighed 270 pounds, I was 5’2″, 21 years old, and miserable! As of June 2012, I was down to 135 pounds and so happy! I am now 140 pounds and extremely healthy! 95% of my food is completely fresh and natural! I gained some weight due to muscle gain and loss of body fat. I lost my weight by doing only 2 things – eating healthy, unprocessed foods, and exercising!
Hi I’m 5’1 and weigh 96 lb. I eat about 1650 calories a day. No less than 1400. I walk and do a little workout routine but nothing extreme. (I do pushups, lounges, leg lifts, sit ups, and sometimes jump rope.) I eat healthy things. Breakfast: medium banana, 1 cup or more of pb toast crunch cereal, 1 cup of almond vanilla silk milk. Lunch: ham sandwitch on whole wheat bread, manderine, yoplait light yogurt, carrot sticks, crystal light. Snack: whole grain Lance pb crackers. Dinner: ham and cheese lean pocket, strawberries (7 medium), nature valley granola bar. Snack: whole grain white cheddar popcorn or apple slices with
Pb.
Hi Coach Calorie,
I love your posts! My biggest issue is eating enough calories. I try to eat every 3 hours and stick to clean eating but I never seem to reach my goal of 1300-1500 calories. Any suggestions?
Hi Kristel, try getting more healthy fats in your diet.
hi im 5/2 and 202 pounds help!!!! what are the best fat burning workouts
Hello, I was doing a fitness plan, that consisted of me eating small meals throughout the day. My concern was that I was eating too much. For instance my breakfast would be 5 egg whites, 2 boiled eggs,a cup of oatmeal. Snack would be grapefruit, tuna or 4 egg whites and 2 oz meat, Lunch would be a healthy sandwhich, next snack would be a protein shake, dinner would be 5 oz meat and 1 cup of veggies and then snack would be fruit or protein shake. Basically when I calculated everything it was coming up over 2000 calories. While everything was healthy, I felt I was going to pick up weight so I stopped. When I questioned this, the response was eating this amount would help me when I reached that plateau, so I would initially increase my intake of calories. Also I the plan was not based on calorie counting, I did that on my own. So I wanted to know is that true about eating more calories? Thank You!
2000 calories might be too much. If you aren’t losing weight cut some calories and reassess. You don’t have to count calories to do that. Just make your portions smaller or cut out a snack.
Coach, when you are talking about grams of carbs or proteins we should get, you are referring to the specific nutrient, not at the whole food, correct? Like, 150gr of proteins are not the same than 150grams of chicken or salmon or another source of protein food, correct?
Correct. I’m talking about actual grams of a macronutrient – not the weight of the food.
How does exercise affect this “too low” concern? I’m trying to lose a few % more bodyfat and have had success with MyFitnessPal with a 1600 calorie target to lose 1lb/week. But I’m a runner as well and log my activity on MyFitnessPal which “gives calories back,” and on a few really long run days, I’ve done some 20+ lately getting ready for a race, my net calories can be well below the dreaded 1200, and on these really long runs my net is nearly zero, even though I’m eating over 2000 that day. These days don’t happen back to back, the next day is usually an off day for running or at least a shorter distance, so my net gets back up to 1600. Should I keep eating on those big run days to get my calories up consistently near 1600, even though I’m satisfied and not hungry, or does the fact that it’s only 1 day make it a non concern and my body won’t start slowing things down after just one day?
I would eat at a consistent calorie intake day to day and then adjust. Don’t worry about eating back calories.
I’m 5’3 280lbs and am currently eating healthy (chicken breast, fruit & veg and oatmeal etc) but my activity level isn’t as high as it should be coz I get severe back pain. I would like to lose 2-3lbs a week, am I doing enough? I don’t seem to be seeing much improvement. I struggle to reach 1400cals a day, if I try to eat more I just don’t feel like it.
Hi Sabrina, are you losing any weight? You don’t have to exercise to lose weight. But it’s healthy for you and makes the process easier. Can you walk? If so, I’d start there and work on consistent eating and see what that does for you.
hi i’m 42 my height is 5’5 and weigh 12st i eat about 1,000 cals daily because i suffer from PCOD i havent done much exercise but usually go to kettle bells class once a wk go to the gym 3/4 times a wk and do a little walking. how many cals should i be having ?
Hi I’m 5’4-5’5 (I’m not sure because I might still be growing) I’m 14 turning 15 in november, female and I weigh 110lbs, I eat around 600-900 calories a day, no red meat and only healthy things. I swim at least twice a week, I do 25 minutes of Harley Pasternak’s Hollywood Workout 5 times a week, and I try to run at least four times a week. My weight has been at a standstill for the longest time should I increase my intake? Actually screw weight, I don’t care about weight I’d like to get, but I would like to get some ab definition and a larger thigh gap by the end of the summer. I am actually really scared of increasing my intake to 1320 because I really don’t want to gain weight. My starting weight was 120lbs in September (I gained 20 lbs over the summer :/ last year I was 90lbs) and I would like to get it fit by the time I return to school in the fall. What do you suggest I do?
Hi Flora, at your age I wouldn’t worry about calories and thigh gaps. Focus more on the quality of your diet and developing good habits.
Hello! I currently weigh 141 pds, I am 20 yrs old and i am 5’7. I am having a really hard time consuming the amount of calories im supposed to consume per day. I work out almost everyday and burn between 400-600 calories. Throughout the day I eat when I am hungry and sometimes just eat but still cannot seem to consume the daily amount of calories i am supposed too. I am not starving myself either, I am very satisfied throughout the day…..HELP!!! ha
Try eating more calorie dense healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, avocado, or peanut butter. The last one is usually pretty easy for most people to incorporate 😉
I am 5’10 and 175 lbs. I weight lift with a trainer 2 x a week and do cardio 3-4 times a week. I have gone down only 2% body fat over past three months! I eat pretty healthy with no processed foods but my weight has barely changed. I think i may not be eating enough and this may be the issue. I try to stick to 1823 calories a day, but sometimes i eat less bc I am just not hungry…I’m just so frustrated and want to give up.
Hi Hailey, hard to say. You definitely should have lost weight over that time period and the fact that your body fat percentage did decrease leads me to believe you’ll need to drop some calories to see your weight decrease.
How often can you eat too few calories without risking ‘starvation mode’? I ask because occassionally I reach the end of the day with calories left in my ‘budget’ but no burning desire to eat anything (like tonight for example). Often I just treat myself to a few tablespoons of my fav peanut butter. Also, I try to eat larger lunches and leave a smaller ‘budget’ for evenings to avoid this situation. I’m sure it’s ok once in a whole… But I’d like to have a boundary to be aware of.
Are you satisfied? Hungry? Have cravings? If you’re body is telling you it’s good then don’t force eat. If you’re getting in all your nutrients and your workouts aren’t suffering you should be good.
Hi,
I am 41 years old and have been working out on average 4 – 6 times a week and have yet to loose even a lb. My usual caloric intake is around 1330 – 1400 a daily. Should I be eating more calories? I have held out for this long and no positive results on the scale. I have been pretty active for the most part since I was in my 20’s and really enjoy working out. However I slacked off here and there and my weight went up to 163lbs, my height is 5′ 7″. My workout schedule when I am really good is as follows, otherwise, I usually skip Thursdays and Fridays:-
Monday – les mills body step
Tuesday – 20 minutes elliptical followed by les mills bodypump
Wednesday – Les mills body combat followed by CX WORX
Thursday – les mills body step followed by bodypump (every other Thursday, the other Thursday would only be 20 minutes elliptical followed by les mills bodypump)
Friday – Les mills body combat followed by CX WORX
Saturday – 20 minutes elliptical followed by les mills bodypump
Hi Karen, at those activity levels I’d probably add 200 calories and see if that does anything. You’re pretty active for 1400 calories at 5’7 163.
I am 43 and been working out pretty good for about an hour and a half 5 to 6 days a week, in the early morning . I don’t like to eat before so I grap a slice of turkey and down sum water for I go. I do eat 4 to 5 times a day and try to keep it healthy, should I eat more before my workout ?
I feel great and have lost , but I don’t get on the scale, I go by how I feel in clothes. I can’t seem to bring myself to get on the scales for fear it won’t say what I wish it would…… So I just avoid it. And I don’t want to get depressed and stop doing my workout because of a number.
Btw I love to read coach calories !
What if a person only eats 500 ca/day — and he/she isn’t dieting? Oh, but it IS possible!
Hello, my name is Wendy. I’m 5’6, I’m 20 years old, and I weigh 145lbs. I’m in desperate need of help. I am boggled as to whether I’m not eating enough or am eating too much. I’m trying to lose weight, however, the scale won’t budge, in fact it likes to go up on occasion. I have a very active job in wood assembly where I am usually running around, bending, lifting and carrying large pieces of wood. I do this job from 7-3:30 Mon-Fri (so full time 40 hrs). On top of that I was going to the gym for 1hour every day, I’ve recently cut that back to 3 days due to pure exhaustion. I eat a lot of food! (in my opinion) and yet I feel starved ALL DAY. It doesn’t matter what I eat, an hour later I feel ravenous as if I hadn’t eaten all day, even light headed and irritable a lot of the time. I haven’t kept track of my calories in the last few weeks but I’m certain they’re hitting 2000 cals a day, as I used to count them all the time and my diet has hardly changed. A quick breakdown:
Breakfast: protein smoothie (half banana, strawberry, skim milk, flax seed, 2 eggs) + whole wheat toast w/ butter
Snack: apple, hard boiled egg (or greek yoghurt~0% fat plain) and Quaker oats.
Lunch: Chicken breast w/ large bowl veggies and rye crackers w/ hummus
Snack: half grapefruit w/ 1 oz nuts
Snack (again!): rye cracker w/ avocado + spinach and collard green
Dinner: homeade vegetable chili w/ added bowl of veggies
After work out: whey powder w/ skim milk.
Even after all this I feel starved to the point of tears unless I have just eaten. I’m terrified of eating more as this seems like a lot. But I can’t imagine eating less due to my hunger level. I’m so lost I don’t know what to do and I’m not losing any weight.
P.s I don’t have any medical conditions, I’ve already had my blood tested.
Thank you!
I’d try adding in some more fat. It looks a little on the low side. It can help with satiation and can slow down the digestion of your meals.
