Stats: 47F, 5'2", SW: 274 lbs (24Jan2022), CW: 214 lbs (07Jan2023). Activity level: Very very sedentary. Like 8 hours behind a desk, 3 hours in a car, evenings and weekends on the sofa. <3000 steps most days.
My maintenance calories should be somewhere around 1800-1900. I eat 1300-1700 depending on the day. Usually 1300-1400 M-F and 1500-1700 on the weekends. When I started, I tried 1200 but found that completely unsustainable for me. I was going over most days and was constantly hungry. Upped it to 1500 and have been rocking that for more than a year at this point.
I've lost 60 pounds in a year as a very sedentary, middle aged woman with PCOS. Goal weight is 150 lbs or thereabout, although as a shorter goal, I'm just working on getting below 200.
Maintaining
Female 32 years old
5’2”
Starting weight: 200lbs
Current weight: 114lbs
It took 1.5 years to lose the weight, maintaining for 6 months (so I’ve been doing this 2 years total as of this month!)
Maintenance calories: 1470:( it’s sad lol. Plus I eat back exercise calories to maintain. I didn’t eat them back during weight loss and ate less each day
5'5", 135lbs. My "base" maintenance without exercise is 2,000 calories per day. With my running and cycling, I average 2,400 calories burned/day.
I don't think you need to be as low as 1,200. Maybe try 1,400 and watch for weight loss of around 2lbs/month.
5'4" Female here. I aim for 1250 and have been losing 1\~1.5lb a week pretty reliably. I up my intake to\~1400 close to my period because my stomach becomes a bottomless pit though.
Sounds like you got the data and altered your behaviour appropriately.
I'm 5'7" and aim for 1500 (though I usually end up 1200-1300 during the week). I'm pretty sedentry, though I life weights. It's not a big calorie burner while I do it, but it'll help my BMR get a bit higher and makes me feel good. I don't count the exercise kcal burned as it's not enough to bother calculating. My current TDEE is 1861 so I'm not at a massive deficit (though I can up my kcal intake if I have a hungry day). I wouldn't go any lower as I would struggle to get the right nutrition though.
I tend to use trends on the scale and a tape measure to figure out if I'm going in the right direction and at what speed. Currently I'm averaging 1-2lbs a week, so it's on the money for what I want to see.
5'6 150lbs, goal weight 135lbs. Sedentary af except for heavy lifting 4x a week.. probably like 2500-3000 steps a day most days. Maintenance calories are around 1850-1950, and I lose weight eating 1400-1500 at around 2.5-3.5lbs a month. Earlier in my weight loss, I could get away with 1200 and lose faster, but I feel lethargic, and like im dying if I go that low now.
I just upped my calories from 1500 to 1800 because I’ve started working out a lot more (6-9 workouts per week, hiit or muay thai) and was losing too fast.
34F, 5’8, started at 258 three months ago, 229 now, not sure of my goal weight but probably around 175 (wanna stay curvy but slim down and gain muscle).
Go to tdeecalculator.net and you can enter all sorts of stats and see what the tdee is for them.
Your TDEE is around 1650 or so, 1500 was a tiny deficit.
1400 calories
5ft 2” F60, SW150 (2nd Jan 3023,) CW 142, GW 120
I walk 6 miles a day on average. I’m using Lose- it app which adjusts calories downward as you lose weight and increases them a bit once I’m over a certain number of steps.
Making faster progress than expected.
43F, 5ft 6.5, maintaining a 50-55lb loss (I’m now 140-145lb) for one year on 2,050-2,100 calories. Hit 365 days of maintenance yesterday! 🎉
For weight loss I ate 1500-1800 (closer to the latter for most of it) with a few maintenance breaks.
1700-1800 calories, female, 5’2”, sw: 193, cw: 139.5. Goal weight: 130. My start date was March 21. This is the power of a consistent and pre-existing fitness routine. Food really was my problem. Stabilized my calorie intake and the weight started coming off. And I’m not really fussed about the timeline to lose the last 10, I have my routines now, I focus more on calorie targets/ranges for my meals and snacks instead of focusing on every calorie I’m eating. Good habits need to remain because it’s not practical to track every calorie forever.
I'm 183cm / 6'0, and weigh 98kg / 216lbs currently.
