Elizabeth Miller wrote:

>Have you tried the Harris-Benedict method for assessing caloric needs?
>Uses these terms:
>REE = measure of resting energy expenditure
>W = weight
>H = height
>A = age
>DBW = desired body weight
>
>First assess REE:
>Men: REE= 66 + 13.73 W (kg) + 5.3 H (cm) - 4.73 A (yr)
>Women: REE = 66 + 13.73W (kg) + 5.3H (cm) - 4.73 A (yr)
>Obese adults' weight is calculated differently:
>Obese adults : W = ({actual wt. -DBW} X .25) + DBW
>
>Add in these activity factors:
>Activity factors: restricted,1.1; sedentary, 1.2; aerobic activity = 3 X per
>week,1.3 ;
>5X per week, 1.5; 7X per week, 1.7
>
>So:
>REE X activity factor = total caloric requirements
>
>

I've been meaning to do this.  It's quite interesting.  I end up with
just under 12 kcal/lb.  I have to say, however, that this seems fairly
accurate, based on my diet history.  That is, I have to eat less than
this to lose weight, regardless of what I"m eating.

Thinking back to the DIT experiment, the hypothesis that suggests itself
is that in a person whose metabolism is functioning well, eating more
that this "break-even" amount simply causes DIT to activate and the
excess is shed as waste heat.  For the rest of us, whose DIT doesn't
activate either because of age or other metabolic damage, we simply gain
weight.

Todd Moody
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