hi all,

I'm new here so I apologize if I'm posting this in the wrong area. I'm just curious to know how I would figure out how many calories I need to eat a day to lose weight. I am assuming it's between the 1200-1500 mark because I've seen a lot of those particular numbers and that's what I've been going with so far. I'm just wondering if there's a specific formula to figuring it out especially when factoring in calories burned during exercise. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Jessica

weight/calories (to loose, not maintain)

150...1050
160...1120
170...1190
180...1260
190...1330
200...1400
210...1470
220...1540
230...1610
240...1680
250...1750
260...1820
270...1890
280...1960
290...2030
300...2100

NewBrides list is a good quick reference point.

The other way of doing it is to find your Basal Metabolic Rate, BMR (there are many calculators on the internet). That's the number of calories your body burns throughout the day just due to chemical and metabolic processes. Add to BMR caloreis you burn by all the activities you do during the day. To loose weight, you need to eat less total calories then you burn. For example, if you burn 1800/day total, and you eat 1200 calories/day, you will have 500 calories per day deficit. In 7 days that will translate into 3500 calories deficit, equal to about 1 lb of fat loss.

The key of how many calories you can eat and loose weight depends on your BMR(which in turn depends on your current weight and body composition among other things) and how many calories you burn through your daily activities. There are many free calculators available on the internet. I don't have any links right now, but they are easy to find.

thanks so much to the both of you!