Interesting discussion on here in just the last couple days!
I founnd on the internet somewhere that if you want to maintain your weight you should take 14x current weight. If you want to gain go up to 2 calories per pound over and if you want to loose go to 10-12 per pound.
Also remember that one pound of fat is 3500 calories! So when you're struggling with no weight loss, think back to whether or not you've cut at least 500 calories per day that week! This is the one that gets me, just cutting 500 calories in one week will only burn off ONE pound of fat!
My trainer, when I was working with him, used to tell me, if you have to eat out do it. Try to make the best choice you can, but if you have to have that 1000+ calorie meal, realize that you'll have to work at LEAST 500 calories off to even come close to breaking even! That sticks with me and helps me make better choices. to burn 500 calories, according to the internet, you'd have to do 2.5 hours of cardio work! so i think is that meal worth 2.5 hours of cardio? Do I even feel like doing cardio today? Do I have time for cardio today? If I answer no to any of those questions I make a different selection.