able to burn 31 calories per pound of fat?

I just read another post on CC that cited a recent study which found that one's body can handle a deficit of 31 x fat lbs per day without comprimising lean body mass.  So, based on my stats (145 lbs, 35.5 % body fat) my body can handle a deficit of over 1500 calories per day and a 3lb loss per week.  Does this sound right?  I always thought I shouldn't go over 1000 and that I shouldn't lose more than 2 lbs per week. 

Is anyone else using this 31 cals per pound of fat math to determine their maximum deficit?  Does it work?

Check out http://www.phord.com/cc/ to calculate your fat burn.  Those numbers don't sound at all right.

Oh, and while the max deficit is normally said to be 1000 cals, most experts agree that you should lose no more then 1% of your weight per week, which in your case is about 1.5lbs, which means your daily deficit should be no more then 750 cals, or you risk your body resisting the weight loss and slowly your metabolism.

Hope that link helps. :)

Kikua is right...I have heard the same thing.

However I know people, me being one of them prior to 2009, who have lost weight a lot of weight but are on a starvation diet...almost fasting. 

Which I have finally learned is not healthy at all because once you reach your goal weight, your body has not established a healthy routine of eating a well balanced diet.  Therefore the weigh soon comes back and very quickly I might add.  Cravings and ravenous appetite are common.

In 2009 I eat what I feel is a good well balanced diet, I keep regular, drink more water than other fluids, avoid sugar, white flour foods, salt, all white fat and no caffeine or alcohol plus I do only moderate daily exercise...I was 202lbs in Jan 09 and I should be 167lbs by June 09.   And I will keep it off this time around because my body has adapted to a healthy diet.

In my opinion your body runs best on a well balanced diet of natural food, no pills, kits, shakes or powders.

The 31 calorie deficit per pound of fat is an absolute maximum that you should never actually attempt to get to.  Essentially, nobody is able to burn more fat than that amount but many bodies aren't as efficient as that and can only burn 20 or 25 calories per pound of fat.

Typically, a safe rate at which to lose weight without your body freaking out and trying to sabotage you is 1% of your total weight per week.  For you, that's 1.45 pounds per week (rounded up to 1.5 pounds per week would be fine).

Thanks all!  And congrats, massageguy, on the loss!  Very inspiring.  Out of curiosity, can you tell me why you don't drink caffeine?  Is it for weight loss reasons or other reasons?  I don't drink much caffeine (about 8oz a day), but I've always been curious about quitting...