I am currently 268. I have been having as few as 1200 calories a day because I wasn't losing on more I have really upped the exercise though, so here's my new plan:

I don't want to compromise my metabolism so I'm going to boost my "minimum" to 1500 calories starting my next weigh-in week (Wednesday) to see how my body reacts. What do y'all think of this?
W=2000 (highest day) Th=1600 F= 1500 (lowest day) Sa=1800 Su=1500 M=1600 T=1500 and so on.

I think changing up your calories is a good idea! I've been trying to mix mine up also so my body doesn't get to use to any set number!

Thanks for the response. Anyone else have anything to add? My BMR is 2300, I am 5'10" and I exercise a minimum of 30 minutes everyday, but usually 60-90 minutes, burning between 300-700 calories daily with exercise.

I am losing on around 2000 cals/day (average for a week) doing a lot less exercise than you are. I weigh 250 now, and started counting cals when I was 282 -- I've kept the cals at around 2000 the whole time, but they have dropped a little (usually 1950ish now, on average). My weight loss has slowed some, but 1-2 pounds/week on average. I am slowly adding in more exercise, but still not what you are doing (in addition to walking 3-4 x/week have been doing back and arm exercises, some dog walking, but nothing major).

Anyway, that's me.

I saw on another thread you had lost almost 7 pounds one week. That sounds like a lot. Too much? I don't know, but one issue to consider is how fast you are trying to lose weight.

I'm currently on 1500 - 1600 (usually closer to 1600). I'm losing around 1/2 to 1 lb. a week, although I sometimes go a few weeks without losing and then lose 2 or 3 lbs. within a day or so. I work out 3x a week for 1/2 hour at Curves. I'm 5'5" and large boned, so I'm aiming for 150 lbs. I eat all my favorite foods - just very small portions of the high calorie/high fat foods.

In the past I've lost more rapidly on lower calories (1200) but have never been able to stick to such a low calorie diet for long and ended up bingeing. I'm finding the amount of calories I'm on much more "do-able" and I don't get hungry. I may have to lower the calories a bit when I'm closer to goal as a smaller body requires fewer calories ! It will be interesting to see what it takes to maintain. I'm hoping to be at my goal by this time next year.

P.S. I just lost 2-1/2 lbs. after having quite a few extra calories at Thanksgiving (I was stalled for nearly a month). Maybe the extra cals gave me a shove in the right direction? I'm back on plan now, though I'm interested to see how you do on your "Zig-Zag" plan. I'm afraid I'd do too much Zigging and not enough Zagging!

I've been staggering my calories for a while now and find it really works for me. First of all, I find it gives me a lot more flexibility in terms of eating. I don't go all out with junk on my higher calories days but it does help allow for eating out, the occasional social event, etc. Secondly, I feel much more satisfied overall. Some days I'm just not that hungry and others I am famished. By not boxing myself in with a specific calorie quota for each day I am better able to handle various hunger cycles.

I usually average somewhere between 1500 and 1800 calories a day. I am not currently trying to lose weight and may average 2000 calories a day every few weeks. Based on previous experience (plateaus in particular) I believe this continued zig zagging of my calories will make losing these last 15 pounds easier once I decide to do so. I don't think it necessarily raises my metabolism but I do believe it keeps my metabolism running at peak performance.

MAN! I *wish* I could lose on 2000 a day!

Basically, I am trying to lose as fast as I can healthfully lose it, without starving or injuring myself. I want to be a fat-burning machine!

You are not going to be a fat burning machine by starving yourself. Your expectations are not realistic, judging from some of your other posts. If you eat too little, you will not lose more, your body will go into starvation mode and you could damage your metabolism permanently. It is not healthy to lose more than 2 pounds a week and that will only be if you have a lot to lose. The closer you are to your goal, the slower it becomes.

Quilter, I believe she said she wants to lose as much as possible WITHOUT starving herself meaning she wants to figure out how many calories she NEEDS to eat. Like personally if I need 1600 calories a day and I eat 2000 calories a day I may still lose but I would lose more at 1600 and still not be starving myself at all.

Looks like you'll be averaging at 1642 which seems healthy. And while I think eating a little differently each day is in general a good way to keep your body from getting to used to it, I worry that 2000 (your 'high' day) is maybe where you are more comfortable eating, and you'll be feeling deprived the rest of the week. The most important thing with this is that you have to get used to eating this way for the rest of your life. It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. I'm not sure what your goal weight is, but you may find out that your 'diet' # of calories is how much you will need to maintain. And it is great that you are exercising a lot, I just hope that you realize you will have to be doing all of this every single day for the rest of your life. there is no quick fix and while it is great that you have lost a lot so far, the pace of that will get slower and slower as you get closer to goal weight and there's not a lot you can do about it at that point. If you drop your calories too low, your body will go into starvation mode and you won't lose anything. And if you are eating low and working out, your body might decide to go into starvation mode anyways for pure lack of fuel.

Anyways, I don't mean to sound like I am trying to be the ultimate authority on all of this, I think it's just that many of us have gone through this a few times before and are trying to prevent you from making the same mistakes we did.

I love zig-zagging---it works for me! The only thing is I have to be vigilant about planning everything the night before, but I even enjoy that aspect of it. If you ever want to talk about it, I'm available!

EXACTLY. I am eating plenty of healthy food, getting adequate protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, nutirents and just checking in to be sure I am getting enough CALORIES as well

I appreciate your input, and everyone else's! You don't sound "preachy" at all! I exercise a lot becuase if I don't I simply do NOT lose weight Also I am a Yoga instructor, so I teach classes frequently but need weight training and cardio to actually gain muscle and lose fat. I intend to be active for the rest of my life and wasactive before...I allowed my good habits to slip a few years ago and it got me into this big fat mess I am in

]I do yoga, which is often a gentle yoga (for plus-sized, pregnant and senior women) and burns less calories than other kinds of exercise. Thanks for the encouragement...It's working so far! I am down a size in pants and tops!


Thanks!I appreciate it

Which posts where I appreciate constructive criticism and would love it if you would point out SPECIFICS rather than simply saying my "expectations are not realistic".