Originally Posted by
atomic sagebrush
You have to be sure you start off at the upper levels of calories, more than you think you need. So 1800-2000 calories minimum and maybe even 2000-2200 (especially if you are very tall or exercising). Plus you should eat 50-60 g protein and fat. This will ensure your weight doesn't fly off too quickly. Then over time you can gradually cut back on calories (or not, if you need to continue to eat that much to prevent very fast weight loss). The key is to always start off eating more than you think you should be and see what happens. If you don't lose or gain weight, you will know then that's too many calories. If you lose weight, you will know to either eat more still if the weight loss is more than you should lose, or happens too fast, or to continue with that level of weight loss if you are losing only about 1-2 lbs per week and have some weight to spare.
Just a reminder, if your BMI is 21 or lower, you should try to hold steady where you are at; that way if a small amount of weight comes off before you are able to stop losing weight, it won't be too harmful. And at 18.5 BMI you need to do whatever it takes to keep that weight on. No one should ever drop below that point.
