Maintenance Levels?

For the female vets who are over 50 years old and under 5'5" tall....what daily calorie/carb/protein level do you find allows you to maintain your current weight?   I know that the next several months will be a journey as I try to figure this out for myself.   But I'd like to hear what is working for everyone else who is of a similar age and height.  

Thanks in advance for the feedback!  

Hi there. I'm not sure gathering this info from all of us is going to help very much. There are so many factors involved in your metabolic rate. I can eat 1200 calories per day and not gain. That is with 3 days of Jazzercise which burns about 400 calories per hour and I walk on weekends about 9 miles. That's not a lot of calories but it is what it is.

Thanks, Mimi!  Do you know about how many protein grams and carb grams you get per day now?  

Oh, I am soon to be 54 and 5 ft 2 inches short!

I'm 5'2", age 57, had a personal goal of 125.  I started maintenance when I got there.  Immediately went from 600 cals/20 carbs/80 protein to 1000 cals/80 carbs/100 protein.  Stayed there for about a month while the scale bounced around from the extra carbs, then started adding 100 cals at a time every few weeks because the scale kept moving down. Right now, I eat 1500 cals/ 80-120 carbs/100-120 protein and I'm sitting around 113-116 pounds.  I'll warn you that I do seem to be able to eat more than most, even though I'm not overly active, but if you do the slow increases and observe what happens with the scale over time, you should find your balance.

Thanks, Linda!

You also have to take into account activity levels. I think that's more important than age and height. I eat about 1500-2000 a day and I know taller younger people who eat a lot less. My average is 1700. I think it's because I'm fidgety.

hi, i am 5'4" and weigh 123. i have been maintaining for 3 years on 1200 to 1300 per day, my lowest weight was 117 which is too low. i like to stay at 121 or 122.  i don't exercise formally but try to keep busy. diane

p.s.  i am now age 62.  and hey i lived in omaha 25 years. my brother got sleeved by dr. winterstein and is doing really well.   diane

So cool - it's a small, small world, isn't it?   Thanks for the info, Diane!