I weigh just over 300. My question is, at this weight what is a low, healthy amount of calories to start off with? Would 1200 calories a day be a good start?

1200 is the lowest you would go, so you'll want to start off higher then work your way down if you have to. Have you tracked the amount of calories you normally eat? You could try a week at 1800 or 2000 perhaps, then if you don't lose up to 2 pounds you could drop down 200 calories if necessary until you find yourself losing at around 2 pounds per week. A lot of dieters are more successful eating larger amounts while at a higher weight, because your body will need fewer calories as you reduce your weight and you don't want to end up in a position where you may have to drop below 1200.

It's all trial and error, finding what works best for you. But you'll be better off starting out on the higher end and working down from there.

Good luck

WELCOME!!!

I agree with everything Suzanne said.

I also have experienced this firsthand. I lost a few pounds before I really started counting calories but successfully lost over 2 pounds a week eating about 2000 calories/day when I started at 282.

Remember that the more you weigh the more energy you burn doing EVERYTHING, from walking to brushing your teeth. You NEED more calories than someone who weighs less.

It's also hard to get in all your nutrients if you eat only 1200 calories a day, unless you are really eating "clean" and paying attention to that sort of thing.

So really, why starve yourself, when you can lose weight safely and still relatively quickly by being very sensible! At least, that's my thought!

I agree with what everyone has said. I am a firm believer in eating as much as you can and still lose weight. The less you eat while losing, the less you will be able to eat while maintaining.

I do WW and if you go by the point range assigned to my weight (which is simiilar to yours), it works out to an average of 2250 calories/day (assuming I eat all my flex points, which I do).

Everyone is different, of course, but my advice would be to start with a higher calorie target and move it down if you need to.

Good luck!

I agree with the other posts here. Also, FWIW my doctor advised me not to go below 1800 calories and that I would lose just as much that way as with a lot fewer because it would slow my metabolic system. So far it has worked.

Hi everyone - I agree with what's already been said, 1200 is too low for your starting weight, and you should try to find the number that allows you to eat a reasonable amount while still losing a pound or two a week.

That said, I have a question about this statement I've heard this, or variations on it from others on the boards. But, other than some sort of adjustment period for your metabolism, isn't it still really about calories in vs. out? If I burn a certain amount of calories a day through exercise and daily activity, it shouldn't matter whether I was living on 1200, 1500 or whatever level a month ago, should it? I can't imagine that a temporary period of restricted calorie intake acts to permanently re-set your metabolism.

I'm with you Rachel. I don't quite get that statement either.

Misti in Seattle, I'm also a little perplexed as to why your doctor would say to not go under 1800 calories. Did he mean right now, although I'm not sure of your current weight or did he mean EVER? Because as we get smaller and smaller, 1800 calories could actually cause a weight GAIN in many, many people, not a loss or even to maintain.

Back to the original poster, AngelsEulogy, yes I agree wholeheartedly with the others. There's no reason at all to start at 1200 calories. You've got plenty of time to get down there. When we start off at higher weights we get to eat more calories and still lose weight!!!!

Do you have a method to actually track those calories? Because they do have a way of sneaking up on us. Fitday.com is a great way to track your calories. It might seem a bit tedious at first, but eventually you will get the hang of it. I love calorie counting and find it to be a very sensible method to lose weight by setting limits and keeping myself accountable. Good luck to you.

Good clarification! We were discussing my losing weight and this was her recommendation. However, I did not mean to say this was good for everyone, as I personally think we should ALL be checking with our doctors, and I am blessed to have a good doctor who is very understanding and supportive rather than critical.

But.... IMPORTANT... the person who asked this said she weighs over 300 pounds. Yes I DO think 1200 calories is too few for someone of that weight... just my opinion. There was nothing said about this being right for her "forever" -- nor for "many many people."

Also... I am 5'9" and built large. I will never be a petite little chick! And your comment was regarding "many, many people." MY statement was that this is what my doctor recommended for me. Also, it was in consideration of the fact that I eat almost completely healthful foods... fruits, veggies, lean meats, etc... NO junk and very little processed foods which are full of chemicals and sugar, etc. And I am convinced -- and she (doctor) agrees with me -- that our bodies DO process these foods much more efficiently. AND I exercise on average an hour a day usually. Actually I have very SLOW metabolism... her method of 1800 calories was designed to SPEED it UP a bit, and IMO it works. I believe...as does she... that it is the very low calorie "diets" (or eating plans as I personally don't believe in "diets") which slows down people's metabolism and keeps them from losing weight.

I do appreciate your clarification message though as I would not want anyone to get the impression I am saying my method is right for everyone. We all have to decide for ourselves what works for our own system... I am just convinced the "diet industry" has caused a LOT of our health and weight gain problems, including the recommendations for very low calorie diets. I'm a firm believer in "your mother was right... eat your veggies." You can eat a LOT and not gain weight if you eat the right things!

