Is 1500 calories a day enough to lose weight?

[Anonymous]

Ideally I would like to eat around 1200, but I just get too hungry! I'm wondering if 1500 calories a day is enough for me to lose about 20lbs. I weigh 137 and do moderate exercise (mainly weights)

[Anonymous]

There are websites that will tell you that, OP. I would gain weight with 1500 calories every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are websites that will tell you that, OP. I would gain weight with 1500 calories every day.

And I would lose it. There are too many factors to consider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are websites that will tell you that, OP. I would gain weight with 1500 calories every day.

Lol. No! That means you are eating more than you think.

[Anonymous]

No, I'm with 16:16. I weight 110, so to maintain weight I need to be eating 1200 calories a day. I suspect 1500 is more like a maintenance weight for someone that weighs 137.

But fundamentally. this is easy to figure out online.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are websites that will tell you that, OP. I would gain weight with 1500 calories every day.

Lol. No! That means you are eating more than you think.

+1.

[Anonymous]

It really depends on your own metabolism. For me it also depends on what foods I'm eating (it isn't just calories in, calories out -- different foods trigger different hormones and in many people, those hormones trigger your body's ability to burn the food or store it).

Try it out, it isn't a permanent decision. You can always readjust.

I would recommend making sure you have at least 75 grams of protein and 50 grams of fat and see if that helps with your hunger too.

[Anonymous]

I lose weight eating 1850. But, I work out 6 days a week--30 miles a week of running and the rest in the weight room. I aim to burn 2400 per day. I would starve on 1200 and not have the necessary fuel to get through my runs and workouts.

Like others have said, there are too many variables to tell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are websites that will tell you that, OP. I would gain weight with 1500 calories every day.

And I would lose it. There are too many factors to consider.

+1

38, 5'3" - I would lose weight on 1,500 calories. I normally eat 2,000-2,5000 on an average day but I also exercise every day.

If you gain weight on 1500 calories, and you are not an extremely small petite person who lays in bed all day, every day, then you are a medical anomaly if you gain weight with that. I agree with pp that they're probably eating more than they think. Or have royally messed up their metabolisms with starvation diets.

[Anonymous]

Figure 10-12 X your body weight. Begin with 12 for a couple of weeks then depending on your progress , lower to 11, then 10. But no less than 10x bodyweight. The goal would be to eat as much as possible while losing so stay at 12 if it's enough!

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are websites that will tell you that, OP. I would gain weight with 1500 calories every day.

And I would lose it. There are too many factors to consider.

+1

38, 5'3" - I would lose weight on 1,500 calories. I normally eat 2,000-2,5000 on an average day but I also exercise every day.

If you gain weight on 1500 calories, and you are not an extremely small petite person who lays in bed all day, every day, then you are a medical anomaly if you gain weight with that. I agree with pp that they're probably eating more than they think. Or have royally messed up their metabolisms with starvation diets.

NP. I hear what you're saying, but it really depends on a lot of factors. I'm a 6'2", 200 LB, 50 year old guy. If I'm not working out, then I need to go below 1800 to lose weight. Lifting 3X per week and walking about 4 miles a day, I can bulk on about 2700. It really depends on the individual. When I was younger I needed to eat much more.

[Anonymous]

I would definitely lose weight if I only ate 1,500 calories, but I'd also pass out pretty often. When I've dieted, I can't drop below 1,500 PLUS whatever I'm burning off with exercise, or I get light-headed.

Maybe you could ramp up the exercise a bit too?

[Anonymous]

Try it, keep track of calories, and adjust up or down depending on your weight gain or loss.

Try to get at least 100 grams of protein a day -- keeps you feeling fuller and helps reduce loss of muscle mass.

Might take a multivitamin also.

[Anonymous]

If I ate 1500 calories in a day, that means it was a "celebration" day. And I'd definitely gain weight. People are different.