Going below suggested calorie limit for loss

Options
2»

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
    Options
    featherdee wrote: »
    I am thinking I need to change my calorie goals under 1200 because of my height. I am 126 and 5'2 and my RMR is 1280 (averaged). A deficit of 500 would put me at 780 (crazy?) but the suggestion of never going below 1200 calories is NOT working for me and I feel like it is a blanket guideline that shouldn't be used for all women as all women do not fit the same size mold.
    I currently do strength training- (lift, I am a beginner but I go as heavy as I can)- 4 days a week and Hiit cardio two days a week and lose MAYBE a half a pound a week. I am lowering my calorie goal from 1200 to 1000 a day to see how I feel and what happens to my training and weight loss. I try to keep my carbs 40%/protein30%/fat 30%. I will try to add another cardio session as well.
    Any thoughts? Suggestions? It is frustating to work my *kitten* off 6 days a week and not see more change.

    you don't cut from your RMR or BMR...you cut from TDEE which should be substantially more. For example, my BMR is around 1800 calories...my TDEE is around 2800 - 3000 depending. I lose weight easily on 2300-2500 calories...much more than my BMR.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    Options
    featherdee wrote: »
    Thanks...This is all fairly new to me, I never lifted before. Pre kids I weighed 105, was a distance runner and never counted calories a bit, just ate clean whenever I was hungry. I always felt great, looked great. I now am over 40, weigh a soft 126, started at 138 post partum and am no longer running, just cardio hiit and trying to lift as heavy as am able.

    I'm doing something new and just trying to figure this all out.

    At 5'2, I weighed 105 as well. I wasn't a distance runner, but a smoker. Had a couple of babies, got back to 105 within six weeks. How old are your kids? Can you run with them in a special running stroller and do a picnic in the park?
  • justcat206
    justcat206 Posts: 716 Member
    Options
    p.s. in college I ate <900 calories each day and weighed 95 lbs. But I had a high bf % and was all squishy and didn't look good. Recently when I was lifting regularly I weighed around 110-112 but I was lean and had great muscle tone and looked SO much better than when I weighed less but had no muscle. Sometimes it's better to set non-scale goals like pants size or bf % because the scale doesn't always reflect how we look :)

Categories