Smaller calorie deficit for the long haul?

carlyp79

Heya, looking for some people's experiences if possible.

I'm female, 5'10", and roughly 213lb. I had been eating 1500-1600 cal a day, and had lost 7-8lb in 4 weeks. I am lightly active, and use a fitbit but rarely eat back my exercise cals because some days are more active than others. I aim for a 500 cal/day deficit because I have a fair bit to lose (about 40 lb)
I am a Stay at Home Mom to 2 year old twins. It's summer here, and as it cools off I plan to get out and exercise a bit more often.

I had one very bad week (I think due to stressful situation) where I just lost the plot and ate too much, including a whole small jar of Nutella in a single sitting. Yes, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I gained just over 3lb when I weighed in at the end of the week.

I am thinking perhaps 500 cal/day is too high a deficit, and it makes it too easy to go off the rails? I don't know. Last time I lost weight I used Weight Watchers (6 years ago), so the actual calorific value of things is a bit new to me instead of the simplified WW Points values.

Of course I'm being impatient to lose which is not helpful...

TL;DR - Has anyone had continued success losing a larger amount consistently on a smaller deficit?

Many thanks.

queenliz99

A smaller deficit is easier to do. You can't be in a rush to lose your weight. Slow and steady is the way

Ellaskat

A deficit of 3500 cals in a week = 1 pound of weight loss, or 500 cals a day deficit.... Many people do that, but if it isn't sustainable, slow it down and maybe try only 200-300 deficit. Also look at the macros of what you're eating... Many people, including me, find that upping protein plus fat helps eliminate hunger

Liftng4Lis

It's not a race, so do it whatever way that's sustainable to you.

galgenstrick

check itunes for CutTheFatPodcast, there's nearly 80 hours of extremely useful information. It's free and extremely motivating. Their advice is pretty along the lines of what you're going through.

arditarose

Take a smaller deficit then! Sounds like a great idea for you. Remember there is less wiggle room, but if you're tracking and weighing all your food, you might really like it better.

carlyp79

Thank you very much for your responses.

I might try a few weeks with a smaller deficit and see how I go. The 'less wiggle room' idea makes me nervous, but it is good incentive to be more active where possible.

And yes, higher protein and fats is something I have considered - particularly the idea of animal based protein as I consistently have issues with B12 deficiency (which I am having regular injections for at the moment).

Many thanks again.

MoiAussi93

I'm your height, and just a few years older. I'm currently 176, but was 213 in late September. For most of this time my calories averaged between 1250 and 1400 (I change it periodically to experiment). I just this week moved my target up to 1500 for the first time since I am now closer to goal and almost in the normal weight range. I usually don't add exercise calories back unless I do more than normal. However, if hungry, whether I exercise or not, I will eat more.

I have not generally had problems with hunger or sticking to my plan...but then protein is usually 30-35% of my calories, and a couple of months ago, I added more healthy fats as well. For me, this level is sustainable. However, you may be different and need to find what works for you.

A smaller deficit will help you feel more full, but it will also result in slower weight loss. You need to weight those two factors and decide which is more important to you, and which fits better with your personality. If you decide not to raise the calories, or even if you do raise them, you may want to experiment with different macro levels to find the mix that will work best for you in the long run.

jonnyman41

big protein breakfasts seem to help me eat less overall during the day. Nothing to hard to do either,e.g. a couple of boiled eggs and a piece of salmon with a yogurt smoothy. Also given that you have two year twins there is a good chance that you have quite a high expenditure of calories without having to log specific exercises too.

carlyp79

All good things to consider. I eat with my kids other than dinnertime. So I have breakfast with them roughly 8-830am which is brutal because I'm awake well before then.I have been making sure I have a big breakfast including a full 250ml of milk, because lunch isn't until nearly 2pm some days thanks to their current napping schedule.
I make sure I have a snack of apprx 100 cal but am going to bump it up to 150cal and see if that helps. I have bumped my daily goal to 1750 while I try and get a handle on this.

I think I get food prep burnout - thinking of what to feed everyone on a squeaky tight budget without seeming to be living in the kitchen (especially as I can't see what my kids are up to when I'm in there!). Go to work smarter.

ana3067

I am eating 2250 calories for a 0.5lb/week weight loss.

NEVER subject yourself to lower-than-necessary caloric intake just for the sake of losing at a faster pace if it means being unable to stick to your caloric goals regularly and/or makes you feel miserable.

You can eat any food to lose weight. So if your issue in the kitchen is trying to figure out what you can "safely" make, then forget about that and just make food. Utilize the recipe builder, be smart about your own portions, etc.

What does MFP say you can eat to maintain your current weight? Is your activity level set properly? I.e. you might be more active than you realize, thus maintaining on mor ethan 2000 calories and making your deficit too large. You also SHOULD be eating back exercise calories because that is how MFP works if using its default NEAT method.

