I eat 2,000+ cals daily and am losing weight!

pineapplegirl48

what do you eat?

Willbenchforcupcakes

I'm 33, 5'7.5", 149.4lbs, and slowly cutting on 2500-3000+ calories a day. I run a max of 2.5 hours a week, do heavy lifting, and work in retail.

Ramberta

what do you eat?

I eat all sorts of things, but I try to get as close to my protein goal as possible. If I do that, all the other macronutrients seem to fall into place.

michellekicks

I'm not sure how much of our TDEE is "natural" to us - as in, just genetic - and how much is just a math equation based on lean body mass. I burn a ridiculous amount of calories for a 5'7", 37 year old woman. My lowest on a normal rest day (when I'm not sick or something) is just over 2400 calories and on a long run day I can burn over 4000. But most 5'7" women don't have 120 lbs of lean mass either... so just because I can eat over 2000 to lose, doesn't mean everyone can. I can't explain it; I mean maybe some of us are just more high strung and burn more?

@HelloItsDan, can you really train your metabolism to burn more calories other than just putting on lean mass?

Ramberta

You are young, tall and have a lot to lose. I'm none of those. My TDEE is a little less than 2000.

Age, height and how much fat one has to lose has little to do with it.
Training your body to adapt has everything to do with it.
Cardio and light weights may still see you in an elderly home due to the inability to remain ambulatory.
If you train your body to lift heavy and to get strong, youll live longer and remain mobile!

I beg to differ. Age and size has a lot to do with it.

Lifting heavy does not increase your TDEE significantly and it sure does not increase it enough to get it over 2,000 for many people.

I do not agree with big deficits either, but you just cannot say that these things have little to do with it. The OP is tall, is over 220lb from her ticker (no offense OP, and congratulations on your loss so far) and is 25 years old. That is a very very different situation than say a 130lb 50 year old woman.

I also am a big proponent of lifting weights, but context also needs to be applied.

You usually go under 2,000 yourself when cutting, as do I, as we are a lot lighter than the OP and older (me more) than her also. This does not mean we have big deficits, just that we have lower TDEEs.

Edited for typo

Haha, I take no offense, I am definitely a big girl still. However, I believe that there are more girls closer to my age (and weight) on this site than the 50 year old 130 lb-ers. This post was trying to reach out to those bigger women who are starving themselves on 1200 cals (or less!) when they really shouldn't be.

Ramberta

I'm not sure how much of our TDEE is "natural" to us - as in, just genetic - and how much is just a math equation based on lean body mass. I burn a ridiculous amount of calories for a 5'7", 37 year old woman. My lowest on a normal rest day (when I'm not sick or something) is just over 2400 calories and on a long run day I can burn over 4000. But most 5'7" women don't have 120 lbs of lean mass either... so just because I can eat over 2000 to lose, doesn't mean everyone can. I can't explain it; I mean maybe some of us are just more high strung and burn more?

@HelloItsDan, can you really train your metabolism to burn more calories other than just putting on lean mass?

I will agree that TDEE is not a "natural" or genetic thing, and I wasn't trying to say that in the post. I do work out daily, because my job requires a lot of lifting and walking around, and I have been going swimming almost daily. I just wanted to make a point that women don't have to restrict their calories AND spend hours and hours working out daily to achieve a healthy weight loss. As someone who probably ate close to 5k cals a day in my "bad old days", I can tell you that 2-2.5k is still plenty big of a deficit for now! Once I hit "onderland" I may or may not be able to get away with eating this much at this activity level.

Sarauk2sf

You are young, tall and have a lot to lose. I'm none of those. My TDEE is a little less than 2000.

Age, height and how much fat one has to lose has little to do with it.
Training your body to adapt has everything to do with it.
Cardio and light weights may still see you in an elderly home due to the inability to remain ambulatory.
If you train your body to lift heavy and to get strong, youll live longer and remain mobile!

I beg to differ. Age and size has a lot to do with it.

Lifting heavy does not increase your TDEE significantly and it sure does not increase it enough to get it over 2,000 for many people.

I do not agree with big deficits either, but you just cannot say that these things have little to do with it. The OP is tall, is over 220lb from her ticker (no offense OP, and congratulations on your loss so far) and is 25 years old. That is a very very different situation than say a 130lb 50 year old woman.

I also am a big proponent of lifting weights, but context also needs to be applied.

You usually go under 2,000 yourself when cutting, as do I, as we are a lot lighter than the OP and older (me more) than her also. This does not mean we have big deficits, just that we have lower TDEEs.

Edited for typo

I agree to a point.

My cut # is 2k but it's taken time for me to figure it out and adapt to it.

BTW Sara great progress!

I thought you were at goal...I get confused with who is bulking/cutting etc

And to put it back into context - you are a guy who is about 140lb (I seem to remember) and 38 years old. How would you expect a 130lb 50 year old women on cut on the same calories? NEAT also has a big part to play (and I am a lazy bish outside the gym, which is probably the reason I have to cut on less then 2k when I am relatively lean).

Not trying to give you a hard time here, just trying to apply context.

And thank you :flowerforyou:

amonkey794

Preach it!

