I have read in a few places the men should not go below 1800-2000 calories otherwise metabloism really drops. What sort of figure is the minimum a woman should aim for?

it is all individual. It depends on your size and your own personall metabolisim and also how many calories you burn through daily activities and excercise.

I hear that advice all of the time as well, but in practical application, it seldom works. Most of the natural bodybuilders I know have to go extremely low to reach lower body fat. For general health, that might be a guideline, but for me to see my abs, for example, I often have to dip down to the 1500 - 1700 range. The key is that I do it only for a short period of time and I manipulate my calories and exercise to keep my metabolism going. I also eat a ton of vegetables and low calorie fruit so it is really a filling, satisfying diet.

For women, I've seen as low as 900 calories for someone < 5' and around 1200 - 1500 for others.

It all depends on your goals, how hard and often you train, the quality of your nutrition, etc.

Jeremy

I have read in a few places the men should not go below 1800-2000 calories otherwise metabloism really drops. What sort of figure is the minimum a woman should aim for?

It is for my girlfriend, she is approx 165cm tall, 65kg. Got a BMR of about 1450 using Harris Benedict, around 1950 once activity is factored in. Aim is weight loss, so I think 1400 will be a good start, then tweak it later

I would say that is too low as a start. I think that is a resonable number at the end of a diet when you have cut a couple of times. I would probably set you ar around 2200-2300 in the beginning and cut from that.

It is for my girlfriend, she is approx 165cm tall, 65kg. Got a BMR of about 1450 using Harris Benedict, around 1950 once activity is factored in. Aim is weight loss, so I think 1400 will be a good start, then tweak it later

I am struggling to see the logic there sorry...here daily needs have been calculated at around 1950 and you are saying 2200 for cutting. I must be missing something?