I used a mathematical formula to get my weight off with the add of my band and the Truth is that it works. This is not some made up mumbo jumbo that a quack dr. uses and passes on this is the how weightloss truly works. If you get your your BMR and follow this it will work for you.
Eventually your weightloss will start to slow down and If you do not exercise DAILY eventually you will stop losing the 8-10 pounds a month that we all love losing because you just can not keep eating at such a restricted pace because your metabolism will level out. So if you start to slow down to 4 pounds a month or hit a plateau look at why. For instance I have a BMR of 1500, I consume 1000 calories per day taking off the 500 calories required in order to lose a pound a week so I am losing 4 pounds per month. Why would I expect to lose more? I am doing nothing more to incur a greater loss. I n order to get a greater loss I need to do more. How do I do this I have to burn more calories. And how do I do that? Well, If I exercise and burn 500 calories more daily I will lose another pound per week. Now I am up to 8 pounds lost per month. The problem is it has to be on a daily basis. NOT 3x a week not 4 x a week, but daily. Just like I can't somtimes eat 1000 calories and sometimes eat 1500 it has to be daily. If I was balancing my checkbook and I had 50 and spent 25 I would have 25 left I would always have 25 left I could not just decide I have 100 left. This is math. It does not work if you do not plug in the right numbers.
Below I have included the incuded the info I have used. Now, online BMR calculators aren't all accurate, but this one has worked for me. You can also have a dr. give you your BMR. I urge you all to get this info and use it to get your proper caloric intake.
Your BMR, or basal metabolic rate (metabolism), is the energy (measured in calories) expended by the body at rest to maintain normal bodily functions. This continual work makes up about 60-70% of the calories we use ("burn" or expend) and includes the beating of our heart, respiration, and the maintenance of body temperature. Your BMR is influenced by a number of factors, including age, weight, height, gender, environmental temperature, diet, and exercise habits.
Because of the increased activity of cells undergoing division, the younger the person, the higher (faster) the metabolism. And the taller and heavier a person is, the faster their metabolism. The good news is that when you are heavier you burn more calories, and thus it is easier to lose weight -- however, one reason weight loss becomes more difficult as you lose weight is your BMR decreases. Because of the greater percentage of lean muscle tissue in the male body, men generally have a 10-15% faster BMR than women - so it is generally faster for men to lose weight. And when you go on restrictive, traditional diets, your BMR can drop, and that makes it important to increase activity levels during that time. In general, depending on the intensity and duration, consistent exercise can also increase your BMR.
To lose 1 pound per week means that you have to consume 500 less calories daily than you burn. To lose two pounds per week you have to consume 1000 less calories daily than you burn. Beyond this amount of weight loss you can develop loss of muscle mass, which makes you feel tired and is not a healthy way to lose weight.
http://www.drsimpson.net/06_weight_loss/BMR_calculator.htm