How many calories should I be eating?

[itsonlysubterfuge]

I've used several different calorie counters online and they all have different answers, in between 700-1700 calories. It's a huge margin. Does anyone have any reliable calculators or formulas they use?

[annandale]

At the moment I use myfitnesspal and it allows me 1850 which is a lot - just shows how big I am at the moment, though also I have a more active job than some. I used to do roughly 1500 a day which I will always lose weight on but is quite hard.

[eckythumpenallthat]

Use a basal metabolic rate calculator like this

www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator

That's tells you how many calories your body needs if you were just to sleep/sit still/do bugger all all day

[YeOldTrout]

that seems quite low to me. Because I eat like a pig & don't seem to gain weight (ducking internet tomatoes now).

[annandale]

I'd imagine you're very active, or perhaps quite young? I have pcos which means my body is superb at squeezing the most out of every calorie though on the plus side it will gain muscle fairly easily.

[YeOldTrout]

47 almost 48.
What does very active mean? Yesterday was probably close to average, I cycled 7 miles & walked 1.5 miles. Quite sedentary otherwise.
I've always had a pig of an appetite. People say so. My weight was higher in my teens, didn't slim down until mid 20s.
Can only eat if I'm calm & truly hungry, though.

[annandale]

Whereas I eat to become calm...yes I would say you're more active than average, which sadly isn't hard in this country.

[itsonlysubterfuge]

My BMR is 1,545 so I guess my eating 1,000-1,200 calories a day is okay. I just wish I was losing weight a little better.

Thanks for your replies.

[eckythumpenallthat]

It's not just the number of calories your eating but the quality. There is truth to the theory that 'not all calories are equal'

[annandale]

Is there ecky? Not in my experience, i have to say.

Increasing activity is probably the way to go next, but we all have limits on that one.