Small deficit - questions

RawCarrots

Those of you on small deficit - how do you accurately count calories to make sure you stay under maintenance? I currently have big enough gap so didn't have to worry if there was an error of 100 or even 200, that allowed me to stay sane last few months

Now that I'm close to healthy weight I probably need to increase calories (6lb more to lose to get from overweight to healthy weight, and hopefully 20lb more to get to ideal weight) I'm currently averaging about 1550 cals, and FitBit estimates my average burn as 2250. I'm aiming to increase to about 1800 which is TDEE-20% and then even more.

Should I just jump at 1800 and see how I get on for couple of weeks? Or should I increase in 100 calorie increments every few weeks?

How do you make sure you estimate calories correctly when you can't use a kitchen scale (which will be a lot of the time for me next month!) I had a home-made burger yesterday and estimates varied quite a bit, if I only had 200 calories deficit I could have easily been over.

neandermagnon

use your results as feedback. this is a long term thing, i.e. slow and steady. If you go over one day, it's not going to make any difference in the long term. If you're going over every day and you're not losing any fat, then you can look at your results and make an adjustment. It doesn't matter if you don't lose every week. What matters is that the overall trend is in the right direction, and that when you get there you can maintain it for life.

Also beware of water weight fluctuations. They can mess with your head and make it hard for you to see what's really going on. Observe how your clothes fit, the tape measure, not just the scale.

If you increase your calories all in one go, you'll usually see a big water weight/glycogen gain, and this freaks some people out. Raising your calories in 100cal increments avoids this somewhat, but really it makes no difference in the long term. You need to give your body time to settle down after increasing your calories, you get that water weight gain initially but you will start losing weight again after a while if you're eating at a deficit. You have to eat an awful lot to start gaining fat (you need to eat 3500 cals over your TDEE to gain just one pound of fat), so don't let water weight gains freak you out. If you think that this is an issue then go for 100cal increases rather than raising your calories all in one go.

RawCarrots

Thank you! I am at the middle of so far my the biggest water fluctuation at the moment (5lb up this week compared to last:noway: ) I know it will pass as I've stuck to calories yet it's really annoying. I have to keep reminding myself I'm doing this long term and a week or two doesn't matter. Also take measurements every 2 weeks and have few pairs of "test jeans" that I aim to get into eventually

Think I'll just bump calories to 1800 and see what happens over few weeks. I'm actually not hungry at 1550 but still crave sweets and processed foods, so will be challenge to increase using fruit, veg and nuts and not cakes

jollyjoe321

"Test Jeans"

That's a fantastic idea! :bigsmile:

stephenidea

Hi Mate,

Well done on the positive results already, you are definitely thinking right and on the right track.
I completely agree with Neandermagnon about this being a long term game, this is the best strategy if you want to loose weight and build the strength of mind to keep the weight down, too many people want fast results and are not willing to put the work in over time. I would suggest going for the slow 100 cal a week increase, keep it slow and gauged and if you are weighing yourself definitely be mindful of the time you get yourself on the scales, everything from water retention to your recent food intake can have a sometimes mind shattering effect that you really don't need. I personally weigh myself once in the evening about 3 or so hours after dinner and then first thing in the morning before I have had anything to eat, if you are loosing weight your will see the two figures creep down with you over time

In regards to counting your calories, I really would advice prepping your meals, stick to meals that combine equal levels of carbs and proteins. If you have meals that you have eaten in the past and know exactly what caloric figures they hold then stick to those that way you can keep better control of what you are eating without having to use the scales each time. Also healthy meal packs from sainsburys and tesco's are advisable as the nutritional info can usually be found on the pack or barcode copied using MyFitnessPal ap - I personally like sushi meal packs as they are very low in calorie and can be easily logged.

Good luck with your fitness journey - you are definitely thinking the right way and have made great improvements already!

RawCarrots

Thank you very much for the replies! Will add some fruit and protein shake (can never hit my prot goal! nowhere near half even) and see how I get on. Really appreciate the help and encouragement, last week has been tough, hard to keep my head in the right place

brower47

Those of you on small deficit - how do you accurately count calories to make sure you stay under maintenance? I currently have big enough gap so didn't have to worry if there was an error of 100 or even 200, that allowed me to stay sane last few months

Now that I'm close to healthy weight I probably need to increase calories (6lb more to lose to get from overweight to healthy weight, and hopefully 20lb more to get to ideal weight) I'm currently averaging about 1550 cals, and FitBit estimates my average burn as 2250. I'm aiming to increase to about 1800 which is TDEE-20% and then even more.

Should I just jump at 1800 and see how I get on for couple of weeks? Or should I increase in 100 calorie increments every few weeks?

How do you make sure you estimate calories correctly when you can't use a kitchen scale (which will be a lot of the time for me next month!) I had a home-made burger yesterday and estimates varied quite a bit, if I only had 200 calories deficit I could have easily been over.

I'm posting both so this is in my history (for possible good information for when I too am close to my goals) but also because I wanted to say that I love seeing people with your mindset. It's nice to see a post that's asking for something rational in a sea of threads that do not. Thank you, oddly enough it was a boost I needed this morning