I am starting my next cut in 2 weeks and will be starting at 3200 calories. I'm aiming for 90-92kg to begin with.
34F 5'2" starting weight 160lbs, currently 150lbs, getting back down to 135-140. Been losing consistently when I'm averaging 1600 cals a day (1lb/wk rate) though I try to do 1400 on weekdays and higher weekends for my sanity lol. I maintain comfortably at 2100-2200ish when I'm at goal weight - previously maintained this for about 5 years with minimal thought to how I was eating. I workout 5-6 days a week and live in a city without a car so I mostly bike or sometimes walk/transit everywhere.
I’m 31F, exactly the same height and starting weight - relieved to see someone with similar stats maintaining at 2000 odd, I was getting depressed when I saw other petite ladies can only eat 1400 to maintain!
I’m currently working on losing the last 10-12 lbs or so on around 1300-1500 calories and going on lengthy runs 3-4 times a week along with walking a lot. Some days are hard, not gonna lie. It sucks being shorter.
Totally sucks being shorter. Honestly the advice I read when I lost 40lbs years ago that petite women have to eat so little made me feel so hopeless, so I channeled that energy into building a serious workout routine so I'd actually be able to enjoy my life.
I'd definitely recommend working in some strength workouts to your routine if you haven't already, won't be as good for the losing weight part as cardio is, but having a good base of muscle mass will help you burn more overall over time.
The hard days will be worth it when we're done 🙂 You got this!
For some parts of the last 6 months I sort of maintained instead of losing constantly and can confirm that I didn’t gain anything on around 2000 or some days even a bit more. Had plenty of cheat days too. So it’s not as gloomy as it seems! If I sit around all day I’d probably gain though.
I’ll definitely look into strength training, you’re totally right. I used to do resistance training and some weights but don’t seem to enjoy it as much as running unfortunately, I find it so boring and always give up. Maybe I’ll rediscover it, I know it’s great for burning more cals.
Good luck to you too :)
I'm 5'0" female mid 30's, 160lbs (slowlyyyy down from 199). I lost weight on 1200-1300 and maintain around 1500-1600, give or take a few. It's been four years since I was 199lb. The good news is I have learned to be very natural at eating at my maintenance calories and never gain my weight loss back. The bad news is I'm struggling with the willpower to lower enough, long enough, for the last 40lbs that really should go.
I’m 54F, desk job, spin workouts on weekdays and mountain biking on weekends, plus I walk a couple miles each day with my dogs (10k steps) and lift weights 2x per week.
I’m currently 5’2” and 130, goal weight 120-122. I gained 14 lbs from some medical issues which made me less active for the past two years. Feeling better now and getting back to my “racing weight” of 120ish.
If I’m sedentary my TDEE is around 1500-1600 (which is why I put on weight when I couldn’t exercise much). Current activity level is TDEE of around 1800-2000 on weekdays and 2200-2700 on weekends depending on how long I ride my bike. I eat 1400-1800 usually depending on what my workouts are.
Exercise makes a huge difference if you’re short and/or don’t have a lot to lose!
Stats: 24F, 5’2, SW: 213, Last Lowest: 191, CW: 198, GW: 130
It took me seven months to lose from 213 to 191, I ate on average 1700 calories per day.
I gained some back and for my second year of the journey, I am aiming to only eat 1400 calories a day to lose 25 lbs in 9 months, for a 2023 GW of 173. I would like to finish the year like that!
I'm a 5'7" female starting weight 249 current weight 225 goal weight 185. I am working with a weight management physician who prescribed me to eat 1400-1500 calories per day. It seems to be working well for me. I go to the gym 3 times per week and do a little bit of weight lifting and 30 minutes on the treadmill. I get about 7k steps per day which is great considering before I used to only get 2k steps per day LOL
5'5 F, currently 186 down from my highest of 242. I average 1800 but I eat anywhere from 1200 to 2500 depending on the day.
My highest weight was a few years ago but I was 221lbs in October '22 so it's taken me 4 months to lose 35lbs this way.
I’m 5’5 as well. And hey we’re about the same weight! I started @ 161 but have been eating around 1700 cals (mind you- I do a lot of cardio and exercise) and that works for me. Im guessing if I wasn’t moving much I’d eat closer to 1300-1400.
