how many calories should i eat a day to lose weight?

Question

i'm about 145 lbs.
5'4".
In 4-5 months I want to be 125-130lbs.
I know it's hard.
The easiest way for me is to count calories.
So how many should I eat?

&&& since I overate so much today, should I skip a day of eating tomarrow or some meals tomarrow or start the calorie plan right away?

I'm only 13 & I never have any time since my parents are divorced and I'm involved in many activities including school activities that are usually 3 times a week until 7.

Answer 1

find calorie/fitness calculator on the net, enter your stats and it will tell you how many calories a day you need to maintain your weight. take 300-400calories off that number and that's how much you need to lose weight.
eat 5-6 small meals a day instead of 3 big ones.
5-8 servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
8 glasses of water a day.
4-6 times a week cardio work out for 30-50min plus light weight training.
no junk food, no sodas, no white flour (white bread, pasta, cookies, cakes etc)

Answer 2

Hello!

To lose around 1-3 pounds a week, you have to eat 500 calories less than you normally would eat. You can offset this amount with exercise so you may be able to eat more if you burn more. I lost 45 pounds in 31/2 months following this plan. It was easy because I didn't have to eat special food at a special time. I just used the high end of the USDA recommendations for 2500 calories a day ate only 2000. This may not work for you personally, since I had much more to lose than you do.

I would say, don't skip a meal just because you over ate. It messes with your metabolism and your body might think it is starving and try to maintain the pounds! Yikes! Plus, when I go a day without eating, I am always so hungry by the day's end, that I binge on the easiest thing to eat: fast food or junk in the house (usually cake).

When I eat too much, I try to either eat say, 600 calories the next day instead of 500 or do a little more exercise. I walk (no gym) and started out by going outside and walking 15min in any direction and then turning around to come back home. I can't remember how many calories, but that's the doctor recommended 30 minutes.

I tried to do way too much at the beginning, like 1000 calories less, but it wasn't natural and I failed pretty quickly. I like the above plan because although it is slow, but super effective. I haven't gained any back, even off it, and I'm going to start again.
Here's a good fast food calorie counter (for when you get the need for some good ole grease).

http://www.chowbaby.com/fastfood/fast_food_nutrition.asp

Good luck with your diet! Try to stay mentally tough! I'm rooting for you!

Amelia

Answer 3

Don't skip meals just because you've overeaten. Nutrition should be your number one goal.

When counting calories, I must admit that just won't do it alone. Since you seem to have a deadline or goal set, I'd recommend you go to the gym or exercise 3 days a week for at least 30 to 60 minutes.

Normally, 2000 calories is supposed to be ingested, but between 1200 and 1800 is fine when dieting. I find fruits fill me up faster, and they have less calories, too.

To me, you don't seem that overweight, but I don't see your body structure, so I really don't know if you look overweight. 5'4" is pretty tall for 145 pounds. I'm 5'2" and I'm around 105 pounds or less...I exercise 3 days a week by biking on my community's bike trails for about 1.2 to 1.5 miles. Running is also good for your heart, but I don't find it kind to my feet or knees. I love oranges and carrots and milk chocolate.

When counting calories, remember to get your protein, take a multivitamin daily, drink lots of water, and don't be afraid to try new things while on a diet. If you follow your diet 95% of the time, it can leave you some wiggle room when you are paying for a big dinner. Plainly said, you don't have to eat like a bird to get results.

I wish you luck, and really think you can do it!
Be sure to have a good support system at home to make sure you follow through, and believe in yourself. There's no better motivation than your family!

Answer 4

ugh counting calories...that's the toughest way to lose in my opnion, but if you're going to count..here's my suggestion on the way to do it.

Find a site (see link below and you don't have to join to use it) and count what you eat, then make sure you burn more than you take in or stay on an even keel and you should lose. How many you consume is really up to you but the trick is burning more than you eat. There's lots of food that burn more that you eat as well, - melons, cabbage, all kinds...good luck

Answer 5

Do NOT do this! HOWEVER, there used to be an exciting, very good-publicized vitamin that obtained plenty of persons wasting weight a few years again. It used to be known as the Rotation Diet. Whole CITIES went at the vitamin. They could pass to their nearby grocery retailer - right here it used to be Fred Meyer, weigh in and their growth could be tracked. Then an amalgamated whole weight reduction could be published and publicized. It used to be relatively very victorious, and regularly NO unhealthy press--clinical or or else--approximately it. Lots of greens, salads and entire grains, and so on. The suggestions used to be this: Consume tremendous low energy for three days--six hundred; a upward thrust in energy for the following four days--900; then 1200 energy for every week (7 days) -- that is the plan for females. The guys's plan differs. You comply with the plan for three weeks, after which you are taking a "excursion." Then return at the plan. The writer of the plan indicates that you simply "trick" your metabolism by way of replacing the quantity of energy you devour periodically. Dr. Kahn indicates that the frame while occurring a vitamin like you advise (800 energy) will deliver itself a sign that it's ravenous and can start to NOT position in general and reduce weight with ease to hold itself. Makes a few type of feel, truthfully. But with the Rotation Diet, the switches are particularly speedy and the frame does not see itself as ravenous. And without doubt no longer on a 1200 calorie vitamin that's what you do in the course of the core week of 3 weeks of operating the plan. This plan is surely NOT for any one who does no longer want to rely energy. But, individually, or even in Weight Watchers view, you gotta rely somethin' ! Well, I did the Rotation Diet for the higher aspect of a 12 months, and misplaced over 50 lbs. It works! Follow the hyperlinks to uncover out extra. I;ve integrated a overview there, too. The final hyperlink is a well one.

Answer 6

its not about counting calories, all you need to do is eat healthy! im sure you know the difference between healthy foods and junk foods!

&never EVER skip your meal! you're over eat again for your next meal. i should eat snack size portioned food 5-6 times a day. and drink at least 80 ounces of water a day.

Answer 7

It depends on age and how much work out you can do. Go to the gym work out 3 times a week eat 1000 calories a day. And quick overeatting get serious

Answer 8

Freedieting.com has some awesome calorie calculators.

Also, http://www.idespisescams.com has a really awesome resource (the first one there, Fat Loss 4 Idiots I think it's called). I read it, and it's now my weight loss bible - helped so much!!

Good luck :)

Answer 9

1200 to 1500 calories to loose weight. But with proper exercise and growth, you shouldn't have to worry about loosing weight at all. You'll be getting taller and bigger and that means more weight. So, you will weight the same or more but your body will be more proportionate to your size.

Answer 10

muscle burns at least four times as many calories as fat does so try twenty minutes of strength straining two to three times a week