I apologize for cross-posting, but I'm trying to get as much information as I can, so any help or thoughts would be very much appreciated.

I've just started on Deliciously Yours from eDiets. So far, so pretty good. Not every meal has been a winner, but there are some that are great (and one or two that I had to close my eyes and think of England). Would that I had more time to cook, but I work full time and go to law school in the evening, so I am out of my home from about 8 in the morning until 9 in the evening, and then I have homework for a couple of hours when I get home. I know myself, and if I try and just put together meals on my own, I'll end up playing the "I'll just order pad see yew this one time tonight and get back on track tomorrow" justification game, until I subsist entirely on delivery and that's how I ended up where I am now.

The program comes with three meals and an alloted snack. Meals range from between 250-450 calories depending on the item and what you add in terms of fresh fruit or non-fat dairy (veggies are already included). I find myself getting fairly hungry between meals. And by fairly hungry, I mean ravenous. Despite trying to drink water/distract myself/smoke (I know, I know, but one thing at a time) my appetite into submission, it doesn't work. These are definitely hunger pangs. So, I've been supplementing between meals with low-fat string cheese, yogurt, fruit, or 1/2 a Special K bar (per seating). It's usually a snack of between 45-70 calories. I've been doing two on top of my alloted snack (one between each meal and then a post-dinner nosh). This adds an additional 100-150 calories for snacks. I've also been slightly upping the fruit at meals by about 1/2 serving or so (an additional 60 calories per day, give or take). So, I'm adding anywhere between 160 and 210 calories/day, bringing my total closer to 1500 calories than the 1350 or so I'd consume if I stuck rigidly to the eDiets regimen.

I have quite a bit of weight to lose, so I figure upping by some calories isn't that bad ("there are worse things I could do...") if it prevents me from starving and then horking down bad for me things later, and it will also give me somewhere to go once I start losing (since I don't see myself ever dropping much below 1200 calories a day if I want to function). I'm trying to make smart choices about what I put in my mouth, but don't want to blow the whole process before I even get started, either. Am I rationalizing? Do other people supplement their delivered products? Should I be keeping my calories lower? Is it okay to fluctuate within a range of 1250-1500 calories? Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

At 273 pounds as your starting weight, it is ABSOLUTELY fine for you to eat 1500 calories a day. Honestly, you could probably eat 1600 or 1700 a day and lose if you exercise.

The more you weigh, the more calories your body uses doing activities. Someone who weighs 100 pounds more than another will burn more calories than the smaller person doing the same exact thing-because they carry around more resistance with them.

As you lose weight and get smaller, your calorie needs will change. This is why you could probably lose weight at a higher calorie level than someone who is only trying to lose 20 pounds.

Go for the higher calorie level if you can (and you are losing) and when your weight loss slows to 1/2 pound a week or less, then drop the calorie level by 100. (If you were eating 1600 a day, then go down to 1500, etc.) and then when you near goal, you will probably be in more of the 1200-1400 calorie a day range by that time.



Almost everyone over 200 pounds doesn't need to start out at 1200 calories a day-it is the lower end of calorie counting, so you don't need to be at that level unless you only have a little to lose, or you are much nearer to goal.

I would have said exactly what Aphil said, but she said it first, and (as usual) very well!

I started calorie counting at 280something pounds and lost 2+ pounds/week consistently at 2000 calories/day. We are all different, so what worked for me may not work for everyone, but I would think that you can probably lose well doing what you're doing.

The thing to remember is that you have to do something you can stick to longterm, and it sounds like you're doing exactly that. Making this something you CAN do! If you try to exist on too few calories, you may end up feeling hungry, tired, deprived... eventually you cave and feel like a failure... so, I would say you are smart to (sanely) do what you can to stay on track!

Good luck!

Aphil is absoultely right. 1500 is a totally reasonable calorie level for you. Probably more would be fine. See how it goes for a couple of weeks. If you're not able to maintain a 1500 calorie level comfortably (you shouldn't be ravenous!), raise it up a tiny bit. If you're not losing a pound a week or better, drop it a bit.

My only other suggestion is to try sugarless gum when you get hungry. It really helps me get through to meal time.

Bobbie,
First of all – thank you for your post. I’m afraid I’ve gained more from your post than you probably will from mine. I have been considering “Deliciously Yours” for a couple of weeks now and I was quite happy to see a post from someone who had not only tried it, but ran in to the exact issues I was thinking might come up for me. Not that I’m happy you had issues, just good to have information.
You are close to the same weight as I am now, though I started almost 40 pounds ago, so my BIG question about “Deliciously Yours” was: Is There Enough Food? I have had my Resting metabolic rate tested and it is around 2,700 cal per day, so if I go to 1,300 calories I will be cutting my calorie intake down to less than half of what I need. I honestly think this is excessive.
You should be cutting around 500 – 1000 per day with a combination of diet and exercise to loose 1 – 2 pounds per week. A calorie level lower than that would be very difficult to sustain for any significant amount of time. It sounds to me like you don’t have much time to exercise well with the law school and all that, but you still shouldn’t try loosing more than 2 pounds per week. Considering that your RMR is probably close to mine plus-minus 100 cal (You’re a bit taller and I don’t know how old you are, etc), you should probably take in AT LEAST 1,600 calories per day.
My five cents, I hope it helps.
P.S. I used to smoke too, but I had conquered that demon over 10 years ago. I know you’re thinking “one thing at the time”, but it is sometimes easier to make significant changes all at once. Less risk of looking for comfort in your old routines be it food or a cigarette.

