Current Weight x 10 for weight loss?

DB_1106
DB_1106 Posts: 154 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone used this method to determine a baseline?

What were the results, if any?

I know everyone's bodies are different and what works for some may not work for others, but I am just curious if anyone has used this method with any luck. It seems so much simpler and less complicated.
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Replies

  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    What method you talking about here OP?

    I do not understand what Current Weight x 10 for weight loss actually means.
  • DB_1106
    DB_1106 Posts: 154 Member
    Say you weigh 200 lbs, you take 200 and multiply by 10. 2,000 calories.
  • georgedarling
    georgedarling Posts: 30 Member
    I'm 47 and I remember this when it was standard. I weigh 127 so it would set me at 1270 for calories. Pretty close!
  • DB_1106
    DB_1106 Posts: 154 Member
    The reason I bring this up, is because I see so many posts on here about figuring out your BMR, then figuring out your TDEE, then figuring out your exercise calories, subtract 10% for 1 pound, subtract 20% for 2 pounds, blah blah blah. It confuses so many people. Post after post about how many calories people should be eating.

    Weight multiplied by 10 is so much easier.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    Say you weigh 200 lbs, you take 200 and multiply by 10. 2,000 calories.

    Ahhh interesting!

    I have never heard of that, but it is well worth looking at.

    I am 135, so multiply that by 10 = 1350 - pretty darn close!

    Bloody sight easier than all those facts and figures going on about that's for sure!
  • runfatmanrun
    runfatmanrun Posts: 1,090 Member
    My understanding is it's current weight times 12. Then subtract 250 for 1/2 pound per week weight loss, 500 for a pound, and so on. I am sure current times 10 is pretty close.
  • cutethang1
    cutethang1 Posts: 239 Member
    I wasnt loosing any weight until I started doing this and I changed my macros to 40-30-30. On this method you dont eat back your exercise cals.
  • justrun52
    justrun52 Posts: 74 Member
    I don't think this works for everyone. I'm 105 lbs, and if I ate 1050 calories a day, I'd starve. I lose weight when I eat between 1200 and 1400 calories a day. To maintain I need to eat about 1500 or 1600.
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
    I'd be eating exactly what I'm eating now. Perfect! I already plan on decreasing allowed calories as I lose, so this method will work for me...as long as I continue to not eat all of my exercise cals back.

    However, it won't work all the time. If someone weighs 100 pounds they should probably eat more than 1000 cals. If someone weighs 400 pounds they should not eat 4000 cals, unless they're a football player.
  • dougii
    dougii Posts: 679 Member
    According to my doctor, weight x 10 is what you use to maintain, not lose. Based on my own experience I would have to agree with him. Based on what MFP is giving me in calories and my current weight - to lose 2 lbs per week I would need to calculate weight x 6.5. I believe that the BMR and TDEE calculations are going to work better in the long run.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    I've never heard of this, but I just did it to see what it would say and it actually does say what I have it set up for. Interesting.
  • dougii
    dougii Posts: 679 Member
    My understanding is it's current weight times 12. Then subtract 250 for 1/2 pound per week weight loss, 500 for a pound, and so on. I am sure current times 10 is pretty close.

    That calculation is almost dead on with the MFP numbers for me.
  • kristen6022
    kristen6022 Posts: 1,923 Member
    Weight + 10 isn't what you'd use to maintain. I'm 150, so that means I'd have to eat 1500 to maintain and that's what I ate to lose. To maintain I need about 1900 or I continue to lose.
  • lausa22
    lausa22 Posts: 467 Member
    I weigh 180. That means 1800 calories. I'd easily put on weight with that!
    I eat roughly 1200-1300 a day for weight loss.
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    It's an old bodybuilder method - http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/how-to-estimate-maintenance-caloric-intake.html
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    DavidOcean
    Say you weigh 200 lbs, you take 200 and multiply by 10. 2,000 calories.
    runfatmanrun
    My understanding is it's current weight times 12. Then subtract 250 for 1/2 pound per week weight loss, 500 for a pound, and so on. I am sure current times 10 is pretty close.
    sizelittle
    I don't think this works for everyone. I'm 105 lbs, and if I ate 1050 calories a day, I'd starve. I lose weight when I eat between 1200 and 1400 calories a day. To maintain I need to eat about 1500 or 1600.

    I see no accounting for AGE here.
    I ate 1800 or so calories to maintain 135-140 in my early 20s
    Now I'm eating 1550 to maintain 143 in my 50s
  • bayertablets
    bayertablets Posts: 213 Member
    I think this works for people in the median/average, but may be severely skewed for extrememly obese or extremely small people. I'm 337.5 lbs, so according to weight x 10, I'd need to eat 3,375 cals. I use the "World's Most Accurate Calorie Calculator" (http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/), and 3,375 is pretty close to my maintenance calories. I do a 20% cut on my TDEE, so I eat between 2450 and 2700 cals/day. This blog lays it out pretty well: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/lillebanon/view/my-take-on-eating-more-to-weigh-less-254554

    It's not that hard to calculate, and can actually be pretty fun, if you're a math nerd like me. :tongue:

    Good luck!
  • DB_1106
    DB_1106 Posts: 154 Member
    I really think the weight multiplied by 10 gives you a good baseline to go on as long as you are not on either extreme side of the scale. Baseline to start and adjust as you go. I want to make sure I am getting enough energy to fuel my strength training workouts and build muscle.