Hi hi, I have just discovered your website and have spent the last few days reading a lot of your articles. I have just started on my weight loss/healthy lifestyle journey. Currently I’m25 yrs old, 5’6″ and weigh 154 pounds. Though I am not overweight, I have been steadily putting on weight over the last few years and decided I needed to change my lifestyle. After reading a lot of your articles, i am clear that I need to measure my loss through my fat percentage (have booked time with my PT to do measure me up). I have been exercising (HIIT, zumba, PT programme (squats, pressups etc) 3-5 times a week in the past month. I am also seeing that I need to consume more calories if I am going to be exercising. Can you please advise me on how many calories I should be eating per day – myfitnesspal tells me 1200 a day but upon reading your info I think it should be more? Thank you so much, I have learnt a lot already!
1200 is low but it’s hard to say. I would experiment with adding 100 calories a week and see what happens. Eat as much as your body will allow and still lose weight.
Hi Coach,
Love your articles, well informed !
I wanted to ask a question on maintenance calories
I lost the weight I initially set out to lose I am now 5″5 and 110lbs
I am happy with where I am at now, My daily Macros are roughly 55g Fat, 255g Carbs and 130 g Protein , daily fibre is 45-50g. (approx 2050 Kcals a day)
i am trying to work out where my maintenance Kcals are, over the course of 7 weeks I have slowly increased Kcals from 1500(from diet) to 2050 where I am now. during this time I initially dropped weight from 112lbs to 109 lbs, so for the past week I have raised my carbs by 25g per day. By the end of the week I am up 1lb but I am not sure if that is BF or extra glycogen in the muscle?
The scales are not an accurate measurement, as I know fluctuations etc etc.
I Ideally like to eat as much as possible and maintain my weight but I am unsure of how to tell if I have hit the maintenance kcal point.
I currently Strength train with Free weights and hammer strength machines 5 x a week and do 4 x 20 min HIIT Cardio . Cardio in the mornings and Strength later in the day
thanks!
Elkie
It sounds like you have your calorie intake really dialed in. I would leave it at what it is now for the next couple of weeks to see what happens. 25 grams of carbs a day does not equate to 1lb of body fat, so it is most likely extra glycogen. I suspect there won’t be much change going forward. Good job!
thanks for your reply!! I will continue with the extra Carbs for the next few weeks!!
Why is my BMR 1960 (male, 5ft10″, 41yr, 207lb) but my estimated calorie intake should be 2484 (207 x 12). At which number must I aim to lose 1lb a week. I do burn 500 calories with exercise 5 times a week
Your BMR doesn’t include exercise. BW x 10-12 is a good starting point for weight loss. Start there, and if you don’t see body fat loss results the next 2 weeks, drop your calories another 100-200 and repeat.
Coach, thank you for the quick reply. I have lost 23 lb over the last 6 months but just hit a plateau. I think I am not eating enough calories( not keeping a diary). Should I then eat 2500 for 2 weeks with the exercise and see what it does?
Hi calorie coach, I am quite active, I do resistance training 3 times a week, Pilates 6 days a week and walk for 40mins a day and bike ride for an average of 60mins a day.
If I eat under 1000cals is this very dangerous for my health? And am I going to drop a lot of weight? I’m 5ft 9.5 and weigh about 130lbs and I’m a female
Thankyou
Hi Louisa, I don’t know if it’s dangerous, but it’s certainly not enough calories to support your activity levels. You might lose some weight, but I don’t think it will be much. Instead, you will adapt very quickly to the energy deficit you created and plateau. Then you’ll have no options left other than eating less than 1000 calories. Doesn’t sound fun to me!
Hi coach. Appreciate the information and posts. I’m a 49 yo man, 5’10” and 198 pounds I’ve been lifting and doing cardio at a medium to high intensity for 2 months. I eat about 2200 cals a day and balance btwn carbs (40%), protein (30%) and fats (30%). I see no progress in either weight or in mirror. Help!! I’m frustrated!!
Based on the limited information, your plan doesn’t look bad. But if you aren’t making scale progress, try dropping down to 2100 calories and see if that gets things started. Continue dropping 50-100 calories until you’re losing 1lb/week.
True that!
I messed myself up big time to compete in a fitness comp 2 years ago and I’m still paying for it now. Weight gain, hormonal imbalances, mood swings, the works. Finally found a nutritionist and naturopath who know their stuff. I was on 1200 calories and gaining weight each week. Over the last 3 months, I’ve slowly added calories to currently on 1950 and no weight gain. Wait, what? Yep, exactly the same as the day I started my new plan. Goal is to increase to 2400 calories and then cut down slowly. That’s the key. S.L.O.W. I know it’s frustrating because I’m an instant gratification kind of gal, and I want my old body back, but we’re talking 5kg here. I will get there properly this time, and I will compete again without cutting food groups and with no impact on my hormones. For those who struggle to understand that less food and more exercise doesn’t work, I was you 3 short months ago. Take it slow and steady and it will work for you. Be patient.
Great article – thank you
Thanks for sharing Jeanne. Your experience is quite common. I’ve never had to bring a client under 1200 calories to start losing weight. Start high and come down in small steps only when it’s necessary. Glad to hear your mindset is much improved. 🙂
I think I’m guilty of not getting enough calories to support my activity level. Every time I DO specifically try get ‘enough’ but not ‘too much’ my weight immediately increases. In turn, I go back to cutting calories, essentially yo-yo’ing. I know this isn’t a healthy way to be, and I really want to make sure I’m fueling my body properly. That being said, how long/much of a weight increase should I anticipate before my body realizes it doesn’t have to hang on to every calorie I put into it?
It’s going to depend on how much you were restricting beforehand and how depleted your glycogen stores are. If you increase calories and you’ve been severely under-eating, your body weight can increase instantly. But that doesn’t mean it’s fat. It’s water within the muscles. Now, if it’s been over 2 weeks and your weight is still on the uptrend you either need to reduce calories or take the calorie increases in smaller stages to give your body a chance to adapt.
I hope you will talk me off the ledge.. first i agree that I have had difficulty figuring out the right caloric intake. I am 52, F, 5’4, 172 lbs. Sedentary, seldom use elliptical (30 min 2xmo) I typically track my daily calories at around 1350. this has resulted in .5-1lb loss, some weeks no loss.
You recommend 10 times body weight for calories, that is 1720… this is where i am breathing deep.
If I use an online caloric calculator (Harris-Benedict) and enter my statics with sedentary , it recommends 1402 calories.. .. Can you explain why your recommend 10x (1720) as oppose to (1402). I have know I can reach the 1720 by some healthy fat (avocado, nuts, an extra egg) just need to understand the reasonings.
It’s a starting point. And the 10-12 times bodyweight assumes you’re exercising. You may or may not lose weight at those starting calories. If not, cut 50-100 and monitor your weight. You will never start and finish your weight loss program at the same calories. They will always adjust downward. Better to start high so they aren’t so low by the end.
What would you suggest for a female age 50, 1.70 cm, 90 kg lightly active (2×1 hour pilates/week and walks every day but slow paced job) please?
Her weight stagnated or just keeps fluctuating and bouncing back to 90. She has developed muscle mass compared to 2 years ago it’s just that she won’t reach the 80kg goal she has for herself and that’s affecting her attitude about weight loss and exercise. I’ve calculated her optimum caloric intact with your calculator at about 1858cals/day.
Thank you.
Hi Alex, the 1858 number is a good starting place. If she has eaten there for 2 straight weeks without any weight loss I’d cut 200 calories and monitor her weight again for a couple of weeks. My guess is the 1650 area will get things moving, but if she’s still falling short of a 1lb/week pace you can start cutting in 50-100 calorie increments each week until she is.
well let’s watch over me cuz ….I really need the help and I want it.I’m 320 pounds 32 years old. but I’m pretty active no diabetes yet, but I’m pretty active. But the active part is only because I don’t drive and I have to walk where I need to go or take a bus and walk. And my job also requires no sitting down what so ever. But the activeness just started 2 months ago in November 2015.I have epilepsy meaning seizures. But I do not take medication I don’t believe in it. but I have force myself to eat nothing but vegetables everyday and I actually love it now. I kinda of feel like a fat vegetarian…lol but I still love myself. So I eat no meat or bread .but my half Mexican side of me is addicted to a little bit of meat or I should say my Texan side of me . I’ve learned to eat it in moderation and out of my so-called diet. so my question is what can I do to get these carbs and these proteins that’s going to help me build muscle tone and also lose those pounds per week .while I’m exercising my butt off .but meanwhile I will try to not go below 2000 calories. Anymore. Since I’m pretty active and going to the gym and if I can’t make it to the gym I workout in my house doing cardio videos like belly dancing more or the grind from MTV dance workout for like an hour ….so do you have any suggestions but like I said meanwhile I want to keep up with those a calorie counters that I’m doing on MyFitnessPal. thank you
Eat at 2000 calories for 2 weeks while you do your normal physical activities. If you don’t lose anything drop down to 1900 calories and monitor your weight for another 1-2 weeks. If still nothing, cut down to 1800 calories. Continue this process until you are losing at least .5% of your body mass each week, which in your case would be at least 1.5lbs.
Hi
My Weight is 140 lbs. I practice a lot (burn usually more Than 2600 calories a day) I have a Fitbit watch which calculates all of that. I’m now eating 1000-1200 calories a day and are scared to eat more be jade I feel like I won’t lose weight.
I want to lose 14lbs before April.
What should I do?
Sometimes I get bad cravings and ends up eating 6000 calories two days in a road and I was already 11000 calories under so I sill didn’t lose or gained anything.
I eat very healthy except that weekend when I ate a loooot’
I’m scared that I screwed my motabolism up.. I need help.
Hi Bella, step 1 would be to get over your fear of eating more calories. Take it in stages – 1200 calories this week, 1300 the next, etc. The calorie burn your FitBit shows is a guide. It’s not 100% accurate, and eating 1000 calories/day greatly increases its inaccuracy due to the metabolism slowing effects of your low calorie diet.
In addition, when you have such wild swings in calorie intake, you body stores those extra calories much easier. 1200 calories isn’t sustainable for you, as you can see from your usual binges. You need a more middle of the road approach. Good luck!
Thanks for this post! I’m glad I found it, as I’ve been googling around for answers without any luck. I’m one of those people that overthinks my diet and what I put in my mouth to death.
I’m 122lbs, 156cm (5’1″). I’ve been fairly active over the past few months, but recently I’ve stepped things up in the gym with lots of heavy squats, deadlifts, press and bench 5 days a week (5/3/1 style), plus some accessory movements and at least 2 HIIT cardio sessions a week.
