We had an interesting thread on this topic (how many calories needed per day to lose weight) in the Support Forum (
see link)
Unfortunately, those formulas are just loose estimates at best; my personal trainer's main 'nutrition tip' to me was to reduce my regular daily caloric intake by 200-300 calories a day to lose weight (I was shooting for a five pound weight loss). Keep in mind though, that he was well aware that I've been reading up on this topic for awhile
Especially interesting in the above-linked thread was one of
Meg's responses:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meg
[A] 1200 calorie diet worked really well for me and got me to my goal weight. As a matter of fact, the way I personally lost my weight fits right into Venuto’s book (though it was published after I lost my weight), which is why I often recommend it to my clients.
When I weighed 257 pounds, quite unscientifically I picked 1600 calories per day as a good place to start. As I lost weight, my body naturally needed fewer calories to support my size and so, whenever my weight loss stalled, I dropped my calories. I finished my year of weight loss at around 1200 calories -- probabaly for the last four or five months before goal. I knew that this was about as low as I should go, but also realized that 1200 calories were necessary to get those last stubborn pounds off.
I was well aware of the importance of maintaining my muscle mass and had my body fat % checked every four weeks to be sure that I was losing fat and not muscle. Happily, I added eight pounds of muscle that year, so not only was able to preserve my muscle mass but to increase it. At the same time, my body fat % dropped from 57% to 16%. So despite my calorie levels being in that dread 1200-1500 range for almost the entire year that I was losing weight, I consider my weight loss story to be a success (and I think Venuto would also!)
Most important to me is the fact that I’m going into the fourth year of maintaining my weight loss, so not only did I lose the 122 pounds, I’ve kept them off.
At 3FC, we value and appreciate the insights and perspectives of all our members. We all have so much to learn from each other! 
But it’s important to recognize that what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for another and that there are significant differences between us. For example, at 280 pounds, you weigh twice as much as I do. Naturally, your caloric needs are far higher than mine and what may be a ‘starvation’ or ‘deprivation’ diet for YOU is simply maintenance calories for me. And yet it might be exactly the right number for weight LOSS for another one of our members. So when you make blanket statements like '1200 calorie diets don't work' and 'you’ll lose muscle mass' or 'your weight loss will stop', you’re going to have people like me scratching their heads. Because a 1200 calorie diet DID in fact work very well for me (as well as others here), my weight loss DIDN'T stop, and I DIDN'T lose muscle mass.
It's wonderful that you've discovered a plan that's working so well for you. But try to keep in mind that not every member here weighs as much as you do, can eat the menus that you post, and lose at the same calorie levels that you do. And though the metabolic calculators you cite do work for some people, they don’t even get into the ballpark for others (they’re off by a good 50% for me). One thing you’ll discover over time is that there isn’t a whole lot of RIGHT and WRONG to weight loss – it’s more a process of finding out what will work well for us as individuals.
Meg also wrote a terrific article in the Maintainers Forum regarding those often quoted (and oft-incorrect IMO)
metabolic calculators that can be found all over the World Wide Web...check it out...this is QUITE interesting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meg
I’m sure you’re all aware of metabolic calculators – they’re all over the Internet. With these calculators, you input your height, weight, age, and gender and they purportedly tell you how many calories you can eat to maintain your weight. From there, you can theoretically figure – supposedly with great scientific precision – how many calories you need to cut to lose weight. One of the best known examples of a metabolic calculator is the Harris-Benedict formula. We even have a Daily Calorie Needs Calculator here at 3FC.
Some people swear by the accuracy of metabolic calculators and say that they get great results from them. But not me – the ones I’ve tried have been off by up to 50% of what my real life experiences (four years of tracking my calories in Fitday) teach me. And I’ve often wondered why? Am I some kind of freak -- completely out of the norm? 
Or could it have something to do with my large weight loss? 
Well, I came across some interesting info about metabolic calculators this morning while taking a continuing education course about metabolism and weight loss that’s worth passing along. Part of the course analyzed the Harris-Benedict formula (and others) and discussed its flaws and why it’s not reliable for many people.
Here’s the history behind the HB formula: it’s based on a 1919 study done on 239 individuals – 136 males (average weight=142 /average BMI=21.7) and 103 females (average weight=124/average BMI=21.5). It’s no surprise that 86 years later, average BMIs are far higher among the general population: in 2002, the average weight of a woman was 164 and her BMI was 28. So the study is old (86 year-old studies are prehistoric in science) and it’s based on a small group with characteristics quite different than today’s general population.
The course went on to say that, perhaps as a result of these changes in the characteristics of the general population since 1919, the results obtained from using the HB formula today aren’t accurate for a significant number of people. It said that the HB formula is accurate (with a margin of error of +/- 10%) for only 69% of the non-obese population and 64% of the obese population. ("Mean Body Weight, Height, and Body Mass Index (BMI) 1960-2002: United States,” prepared by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics) In other words, the HB formula isn’t even within 10% of predicting the calorie needs for approximately 1/3 of the population.
Well, heck! Maybe I’m not a freak after all ( … or maybe I still am! ) I feel better knowing that there are a substantial number of other people who aren’t getting correct, real world information from metabolic calculators either. Which is not to say that metabolic calculators aren’t a source of valuable information or a good place to start – it’s just that they’re not the final answer to the calorie puzzle. I think that only can come from personal experience – tracking portions and calories over time and seeing what works for each of us as individuals.
And that's how I'm spending my Sunday morning!
Just wanted to add an addendum - in 1990 I participated in a Stanford University weight loss maintenance study. During the first few weeks of the study (before the dieting phase began) all of the study participants were required to keep a FOOD JOURNAL - noting what we ate, how much, time of day, perceived hunger level, feelings while eating, satisfaction level after eating etc. That might be a good way to acertain how many calories you need to lose weight - because we are ALL DIFFERENT. Just keep track for a few days of what and how much you eat and what time, etc. (also keep track of your exercise, if any, during that time). You might try jotting it down on a pad and then entering the data into FitDay later, to see how many calories you are consuming on average. With that data, try reducing your caloric intake by 200-300 calories a day at first (that's really no big deal - 2 or 3 regular slices of bread, or a little bit of cheese...). I'm very much a proponent of slow, steady weight loss (see this article called "
Get Thin Slowly" - basically, shoot for no more than a 10% weight loss, then MAINTAIN that loss for a period of time before trying to lose another 10%). That's basically how I lost (and kept off!!) my weight - slow and steady wins the race - I do believe (from personal experience) losing slowly gives your metabolism/body time to adjust its 'setpoint' while you are overcoming those 'mind games' aka 'head hunger'.
Universityprincess , 08-22-2005 06:35 PM
