How many calories should i have to lose weight?

I'm trying to lose weight, how many calories a day & do I eat ok enough to lose some?

• I'm 17, 5'0. I weigh 100 in the mornings & like, 102 in the nights. Which is right? & Which should I put on my weight loss thing? This isn't what I eat everyday, obviously, but heres what I had yesterday; Breakfast- 2 cups watermelon & a piece of plain whole wheat toast. Snack- light string cheese & 3 baby pickles. Lunch- morning start veggie "chicken" patty with lettuce & tomato and mustard. -I drank a diet mtn dew with it (I knowww! theyre bad for you but I craved it) Snack- 2 spoonfuls of peanut butter. Supper- spinach (wilted it) & mixed it with tomatoes. alsooo, I had 2 spoonfuls of hummus & a cucumber. I also drank 3 glasses of water Is there anything I need to change?? Like add or get rid of? I don't eat meat, so I can't add that... How many calories a day do I need to lose weight?

• Answer:

  First of all I'd like to say, you don't need to lose weight according the the height & weight charts. Of course these are just a generalization. As far as how many calories you need, doctors recommend you don't go any lower than 1000-1500 calories when dieting. I you go lower than this, you will start to feel run-down and all around "crappy". Women usually need between 2000-2500 calories a day to keep the weight they are at. Of course this varies by person. After looking at what you eat, you could eat more if you wanted to. As I'm sure you know, watch your carbohydrate intake, which you are doing very well on. You may want to add more fruits & veggies to your diet, but be aware many green veggies contain carbohydrates. You need to get more protein in you diet. You don't have much body fat to loose, and you don't want to loose muscle mass. I don't know what type of vegetarian you are, but you could add some eggs to your diet as your body needs to get protein from different sources. You could also supplement this by getting a protein powder (should be easily digestible) and make a smoothie in the morning. Being female, you should only use 1/2-1 scoop. Make sure you exercise if you choose to do this, otherwise all it will do is make you gain weight. Also, to stay on a diet, you need to "treat" yourself once in a while. Having a Dt. Mt. Dew, is not a bad thing. If you deprive yourself of foods/drinks you like, you have a greater chance of not staying on the diet. Also make sure you are getting plenty of rest, and I always recommend taking a multivitamin to make sure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals you body needs. Being as small as you are, it may take longer for you to loose 5-10 lbs as it would a larger person, as you don't have as much body fat. I would recommend your weight not go below 90-95 lbs. I'm sure people are going to disagree with me, but when I was your age, I was 5'1" and weighed 90lbs.