I’ve kept my calorie intake fairly constant around 1,550, but I’m not getting anywhere in terms of weight loss.
Your calculator on here seems to suggest I’ve been under-eating all this time for my activity level, but other ones are wildly different and seem to suggest I’m over-eating.
I know I can’t eat that much LESS than 1,550 as I’d be too hungry, but I’m not sure which way is up – can you help? Am I eating too little?
Not necessarily. A moderate activity level for you would require around 1750 calories. I’m assuming you’re around 25 years old. However, keep in mind that this is just a starting target level. You may need less or more but you won’t know unless you eat at a particular level and monitor your weight for a couple of weeks.
At your weight you may need to go lower than 1550 to lose weight. So if you’re hungry at that level you might want to consider eating closer to maintenance calories and working on changing your body composition.
I eat around 1,200 calories a day and want to get abs what should I do?
Get your calories up to a level you can sustain for the rest of your life. Otherwise you are undertaking a short term endeavor.
I am 36 years old , 1.68cm and I am currently 117kg, I have lost 22kg since mar 2015.
since the 29 Jan I have lost 6.5kg. I am seriously trying to work out 5-6days a week(since Jan this year), whether it is resistance or cardio( step classes, running 5km at least 3x a week). I can feel that I am getting stronger and have lost about 20cm overall. I am struggling to eat 2400 calories, I am lucky that I get to 1700, and that’s by eating peanut butter. I have never eaten so often and so much, I normally only used to eat once or twice a day. I am a mother of 3, with a fulltime desk job and I am studying part time, so I get about 5 hours sleep a night. This week I have found that I am hungrier and exhausted, and normally after exercise I am hyper, I am also in no mood to eat supper before or after exercise, but have been forcing it down my throat. my breakfast is either bacon and eggs, or chicken livers or oat bran and boiled eggs. for tea I will have an apple with peanut butter. lunch is normally a salad(chicken, salmon or sardines, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, chickpeas, or lentils) , for 2nd tea I will have either tin tuna or 2 boiled eggs and 3 provitas. supper is usually a protein and green veg. this is my last meal for the day. please advise as to how I can change this up to improve my metabolism.
regards
Cindy
Hi Cindy, I don’t see any reason to change things up. You’ve lost 22kg in a year. This is great! Keep doing what you’re doing and when your weight loss slows cut 100 calories and see if that picks things back up.
Hi,
So I weigh around 120 lbs and I am 5’4-5″ and I am 28 years old. I log in my exercise and food daily. I was eating 1100-1300 calories a day in an attempt to maintain and lose some weight. I ended up gaining 5 lbs in the process. I have doing that for 5-6 months. I exercise daily including cardio, running tennis for about 40 mins- 1 hr. I started to increase my calorie intake. What do you recommend?
Honestly, I don’t recommend you try to lose weight. There is nothing wrong with your weight. If you think you still have too much fat on your body then I would eat at maintenance calories, add in strength training, and focus on changing your body composition instead.
Hi I’m 26 years old weigh 200lbs 5’3 I started working out in February 2016 four days a week I start a clean diet no sugar or refine sugar or process food. When I started workingout in February I weighed 188lbs by the second week of March I weighed myself I was shocked I gained weight so I have been a little disappointed. I used to eat 1200 to 1300 calories sometimes I’ll go all day without eating until 7 or 9pm I’ll have dinner I always skip breakfast in a typical day I will eat my first meal at 2:30pm or 3pm and my last meal at 11pm or 1am sometimes I only eat one meal per day or two it’s never three. I never used to drink enough water my junk food consist of soda pizza and ice cream and not a large quantity but I know junk food has more calories. Before I start workingout everyone in my family or my friends are sometimes shocked at how little I eat cause of my size/ weight they all expected me to stuff my face all day long but I know it was my poor food choices that made me gain weight it wasn’t the quantity it’s the quality I wasn’t getting the nutritional values I need from the types of food I was consuming. So when I started a new weight loss/ eating clean program plus workingout I was kinda mad and disappointed that I gained weight instead of loosing weight. This was not my first attempt at weight loss. Las year I joined a gym workout went on a diet program kept track of what I ate but I did not lose any lbs. I stopped going to the gym because of my schedule I now workout at home with a total gym and workout videos. Now I’m eating less still workingout harder that before and no weight loss in the pass I have lost weight by doing nothing different now trying to eat better and being more active and nothing. I should mention my menstruated cycle is messed up. The last time I missed my period I was in high school. This is all taking a toll on my mental health I feel like giving up,on try to be healthy and just throw in the towel. But I’ve come too far to give up so that why I’m writing a four page letter lol please help me find a middle ground and point me in the right direction to improve my health and weight loss journey thanks sorry for writing so much.
Ps I went to the docs all tests for hormones are normal
Hi Leah, I would first work on getting your eating more consistent. By that I mean find 3-5 times during the day that you can eat a meal and then make sure you eat. Your body is showing negative side effects from your low calorie intake. Before you worry about cutting calories or any of the details, continue working out but get more consistent in your eating throughout the day.
Couldn’t agree more. I used to be the person that started off with a big deficit hoping to lose more. It was usually 1,000 calories or more. I thought it would lead to 2lbs of weight loss each week. It usually happened that first week and then the next week nothing and I would get really annoyed and give up. Faster isn’t always better! Take your time and do it right.
For sure. It’s a very common mistake. There isn’t a single calorie intake you should eat over the course of your journey. So if you start off at a low number what are you going to do when you plateau? Trust me when I say you’re not going to eat at a level and have it take you all the way to your goal. Instead, your journey will involve a systematic reduction of food over a long period of time.
Not directed at you of course. 😉
What would you suggest to someone who already doesn’t have any more “room” to cut calories and is already not losing weight?
I’d say it’s time to take a step back and build your base back up and start over. Work on eating more food and assess the results. Start with 200 more calories and build on that based on the feedback. Then if you aren’t losing you can drop a little food – say 100 calories or cut out a side serving of food at one of your meals.
Tony, thanks so much for all the great advice and knowledge here. I stumbled onto your site as i began to form a healthy regimen for getting into shape. My question is: I am using a fitness tracker and nutrition apps to follow calorie count, nutrition and calories burned through workouts/ training. If i burn an extra 300 calories through exercise, should i take in another 300 calories of food to meet the net calorie target i have set? Generally if i allow myself extra calories to net 0, but i am unsure. thanks!
Daniel
Hi Daniel, don’t mess around with the “eating calories back” method. It’s confusing and unnecessary. Instead just get consistent with your exercise and set a calorie intake for the week. Then adjust your average calories for the week based on your weight loss.
Hi Tony,
Love the post as once again it’s factual and reasonable. I have a question about macronutrients. Theres a theory out there that states not to combine more than 5 gm of Fat w a meal that has more than 10 gms of carbs. The rule of thumb is when eating a carb meal up to 45gm to limit Fat to 5 gm. If eating more than 5gms of fat at a meal to limit carb intake to 10gms(excluding non starchy vegetables). Is this a good rule for weight loss?
Hi Teresa, this is something I did probably 10+ years ago and the idea really doesn’t hold any weight. If there’s a difference it’s so small that you shouldn’t worry about it unless you’re getting stage ready. For the rest of us the most important thing is getting all our required nutrients in on a daily/weekly basis.
I had not lost any weight for over a month although I was eating 2000 calories/day and exercising almost every day. From your emails, I determined that I was not eating enough and I increased my calories to 2500/day. I weighed 316 when I started and got down to 290.5 when everything stopped. I initially gained up to 294 and this am, I was down to 291 so I feel like I am on the losing track again. I will continue as I am and see how it goes. Thanks for the help. I can not afford your 1 on 1 coaching at this time.
Hey Marc, thanks for sharing. 2500/day sounds much more in line with what you need. I eat around that and am 100lbs less than you. Be patient and see what this level does for you. I think you’ll like the outcome. Good luck!
Hello Coach Tony!
I have been following your site for quite some time now. 15 days ago, I started cutting back on sugar more specifically, desserts and processed foods. I realized I have been eating a lot of desserts after meals and I started to crave for them. I also removed bread on my daily intake as I don’t really eat bread on a regular basis (I don’t eat a lot of burgers and sandwiches for meals). My carbs are still what average asians intake, white rice.
Through out the day, I eat regular breakfast, lunch and dinner and 2 snacks. Breakfast would be 2 boiled eggs, half cup of rice and a viand (mix of meat and veggies). Lunch and dinner would be typical asian meals – rice bowls. Snacks would be half a Quest bar or 3 pcs of crackers with natural peanut butter.
When it comes to exercise, I do HIIT 3x a week and 2-3x cardio work (inclined treadmill at 15% 4-5kmph intervals at 20 mins) which all sums to 45-50 mins of exercise 3x a week plus 2 hours of tennis during Sat and Sunday.
The objective of cutting back on sweets is also to lose my lower belly fat and lose more fat all around my body. In my last weight check in March, I am 180cm, 170lbs at 25% body fat. My question is, is there any other way I can improve as I am not seeing results in the last 2 weeks or should I wait for 2 weeks more? Overall, I feel great and healthy! I just need to lose some more fat as my goal is to get to 18-20%.
Thanks and more power!
Hi Marie, depends on if you just started exercising. If so, give it some more time, as weight maintenance or even a little gain is common if you’re coming from a sedentary lifestyle. I also don’t know how much you’re eating exactly. At your stats if you aren’t eating at least 1700 calories you’re likely undereating.
Hi Coach Tony,
Well, I have been doing regular exercise for a couple of years now as I was a former athlete. I just to get rid of my mini muffin top (lower belly fat) that accumulated over time and get toned (not exactly thinner) again. I think I need to note what I eat to see if I am over or undereating.
Thanks!
Hello Tony
I’m 6’3 currently weigh 254 approximately how many calories would you recommend me eating a day I eat around 1800. My second issue I have a large frame would like to be around 215 to 220 but Don’t know if I would still be healthy at the weight. It seems like my weight goes up when I hit the gym please help
Hi James, at your stats I would likely start around 2500 calories for a couple of weeks to see what your body does. You can always come down in calories. It’s much easier to do that than to raise them after stalling.
As for your weight, you can be healthy at a lot of different weights. At your height you can be under 200lbs, or you can be a leanish 220. It all depends on the amount of muscle you carry.
