Hello all,

I know that the weight loss experts say that you should eat enough calories so that you are safely losing 1-2 pounds per week. I've also read that for heavier people it is okay to cut calories more because your body's metabolism is different. Based on a metabolic calculator (not exact, I know) I burn about 3500 calories per day. So in order to lose 2 pounds a week I should be eating around 2500 calories per day. I've seen on the forum that there are people eating much lower than that who are in this weight range.

Now ultimately what I'd like to do is to eat intuitively and without having to count calories. I'm just wondering how many calories you 300 plussers are eating and have managed with long term. I feel like other times I've tried to eat 1200-1500 calories and I wasn't able to stick with it. Thanks for your thoughts.

I'm aiming for around 1500 per day.

This is my rationale for that number:

Theoretically, it should be only 500 less than what maintenance at my goal weight should be (of course that's just using calculators, but it should be a rough guess).

I have enough wiggle room that I can eat up to 500 calories more and still be at deficit.

It keeps me full (I eat very low carb, so my hunger is sated by the protein and fat I consume).

My energy levels are consistent.

When my weight loss stalls out, I'll add in about ten days at 2500 cals. Still a deficit, but enough to shake things up.

Your mileage will vary. Play around with what works for you!

Jane,

Thanks for your quick reply. How long did it take you to get from your starting weight to where you are now? Did you follow that calorie target the whole time?

When I started at 370lbs I was eating about 2200-2300 calories and have slowly been decreasing it. Right now I'm at 1600-1800 calories a day depending on how much exercise I do. Starting out there's no way I would have been able to eat any less than 2000cals a day. I would have lost my mind. Since I'm doing things slow and steady I've been able to get used to lowering my calories and staying within them.

1700/day at the moment and I need to stick below about 2400 to lose as I am moderately active (I'm probably more than moderate but I like to be conservative).

I never used to track calories and ate intuitively until about a week ago. I lost quickly until I hit 170lbs. Then I stalled out quite bad. So now I have started tracking. You need a lot fewer calories at lower weights which is why it gets tough to lose the final pounds. I have found that out the hard way.

If you are eating 2500 calories a day and losing 2 pounds a week I would stick with that, take it easy and get ready to pull in those calories lower down near goal. I would not go all out on restricting the calories right now if you are getting decent, steady and consistent weekly losses. Those people that are must be in a hurry. I would prefer to save that effort for near goal. It gets tough down here! But it's personal preference.

The short answer is yes. For about 4 months I thought I was eating around 800, but I was using a faulty tracker and I wasn't weighing and measuring my portions. So I was easily around 1500-2000 the whole time. When I figured out my error, I tried an actual 800 calorie week and it was bad for my health and not sustainable.

My initial weight loss was fairly quick - but keep in mind that I was nearly 500 pounds and I went from drinking soda and eating fast food twice a day to a primal, whole foods only diet. I lost the first 100 in about 7 months.

I stalled out for a few months, but a good part of that was laziness, and water retention caused by a kidney stone, AND my body recovering from rapid losses. I've recently been losing between 3 and 4 pounds a week, which I expect will slow to 2 soon.

By the way - if you average out my weight loss over the weeks I've been losing - it works out to 1.7. A lot of people find this. Your body will even things out, so don't go overboard on your deficit. Cut back to 2000. If you're comfortable there, try taking off another 500 gradually. Just listen to your body

I just (yesterday) increased my calories from 1,440 to 1,730. Now I am in agreement with MFP. I had been losing regularly until I lowered my calorie intake from 1,800 to 1,440. When I did that my weight loss stopped. I have read online that many people do not lose weight if their calorie intake is too low. They say that the human body goes into starvation mode and conserves all available calories.

I only weigh once a week but I feel like I am losing again from the way my clothes fit.

MFP has put me at 1740 a day to lose 2# a week. It's not working. Reading all the fiddling around you guys do with your calories to see results, I think maybe I've been maintaining at this # of calories way too long. Maybe it's time to adjust upwards with a bit more exercise to see if things change!

anywhere from 1900 to 2700 a day. i am trying to average 2200/day. weight loss is a bit less than 1 pound a week and i am recomping nicely. (i am a powerlifter and gaining strength is pretty important to me.)