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I love Calorie-count.com. My trainer friend Mandy Froehlich(http://trainwithmandy.blogspot.com/ ) told me about it a long time ago. Today I found that it has a resident Nutritionist. I loved this question that she answered here.

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By Mary Hartley, RDDirector of Nutrition

Should I be eating 7 calories per pound to lose weight?Asked by anonymous on Feb 26, 2008 in Weight Loss
According to the Biggest Loser, to lose weight you should eat 7 calories per pound of body weight, and to maintain, you should eat 12 calories per pound. I am eating 7 calories per pound but I am starving! What's wrong?
Answer
At a moderate activity level, an adult needs roughly 15 calories per pound of ideal weight. Ideal weight is somewhere between BMI 19 and 25. Estimating calorie requirements is complicated and imprecise, and the 7 calorie per pound guideline is not a scientific fact. The Biggest Loser's severely obese contestants might do fine on 7 calories per pound, but the guideline would not work for less overweight people. For example, at 7 calories per pound, a 300-pound person gets 2100 calories a day, but a 140-pound person gets only 980 calories.

A client of mine who I adore were discussing The Biggest Loser today. So many of my clients love this show so I finally started watching it. Ok, so I record it now too, but I really have a problem with the "camp like expectations" they have for these contestants...even when they have gotten very close to their goal weight. We in the real world need to remember that 2 lbs a week is a SAFE and REALISTIC way to drop pounds.

Here are the facts: This is a life long process... you will never be able to start eating like crap on a consistent basis again. You will always have to work out 5 times a week for the rest of your life. We here in the real world are lucky to squeeze in a 1 hour work out per day.

When you are watching the Biggest Loser and wondering why you are not dropping 13 lbs. a week....just remember if you take it off fast then you will gain it back fast, but if you take it off slow, you are more likely to keep it off. Lifestyle change=consistency, commitment, and perseverance!!!!!!!! Just keep plugging away. You can do this!!!!!