I will say that a lot of people underestimate how low there weight needs to go in order to obtain their ideal physique. So I’d say don’t worry about your goal weight. Go by how you look and feel and let that number fall where it may.
I use a Fitbit to see the calories I burn on a daily basis, then I eat between 15 and 20% less than that number. I’m not sure if this is a good idea as my weightloss has been stalling for almost three weeks now, but I try to be patient…What do you think, Tony?
The Fitbit will give you a good starting point, but it’s not perfect. You still have to adjust based on the feedback. If you know your calories aren’t too low then start reducing them 100/week until you’re losing weight.
Thank you, I will try this!
I eat1300 calories a day I weight and measure everything. I have not lost a pound in about four months. I did low carb for a couple months and lost about 10 pounds but can’t eat that way forever. I am now going to see a registered certified dietitian/nutritionist. I go to the gym three times a week mostly spin spin class. I am so afraid to eat more yet not losing but also not starving. The Calculators on line all tell me eat more please help. I am female, 43 and160 at 5 foot 7.5 inches.
Calories are too low. Had you been a client you would probably be starting around 1800 calories. Don’t let fear rule your life. Food is your friend. Put the scale away for now if it’s going to control you. Go by tape measurements and progress pictures instead.
Hi Tony. I’m trying to get the last 10-15 pounds off (started at 259 many years ago, yo-yo’ed around a lot, currently weigh 162 with a goal weight of 148–I’m 40 years old and 5’6″ with a large frame). I’m currently training for my fourth half-marathon, so (according to the machines and my GPS watch) I’m burning about 340 calories 4x/week (two treadmill workouts and two recumbent-bike workouts) plus 105 calories per mile once a week on a long walk (usually in the 6-to-10-mile range). I’m currently eating 1630 calories/day (high fat, moderate protein, low carb) and the scale has been stuck for weeks. Am I not eating enough? I know the last few pounds of a major weight loss will come off very slowly, and that’s fine…I just want them to come off, period. Thank you!
Hi Laurel, you’re still at around 10x body weight in calories, which is a good place. You have room to cut calories some. I’d make a modest reduction in food intake (mostly from fat) and see what your body does.
Thanks, Tony. Would you recommend an 80-calorie cut (down to 1550), or going lower than that to jump-start things? I’m willing to try anything at this point…
Small food reductions work best. “Jump starts” tend to create mindset issues. Be patient and slowly reduce food intake as progress stalls over the course of weeks.
Hi,
I’m 5′ 10′ and weigh 210 punds. I started going to the gym about a year ago doing a couple of low impact HIIT classes and a couple of strength class each week. I did not do any cardio. After a year of this I noticed a weight gain! Ugh! I was eating about 1500 calories during this time. Whe my clothes starting getting snug I got alarmed. I wasn’t a slave to the scale but when I got on I was alarmed to see a 10lb weight gain! I figured that I was not eating enough calories. I didnt add calories back gradually. Three weeks ago I started eating 1700 to 1800 calories I do a HIIT class followed by 20 minutes of cardio three days a week. I burn about 600 calories on those work out days. Is this a good plan? My first weight goal is to lose 15lbs. I was hpoing to reach this goal in about two months. Should I do anything differently? Because I didnt gradually add calories will I likely gain weight??? I sure hope not!
Hi Ronnie, most men your size can lose weight eating over 2000 calories. 1500 calories is definitely too low, so for you to gain 10lbs eating at that level is a little bit of a mystery to me.
While I’m not saying this happened to you, I will say that many people “forget” about those days where they sporadically overeat by a good margin. Maybe they go out to eat each week or maybe they’re on vacation.
But overeating by 600ish calories just once per week for an entire year will equate to a 10lb gain. So make sure your eating is consistent day to day. If it’s not, that would be the first problem I’d fix.
Good luck!
How do you calculate BMRs of your clients. What formulae do you work with?
Hi Elizabeth, I use the Harris-Benedict equation as a starting point, but I also account for other variables like eating history.
Tony hi there, As a 45-year old short framed woman – 5’2″ – it’s difficult to believe that I will lose weight without going below 1300 on a regular basis. I am really struggling with this.
I do cardio (running 3 or 4 miles or HIIT on treadmill) 2 to 4 x a weekly, and have been training once-weekly for a heavy weight lifting session (squats between 100 and 140 lb , deadlifting around 135 or 140 lb, bench presses and HIIT).
My set weight used to always be 135b, but shot up to 145 when I did intensive half marathon training a year and a half ago and just haven’t been able to go back down.
Could it all be muscle?
My goal is that I really want to get back down to my 130 lb frame.
My clothes simply don’t fit.
My diet had been around 1200 for over a year and about 5 weeks ago when my weight trainer realized this she had me increase to 1770, and start tapering weekly.
I’ve been tapering and now I am at about 1520 calories a day – also watching macros (144 protein, 90 carbs and 65 fats).
Still no loss.
Holding firm at 145 or 146 lb.
Point being: I’ll keep tapering but it just seems that at my height, a higher calorie simply won’t accomplish my weight loss goal.
Could this all be muscle from my previous marathon training?
Maybe I just need a pep talk to keep going.
thanks for all you do.
Hi Laura, you very well could need 1300 calories to lose weight. But that’s not where you should start. You start high and come down.
Your trainer has the right idea having you reverse diet, and it’s a great sign that you’re eating more and not gaining any weight. Once you start gaining a little weight you’ll know you’ve found your maintenance calories and you can reverse the process and start systematically cutting calories.
At that point a 15% calorie reduction usually gets things going again and leaves you in a much better position adherence wise. It’s a process so be patient.
Hey Tony:
I have used this method in the past and it has worked. I used many of your ideas.. Thanks
In the above article, i think you may have made a small mistake. you wrote:
“With my clients that minimum pace is .5% of your body weight every 1-2 weeks.”
did you mean either …
50% of you body weight…”
or
.5 of you body weight….
Becasue .5% =.005 which will amount to very little or nothing.
Paul
Hi Paul, the .5%, or .005 is correct. So if you’re 200lbs, then 200 * .005 = 1lb of weight loss every 1-2 weeks.
oh, i thought this was calculating how many calories we need to decreas our daily intake by and 1 calorie would not be enough….lol thanks for clering t up.
lol. yeah that wouldn’t be much. 🙂
Hi Tony. I have been on the keto diet since June. At first I was eating 1550 calories a day and I lost 10lbs in the first 6 weeks. Then I started gaining it back. So I reduced my calories to 1400 and was still gaining. I have now reduced them to 1300 and am plateaued. I do cross training 5 days a week for 45minutes (3 of those days with heavy weights). I am not really losing inches either. I do have thyroid disease but my levels were checked and my thyroid is ina stable place (I take synthetic thyroid hormone). I am 5’8”, 34 yo, and 162 lbs. I’m not sure what my body fat is but my waist measurement is 29 if that helps. I just don’t know where to go with my calories. It’s always been a battle.
Hi Kerri, any time you drastically drop carbs you will also drop weight quickly, as carbs form muscle glycogen. Muscle glycogen is part glucose and part water, which has weight.
This isn’t fat, but can make people think carbs are the issue, as they lose weight quickly when they drop them and then add weight quickly when they add them.
So it’s hard to say how much of that 10lbs was fat. Had I been training you I’d likely start you out around 1800 calories and adjust based on what the article says.
I have never eaten 1800 calories a day in my life. That would honestly terrify me. I know I have lost fat, as I have lost inches everywhere, and I can see some muscle definition. Before I started keto, I was on a low carb diet, eating less than 70 carbs a day, but wasn’t losing weight. A friend of mine suggested I was not eating enough fats(they were below 30 grams a day, some days below 20). So I basically reduced my carbs to 25 and increased my fat a lot. If I gain using 1500 calories a day is it possible I need MORE calories. I just don’t know. Should I bump it up to 1800 now?
If you’re consistently gaining weight week to week for more than a month then it’s unlikely you need more calories. If you know you had fat loss over those 6 months at the intake you were eating at then I would just make a small adjustment downward in calories and keep going.
You had already found your effective intake for weight loss, so there’s no need for you to start over. It certainly wouldn’t hurt you though.
It’s unusual to eat at 1550, lose 10lbs, and then suddenly gain weight without making any changes. So I’d double check your calorie tracking and think of anything else that might have changed – different activity level, medications, stress levels, etc.
You had great progress at 1550, so I’d back up to there and hold for a couple of weeks and then start systematically cutting 50-100 calories every couple of weeks until progress picks back up. Be patient with the process.
I am confused by the above calculator. I am 37 yrs old, 5’8 and 252 and it says I need 1400 calories. That seems really low. My lose it app says in order for me to lose a pound a week i need about 2,228 calories a day and I would reach my goal in July of 2019. If I were to eat 1400 I’d be REALLY hungry I don’t think that is sustainable, unless I am misunderstanding. Also, should we eat back calories? If i put in my app that i exercised it adds those calories back to eat. My activity level is being home with kids all day walking the house, cleaning, cooking etc. but sitting a lot and if i work out it is something like 21 day fix by Autumn Calabrese for a 30 min work out or rebounding. Thanks in advance for your advice.
Hi Tiffany, the biggest mistake people make is in entering their weight wrong. It is in inches. So don’t put 5’8, put 68.
I don’t like the “eating back calories” method, as I think it causes too much confusion. Instead, get consistent with your food intake and exercise and then make adjustments. So set your calories somewhere and eat there for a couple of weeks while you consistently exercise. If you aren’t losing weight cut 50-100 calories and repeat the process until you are.
Hi Tony! Love your articles as they always bring me back to reality. I’m currently attempting fat loss and have found that I’ve cut out calories too aggressively and have plateaued for the past few weeks despite increased activity. Would you recommend immediately going back to maintenance for 2-3 weeks then reducing calories as you’ve explained above? Thank you!
Hi Dominique, hard to say with the limited information. If you were losing weight at a higher intake and then got too aggressive I’d likely go back to the intake that happened at and take the cuts a little slower and smaller (50-100 calories every couple of weeks).
It can take time for weight loss to show up. You can’t always see it day to day, and sometimes it can take a few weeks. When in doubt, wait another week. Let time be on your side.