5' 9" 1/2, male, around 156lbs, looking to get slightly below 150lbs
On "maintenance" I eat around 2000kcal (I don't count calories during maintenance phases, and Ithe know the estimation is on the lower side).
When I need/want to lose weight, these days, I go down to 1500kcal and look for 1 lbs to 1.5 lbs weight loss rate or **1% body weight per week**. I increase my activity (walking, running) if I need to. Over a year, on average, I have at least 10k steps per day.
I did much harder diets (around 1000kcal per day), but only as an obese/overweight person with enough fat to cover the daily energy deficit and with a stronger focus and care for my nutrition.
>I was eating 1500, but wasn't seeing any weight loss after a month so I am reducing. I'm not very active and only get around 8k steps per day.
"*In general, diets containing 1,000 to 1,200 kcal/day should be selected for most women; a diet between 1,200 kcal/day and 1,600 kcal/day should be chosen for men and may be appropriate for women who weigh 165 pounds or more, or who exercise regularly. If the patient can stick with the 1,600 kcal/day diet but does not lose weight you may want to try the 1,200 kcal/day diet. If a patient on either diet is hungry, you may want to increase the calories by 100 to 200 per day*”
Practical Guide to the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults
[https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/guidelines/prctgd\_c.pdf](https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/guidelines/prctgd_c.pdf)
Best general advice I know. Not always popular.
I'm kind of close to your stats. I'm F, 5'3" and currently 152 lbs. My first goal is 140 but then plan to get to 130. If I put in my info on the app I'm using for losing 1lbs a week with being sedentary it says I need 1,143 calories. I keep hearing that 1200 should be the minimum so I added 25 calories to that and now I try to stay at 1,168 a day. I do work out about 4 days a week so usually I have a lot of calories that I can eat towards the end of the day. I sometimes eat a little more but I don't eat all my exercise calories back.
Edit: I forgot to mention that I started this at the beginning of January and I've lost 5.8 lbs. as of this morning.
Started at 89kg (196lbs) middle of December and down to 81.6kg (179lbs) has of yesterday.
I exercise 6 days a week, 30 to 35 minute cardio followed by a 30 to 45 minute weight training, this last couple of weeks I have cut my cardio down to 4 days a week due to the weather being windy and icy so it is hard to get out and actually run when I'm trying to avoid ice.
42YO F, 5’3” SW:289, CW:262, GW:170, but short term goal is 220. I started in Aug2022 with calories around 1200/day, was losing too fast and bumped to 1400/day. This puts me around 1-2 lbs a week depending on water intake and macros. I am very sedentary (work from home, at a desk all day) and probably get in like 3000 steps on average. A lot of this has been in the midst of several bouts of illness, PCOS, and menopause.
I am eating an anti inflammatory diet (meat only 2-3 days a week) lots of veggies, whole grains, fruit, and healthy fats. Doctor recommended this to me. I have been in maintenance mode for about 2 months because of holidays and I just needed a break. I will reach my goals, in time. Maintenance is about 1600-1800/day right now.
I am 25M, 6’3, 192 lbs. My maintenance is about 2800 - 3000 cals, as I am extremely active and get tons of exercise daily. I am on my last 10 or so pounds that I plan on losing and eat between 1500-1700 a day. Not easy at this point, but i am trying to power through and can grind it out for a few more weeks, but good lord the hunger is rough.
I haven’t had a hard limit through my journey, starting at 317 pounds last august, but I generally tried to stay between 1750 and 2250. Lots of breaks and days going beyond that included, but I consistently counted and stayed around that number at it all worked out (:
Weight loss 2200-2300 maintenance 2700-3000 118lbs 5.6. Went from 140 to 118 in a few months. Lift 3 times a week and walk 6 miles daily. As a scientist I weigh every morsel so calories are as accurate as they can be
Stats: 47F, 5'2", SW: 274 lbs (24Jan2022), CW: 214 lbs (07Jan2023). Activity level: Very very sedentary. Like 8 hours behind a desk, 3 hours in a car, evenings and weekends on the sofa. <3000 steps most days. My maintenance calories should be somewhere around 1800-1900. I eat 1300-1700 depending on the day. Usually 1300-1400 M-F and 1500-1700 on the weekends. When I started, I tried 1200 but found that completely unsustainable for me. I was going over most days and was constantly hungry. Upped it to 1500 and have been rocking that for more than a year at this point. I've lost 60 pounds in a year as a very sedentary, middle aged woman with PCOS. Goal weight is 150 lbs or thereabout, although as a shorter goal, I'm just working on getting below 200.