Hi Bobbie - I think the most impt thing to sticking to a plan is not to be starving! You can do that for a few weeks but not much longer. So I think the advice that you have already recvd to consider upping the calories is good advice.
My calorie content varies quite a bit day to day. I'm sometimes accidentally light a few hundred calories cuz busy & I find I'm really hungry the next day & eat more. I am losing weight steadily so I think the daily variation doesn't matter, just the total.
It sounds like yr snacking on healthy things. In my case, I really just needed more volume in my food. I didn't want to blow all my calories by mid day. So I bought pre-washed, prepackaged salads and raw veggies. Just got done munching on baby carrots! Anyway, I needed to increase the veggies to get the volume of food I needed w/ out too many calories. You might find the prewashed packs handy. Good luck!

Thanks everyone. I tend to be something of a perfectionist, to the point where I'd rather not do something at all than not do it well. So, I got into the mindset that if I didn't follow the set plan to the letter, I was not doing it correctly. Remembering that this is my plan and that I have to make it work correctly/perfect it for my needs is a very helpful reminder.

I am exercising--I'm forcing myself to get up in the morning before work several days a week, plus working out one weekend day (alternating cadio and anaerobic stretching/light weights, etc.). I'm starting a bit slower there--about 30 minutes and plan to up that number as I adjust. I also walk quite a bit since I live in a major city and don't have a car. So, with the exercising and work and school, it only makes sense that 1200 or so calories just isn't feasible/sustainable for someone of my height/weight.

(As for Deliciously Yours... It's pretty good. Not amazing, but okay. I mean, it isn't a Chipotle burrito, but few things are. I don't want to give it a wholehearted recommendation and get you into something you end up hating. It works for me, but it isn't perfect. I'll probably shop around and try some others when this initial contract runs out. But, if you don't have the time/inclination to cook, it really is very helpful, and, I find, vastly preferable to frozen LeanCuisines/Healthy Choice/Weight Watchers meals. There are some hidden costs and by that I mean, you do need to buy additional groceries. Not just the snacks if you want to supplement, but the nonfat dairy and fruit servings are not provided with your food, so you have to take care of that yourself. Good luck.)

I am att 266 right now and I lose 2+ pounds a week on my range which is 1600-2000. I know it seems like a large range, but I do weight-lifting and on those days I find I need the 2000. I highly reccomend you start higher as you wont feel deprived when you start moving yourself down in the calorie range. I probably will be able to stay like this till I reach 230 or so....we will see.

One thing Iwant to say is that if you don't find the diet you're on very good...then you might end up quitting. I highly reccomend making what you want and just counting your calories...you can find recipes on Allrecipes dot com and they give the calorie counts for the recipes and everything. I just find that diets don't work unless it's a lifestyle change and this is something we will do for the rest of our lives. We can't do it for 6 months and then go back to our junk food eating habits. Make room for those chipoltle burritos...seriously...just make sure it's only once in a while.

Good luck and I look forward to seeing you on the boards more often!!

Welcome Bobbie!

It's actually crazy and unnecessary for you to be eating 1350 at this point. You have a lot of weight to lose and you don't want to fall off the wagon because you're hungry! I'm lighter than you, but the same height, and I still managed to shift 15 pounds at 1800-2000 a day, with exercise. If you lose 2lb a week eating 1800, then you're better off eating 1800, AND more likely to stick with it, than you are starving away at 1350. Just choose the extra calories wisely--lots of fruits and veggies and lean proteins with the occasional treat.

Sheila, I'm glad to see you're still losing like a champ now that you've switched to calorie counting! You're doing amazingly well!!

I think that I am going to up things to about 1700. It will leave me less hungry and consequently less likely to binge in a moment of weakness. It will also leave me somewhere to go when I start losing. Though I am a sucker for immediate gratification, I'd rather lose a bit more slowly than fall off the wagon early on in the process--I didn't get this big overnight, so I'm not going to slim down that quickly, either. Thanks for all of the very helpful insights.

See...this is the great thing about our bodies...Your body will most likely recognize the extra fuel you are giving it and you will be able to burn fat a lot better....in return losing more weight. I was losing less weight every week when I was at close to 1300. I think you will be pleasantly surprised that you aren't really going to stall your weightloss at all. We're here for you!! Good luck!