But again, not everyone needs to climb on my soapbox! I still say "check with your doctor."

Hi Misti. I'm so glad that you have found something that is working for you. That's GREAT!!!

I think it is important to check with ones doctor. For sure. But doctors, nutritionists, personal trainers, and anyone else can only give "recommendations" and "guesstimates" as to what calorie count will "work" for somebody. IMO, the only way to definitely know for sure the "correct" amount of calories to lose weight on is through trial and error.

And Misti, I couldn't agree with you more. I think making those calories nutritious ones really and truly DOES make all the difference in the world. Just keep in mind though, 1800 calories may be working for you NOW, but as you weigh less, chances are you are going to have to decrease that number in order to keep on losing.

I wish you continued success.

Okay... my entire point was that with possible rare exceptions YES I do think 1200 calories is too low for someone weighing over 300 pounds and was that a good start (which is what the question asked) to HEALTHFULLY lose weight. And I didn't mean to imply that a "one-time" question of one's doctor was all that was needed. I think we need to keep it monitored.

Never in any way did I say that everyone should eat 1800 calories a day. For someone who weighs over 300 pounds and as a start I stick by my comments, again with the clarification of being monitored by one's doctor.

Misti in Seattle, I agree with you totally on the no dieting thing and watching what you eat. I have had my share of pounds dropped by doing just that, it is just a matter of sticking to it.

I wanted to say, also, my sister is 120 pounds and tiny, she eats over 2,000 calories a day, we figured it up not long ago, because I told her she eats like a horse and never gains. However, she has a very physical job and she works two jobs three days a week, so never could anybody say what another person needs to take in and I agree with you Misti, it really is so individualized that it is something everybody has to find on their own.

My sister has always eaten that way, but she is active. I am very lucky too, to have found a doctor that isn't critical, because, oh, I've had them. This one I have now, is more about exercise and just reducing what you are eating. He has taken a lot time to sit with me and go over nutrition and exercise. He is a great doctor.

It honestly does work, once you remove whatever it is causing you to eat in the first place besides hunger

I have been doing the WW online just so I have a consistent place to log my stuff and I am using the Volumetrics technique of loading up with veggies to fill in the meal. It worked great for me a few years ago and the pounds just dropped and I didn't count one single calorie back then, I just became aware of what I was eating.

Just remember it is how active you are, too, hence the calories in/calories out. If you sit all day at work then you will need less, but if you run for an hour after working hard all day, then yeah, you might need the 1,800 or 2,000 like my tiny lucky skinny sister. She is a painter for the board of education, by the way three days a week at night, for 8 hours, and has to move all the furniture. She was already thin, but she dropped ten pounds.

She is still in Kentucky and she cooks like we grew up, everything fried or cooked in bacon grease and her cholesterol is still normal. God Bless her for pulling it off.

Gotcha. And agreed.

This is a helpful way to calculate where to start - and then tweak it from there depending on how you are losing!

First calculate your basal metabolic rate (this formula is for women - lucky men get more calories jsut be virtue of their muscle mass)

655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

Then figure calories based on your activity level

Multiple the above number by

1.2 if you are sedentary
1.3 if you are lightly active
1.4 moderately active (exercise most days of the week)
1.5 very active (intense exercise daily)
1.6 extra active - hard labor or athletic training (like training for a marathon)

There are reputable sites if you google BMR and calories that explain this or a variation - some have calculators on their pages so you don't have to do the math!

Then you cut back on the amount of calories taken in and/or increase the calories burned based on this amount.

That being said, no matter what any tells me, I don't think a calorie is a calorie. I firmly believe that there are some things that can mess with a body's ability to burn/store food like high fructose corn syrup and so on. I also think some of us are more sensitive to those things than others. My husband eats crap, doesn't exercise and is a twig. I try not to eat crap (althought lord knows I am far from perfect) and I do exercise regularly and I need to lose tons of weight. So it's all about finding the right combination of things, isn't it?

These are all excellent points! And Robin... glad you clarified as if you took my comments the other way I am sure others would have also.

And goingthin oh isn't that soooooo true! I know people like that too! Disgusting! Eat everything in sight and thin as a rail.

Thank you all so much! The metabolism thing has always confused me, I've heard so much about it but it's always something different. I will start at 2000 calories and drop down by 200 if that doesn't work after a week. It is easy for me to count calories, in fact I'm very OCD about it when I want to be, haha.
I have a question about the metabolism thing, once in a while I only get about 1200 calories, I get stress sick so maybe once a week I spend a days calories on those Bolthouse Farms juice drinks. Would this negatively affect my metabolism, even though it's not a constant thing?