would like some numbers please

[quakebks]

hey guys, so i have cut a few pounds before but nothing serious. i have been trying to cut for a little while now but have stalled. i was wondering how many calories do you think i should take in. i am 5 foot 6, 21 yrs old, 178lbs, prob. 18% bf if i had to guess. also lets say i do no cardio while cutting (i do but im looking for a base number of cals before i apply that). I work out aprox. 4-5 days a week and am a college student so not overly active throughout the day. i have used a calculator before but would like to know what some people around my size are doing. Thanks ahead of time.

[burnstacp]

Dude I'm 5'5" and 163lbs and 8% bodyfat right now. That is a legit 8% from a bodpod. I carb cycle 150, 200, 250. I try to keep fats as low as possible but they always sneak in a little here and there so i don't monitor them too strictly. I make sure I get in at least 200g protein a day, and I have one nasty MFin cheat meal on the weekends. I also throw in a little intermittent fasting protocol and do 2-3 20 min preworkout cardio sessions per week and lift hard 4-5 times per week. I was up as high as 186 but not near as lean. I plan to be about 4% by June. Hope that helps.

[w4rf4r3]

My guess would be 2300kcal and below, but your best bet would be to utilize a couple BMR calculators and devise an average if they give you different numbers. Keep your fats and protein numbers up, and replace your more dense carbs from your later-in-the-day meals with fibrous vegetables if you still aren't losing enough weekly.

Here's one to start with, mind the spaces, I can't post links yet.:
http :/ /www .freedieting. com /tools/ calorie_calculator .htm

[Dr Zoidberg]

i am 5 foot 6, 21 yrs old, 178lbs, prob. 18% bf if i had to guess. also lets say i do no cardio while cutting (i do but im looking for a base number of cals before i apply that). I work out aprox. 4-5 days a week and am a college student so not overly active throughout the day. i have used a calculator before but would like to know what some people around my size are doing. Thanks ahead of time.

I don't know what calculator you have used, but I would:

1. Get a bodyfat caliper for a few bucks. It is an essential tool for a cut, as it allows you to really characterize your weight loss as %muscle and %fat

2. Use the Katch-McArdle formula (BMR based on lean body weight) for caloric needs. Using the numbers you provided, and your guess for bf%

BMR: ~1800 calories

To know your calories burned in a day without working out, i would use an activity factor of 1.2
so...

TDEE: ~ 2150 calories

As for me, I am 5'7", 24 y/o, 184 lbs, 10% bf. My TDEE is around 2400 calories without workouts. I tend to cut with 1900-2000 calories / day, and have managed to drop a lot of fat while keeping LBM +/- 2lbs