    There is a fine line between eating enough to build muscle, not adding excess fat and eating too much, gaining muscle along with the fat.

    Trial and error, I guess.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    If you have more muscle than the average person, this doesn't work. It also doesn't work for those who exercise a lot. In fact, it would leave me about 600 calories short of where I would need to eat.

    200 lbs at 12% body fat would put me at 2000 calories.

    I eat 2600 calories to lose about 1/2-1 lb per week.
  • momornana
    momornana Posts: 10
    Hi All, I am afraid that won't work to lose weight. I just took a metabolism breathing test to see how many calories I am burning each day. If I consume my weight x10 in calories, I would be eating 26 calories more than I need just to maintain. So very close for maintainence, but not for weight loss.
  • DB_1106
    DB_1106 Posts: 154 Member
    If you have more muscle than the average person, this doesn't work. It also doesn't work for those who exercise a lot. In fact, it would leave me about 600 calories short of where I would need to eat.

    200 lbs at 12% body fat would put me at 2000 calories.

    I eat 2600 calories to lose about 1/2-1 lb per week.

    Did not think about that. Makes sense what you are saying though. I cannot imagine a 200 pound bodybuilder eating the same amount of calories as a 200 pound coach potato.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    If you have more muscle than the average person, this doesn't work. It also doesn't work for those who exercise a lot. In fact, it would leave me about 600 calories short of where I would need to eat.

    200 lbs at 12% body fat would put me at 2000 calories.

    I eat 2600 calories to lose about 1/2-1 lb per week.

    Did not think about that. Makes sense what you are saying though. I cannot imagine a 200 pound bodybuilder eating the same amount of calories as a 200 pound coach potato.

    I believe for athletes it was supposed to be weight x 14
  • Diary_Queen
    Diary_Queen Posts: 1,314 Member
    This method would not work for me..... I weigh 238 lbs. and eat about 1750 cals a day. I eat to trend to what I want to weigh... my first goal is 170 and then i'll work from there to get to 140 (and drop my cals as i drop the weight)
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    Hi All, I am afraid that won't work to lose weight. I just took a metabolism breathing test to see how many calories I am burning each day. If I consume my weight x10 in calories, I would be eating 26 calories more than I need just to maintain. So very close for maintainence, but not for weight loss.

    What exactly was it testing? Those tests only usually test BMR, or RMR. Not total daily expenditure.
  • Lane1012
    Lane1012 Posts: 211 Member
    The reason I bring this up, is because I see so many posts on here about figuring out your BMR, then figuring out your TDEE, then figuring out your exercise calories, subtract 10% for 1 pound, subtract 20% for 2 pounds, blah blah blah. It confuses so many people. Post after post about how many calories people should be eating.

    Weight multiplied by 10 is so much easier.

    I guess it depends on what you are trying to do .. I weigh 148 and if I tried to eat 1480 a day I'd probably drop to an unhealthy weight pretty fast with all the exercise and other things I do. For someone who's rather heavy and is looking to drop a lot of weight I think it could work but I don't think it's as easy as just putting a blanket 10x = calories to consume formula on it for everyone.
  • Kittenopolis
    Kittenopolis Posts: 26 Member
    Keeping in mind 1200 is the recommended minimum caloric intake for women, I think the rule still fits. Basically if you weight less than 120lbs, you're obviously going to have to eat more than the x10 Rule suggests, but as a starting point for so many who are looking to lose weight (you have to admit the majority of people needing to lose weight do NOT weigh under 120lbs, hehe), I think this is pretty great.

    For my weight, it put me about 70 calories per day over what MFP recommended.

    It always sucks to be in that difficult minority area though, so good luck with your goals!
  • kr1ssy23
    kr1ssy23 Posts: 270 Member
    My weight :195

    So 195 x 10 = 1950

    1950-500 (for a pound a week calorie deficit )= 1450 which is exactly around what Im eating (1430)
  • JessicaV623
    JessicaV623 Posts: 31 Member
    If I followed this, I should eat 3200 calories a day?!! 320 x 10..
    That just seems insane... MFP has me at 1710 a day...
  • Kittenopolis
    Kittenopolis Posts: 26 Member
    I think the key thing to remember here is that this calculation isn't taking into account added caloric loss through exercise. As a standard rule of thumb for maintenance, it seems to work.
  • DB_1106
    DB_1106 Posts: 154 Member
    Hi All, I am afraid that won't work to lose weight. I just took a metabolism breathing test to see how many calories I am burning each day. If I consume my weight x10 in calories, I would be eating 26 calories more than I need just to maintain. So very close for maintainence, but not for weight loss.

    Was this test done for BMR or TDEE?

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