Anyone else

I have an allotment of 1340 calories. Some days I end up with 200 calories left and some days with 20. It's not because I'm hungry or not hungry, though. It's because my ingredients have different calorie counts.

I eat based on energy needs. And yeah, sometimes I eat a surplus of calories, sometimes incredibly less (like when I prefer to hibernate all weekend).

Sharon_C wrote: »

I allow myself a range of calories--anywhere from 1500-1800. 1800 is a few hundred below maintenance so I'm not losing as much, if at all sometimes, but that's okay. For me I want to learn how to eat for a lifetime, not for a specific goal

I do the same thing except because I am "old" my range is 1200-1600. My range was based on what maintenance will be at my goal weight(1600+) and what the minimum(1200) that I will be able to reach my health goals. Also some days I have very little appetite(especially when it is hot outside)...other days I am hungry. Even if I eat the 1600 I am still under by about 300 calories of my current maintenance. Eating at 1200 is giving me 1.5lbs deficit. Which is still a healthy rate of loss for me.

This method won't work for everyone. Some people do better with a fixed set of rules. Others like myself...well we just don't. I was too stressful for me to always be hitting a set calorie goal. As long as I stay under my current maintenance I am good to go. One thing you give up with this method is being able to predict how much weight you should lose in a certain length of time. I am okay with that too.