Allup2Me78

I started this as well-eating more that is..Have been on 1300 cal for quite some time and did alot of research this weekend about not eating below my BMR (1617 calories) & working my way up to my TDEE-20% which is 1779 calories..I have been trying this week to get as close as I cld to these #'s and soon will be there! It feels so wrong to eat so much food because in the past I was limited to 1300...I am really hoping this method helps me & I dnt gain too much from it at first. Thanks for sharing your story!!

Yes, it CAN be done!

If you don't believe me, feel free to add me.

I am simply trying to dispel the myth that you need to massively cut calories in order to reach your goal. I work out-- some of it is just my job-- but nothing too strenuous. I am 5'9", and have lost all my weight on MFP eating 2k calories (or more!) per day.

You should NEVER feel like you are starving yourself in your path to lose weight. Figuring out your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) will help you figure out a healthy caloric deficit. A small deficit, NOT a large one, is what's going to work out best for you in the long run!

If you have any questions feel free to message me, or ask them here!

Lyadeia

Yes, it CAN be done!

If you don't believe me, feel free to add me.

I am simply trying to dispel the myth that you need to massively cut calories in order to reach your goal. I work out-- some of it is just my job-- but nothing too strenuous. I am 5'9", and have lost all my weight on MFP eating 2k calories (or more!) per day.

You should NEVER feel like you are starving yourself in your path to lose weight. Figuring out your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) will help you figure out a healthy caloric deficit. A small deficit, NOT a large one, is what's going to work out best for you in the long run!

If you have any questions feel free to message me, or ask them here!

:bigsmile:

I don't eat as much as you (I'm between 1800-2000 calories though) but definitely eating MORE than what we think works well (as long as you calculate TDEE correctly). I hate seeing people starve themselves to be thin when they don't have to. It's just that people have been taught foreva and a day to eat like birds to lose weight. It's just so empowering to learn that you can eat plenty of delicious foods everyday while still being in a deficit and lose weight without ever feeling hungry.

Lysander666

There are a lot of variables here.

Eating 1200 is the quickest, most effective way to lose weight. But it is not for everyone. And I believe it is only sustainable for a few weeks, not long-term.

Personally I can eat 2200-2500 cals a day and still lose weight with my current lifestyle.

serendipity57

My Teedee is only 1605 but I am 58 and only 5 ft 2 ...weight 70 kg I'm eating 1300 which is my teedee less 20%, but I class myself as sedentry not counting just the regular housework etc

SurfyFriend

Same, I'm 5'6 and usually eat 1700-2700 cal to maintain. (burning 200-800 with cardio and weights I might add)

bcattoes

You are young, tall and have a lot to lose. I'm none of those. My TDEE is a little less than 2000.

Age, height and how much fat one has to lose has little to do with it.
Training your body to adapt has everything to do with it.
Cardio and light weights may still see you in an elderly home due to the inability to remain ambulatory.
If you train your body to lift heavy and to get strong, youll live longer and remain mobile!

Well, yeah. I suppose anyone could burn enough calories to eat 2000. Duh!!

But you could do that with cardio as well as weights. Talk to a marathon runner about how much they eat.

I'm already further along the staying healthy and remaining mobile and healthy path than you, so I think I'm doing just fine.

greenmonstergirl

That's great that you found what works for you!!!

Helloitsdan

You are young, tall and have a lot to lose. I'm none of those. My TDEE is a little less than 2000.

Age, height and how much fat one has to lose has little to do with it.
Training your body to adapt has everything to do with it.
Cardio and light weights may still see you in an elderly home due to the inability to remain ambulatory.
If you train your body to lift heavy and to get strong, youll live longer and remain mobile!

I beg to differ. Age and size has a lot to do with it.

Lifting heavy does not increase your TDEE significantly and it sure does not increase it enough to get it over 2,000 for many people.

I do not agree with big deficits either, but you just cannot say that these things have little to do with it. The OP is tall, is over 220lb from her ticker (no offense OP, and congratulations on your loss so far) and is 25 years old. That is a very very different situation than say a 130lb 50 year old woman.

I also am a big proponent of lifting weights, but context also needs to be applied.

You usually go under 2,000 yourself when cutting, as do I, as we are a lot lighter than the OP and older (me more) than her also. This does not mean we have big deficits, just that we have lower TDEEs.

Edited for typo

I agree to a point.

My cut # is 2k but it's taken time for me to figure it out and adapt to it.

BTW Sara great progress!

I thought you were at goal...I get confused with who is bulking/cutting etc

And to put it back into context - you are a guy who is about 140lb (I seem to remember) and 38 years old. How would you expect a 130lb 50 year old women on cut on the same calories? NEAT also has a big part to play (and I am a lazy bish outside the gym, which is probably the reason I have to cut on less then 2k when I am relatively lean).

Not trying to give you a hard time here, just trying to apply context.

And thank you :flowerforyou:

My NEAT is crazy high!
I twerk everywhere I go!
I look like a crack addict!


I'm actually nearing the bottom side of healthy weight.
Ill be maintaining and doing slight cuts here and there.
September starts the bulk season and I won't stop till Feb.

Major supplementation will come into play this year as to not waste any time.