Help with Advice!
 

My good friend is embarking on a weight loss program, basically she and I were the exact height/weight when I started. I said what worked for me (at 5'8 and 323 lbs.) was 1800 calories. I did not exercise much at all for the first 40 pounds.

Anyway, she followed 1800 cals to the letter (she's very eager to do this, weighed and measured all food, logged it all on fitday etc.)

the first 2 weeks, lost about 6 or 7 lbs. The past two weeks, she's moved up on the scales, which as we ALL know is disheartening. I thought two weeks is too soon to change things up, as it could be TOM etc., but she wants to change things.

Now, my question is -- does she go DOWN in calories, or UP to about 2000?? Being 320 lbs, I wonder if going down to 1500 is wise??

I thought if anyone would know, it would be the chickies!

I don't think it's wise.

Going down that much with that weight sounds like a risky idea, although she could try it and see how it works out.

No chance of convincing her to stick with it another couple of weeks? It will help her to learn, as we all have had to learn, that you can't really measure your progress on the time scale of a week or two. Making changes now will only make more obscure what actually works for her.

At that weight, I'd convince her to be PATIENT and stay put, she didn't put it on in a day, it ain't coming off in one, either! If that didn't work, and she feels a burning need to be proactive, move the calories up to 1900.

thanks chickies -- she's looking over my shoulder right now reading the responses!! She wants to say hi, her name is Laura!

**i hate when Tracey's right but I'll stick it out @ 1,800 cals for a afew more weeks! **

So, I'm going to chime in here with my experience and the experience of a few others. Initially, I lose water weight when I begin a new diet. However, no matter how few calories I consume, if I eat more than 1 or 2 starches a day or more than 1 fruit a day....my weight loss stalls after the initial 2 weeks! I've stalled at anywhere between 1200-2000 calories. I've tried several daily calorie amounts. The scales begins to move only when I carefully restrict these things. Some of us are more sensitive to these sugars. I envy those people who can eat anything they want and still lose as long as they stay in their calorie range.