Starting weight was 188lbs. I've never eaten below 1800 calories while using MFP, and on average I've stayed above 2000 most of my time here. Even without exercising 2000 calories would still help me lose weight in both a sustainable and enjoyable way. Lost 4lb/month eating more than 2000 calories, and I think it's mind-boggling for anyone to select the lowest number they are given just because. Start out as high as you can, see how much your body can take in while still losing weight, and only lower if the results aren't to your expectations.
ETA my intake is gross. I've still never netted below 1800-1900 though when being inactive.

LAWoman72

Totally works for me, down 25 lbs. so far.

carlyp79

Good to hear, ana3067 & LAWoman72. I've been feeling a bit lost, trying to find the right way for me to lose but not be miserable or pedantic.

MFP has me maintaining at 2170, and I think my activity level is close to accurate because some days I really don't do much except potter around with the toddlers, do laundry, go to the grocery store etc. I do try to go for a walk around town with them every other day to help wear them out and get them used to walking places with me.
I keep reading about MFP over-estimating exercise calories so it really made me avoid eating them unless I had a very busy day and I would try to maybe use about half the alloted extra calories.

FWIW I actually bought the Nutella with the intention of using correctly weighed portions like I do with peanut butter, or real butter, or any spreads - apparently it had been too long since I had Nutella! Still, it was a very unusual large scale binge for me since I account for a small chocolate treat after dinner every night to offset any feelings of deprivation.

AmyRhubarb

I've had my best success with a smaller deficit. Reached my goals and have stuck with it for over 3 years now.

ana3067

carlyp79 wrote: »

Good to hear, ana3067 & LAWoman72. I've been feeling a bit lost, trying to find the right way for me to lose but not be miserable or pedantic.

MFP has me maintaining at 2170, and I think my activity level is close to accurate because some days I really don't do much except potter around with the toddlers, do laundry, go to the grocery store etc. I do try to go for a walk around town with them every other day to help wear them out and get them used to walking places with me.
I keep reading about MFP over-estimating exercise calories so it really made me avoid eating them unless I had a very busy day and I would try to maybe use about half the alloted extra calories.

FWIW I actually bought the Nutella with the intention of using correctly weighed portions like I do with peanut butter, or real butter, or any spreads - apparently it had been too long since I had Nutella! Still, it was a very unusual large scale binge for me since I account for a small chocolate treat after dinner every night to offset any feelings of deprivation.

How long have you been on MFP dieting? If it's been a while, consider eating 2170 and maintaining for a month just to see how you feel. As for exercise calories, many people jsut eat back half for that reason, but when I did NET method for a while I ate back all of them and still lost.

Maybe your treats just aren't enough all the time. Do you restrict yourself to only x calories from treats? Maybe you'd do better going more by how you feel. Sometimes I'll have virtually no treats, other times I'll have up to 300+ calories just from treats. It all balances out in the end. Otherwise I'd guess that your caloric intake has been too low, so a slower weigh loss rate would be worth trying.

rosiorama

I aim for one pound a week and MFP has me eating 1645 calories a day. Sometimes I will go over by 100-150 calories when I'm still hungry and the limit isn't enough. I try not to eat back all my calories. Slow and steady I think is the only way to make this sustainable. For the last two months I've lost about five pounds a month.

I've been guilty of eating a lot of Nutella in one sitting but never a whole jar... Although the Nutella may have have been eaten with excessive amours of buttered popcorn. I hope I never go back to those habits but I have to admit your confession made me a little wistful for spoonfuls of nutty chocolate goodness!

caligirlii

carlyp79 wrote: »

Heya, looking for some people's experiences if possible.

I'm female, 5'10", and roughly 213lb. I had been eating 1500-1600 cal a day, and had lost 7-8lb in 4 weeks. I am lightly active, and use a fitbit but rarely eat back my exercise cals because some days are more active than others. I aim for a 500 cal/day deficit because I have a fair bit to lose (about 40 lb)
I am a Stay at Home Mom to 2 year old twins. It's summer here, and as it cools off I plan to get out and exercise a bit more often.

I had one very bad week (I think due to stressful situation) where I just lost the plot and ate too much, including a whole small jar of Nutella in a single sitting. Yes, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I gained just over 3lb when I weighed in at the end of the week.

I am thinking perhaps 500 cal/day is too high a deficit, and it makes it too easy to go off the rails? I don't know. Last time I lost weight I used Weight Watchers (6 years ago), so the actual calorific value of things is a bit new to me instead of the simplified WW Points values.

Of course I'm being impatient to lose which is not helpful...

TL;DR - Has anyone had continued success losing a larger amount consistently on a smaller deficit?

Many thanks.

My mom shed over 100 pounds in over a 7 month or so period. This was over 10 years ago and she's kept it off. Mind you, I am the oldest of 7 kids so she was a busy mama. She was in a Food Addiction Recovery Program - FA - known as Food addicts in Recovery. I also joined FA most recently and it helped me shed pounds. I was 173lbs in October and by December weighed 153lbs. You can check out their website. It's totally free and you get a sponsor to help you out!