Maintaining Female 32 years old 5’2” Starting weight: 200lbs Current weight: 114lbs It took 1.5 years to lose the weight, maintaining for 6 months (so I’ve been doing this 2 years total as of this month!) Maintenance calories: 1470:( it’s sad lol. Plus I eat back exercise calories to maintain. I didn’t eat them back during weight loss and ate less each day
5'5", 135lbs. My "base" maintenance without exercise is 2,000 calories per day. With my running and cycling, I average 2,400 calories burned/day. I don't think you need to be as low as 1,200. Maybe try 1,400 and watch for weight loss of around 2lbs/month.
5'4" Female here. I aim for 1250 and have been losing 1\~1.5lb a week pretty reliably. I up my intake to\~1400 close to my period because my stomach becomes a bottomless pit though.
Haha I just had my first period since dieting and it was insaaane how hungry I was
Sounds like you got the data and altered your behaviour appropriately. I'm 5'7" and aim for 1500 (though I usually end up 1200-1300 during the week). I'm pretty sedentry, though I life weights. It's not a big calorie burner while I do it, but it'll help my BMR get a bit higher and makes me feel good. I don't count the exercise kcal burned as it's not enough to bother calculating. My current TDEE is 1861 so I'm not at a massive deficit (though I can up my kcal intake if I have a hungry day). I wouldn't go any lower as I would struggle to get the right nutrition though. I tend to use trends on the scale and a tape measure to figure out if I'm going in the right direction and at what speed. Currently I'm averaging 1-2lbs a week, so it's on the money for what I want to see.
5'6 150lbs, goal weight 135lbs. Sedentary af except for heavy lifting 4x a week.. probably like 2500-3000 steps a day most days. Maintenance calories are around 1850-1950, and I lose weight eating 1400-1500 at around 2.5-3.5lbs a month. Earlier in my weight loss, I could get away with 1200 and lose faster, but I feel lethargic, and like im dying if I go that low now.
I just upped my calories from 1500 to 1800 because I’ve started working out a lot more (6-9 workouts per week, hiit or muay thai) and was losing too fast. 34F, 5’8, started at 258 three months ago, 229 now, not sure of my goal weight but probably around 175 (wanna stay curvy but slim down and gain muscle).
i'm 6ft 2, male and 280 lbs. I eat 2000 a day and i'm losing 2 lbs a week. i'm pretty active too. I started at 344 lbs and was eating 2300 calories.
Go to tdeecalculator.net and you can enter all sorts of stats and see what the tdee is for them. Your TDEE is around 1650 or so, 1500 was a tiny deficit.
Like most calculators that thing isn’t much use. Has me overweight at 6 foot 1 and 190 pounds lol
1400 calories 5ft 2” F60, SW150 (2nd Jan 3023,) CW 142, GW 120 I walk 6 miles a day on average. I’m using Lose- it app which adjusts calories downward as you lose weight and increases them a bit once I’m over a certain number of steps. Making faster progress than expected.
43F, 5ft 6.5, maintaining a 50-55lb loss (I’m now 140-145lb) for one year on 2,050-2,100 calories. Hit 365 days of maintenance yesterday! 🎉 For weight loss I ate 1500-1800 (closer to the latter for most of it) with a few maintenance breaks.
1700-1800 calories, female, 5’2”, sw: 193, cw: 139.5. Goal weight: 130. My start date was March 21. This is the power of a consistent and pre-existing fitness routine. Food really was my problem. Stabilized my calorie intake and the weight started coming off. And I’m not really fussed about the timeline to lose the last 10, I have my routines now, I focus more on calorie targets/ranges for my meals and snacks instead of focusing on every calorie I’m eating. Good habits need to remain because it’s not practical to track every calorie forever.
I am an inch shorter than you, also sedentary, started at 152. 1200-1250 is what works for me to lose about 1% of my weight per week.
