I asked this in another area so I will give it a go here.
I have a friend who is 400lbs overweight. If you have that much to lose do you follow the same convention as say I do?
I times my weight by 10 and that gives me calories per day
I divide the total weight I want to lose by 25 to give the additional ounces of water besides the 64 I'm suppose to drink.
If this is true then my friend has to eat 6000 calories and drink...
192 oz. if water?

Hi Lessara,

I would say no, she doesn't have to. In my opinion, the calorie formula should be based on lean body mass (LBM) and on total weight. I've done great the first year when I was 400+ by eating well, at least 3 healthy low-carb meals, and drinking water when I'm thirsty. I didn't count my calories, but I doubt they were more than 3,000.

The most important thing is to not under-eat, and to know that less food does not mean better weight-loss.

Wa'il

I agree with Wa'il,

First, fat has a lower metabolic threshold than lean muscle and other tissue, so it's calorie requirement is less (In the past, it was thought that fat was inert, it just sat there and did nothing. We now know that's not true, but even so, it's not as "active" as muscle or organs). That being said .. an extremely obese person does require more calories, since the fact of his obesity means there is more tissue, more blood vessels etc for the heart to pump blood through, etc, etc.

My concern would be that he gets enough PROTEIN. His protein needs will be high for the very reasons I stated above, even if his activity level is sedentary. He'll require more than the standard 0.6g per lb of lean body mass. Probably closer to 0.7 or even 0.8g per lb of LBM. I'm only guessing here, but I'd say a bare minimum of 120g protein per day, assuming a LBM of 150 lbs (body weight minus fat weight).

Doreen

p.s. - I think it's terrific that you're helping your friend this way

I suppose it's helpful to have a guideline, but personally I refuse to count calories. I can't tell you how many times I've quit diets and programs because the weighing, measuring, and calculating of meals along with trying to plan out the whole day every day became too much work.

The only realistic solution for me is to make it a lifestyle by not being so rigid about calculating everything. I keep a mental count of the carbs I've consumed throughout the day and that's it. If I'm hungry I eat something appropriate and I stop eating when I'm full. I make sure to get some vegetables and vitamins in there. Lots of water too.

Maybe I'm abnormally lazy but I just look at the whole thing as a different assortment of food now available to me and I go on with my life. I can't take on another project, another thing that I have to do everyday.

hi Alison,

Most of us low carbers don't count calories as just another restriction to place on ourselves . We keep an eye on the calories to make sure we're eating ENOUGH. Simply cutting out carbs isn't adequate, you run the risk of consuming too few calories for your body to maintain its metabolic rate .. and it will adapt to a lowered energy intake by slowing right down. This is called starvation mode. It's really important to ensure you're consuming a minimum number of calories per day to prevent this from happening. General rule of thumb is 10 to 12 calories per lb for a healthy person. YMMV though, for some it may be a bit more or less. FAT is the easiest, most calorie-dense way to get in enough calories. Plus, make sure you're eating plenty of protein too.

I used to only keep track of carbs too, and thought I was doing well. When I stalled out for months last spring, I started keeping track .. and discovered that on most days I was only eating 1000 to 1200 calories a day. Now, I make the effort to eat at least 1600 to 1700 per day, adding extra olive oil and butter to my food. It's made a difference

Doreen

Hi Doreen,

Maybe I've been too influenced by some programs before this one that approached overweight as a behavioral problem. They instead focused on paying attention on whether you are actually hungry or full. But they were wrong about a number of other things too.

Still I dread the thought of pulling out that little scale that measures quarter ounces and measuring every teaspon of oil that goes into the pan instead of just pouring some in. It just all reminds me of those bad old days in Weight Watchers. Maybe you're right that I'm associating measuring and counting with restricting. Something to think about.

I'm fascinated by your report that you began losing weight again by eating more. I guess the old model of thinking is pretty deeply engrained.

Allison

My friend is a guy... guess I should have told you.
I have to tell you, Low Carbing is great with a buddy!

Wa'il, I'm trying to make sure he eats enough. He could easily make his body think it is starving. Exercise to him is just getting from one room to another so I suggested this diet. He wasn't a meat eater from the start but he's eating more now that we are almost through our second week of induction. So the max calorie would be based on his lean body mass. How do you calculate that? The protein power doesn't go that high.
He's 5-11 and is large boned, very dense bones.
Is there a formula for very big people?

Doreen, Is there a minimum amount of water he should drink?
The things he complains about is water and aches which could be from dehyrdration... That was my main problem. 64 ounces was just not enough for me and I was 300!

I'm only looking for is "Is he getting enough" I know for a fact he doesn't eat more than 2000 calories.. We share meals.
He's not just my friend, he's my roommate