Is losing weight on 1800 calories a day realistic?

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  • newyorkcitymom
    newyorkcitymom Posts: 48 Member
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    Over the last 30 days, I've averaged 2,000 calories per day and I've lost just under 8lbs - so between 1.5 and 2lbs per week. I'm 5'5 and currently weigh around 212 (down from 220 30 days ago). I do couch to 5K (20 minutes of run/walk intervals) 2-3x/week. I've just added heavy lifting but that's really recent. I try to walk lots and I commute by bike - probably averaging 10 miles/week - so again, not a lot. So I don't do a lot of formal exercise - nothing like when I used to run 20 miles/week - but my overall activity level ends up being quite high and I average about 2,900 calories burned each day. I think the idea that a lightly active woman at our weight would only have a tdee of 2,000 calories is really unlikely. On days when I feel like a sloth and do next to nothing, I usually burn 2,200-2,400. So even on those days I'd lose enough for around 1lb/week.

    I think 1,800 sounds good and you should focus on overall activity. I agree that 1,500 is really low, especially if you've been maintaining or gaining on much, much more than that. If it overwhelms you, it's a recipe for failure. Try it, chart it and then assess. At that point you can make informed decisions about calorie goals based on your own unique experience.

    Also, getting a fitbit gives you lots more information to work with.
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
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    I started at 200 pounds and my base number from MFP is 1650. I count steps and walk between 10k-20k steps a day. I eat between 1500 and 2200 most days leaving just a 300-500 calorie deficit after my walking calories are computed. So far I've lost 9 lbs in 9 weeks. So I would say yes. I seem to lose best when my deficit stays around 300. I'm 5'6" and age 52. Post menopausal. I get about half of my steps as a substitute teacher & the other half are truly work outs. I do body weight strength training but I don't assign that any calorie expenditure. I think a lot of women on this site eat really really really tiny calorie allotments for their size and don't get enough protein. Just my two cents!
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I would loose on that. According to My Fitbit, I use between 2100-2400 calories most days. Actually, I think 1800-1900 is what I'm eating most days, and I've lost 7 pounds since the end of August.
  • Keith3481
    Keith3481 Posts: 91 Member
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    I'm 5'7", male.

    For six months, I lost at a rate of 1.25 lb/week with an average food consumption of 1800 calories/day and average daily exercise of about 300 calories (six days exercise, one day rest). I dropped from 208 to 176 in that time.

    For the last three months, I've been losing at a rate of about 0.5 lb/week. During that time, I've been at an intake of 2000 calories/day and average daily exercise of 230 calories/day (four days exercise, three days rest). Right now I'm at 169. My goal weight is 164. Once I get there I'm going to see if I need to lose more or stop based on my waist and how I look. That's about 10 weeks away at this rate.

    I wish you the best. MFP really works if you stick to the plan and log everything.

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