Ok so i know what this is and everything. however, i'm a little confused. i've been following rosemary conley for a while and was told to aim for around 1900 calories a day. yet when i use an online thing it give me anywhere between 1800 and 2400 as my BMR. so what am i meant to do? Stick to the 1800 which is my BMR or reduce that and eat like 500 calories less a day to lose weight?

I've stopped losing weight so that's why i'm asking

You should eat at or just higher than your BMR. If you are even moderately active, your AMR (active metabolic rate) is probably 500 calories higher than you BMR. You can dip below your BMR on occasion, but not for any extended period of time or your body will begin to go into starvation mode.

I've averaged just under one pound loss per week for the last year eating about 200 calories more than my BMR.

Just remember that as you lose weight, your BMR goes down. And the more calories you burn through exercise, the faster you're likely to lose weight eating at that level.

Good luck.

so it's possible i'm not losing weight because i'm not eating enough> Cos i've been eating around 1500 calories - 1600 a day and i dont seem ot be able to lose anything. if i eat up to the 1800 would that help? esp as i am fairly active swimming for an hour, doing aqua aerobics and the gym most days (not all 3 just one of them)

I think it's possible that you aren't eating ...especially if you are burning a lot of calories through exercise. I actually lose best when I eat within 100 to 200 clories of my BMR. Believe it or not, one of the best ways to keep your metabolism revved up is by eating. That's why several small, healthy meals is a good approach to losing weight.

However, it isn't a free ticket just to eat more goodies to get up to your BMR. You should still aim to eat whole foods that (1) have good fiber; (2) take longer to digest and impact blood sugar; and (3) be sure you are getting sufficient protein.

lucky day, thats the one i used. you can also try www.fitday.com cos it lets you do loads of other stuff and gives the same numbers