I'm 29 years old, 6'3" and 280lbs. I go to the gym 3-4 times per week and have been for a year, and though my strength/fitness/bodyshape has changed I don't seem to lose any weight or significant size.

According to some online calculators, and what I can figure out myself, my current caloric intake to maintain my weight is around 3500. But in order to lose 1-2lbs per week I need to be consuming around 2500 calories a day.

But this seems a little high to me, I was thinking of going to between 1500-2000 per day. I'm very aware though that I need to avoid starvation mode.

Could anyone confirm that 2500 is not too much for someone looking to lose a lot of fat?

It really depends, which is why I would suggest not putting too much faith into online calculators.

There are so many factors that are specific to YOU... If you're not losing the weight you want to be, just start reducing your caloric intake by 250 calories/per day, for one week. The next week, reduce by another 250, etc etc.

Eventually, as you monitor your intake and progress YOU will start to learn what is "right" for YOU!

~Tim

High relative to what? What makes a caloric intake high in your mind?

You do realize that caloric requirements are based on your size and activity levels, right?

As usual ... I'll just say "what Steve said".

Where is the number 1500 coming from? What makes you think that's the right amount for you?

I guess this magic number of 1500-2000 comes from the various dieticians I've seen over the last ten years.

Seems this old way of thinking just doesn't apply and I should be focussing on a quality, healthy diet and exercise, right?

Depends on what you mean by "old way of thinking."

It's quite simple in my eyes. Eat as much food as possible while still allowing for weight loss. This will satiate you best, slow metabolic adaptations best, provide you adequate nutrition best (assuming you're making proper food selections), and give you the most room to adjust calories if/when you plateau.

If you drop as low as you can right off the bat, the above is negated for the most part.

I typically start my clients at about 12 calories per pound for fat loss. You're not signing any contracts here. The whole point is to pick an intake, track your progress (weight, pictures, measurements), then adjust accordingly.

If 12 isn't working after a number of weeks... adjust your intake down 10% or so.

What comprises said calories is obviously important too. If you'd like to delve into that, simply say so.

Do you need to count calories?

Certainly not. Sticking with calorie-sparse, nutrient-dense foods can, for some, automatically control calories to a point where you're losing fat. Some excel with this. Others, not so much.

It's up to you how you want to go about it.

Thanks Steve! You've made things a lot clearer.

By old way of thinking I'm referring to the idea that being overweight means eating too much, so the less one eats the more one is likely to lose weight.

I'm aware this is naive and incorrect thinking, but I suppose a lot of us revert to this kind of attitude when we don't make much progress.

At 12 cals per pound I get a daily intake of 3360 so halving that to 1500 now seems ridiculous!

I'm going to stop fretting so much over caloric value and look closer at my calory sources.

Thanks again.

You're welcome.

In truth, if you focus on getting adequate protein in, that's more than half the battle. Protein is the most satiating nutrient, plus it does all sorts of neat things like help preserve muscle and bumps metabolism up a bit.

What's adequate?

Maybe something like 1 gram per pound of goal weight would suffice.

I like to spread my intake of protein out over 5-6 "courses." You don't have to do things this way but for me, it fits my schedule and satiates me best.

Once protein is accounted for, you can start adding things like healthy fats (fish, fish oil, flax, olive oil, nuts, avacados, etc) and fruits and veggies.

Fruits and veggies go a LONG way since you can eat a lot more of them relative to other foods with as large of a "calorie dent."

Balance is key.