how many calories a day should i be taking in? in order to lose weight fast and keep it off.?
363347
Depends on how many calories you're burning. However, you can't lose FAST and keep it off. You didn't put it on fast. To be healthy, you should not lose more than 3-4 lbs a week. If you start some resistance training, you'll see body changes much faster even though the numbers on the scale don't drop fast.
877924
Doug:  The key to weight loss is simply this:  A pound of fat is 3,500 calories.  You need approximately 2,000-2,500 calories/ day to maintain your weight.  If you run four miles a day, you are burning about 500 calories.  So, in order to lose weight, you must reduce your caloric intake to about 1,000/day.  You will then burn 2000 calories/day (so long as you do your 4 miles)..and the weight will burn off of you rather quickly.  Do not starve yourself.  After 72 hours of starvation, your metabolism will stop dead in its tracks..your body will think that you are starving and you won't burn anything.  Drink alot of water.  Beleive it or not, alot of your stomach size could be due to water retention.  Up your water intake to at least a gallon per day and your body will not store any water.  Since muscle is 70% water and fat is 20% water, you will know that you are burning fat rather than lean muscle if you are properly hydrated.  Good luck!
785497
Losing weight help\n\nlose weight fastWe get weight by eating extra calories and incorrect amount of macronutrients. There are two ways by which we can lose weight.\n\n\n    * Eating less\n\n    * Exercising more\n\n\nYou know\n1 gram of protein = 4 calories\n1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories\n1 gram of fat = 9 calories\n1 pound of fat = 454 gram\nSo 1 pound of fat = 9*454 = 4086 calories\n\nNote: Our body fat contains around 3500 calories, as 10% of it is water.\nSo in order to lose a pound of fat (4086) in 2 weeks, we need to decrease calories consumption by 290 per day as 4096/14=290(approx)\n\n15 minute of good exercise will help you in losing around 100 calories. So in order to lose 1 pound of fat in two weeks, we need to exercise for around 45 minutes (290 calories) if we do not want to make any changing in our eating habit. So just take care of the amount of calories in the food you take. The best idea for losing weight will be by cutting down the junk food with exercising. So greatest way to lose weight is a mixture of diet and exercise as exercise builds muscles, and bigger muscles burn more fat.
724108
I think 1800 per day is a good place to start you can cut it back when you see you are not losing.  I use Caloriecounter.com to help me keep up with the calories I eat. I also use different websites to find recipes for almost any thing low cal.
803022
No, it really isn't.  No matter how much (or how little) you weigh now, you should never consume less than 1200 - 1400 calories per day, unless you do so under medical supervision.
116540
These answers are funny, but to be serious ... I've recently lost 40 pounds with diet and exercise. I'm on a 1200 calorie-a-day diet with Jenny Craig till I reach my goal. To keep it off, I plan to keep these healthy things as a part of my lifestyle - being active and eating the right things. The most encouraging thing I've found is that I don't have to go hungry if I eat the right foods - including veggies and other healthy things. Also I've changed some of my thinking because there's something wrong if I'm rewarding or pampering myself with food all the time. I don't think there's a magic diet pill or quick fix for losing weight and keeping it off - diet and exercise are the way to go.
305086
Well, in order to lose it in a healthy way, there is absolutely no way for you to lose 40 lbs in a month.  You would need to severely restrict your calories in order to do so, and then you would gain all of the weight back as soon as you begin eating "normally" again.  What you should do to lose the weight and keep it off is to eat 5 small meals a day, NEVER EVER go under 1200 calories a day, and get in some exercise!  I am very into fitness and health, and if you'd like any advice then please feel free to e-mail me and I'd be happy to give you some friendly advice.  Oh, and drink LOTS of water!
935182
It takes 3,600 cals to lose a pound.....\n\nBy the way you should eat at least 1.200 cals a day.......
904636
Losing weight is a simple equation: if you burn more calories than you eat, the weight will come off. Start off by estimating how many calories you burn each day using the calorie calculator (http://www.straighthealth.com/pages/tools/caloriecalclb.html). This will give you an idea of how many calories to eat. Healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. To lose 1 pound per week you need to create a calorie deficit (bur more than you eat) of 500 calories per day. To lose 2 pounds a week, you have to double the deficit to 1000 calories per day. You can achieve this by eating less, exercising more or a combination of both. For more information on diet, weight loss and exercise, visit http://straighthealth.com
543746
Around 1200 calories per day.\nBut it gets worse, what kind of calories?\n\nYou need to make sure it is balanced enough so that as you lose weight, you don't lose your current muscle. If this happens, as soon as you come off the diet, you will gain weight back + a few pounds.\n\n\nAs stated above, it is best to consult a professional.\n\nI have a book out right now that only cost 30bucks and it covers weight loss in depth.
821083
If you want to keep it off afterwards, don't starve yourself or go crazy at the gym. You can loose 10 lbs for sure. I would recommend cutting about 250-300 calories a day and walk (or more stenuous things if you are up to it, for atleast 20 minutes 3xweek).
