Todd wrote:

>For example, if a 260-pound
>man eats 2600 calories a day, he is still only eating 10 calories per
>pound of bodyweight, which is still hypocaloric.  As a rule of thumb,
>anything under 13 calories/pound is considered hypocaloric.  

I haven't seen any data on this, but it's my firm belief that the
more obese one is, the less that rule of thumb holds.  For
example, I'm around 445 pounds now, and most BMR calculators,
even using the "very sedentary" factor, say my break-even point
is somewhere around 5000 calories; some are even higher,
especially when I factor in my actual calories burned in
exercise.  (The 13 cals/lb rule of thumb would make it 5785.)
But a two-week test I did a year ago indicated that my break-even
point is about 4000 calories, and I suspect it may not be even
that high, since I don't seem to lose much unless I stay around
2500 calories.

I know rules of thumb aren't inviolable laws or anything, but I'm
thinking that this particular guideline needs to be adjusted
downward for very obese people---the fatter you are, the more
suppressed your metabolism seems to be.  Which is perplexing---
has anyone read any studies about *why* this should be so?

.:. Craig