Calories for weight loss?

White Dove, this seems like an interesting formula, but if my goal weight is 115 pounds. . . that would mean I can only have 650 calories a day.  Could that be right?  Could I be healthy on that low amount of calories?  That's lower than I expected.

If your goal is 110, then you need 1100 calories.  At that low a weight it is probably not doable to be trying to lose a pound a week, subtract 250 calories and try for 1/2 pound a week.

Ah, the age old question!!  And guess what?  There is no one perfect answer!!

Each person, especially obese persons (which we are, just some of us are in remission), has a unique metabolism.  You have to do the research to see what your "sweet spot" is and work from there.  And it takes time!!

I'd start with myfitnesspal's recommendation for daily intake (set it up to lose .5 per week-anything more than that at this point is a waste of time). Eat what it tells you to eat (calorie-wise) each day for two weeks.  Weigh again.  Did you lose a lb?  Yes-continue on.  No?  then you have to adjust. Start by eliminating 200 per day, and do it for two weeks. And so on.......

MFP says I should be at 1,760 per day to lose .5 per week.  Which, after my research work is about right..........BUT..........and this is a big BUT............I cannot eat back the calories I burn off in exercise, and I workout hard several days a week.  MFP "adds" those exercise calories back in.....I have to be careful to ignore that.......(I wonder if there is a setting to stop that????)

The saving grace for me (I'll be 5 years out in a few weeks) has been regular, intense exercise and the significant amount of muscle I've built.  My metabolism is soooo much better now.  I also eat 6-7 small meals all day long, so I really don't get hungry (well not physically, but MENTALLY I think I am sometimes when I'm bored at work!!)

The times 10 formula has been around since my Weigh****cher days in the 1970's.  Most nutritionists agree with 3500 calories equal one pound. All of the fancy formulas using by websites and organizations are really based on some variation of that.  Weigh****chers points system used to give me 27 pounds and a point is roughly 50 calories, they recommended 1350 calories for weight of 136.

My goal is 136 and to lose 1/2 pound a week I subtract 250 calories a day from 1360 for 1110 or 500 a day for 860 and one pound a week.   

My favorite site now is iifym.com If It Fit Your Macros.  Your macros are fiber, fat, protein and calories.

Any app that is telling you to eat 2000 calories a day is setting you up to weigh 200 pounds.  Some people say they have bodies that can burn off all of those calories and stay slim.  I used to be that way until I was about 25.  After that eating 1000 or less calories a day was the only way I could lose any weight and every time I went off those diets I would gain back what I lost and more.

My RNY allows me to eat like that now, because my tiny pouch is easy to fill up and I no longer feel any hunger.  If I ate things with flour and sugar I would be hungry again and would gain weight.  I stick with lean meat, cheeses, vegetables and a few fruits.  I track everything with myfitnesspal and set my goals with iifym.

I will be seven years out in October.  Today I weighed 135.

Thank you for your gracious, thoughtful, and most importantly, USEFUL reply! I think this formula makes sense and is feasible at any stage of WL /maintenance. 

Seriously, thank you for sharing. ASHLEY

Thank you.  Excellent information! 

Thanks for the info, everyone!  I will check out myfitnesspal.com.  It has only been a week and before that, I had not been counting calories (shame on me).  I have lost 2 lbs. but

that was most likely water weight.  I just thought that being post RNY, that our calorie intake would be somewhat different than "normal" people trying to lose.

I have heard people suggest that the RNY (WLS) process changes your metabolism and to a degree, it would as you lose lean body mass in addition to losing fat.  But if you consume your given level of protein and exercise to maintain lean body mass as much as possible, our metabolism should not be any lower than any person that has our same basic make up.

I also use myfitnesspal.

Jeffery

Are you losing at 1500 per day? You may want to cut back to 1200. I eat 2000 on a typical day but cut back to 1500 to lose.

Please see my profile page if interested.