352400
I aim for 1900 calories a day or less.  I am  working closely with a diet/fitness professional.  I write down what I eat in a food journal along with the calorie value of everything and I meet with my girl once a week to discuss what I ate and how I felt and all that.  She encourages me to eat several times throughout the day -every 2 or 3 hours in fact.  I do plan ahead, but allow for some spontenaity, I also eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.   When I eat at a friends house or a restaurant I write down what I ate when I get home and use this website to estimate the calorie value of what it was;\nhttp://www.calorieking.com/foods/\nAt first, I just wrote what I ate because I had no idea what the calorie value of anything was.  After 2 1/2 months of doing it, I have a much better idea of what the calorie count of different foods are and can plan better throughout the day.  I have lost 10 pounds since I started.  \nI was against the idea of counting calories at first, but agreed because what I was doing wasn't working.  For me, the most helpful thing has been the support  I recieve from my girl.  She has really helped me to stay focused.  Calories are a number, like your weight or your size that are only a part of the whole picture of health.  When I get frustrated at my slow progress she reminds me of how great I feel and the long term benefits I am giving myself by eating well and exercising and that this is for life-I am not on a diet to be a size 9 by the weekend.
905873
Take in 1200-1500 calories per day.  Exercise 30 min. per day.  If you are a male, then you will need more calories though.
135167
Losing weight fast is dangerous for your health.  Do not lose more than 1 or 2 pounds a week.  Low carb diets are also dangerous--the 1960's taught us that.\n\nYou need a regular exercise program and a balanced diet high in fiber and low in fat.  Because you are inactive and overweight, you should consult a doctor before starting any exercise program (for your safety).  It is dangerous to eat fewer than 1200 calories a day, and it is dangerous to do too much exercise all at once.  Diet pills are basically "speed", and not good for you.  You want to eat a balanced diet of about 1400-1600 calories a day and do some fun exercise every day (aerobic exercise, which means it needs to get your heart rate up for a minumum of 20 minutes).  The exercise type doesn't matter--it could even be dancing if you jump around enough.  You just need to get your heart rate up for an extended period.\n\nIf you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight.  Remember that you burn a bunch of calories just living and breathing, and that is one reason not to eat fewer than 1200 calories a day.  The second reason is that your body needs nutrition to live.\n\nSee your doctor and take your time.  I wish you the best!
114961
In general, you have to have a calorie deficit of 3500 calories to lose a \npound of weight.  This deficit can be produced by eating fewer calories, by \nusing more calories (being more active), or a combination of the two.  \nCertainly, the easiest way to do this is by eating about 250 calories less \na day and exercising about 250 calories more a day to lose about 1 pound a \nweek.  Given that it takes about 3500 calories to lose a pound of weight \nand that the average calorie need for most of us is about 2000 calories a \nday, it stands to reason that losing more than a couple of pounds a week is \nmathematically impossible.
922700
It depends on your weight.  First, you need to go and find your RMR (resting Metabolic Rate)- which is how many calories you would need to maintain your weight if you did nothing but lie in bed and sleep all day.  You would need to add another 200-300 calories just for daily activities, depending on what you do every day.  Even watching TV burns calories:\n\nhttp://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm\n\nhttp://www.coolnurse.com/calories_burned.htm\n\n\nEvery time you burn 3500 calories, either from exercising or cutting calories, you lose one pound.  So, in order to lose one pound per week, you would need to eat 500 calories less than you need to maintain your current weight.  You could also consume the amount of calories needed to maintain your weight, and burn 500 calories through exercising.  What works best is a combination- eat 200 less, and burn 300.  \n\nLosing body fat happens faster and more easily if you exercise (because it boosts your metabolism and curbs your hunger cravings), and even then, faster if you strength train compared to cardio alone.  One of the jobs of your muscles is to burn fat.  The more lean muscle you have, the faster your fat melts away.  The following link will tell you how many calories you will burn with each exercise, by your weight, with the amount of time you put in.  (choose, calories burned and disable your pop-up blocker):\n\nhttp://www.healthstatus.net/calculators.html\n\nRemember that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you are strength training, you may gain a little weight at first because you are gaining muscle before it will burn away your fat.\n\nHere are some tips:\n\n-Drink lots of water.  Your body will only have hunger cravings when you're actually hungry if you're properly hydrated.\n\n-Eat smaller meals throughout the day, like 5-6.  It maintains your metabolism and keeps your "machine" running smoothly.  If you happen to skip a meal, your body will think it's starving and go into famine mode: slowing down your metabolism by saving every last ounce of fat because it thinks it won't be fed.\n\n-Try to cut fast food completely out of your diet.\n\n-Your meals should consist of 25% protein, 25% carb, and 50% veges and fruits.  Add in low-fat milk as needed.
232517
how much you weigh has no factor on it. your intake of calories should be less than amount of calories you burn. start paying attention the the nutrition facts chart on food packaging, the calorie amount in particular. it's also wise to exercise using something that calculated the amount of calories burned. if the total amount burned is more than the amount taken in - congrats! you're on your way to losing weight. but don't rush it, it's just as unhealthy to lose too much too fast (like 50lbs in one week - not good).