What is the biggest deficit you can tolerate more or less comfortably?

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oat_bran
oat_bran Posts: 370 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I mean, what is the biggest deficit that you can function normally on? I mean especially, energy-wise but also cravings-wise? Also, if you have experimented with deficits, how well do you function (energy, mood, mental performance) on different deficits?

I'm not sure if BMI has anything to do with it, but it seems that heavier people tolerate bigger deficit better, so if you are okay with it, please include your BMI in you response.
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  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,180 Member
    edited September 2016
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    I netted 1250 cal during my first 16 weeks with MFP, and I was OK with that.

    I have no idea what my deficit was exactly because I let MFP do the calculations for me. I entered my info, set myself as sedentary, and MFP gave me 1200 calories. So I manually upped that to 1250. The extra 50 cal gave me room for a small snack in the evenings. :)

    After reaching my first goal, I manually upped my calories to net 1350 for the next 16 weeks and reached my second goal. Netting 1250 was OK but netting 1350 was a bit more comfortable.

    I'm netting 1400 cal now about 5 days a week.


    I'll also add that exercise makes the whole thing a lot more comfortable. I can go out for a great, long bicycle ride ... which I love doing ... and then eat a large, filling dinner and still be within my calorie limit. :)
  • duddysdad
    duddysdad Posts: 403 Member
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    Currently my deficit is around 1300 calories. I can't do any more than that. My maintenance calories is currently 2600, but I try to eat no more than 1300. I did this last year and lost 160 pounds with no issues, of course doctor approved and monitored, so I am doing it again to lose the bit of weight I let creep up. I know men aren't supposed to go below 1500, but I know the consequences of going lower as does my doctor, and as long as he says I am healthy and doing fine, I am not concerned.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    I aim for a deficit of 1750 a week, so approx 250/day. Sometimes less. I can do more than that if I have recently regained any weight. I'm near the middle of normal weight BMI. As an apple, I'll have to get lower to get rid of this belly fat. Using waist to hip ratios, I'm still overweight!

    I remember when I joined MFP initially and tried to aim for a 7000 calorie a week deficit. After a while I was miserable, hungry every moment of the day. One of my friends, who had much more to lose, found the whole thing easy peasy, day in and day out. I do think that BMI affects your perception of hunger, but there are other factors too.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited September 2016
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    I think aiming to lose up to 1% of your total body weight per week is the best answer here. If you have a lot to lose, it's important that you lose quickly, but also that you stick to the calorie deficit for a long time. If you have a lot to lose, your body can tolerate a big deficit, but the larger the deficit, the more drastically your behavior will have to change, and that can be hard for the mind. If you lose quickly, you can get motivated by the fast loss, but too quickly and you will be tired, grumpy, hungry, start to get cravings and lose muscle. So you have to find the right balance.

    What to eat, is another factor. One approach can be to make food less appealing, thus reduce appetite. For others, that will backfire, and cravings will be stronger. Losing weight is simple, but not necessarily easy. So it's important that you know yourself and do what is easiest for you. Knowing what you are doing, and adherence, is crucial for success.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Machka9 wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    What to eat, is another factor. One approach can be to make food less appealing, thus reduce appetite.

    Interesting ...

    I had to make my food more appealing ... to be specific, I found that when I added spice to food and made it taste really good, full of flavour, I could eat less of it and somehow mentally I felt like I had eaten more. But if I eat a meal with little or no flavour, I find myself wanting more ... I'm not quite satisfied ... I feel like I'm missing something.

    I'm like that too. I need taste! I didn't understand why I couldn't stick to my "healthy" diet for very long. It all clicked when I found out I had been eating cardboard. Now I don't understand why so many people willingly choose diet foods and/or meal replacements. I know that some like the idea of not focusing on food (but I don't think that it will be sustainable), and I know that some people eat less when the food isn't "exciting". Not for me, though.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    250-500 per day for me. I have 20-30lbs to go (maybe more, maybe a bit less, we'll see). Back when I started I probably had closer to 650 per day. I eat my exercise and exercise has made this all the more sustainable for me.

    Recently, it's been more like a 250 per day deficit. I've just wanted to eat more, I think more for my psychological benefit than physical. But that's just as important to long term compliance and sustainability in my opinion.

    I rarely net below 1300. I am currently 5'5 and 168lbs.
  • oat_bran
    oat_bran Posts: 370 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    I think aiming to lose up to 1% of your total body weight per week is the best answer here. If you have a lot to lose, it's important that you lose quickly, but also that you stick to the calorie deficit for a long time. If you have a lot to lose, your body can tolerate a big deficit, but the larger the deficit, the more drastically your behavior will have to change, and that can be hard for the mind. If you lose quickly, you can get motivated by the fast loss, but too quickly and you will be tired, grumpy, hungry, start to get cravings and lose muscle. So you have to find the right balance.