Thanks Tony for getting back to me swiftly. I put in 68 instead of 5’8 like you said and got just over 1900 calories. Last question, what do you think of the calorie amount that Lose it gave me for losing a pound a week? I saw you mention in another comment that you didn’t think women should go above eating 2,000 calories. If I understood correctly that is. I am wondering if I should adjust my goals on lose it to reflect what the above calculator says or ??? As far as eating back calories… I guess that would be something that I would do if I became highly active and athletic down the line some day.
Hi Tiffany, from my experience most moderately active women need to be around 1800 calories before they start losing weight. Men around 2200.
It’s possible to lose weight eating more, and will depend on your history, body stats, and activity levels. I think the 1900 level is a good starting point. But it certainly wouldn’t hurt to start higher if you have the patience.
Really super cool of you to answer all of these questions. Greatly appreciative 🙂 thanks for all you do to help!
Firstly I want to say thanks for all the free info Tony. You are giving us a lot of good advice and tools to work with.
My question is this. I’m a 54 white male weighing in at 222lbs for the last three years. I’ve tried so many diets/training courses I feel I could write a book on how to fail.
The diet I am on at the moment is working for me in that I don’t feel hungry, but I’m not losing any weight !
I’m following intermittent fasting eat at 4am then again at 6pm each day except Tuesday when I don’t have anything except a protein shake made with two scoops of protein and 250mls of skimmed milk for my two meals.
At weekends I have around 5 pints of beer of the the full weekend.
Exercise is around 40mins of weights and biking (30 min’s weights, 10 mins hit on bike) 3 times a week.
The question is this.
When I’m averaging 1800 cals a day (over the week) why and I not seeing any movement in my weight.
I should say I have been doing this for around six months now and haven’t lost a single pound or inch????????
Again thanks for all you work on these pages and emails.
Hi Tony, what does your calorie intake look like day to day – not just a weekly average? Are we talking 500 calories one day and then 3000 the next?
I like using weekly averages, but only if there is some consistency in food intake day to day. Otherwise, and I have no scientific proof to back this up, I think the very low calorie days prime your body to store calories on the higher days.
It’s the reason why people who are eating 1,000 calories/day with a day of “letting go” struggle so much IMO.
Again, no proof, but if it’s been 6 months without weight loss I would definitely look into restructuring your food intake.
I log everything on myfitnesspal.com, listing for last week (and most weeks are like this) are as follows.
Monday-1200 cals
Tuesday – 800 cals
Wednesday – 1300 clas
Thursday – 1800 cals
Friday – 1200 cals
Saturday – 2200 cals
Sunday 2200 cals
Hi Tony, I get an average of 1528/day for you. That’s pretty low, but more concerning to me is more than half the week is spent at 1300 calories or below. I personally would try to be more consistent day to day. You can still use intermittent fasting, but I wouldn’t have such big swings in food intake.
I start this diet 1200 calories and i am 32 years old female 164 centimeter and 90 kilos,How much would i lose per week?
Hi Asil, take a look at this article – http://www.coachcalorie.com/is-losing-2lbs-per-week-realistic-for-everyone/
I cut back on carb.whats wrong I hasnt lost weight
Hi Valoria, question for you to think about – what would happen to your weight if you ate 0 carbs per day but also ate 5000 calories?
I need help. Started cutting carbs about a 1.5 years ago. Mainly fats and protein with veggies. Lost about 25 pounds. I never counted anything but carbs. I was only doing light exercises like walking or maybe a light workout. I came off some medication so it took me a while to get back to intense exercise. I started back at crossfit about 6 months ago. I have been platued for a long time. I did the test that gave me my rmr at 1489 with about 27%bf. Well I only have been eating about that a day. I eat clean , try to hit my protein and usually under 35 carbs a day. I work a semi stressful job. My crossfit is usually 5-6 days a week. Sometimes I work out 2 times in one day. I’ll do a strength and then a class with more cardio. I feel like I’m getting nowhere. Then I was doing these calculations online and from what they are saying I should be able to eat at least1800- 2000 calories in a day with a workout and still be at a 500 deficit?? I’m scared to up my calories. I don’t want to gain 🙁 but I’m not losing also. Does it sound like I’m not eating enough ??
I eat mainly protein , good fats and veggies
Hi Shelby, I don’t know your stats, but 1500 calories might not be enough considering the high amount of exercise you do. Are you making any progress at Crossfit? If not, then you’re likely undereating and I’d start by bumping up a couple hundred calories.
Also, what you should be able to eat and what you actually can to lose weight might not be the same. Calculators are starting points and are based on population averages. You have to know how to adjust based on your body’s feedback.
Do I up my calories on the days I don’t workout? I’m making progress but not as much as I should. My coach says I’m probably not eating enough. So I’m 5’5 152 , about 26-27% body fat. 35yrs old. And my test for he rmr where I sat and breathed into a tube was 1489. I tried upping my fats by adding nuts to add more calories but that did nothing. Actually I felt quite inflamed. So I’m guessing I should be hitting about 1700 calories ? Your calculator said 2000 but that seems really high. But I’m also still getting over the mindset of less food to lose fat and gain muscle. Even if I’m gaining muscle I should be still seeing a drop on the scale for body fat. I’m not gaining that much muscle where it shouldn’t be going down. I’m just plateaued.
I cut out all the nuts and I’m sticking to pistachios. Those don’t seems to bother me like the others.
When I put your stats into the calculator for moderate exercise it comes out to 1690. I’d start there and make adjustments as necessary. You really just don’t know until you eat at a level consistently and adjust. Anything else is guessing. So start somewhere and be consistent. If you’re not getting the outcome you want, make a small adjustment and repeat.
Also is it possible that I could gain a couple pounds the first couple of weeks just due to consuming more carbs and salt from the extra food caused from water weight? How long do I wait to see if it’s going to work ?
1690 is the amount I should eat to lose ?
Seems to me if all this “eat more calories to lose weight” were true then all the prisoners in the Jewish internment camps during WWII would have been fat. They ate almost nothing and were just skin and bones. Having trouble buying it. I exercise intensely and variously 6 days per week. Some days it’s intense weight training. Some days it’s HIIT. Some days it’s running, etc. I have a lot of muscle mass and have always been athletic and strong with long endurance. I’ve tried eating my “maintenance” calories (2700) according to this calculator and I gain about 10 lbs per month doing that. I try 500 deficit and I still gain, but slowly. I try about 1800 and I lose nothing. 1200 and I lose nothing… I’ve literally done 1200 cal per day for 6 weeks with no cheats and with no weight loss. I calculate everything on a kitchen scale. I dose on all 90 essential nutrients sufficient to my body weight daily. I eat totally clean, no sugar, no grain except for 2 cups of brown rice once or twice per week, almost no fruit ever, all organic, no juices, etc. I do no drop weight unless I’m under 900 cal.
I’ve tried intermittent fasting with a 5 hour eating window. I’ve tried it with a 4 hour window, a 6 hour window, 8 hour window. I’ve tried 2 meals per day. I’ve tried one meal per day. I’ve tried 6 meals per day. I’ve tried NO carb, low-carb, keto. I’ve tried only raw fruit and veg. I mean, this is for years I’ve been experimenting with this. The only thing I haven’t test is raw vegetables with no fruit. I don’t think I could handle that one. lol
I honest do not know how my body even continues to run on so little calories, but apparently some bodies just don’t use that much. I’ve considered that because I’ve been athletic my whole life that my body has just developed a crazy efficiency. It’s the only explanation I can come up with. But I’m telling you, unless I’m about 850 or less I don’t lose a damn thing.
“Miscounting calories”? Well, I suppose every online source that tells me how many calories are in an egg or in raw carrots or organic beef, romaine lettuce, raw cauliflower, etc are off by 130%, but I doubt it.
I have friends with kids and the kids literally eat 3x more than I do and they are not fat. My daughter is 10, weighs 100 lbs, she’s very tall for her age, not overweight and literally eats about 4x more than I do.
I’m not unhealthy. I don’t have any diseases. I’m not particularly tired. I don’t get it.
Anyone else heard of anyone like this?
SMH
Hi Alan, I think you might be looking at this from a black/white perspective. Of course if you don’t eat you’ll starve to death and lose fat. But is that your goal?
My goal is to get people to stop viewing food as the enemy. It is there to support you and your weight loss efforts.
I have witnessed time and time again, both from talking to people and from personally coaching clients, that raising calories can suddenly get weight loss started.
Something you might not have considered with your internment camp anecdote is that these people became extremely efficient with the calories they were eating. Their metabolisms adapted to protect them from dying by downregulating hormones and slowing their metabolism. Each calorie they ate was used very efficiently.
The same thing happens on a smaller scale to people who eat low calories. To break out of that cycle of needing lower and lower calories you sometimes have to take a step back and start building your metabolism back up.
Hi Coach,
I am 5ft 6 and 147lbs and 37. I am desperate to lose weight and trim up especially around my waist. I have crepitus in my knees and they hurt going up and down stairs so i would like to loose a little to help with the grinding and pain.
I eat on a typical day
Breakfast : 3 egg scrambled egg
snack: fruit/rice crackers
lunch: 2 cup salad grilled chicken (no dressing/sauce) or tinned tuna, couple new potatoes boiled
dinner: Steak/Chicken/Fish with roasted veg and sweet potatoes (no sauce)
I am gluten free and tend to stick to natural forms of gluten free not processed. i suffer with IBS too.
i drink herbal tea with a little honey or tea with milk in the day.
i was excercising via stand up abs and pilates workouts (10-15 mins a day)but it puts alot of pressure on my knees.
Any ideas would be great.
SB
Hi Sarah, I think your calories might be a little on the low side. A quick mental calculation puts them under 1000/day, although I don’t know exact portion sizes.
For exercise I’d just focus on what doesn’t hurt right now – walking is just fine if that’s all you can do. Focus on your nutrition and fueling your body properly and being consistent day to day over a long stretch of time.
What calorie level should i be aiming for? i struggle to get past 1000 most days.
Do i gradually increase the intake?
