Large Person - Safe Calorie Deficits to begin

my58vw

Good evening all!

I am a female former high category level cyclist who after significant injury gained nearly 120 pounds, and now at 34 I am working on losing the weight again. My current weight is 330 pounds on a 6'5" frame (yes my family is very tall), and my base calories (based on MFP) is 3300 (on lightly active), so I set a goal for 2300 a day to loose 2 pounds a week.

As a former athlete I am also starting to ramp up exercise again, and burn anywhere from 500 - 750 calories a day, 3 - 5 days a week at the gym alone (from gym equipment/other trackers, not from MFP). On a 500 calorie day that brings me to 2800 calories to maintain my 2 pounds a week. The problem is the last few days I was eating only 2000 - 2200 calories with the workout, or a 500 - 600 calorie deficit over what I should be eating. I do not have any weight loss data yet (I just started tracking heavily this week), but I am concerned I am not getting enough calories and will lose weight too fast.

What is a safe lower limit on calories? I just simply am not hungry to eat more than I am now. I do not feel bad or weak at all.

Also I am weighing and measuring everything I eat, including all seasonings, dressings, oils, etc so I am pretty sure the workout and eating data is correct.

Thanks!

queenliz99

If you are not hungry, you should be good. Hunger is a key. If this changes, you know what you need to do. Best wishes!

daniip_la

It's safe for you to lose up to 3.3lbs per week at your weight, 1% of body weight is generally accepted.

That being said, if you feel week or faint, up your calories. I'm 6'0" and 308lbs, and even though I could lose 3lbs/week, maintaining a 1500kcal deficit per day makes me feel terrible, so I stick to 2lbs/week loss.

girlinahat

sounds like you are doing fine as you are.

Maybe work out what your TDEE is for the person you want to be - for eg. 6'5" at say 200lbs on a lightly active basis. That should give you an idea of your lowest calorie level. There is even a school of thought that recommends dieting by eating like the person you want to be.

dkabambe

From your stats and the common guide of up to 1% per week being safe, your current level should be fine. Listen to your body though - if you start feeling tired/hungry/weak etc then try to eat more.
p.s. Do you use a heart rate monitor at gym? My experience, which seems to chime with many people on these forums, is that gym equipment (and MFP) tends to overestimate calories burned for exercise - given your big deficit this is not a problem but worth bearing in mind later on in your journey.

bioklutz

You will really need to pay attention to how you are feeling. If your training performance drops or you are really fatigued you are obviously not eating enough for the work you are asking your body to do.

Sued0nim

my58vw wrote: »

Good evening all!

I am a female former high category level cyclist who after significant injury gained nearly 120 pounds, and now at 34 I am working on losing the weight again. My current weight is 330 pounds on a 6'5" frame (yes my family is very tall), and my base calories (based on MFP) is 3300 (on lightly active), so I set a goal for 2300 a day to loose 2 pounds a week.

As a former athlete I am also starting to ramp up exercise again, and burn anywhere from 500 - 750 calories a day, 3 - 5 days a week at the gym alone (from gym equipment/other trackers, not from MFP). On a 500 calorie day that brings me to 2800 calories to maintain my 2 pounds a week. The problem is the last few days I was eating only 2000 - 2200 calories with the workout, or a 500 - 600 calorie deficit over what I should be eating. I do not have any weight loss data yet (I just started tracking heavily this week), but I am concerned I am not getting enough calories and will lose weight too fast.

What is a safe lower limit on calories? I just simply am not hungry to eat more than I am now. I do not feel bad or weak at all.

Also I am weighing and measuring everything I eat, including all seasonings, dressings, oils, etc so I am pretty sure the workout and eating data is correct.

Thanks!

You should be safe as long as, after the first few weeks, you're not losing more than 1% bw per week (averaged over 6-8 weeks) ..this also brings you under the range of gallstone formation / kidney damage seen in over 80% of rapid weight loss in the obese

so that would be around a 1650 defecit daily ..although personally I'd say your 2000-2200 calorie allowance is spot on

StaciMarie1974

I've always heard 1% of body weight OR 2 pounds. In the beginning, if you're starting at 330, then you can probably safely have more than a 1000/day deficit. As a former/current athlete you also understand the importance of maintaining muscle mass - so start strength training now. A big deficit with strength training is less harmful than a big deficit without strength training.

Overall though judge by how you feel. Personally I tend to be SUPER hungry on the day following a massive workout and not so hungry on the day of. Everyone is different and that is ok.