He's fine. Leave him alone. Let him experiment on his own.

We can all agree that the most important thing is that he simply starts living a healthier lifestyle, right? He'll adjust as time goes on.

Thanks Aidan,
I set the goal to lose 2 pounds per week, but maybe that is too aggressive. I don't want to set myself up for failure right out of the starting gate.

Anyway I look at it, this is definitely going to be a challenge being in Vegas for a few weeks this summer.

Haha Indariver, I remember playing razz with him way way back.

The fat sick and nearly dead "documentary" is mostly horse ****.

Everything works. Some things work better than others. Nothing works forever.

But you have to think, can I eat this, or something like it, for basically the rest of my life? If the answer is no, you chose the wrong thing.

Everyone's looking for the magic formula. There isn't one. It's simple, but it isn't easy. Eat real food. Not too much. (Michael Pollan goes on to say "Mostly plants" but imo that's an ethical addendum more than a diet one)

Boy howdy, buffets? No. They are the worst for a dieting person, unless you understand how buffets work. When a fatty sees a buffet, they thing "must get my money's worth" which means "as much food as possible." When a man who is thin at heart sees a buffet he thinks "I need to get 1 sensible meal out of this" and that's what he eats. If you eat more than you need from a buffet then you are not "getting your moneys worth", you are costing yourself pounds and days.

I used to know a guy who would eat a whole loaf of french bread, because he bought it, and if he didn't it would "go bad" and then it's a waste of money. No. If you put it in your body but don't need it, THAT is the waste. You wasted an opportunity to not eat extra calories and you paid for it with more fat. Every calorie you eat over your maintenance is a waste. Throwing away food you don't need is a virtue.

It's a little like poker. Learn to love folding. The man who loves to fold is the man who understands the poker grind.

Yeah, I may be a little drunk.

2lb/week is a lot. I would aim for 1lb/week. A pound a week is 52 god damn pounds in a year. That is a ****ing garbage can full of fat. Think about that for a minute, go to the grocery store and stack together 52lb of ground beef. That could be gone from you in 1 year. Easy.

Appreciate the support Wil

That being said, I am happy to get any advice from guys whose only skin in the game is helping a nice guy out

Rusty,
I think you guys are probably right here. I will adjust the Myfitnesspal goal to solve for one pound per week and shoot for something sustainable

Yeah, its a fine line. I'd just say between 1800 and 2000 as a daily target and get the odd walk in. It is also where food choices become important: 1800 cals of chicken breast and broccoli is a lot of food, and has a different satiety value to 1800 cals of Carls Jr. (not that I am suggesting a diet of entirely the former; its just an example).

Once vegas rolls around hopefully you've learned enough and become accustomed enough that you won't over do it too much.

Wow guys...now I have 311 calories to "spend"...time to go nuts

Wish I could fast forward a month to see what change had occurred...fingers crossed

If you're not hungry there is no problem with going to bed with 300 calories left to "spend"

There is also nothing wrong with using it as a minor indulgence. The quickest way to busting your diet is to feel "deprived" all the time.

I tend to sort of give myself minor deprivations for lunch, and then minor inulgences for dinner. Like for lunch I might go to whole foods and get a 1/4 roasted chicken, and a ****load of vegetables. It is rare that I can eat it all. It usually clocks in at like 600 calories which leaves me a LOT to eat in the rest of the day. So I can usually fit in some dessert or a few beers or something like that. It feels "normal" not like "omg extreme dieting"

Great advice...thanks Rusty!

LoL Rusty...I love the embracing folding as it relates to calorie consumption.

I will embrace my inner food knit!

I don't know how tall you are, but you were at about the same weight when I started counting calories, which I have always done and dropped weight fine. Shooting for 2 a week is perfectly healthy and perfectly fine. If you want to do that, don't go over 1800. I think 2000 though you could do close to two or 1.5. A 2000 calorie is totally perfect for you.

I bet your break even point on calorie intake is also close to mine, which is like 2500, so anything under and you will lose. Don't go over 2000 and you will see it drop off 1.5 to 2 lbs a week. Obviously some weeks will be better than others.

CUT OUT POP! Drink water. Right there will work wonders. Other than that, just watch your calories. I had 2000 today and I am hungry right now, but I am sucking it up and just drinking more water. I usually stay at about 1800 and its 1.5 to 2 a week.

KC,
I am six feet tall...MFP gives me 2070 calories per day for one pound per week.