As i tend to eat mostly meat/fish and Vegetables i find it hard to get the carb/protein/fat balance correct
Start with a couple hundred more and work towards increasing those calories over time. Here’s an article that might help – http://www.coachcalorie.com/how-to-repair-a-broken-metabolism/
Hello. I am an 18 year old girl with a pretty sedentary lifestyle except that I exercise 2 times a week with a personal trainer (duration : 45 minutes to 1 hour of moderate exercise, not too intense). I’m 172 cm and 66 kg. I’ve dropped 9 kg’s from my initial weight and I want to lose 10 more kg’s since I have a rounder face shape. The problem I’m facing is that I’m a university student studying in a very competitive environment and I can get very little sleep in days when I have to finish a lot of paperwork. When I sleep too little, I get an urge to eat more. On the contrary, during my comfortable days, it always feels like I’m eating enough calories and I’m really content with what I eat. But on those days with extreme sleep deprivation that I cannot escape from, I get extremely hungry and I can eat a lot of healthy carbs (just to refrain myself from eating a bag of doritos and french fries). Two days ago I was guilty of eating 6 pieces of wholewheat bread for dinner prior to a very stressful exam and I even added an extra sunny-side up egg to my diet. I don’t know why but my weight scale ALWAYS moves absurdly on days when I eat more carbs than I’m used to – specifically on my sleep deprivation, work-loaded days. I’m now at 66.0 kg and when I weighed in two days after eating 6 pieces of wholewheat bread, I was at 66.5 kg? I weighed myself at the same time of the day before consuming anything. By the way, here is what I eat in a day – I don’t really change it since I’m a kind of person who can eat salmon for 6 months straight every day, but I make sure to always divide my diet into lean protein, healthy carbs, low fat dairy, fruits, and veggies. I use myfitnesspal to count my calories. I’m usually at 1300-1500 calories but I’m afraid I am actually under-eating. Should I increase the amount of red rice to a whole little cup of it? Should I eat rice too for dinner?
1. Breakfast: Sunny-side up egg fried in virgin olive oil and 4-5 spoons of red rice + skim milk + tea with two packs of tropicana slim sweetener + apple/mango/banana
2. Lunch: Sunny-side up egg friend in virgin olive oil + 170-200 grams of salmon + 4-5 spoons of red rice + a piece of fruit
3. Dinner: Only 2-3 cups of veggies + a piece of fruit (usually apple/mango)
Hi Monika, set your calories at a certain level and be consistent with it. Then work with weekly averages with your weight. This will smooth out the daily ups and downs of water retention. There’s nothing wrong with carbs. They will add water. It’s what they do. It’s how they are stored (muscle glycogen).
So differentiate between weight and fat gain. And you do that by working with weekly averages and making sure the average weight trend is down over time.
I have gained 18.8 since July I eat very healthy and work out 5 days a week weight and cardio
I am 5″4, have been 95-97 lbs for a very long time, I tried bulking for around 2 months and have gone up to 101- 102 lbs. I used to only weight train 2 to 3 days a week, now I am weight training for 3- 4 days a week and I have added extra 15 mins of cardio on top of my weight training, aiming to lose back the weight I have gained.
I have been eating clean and working out (around 1300 kcals a day with 25% Fat/ 40% Carbs/ 35% Protein) but I can never lose those weight I have gained even after I have increased my cardio for more than 3 months (fyi I have only gained 0.6 kg of lean mass from my bulking)
It is very frustrating how I spend so much effort on losing that 2-3 lbs and it never happened. Could you give me some advice please? I really don’t understand what’s going on. Would love to get some advice from you on how to lose those few lbs..
Hi el, honestly I wouldn’t try to lose it. 2-3lbs is nothing really. I know that 100lbs over/under level has a psychological impact for you, but it doesn’t mean much.
Personally I would hold calories at a level that maintains my current weight and work on changing my body composition. Continue your strength training and you will grow into your weight by dropping body fat and adding lean body mass. I think you’ll be happier in the end.
Tony
My name is Dmitry, thank you very much for all information provided.
I have a question though:
I’ve been exercising a lot (really lot) for the past year, that include every day or biking for about 60K or running between 16-26K and going to gym as well. In addition I am really healthy eater and counting my calories. So during the year I lost about 4kg (from 68 to 64) and all the sudden last month or so without any activity or eating changes I slowly but surely started gaining weight pound-by-pound. So I am now at 66-67kg
So in nutshell I calculate I burn about 1800 Cal a day and I am 55 years old and my weight is lets say 65kg and I get max 2200 Cal a day (sometimes less) with little carbs (healthy ones like oats), minimum of sugar and meat and lots of veggies and fruits, no real fat intake other then olive oil with salads
Not that I really worry getting fat (because I am not), but it just does not make any sense to me, why…?
Do you have any theoretical explanation to that fact? (and I know that our body adjusting to exercise and starting to use less calories, but I am still getting less calories than I think I burn)
Sincerely,
Dmitry
Sorry, just realized I might be not accurately stating the following: “So in nutshell I calculate I burn about 1800 Cal a day” – I meant only during exercises itself I am burning about 1800, but on top of it there is actually for regular normal body functioning with my weight I think should burn about 1300-1400 Cal as well, so it should be total calories usage as 1800+1300=3100, right?
Hard to say, Dmitry. 65kg isn’t a very high weight in the first place, so I don’t know if I’d be trying to lose any.
At 2200 calories, that’s relatively high for you body weight, but not unheard of.
If you really had no change in your eating, both in the quantity or quality of your food, and you didn’t start adding carbs into your diet, and you didn’t change your activity levels or activity type, then I’d be looking into other potential variables – mental stress, medications, etc.
Thank you for prompt respond Tony
So I guess my main question is:
You are saying 2200 it a bit too much, but as I explained, I am burning about 1800 for my physical activity only plus my body needs some for daily functioning (which is at least 1300-1400) as if I did not burn another 1800. So how come 2200 is too much if my body needs approximately 1800 for activity recovery +1300 for normal functioning?
Am I calculating wrong? I thought I have pretty big calories deficit …
I honestly don’t think you’re burning 1800 calories via exercise. That’s essentially running a marathon.
The only way to determine your energy balance is to pick a level of physical activity, get consistent with it, and then eat at a certain level and see what happens. The real “magic” is in the adjustments.
Alright, thank you very much
Hi Tony! I generally burn about 400-500 calories at spinning classes (3 days a week) based on my HRM reading. On these days, should I eat more calories than the estimated in your calculator to compensate for the workout? According to your calculator, I should eat 1787 calories a day, but on workout days I’m eating 1787 + 450. Am I doing it wrong?? Thanks in advance!
I wouldn’t say wrong. But I’d just eat at a consistent calorie level and be consistent with exercise. Your body doesn’t work on a 24 hour clock. Your weight is a function of energy balance over time – not on a minute to minute, hour to hour, or day to day basis.
The whole “eat back workout calories” idea has caused so much confusion for people that I just wouldn’t mess with it. Look at your average calories over the week.
Thank you so much for the lucid advice… I’m actually having quite a hard time “eating back” those calories, sometimes even pushing food in, which I think is not OK. Might as well listen to my body and focus on the weekly average 🙂
Hi Tony, I’ve been reading your articles recently with a fervor and I really appreciate all of the information you provide.
I am currently a 5ft 5in female at 135 lbs. I workout 6 times a week with 3 being resistance training and 3 cardio sessions (40min) with some strength training. I have been watching my calories for the past 6 months and used to go no where above 1300 calories a day. I was initially 150lbs in May this year and dropped about 20lbs by the beginning of August. My weight plateaued from then, and the scale refused to drop below 130lbs. After reading your article on not eating enough calories I upped my calorie intake to about 1700 a day. I was at 132lbs about two weeks ago and now I have increased to 135lbs. I am not sure if I am eating too much or I can just keep at this intake and hope to see a downturn in my measurements and weight if this is from water weight. I am no longer concerned about dropping weight per say but fixing my metabolism to its best condition and getting leaner through strength training.
I also am very conscious of my macros and eat about 40% carbs, 35% protein and 25% fat and use an app to track all of my caloric intake.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Mari, whether you should increase calories or not is dependent on many factors. Just eating 1300 calories/day doesn’t automatically mean you’re undereating for your goals.
I also would have taken the rise in stages instead of just adding 400 calories/day.
At 5’5 135lbs you very well might need 1300 calories or less to lose weight. You really don’t have any “technical” weight to lose, so the process is going to be a slow battle. If you’ve already lost 20lbs eating 1300/day, it’s unlikely going higher is your answer.
I personally would drop a cardio session and work on eating consistency and strength training at that 1300ish area.
The other option is to reverse diet, build your caloric baseline back up, and then start the cutting process all over again from a much higher food intake level.
Dear Tony,
Thank you so much for your reply! I realized I was getting worried because after eating at 1200-1300 for a while I had been plateauing for so long. I will try going back down to 1300 and see if the scale starts moving again.
Could I ask why you recommend dropping a cardio session?
Thank you!
Mari
To me it seems like a lot of exercise for the amount of calories you’re eating, which means recovery can become an issue. I’d take it away and use the session as a tool in the future when weight loss plateaus again.
Hi Tony, thank you so much for this advice!
I actually tried going back down to 1300-1400 calories for the past month and while in the first week after trying this I went back down to 132 lbs, I am currently up to 136 lbs. My macros are still 40% carbs, 35% protein and 25% fat. It seems like my body just keeps putting on weight and I am at a loss of what to do. I am still doing high intensity resistance training 3 times a week with usually 2-3 weight lifting sessions and 2 cardio sessions, meaning I am at the gym 6 times a week.
I was beginning to get worried that I may be overreaching and that may be resulting in my weight gain. I have realized that I have been waking up before my alarm (which I never did before) and that I seem to be extremely fatigued in the afternoon. Any insight into this would be much appreciated as I am beginning to get slightly desperate that my weight will continue to go up.
Thanks again!
Hi Mari, that’s hard to explain. It’s unusual to lose weight dropping calories and then for that to reverse and gain 4lbs in short time.
So something is a bit off. The fact that you’re feeling fatigued makes me think some overtraining is working its way in. I’d double check all my numbers and to make sure the 1300-1400 calories are consistent each day and not just a weekly average. I’d also consider taking a deload week where you drop exercise volume way down in order to relieve some of that recovery deficit you’ve accumulated.
Hi Tony,
I am a frequent visitor to your posts, and they really helped me a lot during my weight loss journey. I am 5’2, and I eat 1300 cal/day with 5hours of walking + 3x strength training per week. I am aware that I am eating less than an idea caloric intake, and I am currently using reverse dieting to bring up my caloric intake. However, I have been experiencing insomnia and some slight night sweat after several changes in my diet. Ever since I switched from having Greek yogurt into eggs (because I discovered that I am lactose intolerant) before bed, I have not had a high quality sleep and experiences overheating at bedtime. I also gained from 133Ib to 134Ib in 3 days (perhaps it’s water weight?). Could you give be some insight on what might be going on and provide some advice on what I should do next? Thank you so much for reading this post!