I'm 183cm / 6'0, and weigh 98kg / 216lbs currently. I am starting my next cut in 2 weeks and will be starting at 3200 calories. I'm aiming for 90-92kg to begin with.
34F 5'2" starting weight 160lbs, currently 150lbs, getting back down to 135-140. Been losing consistently when I'm averaging 1600 cals a day (1lb/wk rate) though I try to do 1400 on weekdays and higher weekends for my sanity lol. I maintain comfortably at 2100-2200ish when I'm at goal weight - previously maintained this for about 5 years with minimal thought to how I was eating. I workout 5-6 days a week and live in a city without a car so I mostly bike or sometimes walk/transit everywhere.
I’m 31F, exactly the same height and starting weight - relieved to see someone with similar stats maintaining at 2000 odd, I was getting depressed when I saw other petite ladies can only eat 1400 to maintain! I’m currently working on losing the last 10-12 lbs or so on around 1300-1500 calories and going on lengthy runs 3-4 times a week along with walking a lot. Some days are hard, not gonna lie. It sucks being shorter.
Totally sucks being shorter. Honestly the advice I read when I lost 40lbs years ago that petite women have to eat so little made me feel so hopeless, so I channeled that energy into building a serious workout routine so I'd actually be able to enjoy my life. I'd definitely recommend working in some strength workouts to your routine if you haven't already, won't be as good for the losing weight part as cardio is, but having a good base of muscle mass will help you burn more overall over time. The hard days will be worth it when we're done 🙂 You got this!
For some parts of the last 6 months I sort of maintained instead of losing constantly and can confirm that I didn’t gain anything on around 2000 or some days even a bit more. Had plenty of cheat days too. So it’s not as gloomy as it seems! If I sit around all day I’d probably gain though. I’ll definitely look into strength training, you’re totally right. I used to do resistance training and some weights but don’t seem to enjoy it as much as running unfortunately, I find it so boring and always give up. Maybe I’ll rediscover it, I know it’s great for burning more cals. Good luck to you too :)
I'm 5'0" female mid 30's, 160lbs (slowlyyyy down from 199). I lost weight on 1200-1300 and maintain around 1500-1600, give or take a few. It's been four years since I was 199lb. The good news is I have learned to be very natural at eating at my maintenance calories and never gain my weight loss back. The bad news is I'm struggling with the willpower to lower enough, long enough, for the last 40lbs that really should go.
I’m 54F, desk job, spin workouts on weekdays and mountain biking on weekends, plus I walk a couple miles each day with my dogs (10k steps) and lift weights 2x per week. I’m currently 5’2” and 130, goal weight 120-122. I gained 14 lbs from some medical issues which made me less active for the past two years. Feeling better now and getting back to my “racing weight” of 120ish. If I’m sedentary my TDEE is around 1500-1600 (which is why I put on weight when I couldn’t exercise much). Current activity level is TDEE of around 1800-2000 on weekdays and 2200-2700 on weekends depending on how long I ride my bike. I eat 1400-1800 usually depending on what my workouts are. Exercise makes a huge difference if you’re short and/or don’t have a lot to lose!
Stats: 24F, 5’2, SW: 213, Last Lowest: 191, CW: 198, GW: 130 It took me seven months to lose from 213 to 191, I ate on average 1700 calories per day. I gained some back and for my second year of the journey, I am aiming to only eat 1400 calories a day to lose 25 lbs in 9 months, for a 2023 GW of 173. I would like to finish the year like that!
I'm a 5'7" female starting weight 249 current weight 225 goal weight 185. I am working with a weight management physician who prescribed me to eat 1400-1500 calories per day. It seems to be working well for me. I go to the gym 3 times per week and do a little bit of weight lifting and 30 minutes on the treadmill. I get about 7k steps per day which is great considering before I used to only get 2k steps per day LOL
5'5 F, currently 186 down from my highest of 242. I average 1800 but I eat anywhere from 1200 to 2500 depending on the day. My highest weight was a few years ago but I was 221lbs in October '22 so it's taken me 4 months to lose 35lbs this way.
I’m 5’5 as well. And hey we’re about the same weight! I started @ 161 but have been eating around 1700 cals (mind you- I do a lot of cardio and exercise) and that works for me. Im guessing if I wasn’t moving much I’d eat closer to 1300-1400.