    Yup, this is exactly what I'm trying to do. I want to lose fast enough to not get discouraged, but not too fast so that I don't get miserable. Finding the right balance is tricky. 1% of body weight per week sounds like a reasonable goal! It would put me slightly over 500 cals per day deficit which I think I can tolerate fine. Thanks for the advice!
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
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    When I started at a higher weight I kept a larger deficit. Then I bumped up a little, but my activity level also increased as I went.

    I do think that it is easier to have a large deficit when you are heavier IME. And for me it was easier to keep a large deficit when I did mostly cardio type stuff for exercise. For me it felt like strength training made me more hungry, especially at first.

    I took a break after my initial larger loss, then tried to keep a more moderate deficit (500 a day under). Since that initial loss it has been much much slower. I feel like my body doesn't seem to follow the model, or IOW that I have to go lower to get results.

    If my net is over 1200-ish not much happens on the scale. And I'm saying this from years of experience and logging now nearly 300 days.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    The 1% rule has limitations. If I weighed 125 lbs, at 5'6", I'd be at a fairly low bf%, but according to the 1% rule I could lose 1.2lbs a week, or just over 500 calories a day.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    For me it totally depends on the time of the month (hormones), but as a rule it was easier to stick to a 750ish deficit when I had more to lose. Once I got within the normal BMI, it got much harder.

    Now I'm 5'5" and 135 pounds and can do a 2500 deficit a couple weeks a month if I REALLY try and basically avoid most sweets and don't mind being hungry. 1000-1500 a week is more manageable.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    Currently, 400 is the most aggressive I can get really. If I go beyond it's hard for me to hit fat goals and it screws with my hormones. But considering I haven't been able to keep a deficit at ALL lately, not sure I can answer this honestly at the moment :)
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    goldthistime wrote: »
    The 1% rule has limitations. If I weighed 125 lbs, at 5'6", I'd be at a fairly low bf%, but according to the 1% rule I could lose 1.2lbs a week, or just over 500 calories a day.

    That's why I said "up to". I also hope people understand that weightloss is for people who have weight to lose.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    Currently, 400 is the most aggressive I can get really. If I go beyond it's hard for me to hit fat goals and it screws with my hormones. But considering I haven't been able to keep a deficit at ALL lately, not sure I can answer this honestly at the moment :)

    Yeah been there done that lol. The only time I can manage to keep a deficit is when I get depressed and lose my appetite.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Currently, 400 is the most aggressive I can get really. If I go beyond it's hard for me to hit fat goals and it screws with my hormones. But considering I haven't been able to keep a deficit at ALL lately, not sure I can answer this honestly at the moment :)

    Yeah been there done that lol. The only time I can manage to keep a deficit is when I get depressed and lose my appetite.

    I'm depressed at the moment and it's still not working. Sometimes during the day I won't really eat because of nerves but I always end up gorging on ice cream and wine later...
  • daniip_la
    daniip_la Posts: 678 Member
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    At my weight, I should be able to hit a 1500kcal/day deficit to lose 3lbs/week, but that would have me netting around 1500kcal/day, and I can't imagine eating that little with how active I usually am. In fact, I start to feel dizzy and got headaches if I manage to hit those numbers for a few days in a row.

    So instead I just aim for 2lbs/week. Haven't been doing too well the last few weeks after the loss of a family member, but I'm trying to get back to it.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    goldthistime wrote: »
    The 1% rule has limitations. If I weighed 125 lbs, at 5'6", I'd be at a fairly low bf%, but according to the 1% rule I could lose 1.2lbs a week, or just over 500 calories a day.

    That's why I said "up to". I also hope people understand that weightloss is for people who have weight to lose.

    Yes, I have no quibbles with how you presented it. It's generally a good rule. It was the OP's comment that she should aim for just over a pound a week that worried me. She could be 110lbs for all we know.

  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Currently, 400 is the most aggressive I can get really. If I go beyond it's hard for me to hit fat goals and it screws with my hormones. But considering I haven't been able to keep a deficit at ALL lately, not sure I can answer this honestly at the moment :)

    Yeah been there done that lol. The only time I can manage to keep a deficit is when I get depressed and lose my appetite.

    I'm depressed at the moment and it's still not working. Sometimes during the day I won't really eat because of nerves but I always end up gorging on ice cream and wine later...

    Sorry to read this. You've been inspirational to many. Hope you find your way back to happy soon.

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