Hi Lucy, some people sleep better with some carbs before bed. Different macronutrients can influence different hormones, such as growth hormone and insulin/blood sugar. These things can impact your sleep.
Nothing wrong with greek yogurt before bed. Sleep is important and isn’t worth cutting that out if it means your sleep quality suffers.
Hi Tony,
I just came across your posts and wonder if you can help me. I am what most would consider to be very fit. 5’5″ , 135 pounds, pretty muscular, 52 years old. I have a job where I am on my feet and somewhat active for about 6 hours a day, doing a lot of repetitive packing and unpacking boxes and lots of walking. I generally hit my 10000 steps by 2:00 or 3:00 every day. I also lift weights 5 days a week and try to do HIIT 2-3 times a week. I have 8 ozs full fat greek yogurt with 3 T berries and 2 T ground flax for breakfast, a cup full of raw veggies with 2 T almond butter and a protein bar with low sugar/carbs but good amount of fat/protein for lunch.Thats about 400 cal for breakfast and 400 cals for lunch. Dinner is much harder to calculate but consists of lots of veggies, some good fats and a little protein. I occasionally eat some oats or quinoa or lentils. I have a very small amount of high cacoa content chocolate each night and a glass of red wine 4 nights a week, my indulgences. My fitbit generally tells me I hit 16000-18000 steps a day, burn 2000-2400 calories a day. My problem is I have gained a spare tire around my stomach and excess fat in my legs and arms. I am also sore a lot, even sometimes waking up because my legs ache. I do not want to look good for 52, I want to look good period and be healthy and I love staying active and working out. I have a horrible feeling I’m not eating enough? I just started supplementing a little black cumin seed oil daily and am wondering if I should add in another shot of fat and protein between lunch and dinner? Your insight is highly appreciated!!!
It sounds like you’re around 1200 calories/day. I won’t go so far as to say you don’t need that many calories. You are a fit female at 135lbs who wants to lose more body fat.
However, with the amount of activity you do and the fact that it sounds like you aren’t recovering, it tells me that you have a bit too much of a discrepancy with your energy balance.
I would either add a couple hundred calories in, drop a day or two of exercise, or consider a deload week where you drop your exercise volume and work on erasing that recovery deficit you’ve accumulated.
Tony,
Is there a calculator for how many calories to eat once I reach my weight loss goal? I am just 4 pounds away from that goal and have lost about 3/4 of a pound a week on 1700 calories a day with a moderate exercise program of 30 minutes a day rotating between low impact aerobics, strength training and yoga/flexibility training.
Your weight loss calculator is what saved me during a plateau. The 1500 calories a day was too low for me. Once I worked my way up to 1700, I started to lose again.This may sound strange but I like calorie counting and after 40 years of doing it off and on, I feel much more in control keeping that food diary.
Hi Sharon, a calculator won’t suit your goals, as they are just guidelines to start with. To determine your maintenance calories you’ll want to experiment with bumping up your calories and assessing your body weight. Increase 100 calories a couple weeks at a time until your weight is stable.
Hi coach! After years of being sedentary i started clean eating 6 weeks ago. I was at 231 pounds (height 5’8) went up a couple pounds and then down to 227. After week 3 my weight went up 10 pounds overnight and havent come down since. I have been tracking calories on fitness pal and though the recommended intake was 2200 i took only 1200. After reading your articles i have realized that might be a mistake but could that have been a reason of 10 pound gain? I am also doing light cardio 45 mins for 5 days a week.
Hi Suniya, undereating isn’t going to result in a 10lb gain overnight. In fact, I can’t think of a scenario where that would ever happen. Even a crazy binge would likely fall short of that kind of gain.
Are you sure your scale is working?
The scale seems to be fine as my husbands weight is constant. Dr suggested i might have pcos. Can it be related somehow? My weight has been constant for past 2 years no matter what i ate and even i can’t put my finger on what could cause the loss to turn into such a big gain overnight. Thought you might be able to help. My weight is stuck on 237 from 3 weeks now. I am still following my exercise and diet.
Honestly can’t say why it would jump 10lbs in one day. That is very odd. I’ve seen 10lb weight gain in a week from various things, but never overnight. The only time I could see that happening is purposely manipulating water weight for a competition. That would basically mean cutting carbs and then loading them and also manipulating fluids/electrolytes. However, I doubt that is something you did.
Hello…I’m a 48 yr old female. In Oct 2016 I was 150 lbs. By March 2017 I was down to 125 lbs, but with muscle mass. My workouts are 4 days/week, 1 hr or less. The workouts are structured as 3 – 5 exercises as a superset. One exercise is always core. If a 3 exercises superset, I do two supersets. My exercises focus on the big compound movements like deadlifts, leg press, lunges, chest press, back rows & pull ups, Hip Thrusters etc. After the weight lifting portion I do 10-15 minutes of conditioning involving pushing/pulling a sled, battle ropes, kettle bells swings, row machine, pop squats and always one core. Not all of this each time, but make different combination 4 days per week. Right now I am eating 1320 cal per day (as per myfitness pal) at 165 g carbs/day, 44 g fat/day, 66 g protein/day. I did gain 15 lbs in Aug-Oct, but went down to 126 lbs this past 2 months. But my legs have remained “big”…solid but big. I want to slim them down but keep muscle. And need to lose a little back fat and under the belly button fat. Do I need to increase my calories and macros but still only do my 4 days/workouts as outlined above? Using Tony’s calculator it came up with 1525 caloreies/day. Another website said for macros: 128 g protein/day, 50 g fat/day, 189 g carbs/day. I want to maintain my weight and muscle density I have now
Kind Regards
Tanis
Hi Tanis, remember that calculators are starting points. The real magic is in the adjustments. Choose a level to eat at for a couple of weeks – either one of the levels is fine.
If you’re trying to maintain your weight and your weight decreases over the first two weeks then add in 100 calories each week until your weight is stable.
Hi, I’m 41 year old male, 6 foot, currently 322lbs, I do a sedentary job and walk about 1.5 miles a day. No current medical conditions and want to start losing weight. The calculator suggest about 2700 calories a day, comparing this to an app like myfitnesspal that suggests 1960 per day so I don’t know which I should be aiming for. Can you help ?
Thanks
Hi Steve, my advice would be to start with the higher number for a couple of weeks and see what happens. You aren’t going to be locked into any intake. Whichever number you choose you’re still going to have to make adjustments. The calorie calculator is just a starting point.
So eat at 2700 for 2 weeks. If your weight in week 2 isn’t lower than week 1 then cut 200 calories and repeat the process until it is.
I have been on a steady low carb diet for several years, and have been successful, I lost about 40 of 50 pounds and before that lost 20 or 30 pounds tracking with my fitness pal. I am 44 and 5’5 and weigh 127. I weighed about 120-122 in July of this year and over the last couple months have gained the 5 pounds that just wont come back off. I usually eat around 1200 calories a day and am used to staying around 30 carbs. I run 3 miles every other day and strength train on the off days. Sunday is a rest day. I would like to get the stubborn 5 pounds off, any suggestions. I am not opposed to upping my carbs just scared of change.
In a typical day i usually have
Breakfast= Cereal protein bar
Lunch= tuna packet, cheese stick, and sugar free jello
Snack= almonds or pecans (handful or so)
Dinner= usually chicken/shrimp/or pork, and cauliflower or brocolli, sometimes scrambled eggs with low carb bread
Snack=atkins bar or protein bar
thank you
Had you been a potential client of mine I would have advised against weight loss. At your current stats your weight is in a healthy place.
So if you still aren’t happy with your body I would be focused more on body composition and less on weight. But if weight loss is your goal it is going to be very difficult and very slow. It will take a lot of consistency and time. If you’re losing a half a pound per week you’re doing great.
I have been on a steady low carb diet for several years, and have been successful, I lost about 40 of 50 pounds and before that lost 20 or 30 pounds tracking with my fitness pal. I am 44 and 5’5 and weigh 127. I weighed about 120-122 in July of this year and over the last couple months have gained the 5 pounds that just wont come back off. I usually eat around 1200 calories a day and am used to staying around 30 carbs. I run 3 miles every other day and strength train on the off days. Sunday is a rest day. I would like to get the stubborn 5 pounds off, any suggestions. I am not opposed to upping my carbs just scared of change.
Can i up my calories and carbs and continue exercise without fear of gaining weight?
Not sure if you can up your calories without fear of gaining weight. The fear part can be worked with for sure. The actual weight gain will just depend. You won’t know until you do it.
However, at 5’5 127lbs, you very well may need 1200 calories to lose more weight. That’s because you’re already at a healthy body weight. So it’s going to be harder to lose more. You’ll be fighting against your body.
I would advise you eat at maintenance and work on changing your body composition.
Hello coach! Im 5.2” ,36 years female n weigh 97kgs.. im trying to lose .. ristricting myself to 1200 cal a day which has about 80-100 carbs.. not very active .. initially i lost 3 kgs..i started almost a month back… but now its not moving at all.. im loosing my mind over tracking system.. and planning to start keto diet from april if nothing happens..
thanks.. wud really appreciate any advice..
Hi Garima, 1200 calories isn’t much for your stats. The first thing I would do is to stop calorie counting. You don’t need it yet. Instead, take a close look at how you were eating before that got you to 97kg and then identify 1-2 problem areas to work on. New habits, not calorie intakes, will get you started on the path to your goal.
Thank u so much.. actually this calorie count was making me crazy… 😀.. thanks 🙏. I have started eating clean.. no sugar.. no refined flours.. no white rice.. n no sodas.. so lets c how it goes.. thanks again👍
Hi Tony , I’m looking for a little advice regarding calorie intake , I am 24yr old female ,5ft 4 and weigh 128lb my goal is 119lb I have been eating 1400-1490 calories Monday-Saturday and 2000 on Sundays , I do 5 30 min spin classes per week, 1 boxercise and 3 weight sessions and I have not lost a pound of weight on the scales, yes my body has changed slightly but I do also want the weight to go down some what, I don’t know if I’m eating too much or not eating enough for the workouts i do, I also hit 10,000 steps daily. Some advice would be greatly appreciated. I’ve been in this routine 7 weeks now, have previously yoyo dieted in and out of stupid low calories but this routine has been consistent over 7 weeks
Hi Sharon, I’d drop the refeed for now and see what consistent eating does for you over the course of a few weeks. Sometimes the refeeds aren’t needed and can work against us.