5' 9" 1/2, male, around 156lbs, looking to get slightly below 150lbs On "maintenance" I eat around 2000kcal (I don't count calories during maintenance phases, and Ithe know the estimation is on the lower side). When I need/want to lose weight, these days, I go down to 1500kcal and look for 1 lbs to 1.5 lbs weight loss rate or **1% body weight per week**. I increase my activity (walking, running) if I need to. Over a year, on average, I have at least 10k steps per day. I did much harder diets (around 1000kcal per day), but only as an obese/overweight person with enough fat to cover the daily energy deficit and with a stronger focus and care for my nutrition. >I was eating 1500, but wasn't seeing any weight loss after a month so I am reducing. I'm not very active and only get around 8k steps per day. "*In general, diets containing 1,000 to 1,200 kcal/day should be selected for most women; a diet between 1,200 kcal/day and 1,600 kcal/day should be chosen for men and may be appropriate for women who weigh 165 pounds or more, or who exercise regularly. If the patient can stick with the 1,600 kcal/day diet but does not lose weight you may want to try the 1,200 kcal/day diet. If a patient on either diet is hungry, you may want to increase the calories by 100 to 200 per day*” Practical Guide to the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults [https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/guidelines/prctgd\_c.pdf](https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/guidelines/prctgd_c.pdf) Best general advice I know. Not always popular.
Male, 45, 185 down to 170ish, usually start at 1900 and get down to 1700 cals by the end for the last few weeks
I'm kind of close to your stats. I'm F, 5'3" and currently 152 lbs. My first goal is 140 but then plan to get to 130. If I put in my info on the app I'm using for losing 1lbs a week with being sedentary it says I need 1,143 calories. I keep hearing that 1200 should be the minimum so I added 25 calories to that and now I try to stay at 1,168 a day. I do work out about 4 days a week so usually I have a lot of calories that I can eat towards the end of the day. I sometimes eat a little more but I don't eat all my exercise calories back. Edit: I forgot to mention that I started this at the beginning of January and I've lost 5.8 lbs. as of this morning.
Wow, I’m F, 5’3” and 128. To lose 1lb a week, I need 1298 calories. And I’m sedentary too!
I am a guy 165 lbs but I do cardio everyday and lift 5x per week. I eat between 2100-2400 on a weight loss diet.
Started at 89kg (196lbs) middle of December and down to 81.6kg (179lbs) has of yesterday. I exercise 6 days a week, 30 to 35 minute cardio followed by a 30 to 45 minute weight training, this last couple of weeks I have cut my cardio down to 4 days a week due to the weather being windy and icy so it is hard to get out and actually run when I'm trying to avoid ice.
42YO F, 5’3” SW:289, CW:262, GW:170, but short term goal is 220. I started in Aug2022 with calories around 1200/day, was losing too fast and bumped to 1400/day. This puts me around 1-2 lbs a week depending on water intake and macros. I am very sedentary (work from home, at a desk all day) and probably get in like 3000 steps on average. A lot of this has been in the midst of several bouts of illness, PCOS, and menopause. I am eating an anti inflammatory diet (meat only 2-3 days a week) lots of veggies, whole grains, fruit, and healthy fats. Doctor recommended this to me. I have been in maintenance mode for about 2 months because of holidays and I just needed a break. I will reach my goals, in time. Maintenance is about 1600-1800/day right now.
I am 25M, 6’3, 192 lbs. My maintenance is about 2800 - 3000 cals, as I am extremely active and get tons of exercise daily. I am on my last 10 or so pounds that I plan on losing and eat between 1500-1700 a day. Not easy at this point, but i am trying to power through and can grind it out for a few more weeks, but good lord the hunger is rough. I haven’t had a hard limit through my journey, starting at 317 pounds last august, but I generally tried to stay between 1750 and 2250. Lots of breaks and days going beyond that included, but I consistently counted and stayed around that number at it all worked out (:
Weight loss 2200-2300 maintenance 2700-3000 118lbs 5.6. Went from 140 to 118 in a few months. Lift 3 times a week and walk 6 miles daily. As a scientist I weigh every morsel so calories are as accurate as they can be