Question
Has anyone been successful losing weight by starting at around 2000 calories level or even slightly more? I am talking about those who’s initial weight was in 250-300’s. I know most people say no less than 1200 calories, but I’m pretty sure that at close to 300 pounds 1200 is closer to half of what I need.
Any feedback on the numbers would be appreciated. I have been struggling with every one of my measly 17 pounds lost and I’m taking in between 1800-1600 calories. I exercise about 3-4 times per week. It doesn't help that I have PCOS, that little devil has been messing things up for me for a while.
I guess I’m just wondering if I am slowing down my weight loss by not taking in enough calories.

they say to eat about 12 calories per pound to maintain, of course that is just an estimate. And then eat 250 less and exercise for 250.

I don't know for sure, but where I track my food has me down for 1500 - 1850 calories per day at my weight, so it seems to me like you're doing it right. Sorry I can't help more.

Just my $.02 but I've lost weight on 1800 a day and started at 165 so I would think a 2000 would still allow for weight loss with that starting weight.

yah, I usually eat 1600-1700 and I lose.

When I started nutrisystem WAY back, they started me at 2200 because of my weight (if I remember correctly, I weighed just under or just over 300 lbs at the time). I lost pretty fast too, but I was in my mid-twenties.

Metabolisms differ, so you can only tell by trying, if it works for you. It kills me that I would have lost six lbs a week in my mid-twenties, on the same calories that might yield a one pound loss today. I have metabolic syndrome (syndrome x, insulin resistance), probably brought on by repeated dieting. Metformin and avoiding refined carbs help, but it can't give me the metabolism of a 20 year old.

It's a lot better to start a diet 500 calories lower than your normal diet, if you can. You should lose about 1 lb a week, and shouldn't feel like you're starving to death. Especially if you try to eat foods with more volume and fewer calories (you may even feel like you're eating "more" than you're used to). You can take it down another 250 until you're losing no more than 1% of your body weight in a week. My endocrinologist told me that if you are consistently losing more than 1% of your body weight in a week, you're more likely to stall your metabolism, and less likely to be able to sustain it for the long term.

I started at 234 lbs. and was eating at least 1500-1600 calories a day and doing a reduced carb plan. This resulted in a 2 lb. loss per week for most weeks. I am now at 143 and eat 1400 calories daily and am maintaining at this. So, I would think for your starting weight that at 2000 calories daily that you should be able to take the lbs. off. Good luck and best wishes.

I've been eating an average of 2000 cals/day since late December and have so far lost 80lbs. Of course, I did start at the nicely abundant weight of 363lbs, but even now I am still averaging a little over 2 1/2 lbs/week.

Even more, I'm not planning to ever lower this amount- I'm not the shortest gal in the crayon box (5'11"), I've been gradually upping my exercise as I lose weight so my calorie usage is still strong, and I don't really care if I never reach the low 170's or 160's. I just want to be healthier and more active, I don't really care if I'm ever a size 6 or 8.

I look at it this way- eating 2000 cals at my height is healthy, exercising is healthy: if I do each of these long enough I'll both look and be healthy (at least to the extent influenced by eating and exercise).

This was a really GREAT post with GREAT answers...Sometimes I forget that we have to feed ourselves enough to lose...Thanks everyone !

ME!

I started at 295 and lost about 12 pounds before I started really counting calories. WHen I weighed 280 I averaged 2000 cals/day and I lost about 2 pounds/week for a long time (a little more the first few months)... now at 200ish I'm taking in around 1800/day and still losing about 1 1/2 pounds/week. I exercise a lot more than I used to though to maintain that rate (averaging over 30 min/day including cardio and weights).

So it certainly is possible for some of us, though metabolisms do vary. I hate to starve myself and so I don't. I do carefully monitor everything I eat and focus on making healthy choices. Usually I am really satisfied with the amount I'm eating, and I'm actually loving my healthy foods!

Yes!!!! Me too! That is approx. what I am eating and I am losing. Furthermore that is what my doctor told me... not to go under 1800.

I lose on about 1900kcals a day, but I am a total fitness freak! (we're talking 1-3 workouts a day!! Half marathon training and advanced kickboxing training )

I take in about 1400 per day, sometimes higher sometimes lower because I calorie zig-zag, but never more than 1600 unless it's a "free" day. mine is lower because I can't exercise. Rheumatologist and my M.D. both said only walking or swimming. On average, I'm loosing about 1.5 lbs a week, sometimes more, some weeks with no loss. I feel the same way as you, as long as i'm eating healthy, and consuming a 'reasonable' amount of calories per day/week, at some point my body is going to fall in line.

I didn't count my calories when I started. Later, I thought back to what I had been eating and did a rough estimate and figured I'd been eating around 2,000 cals per day when I was over 200. I didn't really start counting cals until I got stuck around 170 pounds.