How many calories a day should I eat ?

Hi Kate, we're the same height.

First off, before you can figure out how many calories a day you should
eat....what are you trying to do? You don't say what your goal is.
Maintain your current weight? Lose weight at a slow steady pace?

I ask because I'm 48, moderately active, and the possessor of a not
very fast metabolism. If I eat more than 1700 calories a day, I'll gain
weight, but what keeps me stable is not necessarily what would be a
base intake for you.

A pound of fat is 3500 calories, so to lose a pound a week, you have to
run a daily deficit of 500 calories - either by eating less, or
exercising more, or both. Or if you want to lose 2 pounds a week, thats
a deficit of 1000 daily calories you have to run. Not easy to do
without a comprehensive plan to keep you on track.

For most of my "diet" I was losing about the latter, but I was on a
medically supervised program, checking in at a clinic three times a
week, taking vitamins and minerals, having my blood pressure checked,
blood work done, seeing a doctor every three weeks etc. What I ate was
also very specific, aimed at making sure I had enough protein in my
diet and kept my blood sugar as even as possible to avoid crashes and
cravings etc.

Just cutting calories to the bone won't get you to the finish line,
since if you don't plan out what you eat to take maxiumum benefit out
of every calorie in terms of nutrition and your personal habits and
weaknesses, you'll feel crummy, you'll feel deprived, and you'll quit!

Mary G.

This site might help ya:

http://www.nutritiondata.com/calories-burned.html