Help figuring out daily caloric needs

[dyermaker1]

I'm a 19yr old female, 5'7, 158lbs and I'm looking to cut fat as fast as possible. I'm worried that I'm not eating enough calories with my workout routine so I was hoping someone could help me out. I do the elliptical for an hour, 6 days a week, with my heart rate staying at 60-65%, and strength train 3 times a week. Right now I'm eating about 1800 cals/day. Is this amount enough/too much?

Thanks in advance!

 

[alphaX]

I'm 5'7, 158lbs and I'm looking to cut fat as fast as possible. I'm worried that I'm not eating enough calories with my workout routine so I was hoping someone could help me out. I do the elliptical for an hour, 6 days a week, with my heart rate staying at 60-65%, and strength train 3 times a week. Right now I'm eating about 1800 cals/day, and my diet is very clean. Is this amount enough/too much?

Thanks in advance!

Are you male or female?

I am male, 5'10", 165 lbs, and I only have 1800 cal days on weekends. Weekdays, I usually stay around 1400 - anything more and I gain weight. I know, because I am in maintenance now since about 1 month.

The fastest way to cut fat, though, is by eliminating high and medium GI foods from your diet. This keeps your insulin low, thus allowing stored fat to be accessed for energy (to make up for your caloric deficit). It's very simple, once you understand it. Do not stop eating fat, though - it's very important to get enough dietary fat.

 

[dyermaker1]

Are you male or female?

I am male, 5'10", 165 lbs, and I only have 1800 cal days on weekends. Weekdays, I usually stay around 1400 - anything more and I gain weight. I know, because I am in maintenance now since about 1 month.

The fastest way to cut fat, though, is by eliminating high and medium GI foods from your diet. This keeps your insulin low, thus allowing stored fat to be accessed for energy (to make up for your caloric deficit). It's very simple, once you understand it. Do not stop eating fat, though - it's very important to get enough dietary fat.

Wow, those numbers seem pretty low for your stats...

I'm female. I don't eat many carbs, but lots of protein and healthy fat. My question is more specifically about caloric intake. I want to make sure I'm eating enough and not forcing my body to eat at my muscle, hold onto fat, and slow my metabolism.

 

[alphaX]

Wow, those numbers seem pretty low for your stats...

I'm female. I don't eat many carbs, but lots of protein and healthy fat. My question is more specifically about caloric intake. I want to make sure I'm eating enough and not forcing my body to eat at my muscle, hold onto fat, and slow my metabolism.

I do seem to have a slow metabolism, and I have lost some muscle along with fat, but I've lost far more fat than muscle ;-)

I've been doing some lifting in evenings, and I have really started to get serious definition in the shoulders, neck, upper arms, and upper chest. This area is not small, and it hardly has any fat at all. I can also see my abs now, as they have such naturally high peaks, especially when I rotate my upper body sideways, but they are still covered by a 2cm thick layer of subcutaneous fat (what some folks in denial like to refer to as "loose skin"). Eliminating this flab is my next focus, after New Years and before summer.

Most of the muscle I've lost seems to have come from my butt and thighs, and I have always had very large thigh and glute muscles but not anymore. This really does not bother me at all, because I like slim-fit jeans and a larger upper body.

Seriously, nobody can tell you how many kcal per day you need. Only you can determine this by observation and how well you feel. My goal is to stay between 160 and 165, while at the same time losing more fat and building more muscle. I upped my protein intake quite a lot recently, which meant reducing fat intake so I don't start to gain again. As the muscle to fat ratio improves, I will naturally be able to eat more kcal per day without gaining weight.

 

[Harold14370]

I'm a 19yr old female, 5'7, 158lbs and I'm looking to cut fat as fast as possible. I'm worried that I'm not eating enough calories with my workout routine so I was hoping someone could help me out. I do the elliptical for an hour, 6 days a week, with my heart rate staying at 60-65%, and strength train 3 times a week. Right now I'm eating about 1800 cals/day. Is this amount enough/too much?

Thanks in advance!

If you sign up with one of the free on-line diet journals, like my-calorie-counter.com, Fitday.com, mypyramidtracker.gov, etc., you will get a recommendation for the number of calories per day for weight loss, based on the data you provide. This can only be a first estimate, because everybody is a little different. You will have to adjust it based on what the scale is telling you.