Weight-Loss Calorie Help!

[freeflow6000]

Hey guys I am new here and this is my first post. Here it is:

I am 17, 5'9, 160, and muscular. Since soccer season is over i put on some pounds (I was 150) I wanna get back into the swing of things for the upcoming season, so I want to drop 10-15 pounds. I run 3-4 times a week for about 30 mins on average. The other 2 days of the 5 day week I do ab routines and arm routines. On weekends i am usually playing sports to burn cals. I have been trying to lose some weight the past week but I have not. I think it is because I have been eating too little calories. I am good with eating the right foods and all of that stuff but I think I eat too little causing starvation mode to set in.(I don't keep records of my caloric intake but I keep it in my head roughly)
Can you guys and gals give me a good base for my caloric intake? Thanks

PS. Like I said I want to lose 2-3 pounds a week

 

[Jeanette401]

It's really unlikely that you're eating too few calories - it's possible that you've lost weight, but still are retaining water so you can't tell.

The best thing to do is to track your actual calories on something like - that way you'll know exactly how many calories you're getting in a day and can get a better idea if you're eating too few or not.

 

[KaraCooks]

There are several different ways to calculate your calorie intake. You can search for "calorie calculator" online and you'll get a lot of sites that will give you an estimate based on your current weight, age, and activity level.

You can also use a figure based on calories per pound of bodyweight, which is kind of what I do. I base what I do on a figure of 15 cals per pound of bodyweight and I aim to eat *at* my goal weight.

So for example, at my current weight (174) my maintenance calories would be 2610. At my goal weight (135) my maintenance calories would be 2025. Already if I just eat at my goal level, I'm in a 600 calorie deficit. Then any exercise I get is on top of that.

So far it's working. If I slow down too much or stop losing, I'll knock off 200 calories a day or so and ramp up my exercise.

The thing is, calorie counting isn't exact anyway and everyone burns calories a litlte differently. So really you just have to pick a number to start with (not a too low number) and see where it gets you. You sorta tweak as you go along!

Good luck in figuring out what works for you.