[slw2013]

I've been looking online, searching for a guideline on what I should be eating so that I can work out how many calories I should be aiming at a day to create a healthy, sustainable level of weight loss while not making me feel deprived (because as soon as I feel deprived it doesn't work). Only problem is I keep getting different numbers. Do any of you know a reliable, sensible source for this?

[lin43]

The reason you get different numbers is that the calorie calculators often use different formulas. Some use Harris-Benedict, some use Mifflin-St Jeor, etc. Also, all calorie calculators are mere estimates because we're all different. For instance, if I put in all my stats and use several different calorie calculators online, I'll get results that state that I can eat anywhere from 1800 - 2400 calories to maintain my weight. Through trial and error, I realize that I can eat 2200 calories per day to maintain my weight.

Here's a decent calorie calculator:
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

My advice is to start with their number, and adjust your calories according to your progress (without putting too much stock into daily scale fluctuations if you happen to weigh daily).

[slw2013]

I'm aiming to weight myself once a week because otherwise I think I'll end up a bit obsessive and self-flagelating at the slightest fluctuation - and I can't take that everyday.

Thanks for the link. I was intending on having a framework with wiggle room for adjusting based on results (since losing weight affects how many cals you need anyway) so I was gonna keep track.

I've never heard of Harris-Benedict or Mifflin-St-Jeor. I see googling in my future.