Harm in huge deficit for mordibly obese?

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ditsyblond17
ditsyblond17 Posts: 155 Member
edited March 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
I see tons of people suggesting not go under BMR. My question is, how do We get enough of a deficit then to lose 2 pounds a week? I can afford to lose more than 2lb a week to start out. I was wondering if there's harm in a deficit of 1,500 from my TDEE of 2,700? That would have me at 1,200 to lose 3 pounds a week for a while until I'm in a healthier place.

Is this wrong? Even for a person weighing 320 pounds?
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Replies

  • Ameengyrl
    Ameengyrl Posts: 127 Member
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    Good question. The issue with eating at such a huge deficit is that you may get ravenously hungry and binge. Especially if you have a history of over eating. Raise it to 1500-1800?... At 320 you will still lose at a nice pace. Don't rush the process. Good luck!
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
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    I've wondered this myself. I can't see why you shouldn't just go for a smaller deficit, and losing, as you said, up to 2 lbs./week.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
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    Height? Goal weight?
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited March 2015
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    If you're morbidly obese then a larger defecit is OK

    But 1200 a day may be unsustainable and frustrating long term and make you crash and burn

    You could try it when your willpower is stronger and move more for more calories / lessen the defecit later

  • ditsyblond17
    ditsyblond17 Posts: 155 Member
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    Ah, okay. Was just curious if the only reason tend to steer aaay from it was simply binge tendencies. Which I have of course :(

    I'm 320. 5'7 and sedentary. My BMR is 2,200. I am unsure how to calculate my deficit for 2-3 pounds a week. (Another post also active I just wrote ) I'm just so confused by it all. Obviously I'm New to this weight loss thing if I've allowed myself to get to 320 pounds :(
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I'm not sure there's any actual physical harm you'll suffer, but you *will* be miserable. I promise you The Suckage will be ginormous.

    suck-meter.jpg

    Prepare yourself accordingly, and all should be well.


  • sheldonklein
    sheldonklein Posts: 854 Member
    edited March 2015
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    BMR itself is meaningless. However, huge deficits do mean that you will lose proportionately more muscle, as opposed to fat. Also, there is an increased risk of gallstones and possibly other risks, so some medical supervision may be wise.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
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    I don't think there is any harm in trying that. If you are miserable, bump it up by a couple of hundred calories a day.
  • ditsyblond17
    ditsyblond17 Posts: 155 Member
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    So based on sedentary TDEE (for those that know about that it's BMRx 1.2) is that the number I need to decrease 1,500 by if I want to lose 3 pounds a week?
  • megsta91
    megsta91 Posts: 92 Member
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    I am 5'7", started at 266 but I'm down to 253, and I couldn't even function properly on 1400 a day. I was getting headaches, I was tired all the time and I had no energy to work out. I also wanted to lose weight as quickly as possible. I binged because I was starving.. I felt like I was developing a really bad relationship with food.

    I bumped it up to 1600 and I'm satisfied and feel healthy. Everyone is different. Since you are just starting out, you're doing to dump quite a bit of water weight, and then you're weight loss will slow down to the recommended 1-2 lbs. I've heard anything more than that can risk losing precious muscle. There's no need to rush this process..
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    I'm 5"8, 140lbs ,sedentary. And trying to stick to 1200 calories is incredibly hard for me.
    You could try it, and if you get the urge to binge because you're so hungry, just bump your calories back up to a more manageable deficit.
    Wishing you the very best of luck :smile: :flowerforyou:
  • ditsyblond17
    ditsyblond17 Posts: 155 Member
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    Absolutely right. No rush. This is, after all, a long term weight loss lifestyle.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    You also need to keep the issue of loose skin in mind. The faster you lose, the greater your chances are of getting left with excess skin.
    We all want to lose weight quickly and have our dream body NOW. But in this instance, a bit of patience will be rewarded :smile:
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
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    christinev297 wrote: »
    I'm 5"8, 140lbs ,sedentary. And trying to stick to 1200 calories is incredibly hard for me.
    You could try it, and if you get the urge to binge because you're so hungry, just bump your calories back up to a more manageable deficit.
    Wishing you the very best of luck :smile: :flowerforyou:

    I am tall, very active (often burn 1500+ calories in a day) and I ate around 1200 calories for a couple of years without a problem.

    I've recently started to eat a little more, but I don't NEED to in order to be comfortable or to get decent nutrition. I've got some unique issues, including an extremely low BMR due to health problems...but it CAN be done.

    OP, I think that you have to try it for yourself to see whether or not it works and is reasonable for you.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    You're lucky azulviolet. I totally struggle :disappointed:
    I was wondering if it would be even harder for OP because she weighs so much more??
  • lewispwest
    lewispwest Posts: 498 Member
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    I had mine set to 2lbs/week but due to my size I think I lost on average 3.3lbs/week over the first 5 months.
  • IammeCA
    IammeCA Posts: 63 Member
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    I'm 5'7" started at 270 and am now at 235. I would say if you plan to eat at that kind of deficit be sure to talk to a doctor first. My doctor recommended 2000 calories for me and that has produced fairly consistent 2 lbs a week (I started walking daily as well). With my current activity level 2000 is maintenance at my goal weight.

    Remember your making changes to last a lifetime, think marathon not 100 meter sprint.
  • honeybee_kisses
    honeybee_kisses Posts: 172 Member
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    SergeantSausage wrote: »
    I'm not sure there's any actual physical harm you'll suffer, but you *will* be miserable. I promise you The Suckage will be ginormous.

    suck-meter.jpg

    Prepare yourself accordingly, and all should be well.


    This. I'm in a similar situation to you and stuck to the 1200 calories for a few weeks but surprise surprise I cracked and ate way over calories for a few days last week. I've changed my goal to lose 1.5lb a week and I feel that's much more maintainable. See how you go but remember, it's not a race. I'm the most impatient person in the world but I'm learning there's no quick fix to this if you want to do the job properly!
  • soidade
    soidade Posts: 116 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Your BMR isn't relevant; your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is. There are tons of calculators, but try this one: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

    At 5'7/320 and NO exercise AT ALL, your TDEE would be 2600.
  • ditsyblond17
    ditsyblond17 Posts: 155 Member
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    Thank you all for the advice. I just need to remember, it's a marathon. Not a Sprint. Hell, Not even a race. I just want to get there. I'm tired of being this way.

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