I recently had a lot of success counting calories and lost 30Lbs at 1400 calories a day.
My husband had no success at all.
I couldn't figure out why until he showed me his "diet" of over 3000 calories.
Allegedly- The calorie calculator told him to do it.
I was skeptical but when I checked myself and he was right- 6'4 330 Lbs 32 years old- moderate exercise : ~ 40 minuets stationary bike 4-6 days a week/ a slue of push-ups and physical job (aircraft mechanic, being huge means they make him carry or hold all the heavy things)
Walking.about.com : 3800 / day
caloriesperhour.com : 3296
/www.cookingnook.com : 3069
www.livestrong.com : 3440

With numbers that high I find it impossible that he hasn't lost any weight at all and he's getting pretty discouraged, talking about diet pills and scary stuff like that.
any advice?
Should he just try something stricter? How low is too low? do the calculators get less accurate with unusually high/low height weight ratios?

What is his goal weight ?

His goal weight is about 250 but I'd be happy with 275 (I don't want him getting too skinny on me lol)

He has a strenuous job, exercise a lot and that should be a fairly accurate calorie count. It could be the choices are the problem. Calorie counters tend to think they can eat anything as long as they stay within their calorie count and that is not true. You body requires adequate nutrition so I'd concentrate on what he is eating. Protein takes the longest for your body to digest and keeps you feeling full longest, next is fat and finally are carbs - they are digest first and the body hangs on to 4 grams of water for every gram of carb you eat. Why are you setting his goal? It's his body and it might be a good idea to see what his doctor thinks would be an appropriate weight.

could it be he is not eating enough? That is just the first thing that comes to mind.
I calculated his BMR, using the info given, and if he was to stay in bed all day he would still burn about 2800 calories a day. SO if he is working hard, and only eating 1400 calories, he may be in a kind of starvation mode and his body is not going to let go of anything....

Just a thought. Good luck

Calorie calculators are estimations based on averages. Anyone can be non-average, and there are many variables that go into it.

Until I was in my mid 20's, the calculators were pretty spot on for me (even at this weight), but over time they became less and less accurate (consistently they overestimated my calorie needs).

Right now, the calorie level it takes to maintain my weight or lose 1-2 lbs a month, is the same calorie level that in my 20's at this weight, would result in weekly losses of 5-8 lbs (and I don't mean just the first couple weeks of a diet, I mean consistently for months).

A person's metabolism can be slower or higher than average for a lot of reasons. The calculators just offer a starting point, not a guarantee.

I would recommend that he consider a low to moderately low carb diet. I've found that I can eat more calories on low-carb and feel less hungry to lose the same amount of weight as on a higher carb style of eating. I've been told that's unusual. I don't know how unusual it is, I just know that it is how my body responds. More importantly than the calorie difference for me, is that I don't feel as hungry on lower carb eating, and I've learned that sugars and some grains aggravate some of my health issues.


The Low-Carb Bible, bu Elizabeth M. Ward describes, compares and reviews several low- to moderate- carb diets (Atkins, Carbohydrate addicts, Neanderthin, Protein Power, Schwarzbein Principle, South Beach, Sugar Busters, Suzanne Somers, and the Zone).

I use a low-carb exchange plan. I encountered low-carb exchange plans first in the book The Duke Diet: The World-Renowned Program for Healthy and Lasting Weight Loss by Howard J. Eisenson M.D. and Martin Binks Ph.D., and then on the hillbillyhousewife website.

I like exchange plans, because I'm most familiar with them, and because of the built-in reminder to eat a more balanced diet.

For me, the best aspect of higher-fiber, lower carb dieting, is hunger control. Even fruit and grains tend to drive my hunger up, if they make up too much of my diet.

Also, when you say he's not losing, how long has he been dieting?. If it's two, or even three weeks, he may be losing weight, the scale may not have caught up. My husband is even more of a "whoosher" than I am (he'll lose nothing for several weeks and then he'll lose a big chunk).

Is 3000 calories less than he was eating before? How much less?

A check up also wouldn't be a bad idea to rule out metabolic syndrome, diabetes, hypothyroid and other endocrine disorders that can slow metabolism.

Nothing about weight loss is true for everyone, so trial and error is all any of us have.

Finding the "just right" calorie level and macronutrient balance can take a little experimenting (but you also have to give each experiment at least a two to three month trial, because weight loss isn't always immediate or linear).

When I use those calorie estimators (for fun, mind you) I don't add in exercise. Exercise is bonus activity, and I don't want to "eat back" my exercised food.

His work, of course, he needs to be fueled properly for that, but maybe try cutting out the exercise calories.

And, what Kaplods said, he could be a non-typical person when it comes to calorie burning, so trial and error is eventually what's going to have to show him what will work.

I echo what Lovely said. My first reaction was that he may be eating back too many calories, as we notoriously over-estimate how many calories we burn through physical activity -- particularly if it's an activity your body is accustomed to.

I tried juggling around with the calculators and I think he is eating too many calories 2800 looks about right. Now here is a point to consider, if you ask a question on these forums you will get as many different answers as there are posters, The best you can do is look at everything and maybe experiment a little to see what works best for him. Our bodies are all different.