Setting Maintenance Calories

[lylemcd]

Q: How should I set maintenance calories, do I use current or goal weight?

A: In general, current bodyweight because current body weight determines how many calories you need RIGHT NOW and all adjustments should be made to that. So you add 10% for gaining or subtract 20% for cutting or whatever.

Using target bodyweight ONLY work if people aren't stupid about where they pick their target. IME, this doesn't describe many people.

Someone who is 300 lbs will say that their goal weight is 150 and do something stupid.

Some guy who is 150 will decide he should be 250 and do something stupid.

Using goal weight ONLY works IF you use reasonable goals like 10% over current or 10% below current

Which yields exactly the same value as my method which is to estimate current maintenance requirements and then adjust them upwards or downwards by 10-20% for gaining or dieting.

Except that my way is a lot less likely to have people screw themselves up by picking wholly unrealistic weight goals and setting their calories at the wrong levels.