Pop is not an issue for me, but booze during Vegas will be. I'll just try and live life during that time and not be too disappointed with myself

Yeah I will be out there for a couple of weeks to...and will be hard to not hit up El Polo Loco, and tons of Asian food. I am going to try to balance it where I can have what I want, but where I am good 50% of the time. If I can come back from Vegas the same weight as when I left to go there, I will be happy. I am going to try.

I cant believe it says 2070 for 1 pound. I would do 1800 then. Have small breakfast, small lunch, bigger dinner. Couple snacks. You need to eat smaller, but more times. Have oatmeal or cereal, then like a turkey or chicken sandwhich and some baked chips for lunch, then like a decent dinner. Maybe a chef salad. A Subway sandwhich. Maybe some grilled chicken with vegetables. Stuff like that. That is what I do. Foot long Subway turkey sandwhich only has 580 calories and is filling. One of the places I frequent. Yes there is carbs, but screw that part of it, I just count calories and it works.

Just to be clear I was mocking wil's one week weight loss plan. Weight loss is not the same as fat loss.

Thanks KC

The BMR calculator I use would predict about a 2 pounds/week loss for 2000 calories for your height/weight/age, assuming you were somewhere between sedentary and lightly active.

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/#result

You run that calc then multiple by 1.2 for sedentary or 1.375 for lightly active.

I understand your position, but weight loss isn't a plan set in stone. It's different for everyone. Also, he shouldn't be concerned about fat loss over total weight at this time. He's too heavy. He has to start somewhere. He's not going from where he is now to getting down to 12% body fat and posting pictures of his abs. That can come later. Way later.

Some people have success with one method and fail at every other. I've dealt with weight loss two big times in my life, and I used two different methods. I've learned some things that are the keys to success

1) Convenience is the most important factor.

2) It has be sustainable/tolerable for long periods of time.

These are the two most important things. You can eat just watermelon for 2 days and lose weight, which satisfies point #1, but not point #2.

You could cook your own meals and count out exactly how many calories you'll be consuming. This can satisfy some people for #2, but not for #1.

Cutting out Pasta/Bread/Rice for a while to lose weight just isn't asking for much. Other than a slight energy deficit, there are no real downsides to it. You're still eating many foods you love and don't even have to bother with the inconvenience of keeping track of calories. There are just so many chicken wings and ribs you can eat. That's really not the food that will hurt you, its the sides of mac and cheese and french fries that do.

Finally, weight loss is a moving target. If you start off at 250 lbs you'll simply lose more weight than someone who started at 240 lbs. As you start losing weight, you'll have to reduce the calories you're eating every week to maintain that loss. This isn't just inconvenient in terms of recalculating, it's demoralizing because you're always eating less and less.

Most people quit diets because they get frustrated. They can't eat the stuff they want, they can't enjoy going out for a meal with their friends because every thing on the menu has too many calories, or they feel totally unsatisfied after eating. In my recommendation, all they have to do is skip the bread and rice. Want a steak? Get it. Just don't get the baked potato, get the asparagus. Want Chinese? Get it, just don't eat the rice. It's satisfying and easy, and that's what is important to long term success.

I'm excited to see how much he weighs tonight. And tomorrow night. And the weeks after. He'll drop WAY more than 2 lbs a week if he sticks to it, gauranteed.

If he stuck to 1600 calories/day he would drop way more than 2 pounds/week for the first few weeks, regardless of whether or not he consumed carbs.

We can have this discussion many times over and just go in circles.

I'd bet money on my method over any of yours. Yeah, I know you all think it's right, but what I'm advocating is the easiest one. To get overweight there has to be some sort of negligence in terms of diet. I'd agree with most of you if it came to someone who was 180 lbs and trying to get abs, but in this case my terms are a much better solution.

For the record, what's the change in daily cal expenditure with one lbs of weight loss?

So, you are going to try something that is excessive and restrictive? Listen to everything Rusty said, and nothing that CrazyDaisy posted. Not trying to be disparaging, but everything he said to try is what you said has worked in the past, but only for a limited time.

Figure out your maintenance calories, set a deficit of 500 - 1000 calories a day, and then stick to it. You will lose weight, unless you lie to yourself about what you are eating. I'm not saying the ketogenic diet won't work, there is good evidence that it does work, but long term compliance is an issue.

I understand your point, but every diet thread turns into the same discussions. They get confusing and argumentative and the person who suffers is the OP.

They get confusing and argumentative because randos like you post confusing, irrelevant and/or broscience-based info.