Yes, it does work (UPDATE)

Eating as my trainer suggested (upping my calories to match my  BMR and activity level) has it seemed "reset" my metabolism and I'm starting to see 2 lbs/week disappear.  At first I went up 4 lbs which scared  and depressed me, but dropped that within 2 weeks and then started losing.  Took about 6 weeks, I'd say. It seems the trick is recognizing the amount of activity (me 1 1/2 hours intense exercise 5-6 days week) and understanding where your BMR is at,  then taking off 300-500 calories from there.  This however won't work if you're inactive, as I understand. Took a while to allow myself to eat so much....  Still can't hit 2900 but do 2600 or so. I'm at 307.6 this wee and eyeing 299 around the bend. Hope all are well.  Will update my blog when I can.

Or you can eat 1500 calories a day and do 3 hours of intense crap TV watching 7 days a week.  LOL

That's what works for me!

Wow...that is interesting alright. My comment is:  be careful about working out that intensely. been there, done it, and it is a recipe for damaging something over time. Be sure to back off the instant anything important hurts!  Thanks for the report.

sometimes my butt hurts if I watch TV too long. oh wait.  you were talking to Jersey.... oops my bad. LOL

Viola, when I was less active and ate about that much, the weight went nowhere.  My metabolism was shut down, mostly because my 320lb body that took in 1500c was taking in 1000 less than my BMR--which is why it shut down.   For anyone who finds themself unable to lose weight in spite of doing what they think they should, the "starvation theory" could be in effect.  You should never take in less than 300-500 minus your BMR plus activity level.  If you're 300lbs and have a BMR of 2500 and are completely sedentary, your diet if dieting alone should be 2000-2200.  Anything less and your metabolism will slow down. So, that's stuff I've been learning.

My BMR is 1734 or something like that.  I am NOT sedentary and I take in perhaps 1300-1400 calories a day.  I'm screwed huh? this is hard stuff to figure out, isn' t it?

How do you know your BMR is 1734?  Do you weigh about 170 lbs or in that vicinity?  If you weigh more and it is that low, then I'd think you need to retrain your metabolism. No matter what, never think your screwed.  Trust that your body can do what it needs to if you do it right. My problem was that for your years and years my diets had me on way too few calories, which is why I wasn't losing weight.  After a mild regain my body then realized it would indeed be fed. The great thing for me is that I believe when I hit goal a) I won't have to starve to get there (by that time I will be eating about 1500 calories as a diet), b) when I go onto maintenance, my body will handle a natural 1800-2000 calorie intake, and c) I won't bounce back up (yo-yo) that diets cause.

Personally, I'm just thrilled I did this, even though it was a mountain of food.

It's actually 1773 and I figured it out by using the BMR calculator.  It doesn't even ask for level of activity, just height, weight and age.  What would I need to retrain based on that information?  Is there a better calculator out there?  If not I'm stumped at how to change a preset number.

I have been doing this for a while, just can't seem to lose the last 30 that I want to lose.  The first 140 pounds were easy, not sure where to go from here.  I imagine I don't eat enough, but the idea of eating more is just not something I can completely accept.  I consume anywhere between 1300 and 1500 a day now. I choose to stay here instead of obsessing and I continue to do the same things that were successful for me in the past.  I figure one day it will change, until then I am just keeping with the lifestyle changes that I have adopted successfully. Any suggestions, however, are greatly appreciated.