Counting Calories...Question!

[aManicCookie]

REALLY sorry if this is not where it goes..

So I joined Fitday.com and I'm trying to figure out how to count calories.. I think I've got it down but...I'm confused on something.

So my starting weight was 323.0lbs....And I want to weigh 200 by July of next year. So I have to loose like 2.49 pounds a week.

Fitday says I should only eat like 1460 calories a day to loose this much.

My question is...as I loose weight like..let's say in December I weigh 250..will I still be eating the same around of calories or should I be eating less? Am I over thinking this?

 

[pablorivera]

Yes, your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) value will decrease as your body weight decreases, because your body weight is a factor in calculating your TDEE.

But that does not mean you should lower your intake in line with that. In the beginning phase of your weight loss, the weight loss your experience per week will be greater than when you start approaching your goal weight. That's normal and to be expected. So enjoy the faster weight loss in the beginning and don't be disappointed when it starts to slow down (presuming the slow down is not related to a slacking off in the dieting or exercise.)

The mistake lots of people make (when weight loss slows down or stops) is that they eat even lower and start exercising even more to get the scale moving again.

This never works. The body always downregulates the metabolic rate when exposed to prolonged caloric restriction. This metabolic adaptation is your body's way of protecting itself from starvation. (Google "leptin levels" and fat loss for more information.) The way to get your fat loss back on track is to actually come out of your diet (your caloric restriction) completely, and eat at Maintenance Level for a while (1 or 2 weeks) until your hormone levels (leptin, thyroid, etc.) are back to normal levels. (The amount of time it takes to reset metabolism is largely dependent on how long you were on the diet and how aggresive the calorie restriction was.)

Also, your RMR value is a number you need to know and make sure you don't go lower than that for too long. (Check this post for more info.)

Hope that helps.

 

[knyt]

The body always downregulates the metabolic rate when exposed to prolonged caloric restriction. This metabolic adaptation is your body's way of protecting itself from starvation. (Google "leptin levels" and fat loss for more information.) The way to get your fat loss back on track is to actually come out of your diet (your caloric restriction) completely, and eat at Maintenance Level for a while (1 or 2 weeks) until your hormone levels (leptin, thyroid, etc.) are back to normal levels. (The amount of time it takes to reset metabolism is largely dependent on how long you were on the diet and how aggresive the calorie restriction was.)

Ooo... thank you. I'm logging that piece of info for later use if anything happens.