Is 1500 calories a day enough to lose weight?

[Anonymous]

I could when I was in my 20s. Now, sadly, 1200.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you need to look online for BMR calculators - this is your base metabolic rate and takes into consideration some factors such as your age, level of activity and your body size and weight.

You then need to back out how much weight you want to lose each week. 3500 calories equal one pound. That is why the standard logic is to back out 500 calories a day from your BMR.

There are also similar calculators for exercise based on your weight. So for instance if you want to lose two pounds a week, you should back out 500 calories a day from your diet and burn 500 calories working out. This could be a 5 mile run, or a 3 mile walk depending on your size.

It is very important to track everything you eat and your workouts and weigh yourself every day because you want to look at long term trends when tracking progress. You don't want to 'spot' weigh yourself at a random point of day. Weigh yourself at the same time, first think in the AM and track the weight.


I would suggest trying a few of these because they incorporate different formulas. You need to track and experiment to make this work.
https://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/basal-metabolic-rate


This works - you need to track everything that you do, and eat but after a while, it isn't hard to do as you understand how many calories are in everything you eat. It also helps you make better choices. You can eat a snickers bar for 250 calories, or two containers of yogurt. Which one leaves you feeling better and more full for a longer period of time.

Small meals and snacks rather than sitting down to three big meals helps a lot as well.

BMR calculators are not correct for many people. For my height, weight, gender and age it says I can eat over 1800 calories a day with no exercise. I exercise and both Fitbit and My Fitness Pal say I can eat 2600-2800 calories without gaining. I eat about 1600 calories a day and I am able to lose 10 pounds in a three month period, when the calculators say I should be losing more than 2 pounds a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you need to look online for BMR calculators - this is your base metabolic rate and takes into consideration some factors such as your age, level of activity and your body size and weight.

You then need to back out how much weight you want to lose each week. 3500 calories equal one pound. That is why the standard logic is to back out 500 calories a day from your BMR.

There are also similar calculators for exercise based on your weight. So for instance if you want to lose two pounds a week, you should back out 500 calories a day from your diet and burn 500 calories working out. This could be a 5 mile run, or a 3 mile walk depending on your size.

It is very important to track everything you eat and your workouts and weigh yourself every day because you want to look at long term trends when tracking progress. You don't want to 'spot' weigh yourself at a random point of day. Weigh yourself at the same time, first think in the AM and track the weight.


I would suggest trying a few of these because they incorporate different formulas. You need to track and experiment to make this work.
https://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/basal-metabolic-rate


This works - you need to track everything that you do, and eat but after a while, it isn't hard to do as you understand how many calories are in everything you eat. It also helps you make better choices. You can eat a snickers bar for 250 calories, or two containers of yogurt. Which one leaves you feeling better and more full for a longer period of time.

Small meals and snacks rather than sitting down to three big meals helps a lot as well.

BMR calculators are not correct for many people. For my height, weight, gender and age it says I can eat over 1800 calories a day with no exercise. I exercise and both Fitbit and My Fitness Pal say I can eat 2600-2800 calories without gaining. I eat about 1600 calories a day and I am able to lose 10 pounds in a three month period, when the calculators say I should be losing more than 2 pounds a week.

I will add that this is the way it has been my entire life. When I went o college, I exercised more than my peers, ate about 2/3 of what they ate and was 2-3 sizes bigger. 30 years later, nothing has changed. I have never done a "fad diet" or extreme dieting. I just gain weight extremely easily. It would be an asset if I lived in a resource scarce place.

[Anonymous]

I have similar stats as you. I am 38 and was a shade over 140 at the start of the year. I exercise 5-6 days a week, usually a combo of yoga, walking, and the elliptical (have always been a runner and did a targeted running program for 7 weeks before my knee gave out). My goal is a net of 1200, so I eat calories I burn, which means most days I am probably eating close to 1500. I use a heart rate monitor (apple watch) to ensure that I am not overestimating calories burned. I track everything I eat. I have lost about 12 pounds since January 1. My Lose It app thinks I should be losing 1.5 per week, but I'm not losing that fast. I think it'll be down to 125 by June if things continue as they have so far.