Last 5lbs - why keep the deficit small?

KBmoments

I'm getting close to my goal weight/size and I think that's about 5-7 lbs. I read that you need to be in a small deficit when it comes down to the last pounds...but no one explains why. What is the benefit of doing this? I also hear that the less weight to lose, you have a smaller margin of error to work with .. to me that means I should keep the deficit higher to make up for any miscalculations. I don't have anything against a smaller deficit, just purely curious to these questions so I'll have more success!

jemhh

For me, a smaller deficit is necessary because a bigger one (one equal to what it was when I had more to lose) would cut my calories low enough that I'd be uncomfortably hungry most of the time.

spoonyspork

My thinking is that it prepares you to start eating at maintenance. When you've been eating at a large deficit for a long time and suddenly up your calories by 400 or more, you're either going to spend a lot of time feeling bloaty, or freak out when your body retains extra water and you gain at first.

cwolfman13

Because you don't have the fat stores to supplement a large energy deficit...so you burn more muscle to supplement that deficit.

Beyond that, dieting in general is a major stress on the body...being relatively lean and maintaining a large deficit puts added and undo stress on the body...this jacks with hormones and all kinds of other things.

segacs

The math explanation: Look at percentage vs. absolute loss rate. In absolute terms, losing 1lb/week means a 500-calorie deficit. Let's say when you weighed 200lbs you had a TDEE of 2500 and you ate 2000 calories to lose a pound a week. That 500-calorie deficit represented a safe, healthy 20% deficit from your TDEE, which, great. But, say you now weigh 150lbs (congrats!) and your TDEE is only 2000. That same 20% deficit would now represent only 400 calories, or 0.8lbs/week. If you get even smaller, let's say your TDEE drops to 1700, then a 20% deficit would be only 340 calories or roughly 0.68lbs/week. Same percentage deficit, smaller and smaller absolute numbers, slower and slower weight loss in absolute scale terms. Because 1 pound represents a larger and larger percentage of your body weight as you drop in size.

The non-math explanation: Because you're closer to your goal weight, you burn fewer calories doing the same sorts of exercises or just living as you did before -- because smaller bodies require less energy to move. So simply doing the same things as you did before, eating the same number of calories and doing the same exercise, is going to result in a smaller deficit and slower rate of loss.

Furthermore, as you have less and less excess body fat to lose, the risk of losing muscle along with fat increases. Slowing down the weight loss for those last 5-10lbs gives you a better chance of hanging onto your muscle mass.

terar21

Because of the calorie level it puts you at. Let's say my daily expenditure is 1800, to lose a pound I'll need to be around 1300. Losing 2 pounds just wouldn't be realistic for you to maintain as far as calories go. Your TDEE changes as your weight lowers. So what worked 40 pounds ago will be harder to maintain closer to your goal. So it's just easier to make the deficit smaller rather than kill yourself trying to maintain a bigger deficit.

HeySwoleSister

A large deficit just to "reach the finish line" sounds like an idea that sets you up to fail at maintaining your loss.

And, if the so-called 'margin of error' bothers you, just start weighing yourself more often, even multiple times a day. You don't have a set weight, none of us do...what we have is a RANGE that fluctuates anywhere from 2-6 pounds in a 24 hour period. Weighing frequently will make you familiar with your "range" and you will, over time, notice that the midpoint of the fluctuations is dropping slowly...although, for me and many other women here, it tends to freeze up or rise a little for a week a month, and then drop back down once cycles pass.

RoxieDawn

segacs wrote: »

The math explanation: Look at percentage vs. absolute loss rate. In absolute terms, losing 1lb/week means a 500-calorie deficit. Let's say when you weighed 200lbs you had a TDEE of 2500 and you ate 2000 calories to lose a pound a week. That 500-calorie deficit represented a safe, healthy 20% deficit from your TDEE, which, great. But, say you now weigh 150lbs (congrats!) and your TDEE is only 2000. That same 20% deficit would now represent only 400 calories, or 0.8lbs/week. If you get even smaller, let's say your TDEE drops to 1700, then a 20% deficit would be only 340 calories or roughly 0.68lbs/week. Same percentage deficit, smaller and smaller absolute numbers, slower and slower weight loss in absolute scale terms. Because 1 pound represents a larger and larger percentage of your body weight as you drop in size.

The non-math explanation: Because you're closer to your goal weight, you burn fewer calories doing the same sorts of exercises or just living as you did before -- because smaller bodies require less energy to move. So simply doing the same things as you did before, eating the same number of calories and doing the same exercise, is going to result in a smaller deficit and slower rate of loss.

Furthermore, as you have less and less excess body fat to lose, the risk of losing muscle along with fat increases. Slowing down the weight loss for those last 5-10lbs gives you a better chance of hanging onto your muscle mass.

This! Great analogy...

To the OP, I am at my last 7 pounds and had to readjust. I actually ate at maintenance for 4 weeks and recreated a smaller deficit this past Monday off a lower BMR and TDEE. I am also adjusting my protein as I am leaner and want to keep these muscles I have work so hard to get... This is going to take a bit of time and that is ok, but going back to maintenance will be sooooo much easier...

KBmoments

segacs wrote: »

The math explanation: Look at percentage vs. absolute loss rate. In absolute terms, losing 1lb/week means a 500-calorie deficit. Let's say when you weighed 200lbs you had a TDEE of 2500 and you ate 2000 calories to lose a pound a week. That 500-calorie deficit represented a safe, healthy 20% deficit from your TDEE, which, great. But, say you now weigh 150lbs (congrats!) and your TDEE is only 2000. That same 20% deficit would now represent only 400 calories, or 0.8lbs/week. If you get even smaller, let's say your TDEE drops to 1700, then a 20% deficit would be only 340 calories or roughly 0.68lbs/week. Same percentage deficit, smaller and smaller absolute numbers, slower and slower weight loss in absolute scale terms. Because 1 pound represents a larger and larger percentage of your body weight as you drop in size.

The non-math explanation: Because you're closer to your goal weight, you burn fewer calories doing the same sorts of exercises or just living as you did before -- because smaller bodies require less energy to move. So simply doing the same things as you did before, eating the same number of calories and doing the same exercise, is going to result in a smaller deficit and slower rate of loss.

Furthermore, as you have less and less excess body fat to lose, the risk of losing muscle along with fat increases. Slowing down the weight loss for those last 5-10lbs gives you a better chance of hanging onto your muscle mass.

Wonderful explanation! Thanks for all the helpful responses...this definitely makes sense to me. Small deficit it shall be.

kailibertsch

Great question! It was interesting to read all the responses.