Weight X 12 is current calorie intake?

I don't know about the theory, but if you're losing at 1600, just keep at it!

I'm assuming the x 12 calculation is at sedentary level, not including exercise? If so, the number is pretty spot on for me.

janisseshirley wrote: »

So how does one come up with the amount of calories they should be consuming per day, before exercise? What is the formula to determine ones amount?

MFP, the website you're posting on, will calculate it for you. All you have to do is enter your goal and rate of loss.

It's over for me

twinkit wrote: »

Has anyone ever heard this theory before. I think I read about it years ago in Three Fat Chicks diet book.
I googled it and even saw up to weight X 19 I think on another site.
I can't live off of 1200 calories yet. I weigh 213 now from 233. I've been staying around 1600 per day with a cheat day.
So at 213 my maintenance calories would be like 2500. So I should lose at 1600.
The first week I only lost a pound but I had already lost like 12 after I quit alcohol for 4 weeks. So I didn't weigh for two weeks and this morning I lost 3.8 with a horrible calorie day yesterday.
Any thoughts?

Is your goal weight 100? I'm confused with the conflation of the weight x 12 formula, with your concern that you can't do 1200 calories. Unless you are very short, that may not be a good goal for you.

At any rate, that formula wouldn't work for me. My TDEE is 2000-2200, depending on how active I am, and that would give me at least a 700 calorie a day deficit. No way am I doing that.

Sounds like it's pretty true for OP. Definitely doesn't work for me. Wish it did.

We had a dietician speak to our running group and she gave an example of this. If one's ideal weight (maintenance) is 150, then by eating no more than 1800 calories per day, the weight would eventually adjust, once it is no longer at a deficit, and it would have to work, if CICO is the truth! The beauty of that formula is that once a person starts develops the type of eating plan that is right for them within those calories, then they are "there for life" with no later adjustment needed for maintenance. Probably this works much more slowly for weight loss, I would guess, but it's kind of sure-fire when you think about it. But the factor varies, of course, based on individual metabolism and activity level, so, yes, the factor she used is 12. As a matter of fact, this is what I am doing with MFP. I set my calorie target at 1800. On many days, I eat about 300 less than that, though. I have lost 10-11 lbs since New Year's doing this (also have given up alcohol, which really makes it easier. I personally have not been very active, though, but I would not want to eat back many calories above 1800 too regularly, unless training for a marathon or something. You can enter your goals on MFP and they always provide a number which is a calorie deficit of 500 a day (if you want to lose one pound per week).

middlehaitch wrote: »

I'm 100lbs and x12 would give me 1200.
That is enough for maintenance if I am completely sedentary, just going to the bathroom. Usually I'm somewhere around 1600.

A lot of the TDEE calculators will give you a calorie goal that takes into account your activity level @nextrightthing.
(MFP uses NEAT, not TDEE)

Cheers, h.

Yes, I understand that MFP uses NEAT. The question was on calories to be consumed pre exercise, not TDEE.

Either way, the answer has been provided. There are numerous online calculators but the MFP estimate will be as good as any. From there, each person's own rate of loss will provide them with the most accurate estimation.

X12 if you’re active and X10 if you’re not. That’s what a dietitian taught me years ago. It sounds like you’re losing and doing fine. Weight loss is not linear. It’s a ‘soft goal’ for me. I can make everything else happen: counting calories, eating healthy, exercising.

Weight x 12 works out to be about my BMR, so I'm supposed to take 500 from that? Even if I was sedentary this would be too low. This is some pretty terrible and irresponsible advice as a blanket statement for everybody.

x12 is 120cals above my sedentiary
Why is my sedentiary lower than most others?
x11 is for my sedentiary