The 10x-12x thing has been driving me crazy such that I've started to wonder if I live in the Twilight Zone or Freaksville. My lean body mass is around 85 pounds, total weight 105, age 42. I have to make sure I eat around 1400 calories spread across my first four meals of the day so that I don't eat like eight pigs when meal 5 rolls around. My remaining calories for the day range from 400 to 800, depending on how much exercise I did that day. I've tried the 10x-12x thing several times, thinking that is what should be normal, and I've ended up having miserable hunger, yawning attacks, fatigue, more time spent with icy fingers and toes, and wearing my winter coat indoors (summer included) more hours of the day. My husband and friends never fail to make comments about my food volume but now I am armed with a response. (I low carb for chronic fatique and hypoglycemia reasons.)

I try too. Only becasue I have a tendency to NOT eat enough, never mind overeating.

* the point of the diet is you dont count anything
* eat when youre hungry - till satisfied

oh, if only if it was that easy ! Left to my own devices, not counting and eating till satisfied, I will eat 1,000 to 1200 calories

Ive done that for months. Is starvation mode real ?? Yes.

the 10 X rule is very useful indeed for people like me.

If I hadnt discovered it, I would have had to conclude "Atkins doesnt work"

I cant tell you how much I would love to not think about what Im eating and be able to lose fat. It still isnt a "one size fits all " wol.
We are so very different in our individual needs.

SlimShAdY & Plum, you are both prime examples of why we recommend the 10 to 12 times your body-weight guideline. Many people find that their appetites are reduced when they limit their carbs. Some of us don't have that problem.

For those of you whose appetites are so reduced, the guideline helps you keep your caloric intake above the starvation point. That's why we will continue to recommend it.

;-Deb

I didn't pay attention to the 10x body weight guideline until I was within a few pounds of goal. Then I had to, because I was gaining and losing the same five pounds, without losing any more. Now I know I'm at a good weight for my height (although Iwouldn't mind losing another 5 pounds), but if I don't keep to 10x body weight I gain weight.

As always, YMMV,

Skywind

I didn't vote because none of the choices really applied. I do use the 10-12x guideline, but it's more like 10-12x my goal weight so I stick between 1,500 and 1,800 calories a day. I'm not strict about it other than to make sure that I'm getting enough and if I'm hungry, I eat.
The guideline is there because, as DebPenny pointed out, many people find that they are not hungry with this WOE and tend to undereat which can slow down weight loss as much as overeating and slow down your metabolism.
I'm in an increased hunger phase right now (I think it's the time of year), but there have been times where I could go all day without eating or eating very little and still not be hungry. As always, YMMV.

I am finding that I feel best and also seem to lose best if I'm eating around 1400 calories a day. Which is slightly less than 10x my weight but way, way more than 10x my lean body mass. I don't track this rigidly, making myself eat more if calories are too low or going hungry if they're too high, etc, but I'm using Fitday so the number is right there anyway.

But, I've only been doing this for a couple of months so next spring it may be totally different for me

I think the 10x guideline is a good place to start. It took me 6 months of trial and error to find what works for me, my metabolism and my activity level. I exercise pretty intensely 6-7x a week so I thought I could eat 12-13x my bodyweight. I didn't take into consideration that the other 23 hours of the day I'm almost completely sedetary. I currently eat 10x lean body mass and about 8x my weight and have finally started to lose.
My biggest challenge is getting in enough protein to support my weightlifting, yet keeping fats high enough to remain in ketosis. All while keeping my calories in the range I need to be.