according to calorie king's calculation based on my height (5'9), weight (255) and activity level (office worker/mostly sitting/sedentary), i can consume 1850 calories per day for steady weight loss. doesn't that sound like a lot??!??!?

i lost 3 lbs the first week, so i guess it is working, but it just seems like i'm eating to much to lose long term. any suggestions or changes recommended?

I just put you through an online BMR calculator, and assuming that you are 30ish, you should be burning about 2350 per day, so they have you on a 500cal/day calorie deficit. Theoretically then, you should lose about 1lb a week. (Sadly, a lot of that 3lb loss this week will habe been water weight) Personally, I would reduce it by another 250ish, and try to do about half an hour of exercise everyday, which should have you losing 2lb a week. But, 1850cal will have you losing weight at a perfectly reasonable rate.

I wouldn't reduce it too much more without exercising, as it could do terrible things to your metabolism.

It seems a wee bit high... I would probably aim more for 1600ish at your weight...

That sounds about right. Anything "calculated" should be adjusted by real life--so see what happens next week.

A few months ago when I was in the 250s, that was also my target. So long as I stayed on plan it worked. Amazing, huh? But somehow I still messed up, went off plan, and gained weight. I can't help but wonder whether being able to eat so much was a bit counterproductive - I wasn't forced to make the absolute healthiest choices necessary to stay on plan...

Sometimes the target is about more than the math. If you don't feel "right" about the amount you're eating then it should be adjusted so that mentally you feel confident and motivated.

I think it sounds about right, but getting the right amount takes a little bit of experimenting, there is no " one size fits all ". I am much shorter than you and lost on about 1400 -1500 calories a day.

It's probably not far from being right. I'm a bit more than you and the Daily Plate calculated my daily calories over 2,000!! The first time I lost some weight, I ate around 1,500 and exercised off 500, but what happened was that once I hit my plateau there wasn't much I could change up. If you start off too low, I suspect the same thing might happen to you. Also, if you cut them too drastically it may be difficult to stick to the plan, where if you start off a little higher and shave off calories after you progress more then it would be easier. I'm sure this goes without saying, but if you are full, and you still have "calories left" ... don't eat just for the sake of eating and finishing off your calories!

I started in July at 251, I set my calories on my own, at 1,800 to 2,000 a day. I have dropped 30 pounds since then (yes, my ticker needs updated, but I've been lazy).

When I hit 226, my plan was to drop to 1,600-1,800 but I'm finding most days I still need almost 2,000 to feel full/function properly. I also have to add that I'm nursing my 5 month old, so I burn 300-500 calories a day just doing that... but I still would be sticking with this same calorie range even if I wasn't feeding him. I want to have room to go lower as I get smaller.

It seems about right and if it didn't work, you could lower your calories. I weigh 50 lbs less than you and I'm eating about 1450 right now.

I am 5'7 and 239 and I lose weight on 1600-1700 calories/day but if I go over that I maintain. Just for a reference