Hi Tony, I’m an active 60 year old trying to lose some body fat! I am also Hypothyroid and take meds. I’ve been on many diets over the years, but since my knee surgery last August I had a light bulb moment and that is realising that what I need to do is to strength train and eat healthy and make it a lifestyle, and stop doing diets and getting my weight down then regaining it and more which I’ve been through over the years, also I’d go to the gym on an on and off and not consistantly, but having had enough time to think with my knee surgery and not able to do anything while recuperating I came to this conclusion so I’ve since started back on a heathful way of eating starting Nov.2017 and also going back to they gym for 6 days a week, with one day active rest (walking the do for at leat 1 to 2 hours, and staying on my feet for most of the day)I havn’t seen but a few lbs down on the scale and ever since it’s been every day 150lbs minus .5 or so on, and I get on the scale now just to keep a check on it, but I’m not obsessed about it as I used to be when I was doing all the different kinds of diets, so far this is the beginning of March and I’m still going strong and I’ve seen some body fat decreased and my clothe is fitting me a bit better, but I’d like for it to be better-oh I and almost forgot 1 take it any way from 1,100 to 1,400 cals but mostly on the lower end and I worked my way up to half a gallon of water daily, plus I walk my dog every evening anyway from 30 – 40mins I’d like to know is it going to happen for me if I keep doing what I’m doing at my age-Thanking you!Terri
Hi Terri, I wish I could predict your weight loss but I don’t have those special powers. 😉
What I will say is that you have to have trust in the process. If you’re consistently eating closer to 1100 calories per day I would reassess that number. Try eating closer to 1400 for a few weeks and see what happens. Commit to that number regardless of what the scale says the first few days or even the first couple of weeks. Let your body adapt to the higher number and understand that it’s being fed.
So, my calorie burn ( according to fitbit) on a non workout day is about 1700, in a workoit day is anywhere from 2100 to 2400. My question is on non workout days i should eat 1550? On workout days eat 1760? Should i follow macros as a 40/40/30. I yave a medium build and love weights and slack on cardio….but my body loves to build and i really want to lean out. I have gained 10lbs in the last 8 months, i drink on the weekends ( tequila only) but eat fairly good in the week. I think i have been malnutrition throughout the week (1200 to 1500 calories for awhile now). Any advice please.
Hi Tori, until you are consistently losing weight I’d recommend you eat at a similar level each day so that you get in the repetitions to build good eating habits. Once you can consistently eat at a particular level for a couple of months you can start playing around with things like calorie cycling, which is essentially what you’re asking about.
Thank you for the quick response! Being i am 5’4, 165lb…should i start with the lower end or higher end? I have a desk job but workout 5 to 6 days a week for an hour to hour and a half. Not sure if that would put me in the moderate, or high level.
I would just choose the middle option for activity level…
Hi Tony what do you feel about fasting? At the moment I am doing a 22 hour a day fast five day’s a week and never felt better. Not lost a lot of weight, but feel I have lost fat if my tape measure is to be belived.
Personally not a fan. I don’t like adding in behaviors into my life unless I plan to keep them. I can lose weight, and so can the majority of people, without fasting, so why put yourself through the hassle.
But if you like it and it makes you feel good then have it. There’s more than one way to achieve a calorie deficit.
Hi Coach,
I love seeing how you reply to each and every person. And that you take your time and effort into getting into the micros and macros of each individuals problem! Thank you thank you.
I’m a 36 year old woman, 5”2 feet. In 2017 I dropped to 89lbs. Of course I gained it back in 5-6 months. I couldn’t sustain on such a low calorie diet. This year I’ve been trying to loose but I am stuck with at 93lbs. I am eating what I did last year and the scale won’t budge. I can’t understand how many calories I need to eat to loose weight as each website offers a different BMR & TDEE. HELP!
Breakfast- milk, 45 calories
Egg white 25 calories
Bread -40 calories
Lunch- meant 150 calories chicken
Bread 80 calories
Cheez it mini packet 100-200 calories. Almost same routine for dinner.
Snack – fruit and milk.
I don’t go to the gym but I’m active at home and always walking about. Thanks
Hi Radhika, honestly, at 93lbs I can’t advise a strategy for weight loss. If you are unhappy with your body then I would focus more on changing your body composition by strength training. At 5’2 you could weigh quite a bit more and still be very lean.
Hi thanks for the quick response. I agree maybe weight loss may not be an option. But could you please lmk how many calories I should be consuming to maintain? Thanks
I’d simply pick a number, say 1200/day, and increase by 100-200 every 2 weeks so long as your weight isn’t increasing. It’s the only way to find your true maintenance calories.
Hi coach
Sorry forgot to mention off late- last 2 weeks since I’ve been so demotivated I’ve been binging and eating 1200-1500 and a sweet treat everyday. But the weight gain has been since January 2018. And not just a sudden increase in the last 2 weeks.
Thanks
Thanks so much again for the advice!! Appreciate the time and effort you take!
Thanks so much again for the advice!!
Hi, I love your articles and I would like to share my case.
I’m 27, 5,3″, and 156 lbs at the moment. I have PCOS and my thyroid is okay. I did a food diary for a few days and found out that I usually eat 1200 calories. I was not trying to lose weight or anything. I want to lose weight but the calculator tells me I have to eat 1400 calories… do I have to go up to 1900 – 2000 for how long to be able to reset my calories and start going down? I do exercise 3 to 4 days a week son HIIT videos at home for around 40 minutes. I don’t eat out often or like sugary foods or fast foods. I consider my diet already pretty healthy… what can I do to start losing weight?
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with all of us.
Hi Eliza, calculators don’t tell you anything. They simply suggest a starting point. Your weight loss is dependent on how consistent you can be, how willing you are to work through struggles, and how well you make adjustments.
So eat at a level – 1600, 1900, it doesn’t matter. Be consistent for a couple of weeks. If no weight loss reduce calories by about 100 and repeat the process until you are.
It seems simple but the hardest part is going to be addressing why you aren’t able to be consistent. It’s what we all struggle with and what we all have to overcome.
Hi there!
I have been doing a circuit training Monday – Friday for an hour at our local rec center for 4 months now, yesterday was my anniversary of going! I started tracking my exercise and calories on myfitnesspal.com just about a week ago, thinking I was eating too many calories. According to that, circuit training combined with taking a brisk 2-mile walk with a friend amounts to about 1200 calories burned. (I currently weigh about 232lbs and am 5’1″, 36 years old). The trainer at the rec center said the estimate for circuit training was pretty accurate and confirmed the calories for briskly walking for someone of my weight. My friend and I have found out through her FitBit that we’ve been walking about 3.0 to 3.5 MPH for nearly 2 miles about 3 days a week.
I have a pretty balanced diet with good lean protein, lots of fruits, veggies, salad, yogurt, limited sugar, no soda, etc. I know if I deprive myself of a certain food group, like carbs and no sugar, then it will be difficult to maintain weightloss. According to m.f.p.com, I should be eating about 1,350 calories per day to lose 2lbs per week. If I burn 1,200 calories daily, it says I should be eating about 2,500 calories. I rarely get even close to that, so by the end of the day when I imput my exercise and all the calories I consumed, it leaves me at about 300-500 calories left to survive off of. Is that accurate?
Hi Amanda, a couple of things…
1 – it’s unlikely you’re burning 1200 calories in a workout. That is a lot and usually something you’d burn running a half marathon. I’d say you’re closer to 500 calories.
2 – Don’t worry about losing 2lbs/week right now. First get consistent with your eating day to day and just get your weight trending down. Eat as much as you can that enables you to do that. Then you can make minor adjustments to try to manipulate the pace.
Thanks for the reply! I get my numbers from myfitnesspal.com and the personal trainer at the Rec Center. He said the circuit training for an average-sized person burned about 600 calories in an hour, but for me, the myfitnesspal.com total of 842 per hour seemed accurate. I also typed in the numbers for a 2 mile walk, half of it going uphill, and going at brisk pace. Myfitnesspal.com and some other sources I used to confirm that agreed that a good walk like that burned about 400 calories. Would you consider myfitnesspal to be an accurate reference for activity/calories?
If those are the numbers I don’t consider them accurate. When you see these numbers there are a lot of assumptions being made. For example, I’m sure circuit training burns 842/hour, but that assumes little if any resting and very higher intensity in your training.
When it comes to distance calculations most people burn 100 calories/mile whether they are walking or running. The only difference is how quickly you complete that mile.
I’d have to see your circuit training workout along with weights used and rest periods to give an accurate number but I think 400-600 calories is a good number. Add the 200 for walking and I’d say 800 max.
Really doesn’t matter though. It’s all relative. You just need to eat enough to get your weight trending down while keeping your activity levels consistent. Then the adjustments become very easy to implement.
Hey! I am looking for a little advice. I am a 29year old female, 5 foot 3 inches and weight around 168lb and I’m in a bit of a rut!
I lost bit of weight in the past- I was 186 at my heaviest and got down to around 140lb doing a low carb diet but it’s slowly crept all back on…. 🙁
I’m trying to understand my body now so that I can lose weight healthier. I was tracking my calorie intake and eating about 1500 (No intermittent fasting) at the start of the year but I didn’t lose anything.
I feel confused and lost about what I should be eating as my go to would be salad… and I know if I only eat lean meat and leaves then it’s unlikely I’d hit the 1500 target anyway.
Not going to lie… carbs scare me. I feel like I’m doing something wrong when I eat them and I think this is why I have fallen off the wagon.
I feel like 1500 might be too high for me? … I just don’t feel comfortable exercising at the moment until I can see positive results in the scales. I am really interested in trying the 16:8 method but I want to make sure I am eating right as I am really quite scared to see the scale go in the opposite direction.
Hi E, how many calories were you eating before when you lost 46lbs? I’d start there, but with a more balanced macro intake. I also wouldn’t make exercise contingent upon the scale. Screw the scale. Exercise is good for you regardless of what it says. 🙂
I am not sure how many calories I was eating the first time round as I didn’t count but I don’t think it was very high!
I have been walking more but My self confidence is rock bottom at the moment. Once I see a few lb drop I think it will be the boost I need.
Do you think that I should aim lower than 1500 calories?
I think you should start high and come down only if necessary. I would also give more thought to possibly doing away with calorie counting if you had success without it in the past. Ultimately, that’s where you would end up anyways.