The Daily Numbers for a 10 Pound Monthly Goal Loss: 2.5 pounds per week

So...common wisdom says to lose 1-2 pounds per week. This makes sense for those who are lighter, or only have some 10's of pounds to lose. It also makes sense in terms of calorie restriction...after all to lose 1 pound, one must cut 3500 calories, thus:

• 1 pound/week release (loss) is 500 calories a day, eminently do-able
• 2 pounds/week release (loss) is 1000 calories a day less...which is getting into real numbers
• 2.5 pounds/week release (loss) is 1250 calories a day less....this is hard*

*Eating 1250 calories less** a day is hard for 3 main reasons: 

1. It's hard to be so restricted; it takes planning and extreme will power; also calorie restriction can set the body into starvation mode
2. It's hard to eat a healthy number of nutrients in such a strict framework
3. It can leave one feeling week, if macro-nutrients are not fulfilled

**1250 less calories...from what? From one's TDEE! (or their BMR)

The TDEE is the

Total    DAILY    Energy    Expenditure

    =the number of calories one uses in a day

The BMR is the 

Basal     METABOLIC     Rate

    =the number of calories used when one is at rest

There are various calculators on the internet, that utilize various formulae; for a tallish, very heavy, woman in her 50's, (i.e. me), the TDEE varies from about:

2500 calories per day

(assuming no activity, which *DOES* happen as I'm on the PC all day, like now, though I'm about to go outside and do some yard work in this little pocket of warmer weather we are having, in normally cold December)

up to 3700 calories daily

(for someone with lots of activity)

and with a BMR of:

2177 calories daily

Research shows that for those with a BMI of over 30, (obese) the BMR is the accurate number to use {over 40 is morbidly obese...}

Both TDEE and BMR are related to maintenance calories, once one reaches their ideal weight.

It is suggested that for weight loss:

• Slow (0.5 pound weekly) I eat 2250 calories daily
• Medium (1 pound weekly) I eat 2000 calories daily
• Fast (2 pounds weekly) I eat 1500 calories daily
• and, I'm assuming, ultra-Fast (2.5 pounds weekly) I eat 1250 calories daily

However, for those who have a lot to lose, like me, this is the rate the numbers imply to lose at about 10 pounds a month.

To reach this 1250 calorie deficit, both a careful calorie input, restricting to lower-calorie, nutrient dense foods (plants and proteins), AND working out vigorously and long are required, because  CICO...Calories In and Calories Out are the daily numbers for any weight loss goal.