losing weight

Question
I am 49, 5"3' and weight 178 lbs.  How many calories a day do I have to consume to lose 50 lbs? I've been doing the six small meal and walking on the tread mill every night for 2 hrs.

Answer
Sharon,
If you do NOT exercise, then you need to eat 1600 calories every day to maintain your current weight.
Likewise, if you do not exercise, and you weighed 128 pounds, then you would need to eat 1400 calories every day to maintain that weight. These numbers are estimates based on your gender, age, and weight. You can have your exact calorie requirements measured at some health clubs-the best way involves you breathing into a machine. Notice, though, that as you weigh less, your daily calorie needs decrease-this is why a lot of dieters "plateau", or stop losing weight. They have lost enough weight to significantly decrease their calorie needs.
But if you simply cut 200 calories every day, it will take you 29 months to reach 128 pounds. If you want to lose the 50 pounds in one year, then you need cut 500 calories daily. You can either eat less, exercise more, or some combination.
Exercise is great. Right now, in 2 hours of easy walking on the treadmill, you're burning 404 calories. At 128 pounds, walking the exact same speed for the exact same amount of time, you'll only burn 290 calories. So as you lose, you'll need to increase your treadmill speed or incline in order to keep burning the same number of calories.

So to summarize, every day, your total calories eaten minus calories burned on the treadmill should be 1100-1200, and you'll lose the weight in about a year. Use a food tracker at first to help you calculate your calories-two free online ones are www.fitday.com and www.sparkpeople.com.

Good luck!
Melissa

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