Low Calorie Limits
Options
Libby283
Posts: 288 Member
Starting my own thread based on my specifics.
I used another calculator ( http://caloriecontrol.org/healthy-weight-tool-kit/assessment-calculator/) to calculate and for my goal weight of 124 lbs, I will have a daily limit of 1453 calories to maintain that weight. To get to below 124, I will need a total limit of 953.
Goal Weight
Measure System
Age: 38
What is your activity level?
Feet: 5 Inches: 3
Weight: 124
My Goal Weight: 124
Healthy Weight Range: 104.0 - 141.0
Current BMI: 21.9
Healthy BMI Range 18.5 - 24.9
To maintain current weight: 1453 calories
To lose weight: 953 calories
The current stats are as follows.
Current Weight: 154
Healthy Weight Range: 104.0 - 141.0
Current BMI: 27.2
Healthy BMI Range 18.5 - 24.9
To maintain current weight: 1616 calories
To lose weight: 1116 calories
So yes for me, I need to be eating less than 1200 calories to lose weight.
I used another calculator ( http://caloriecontrol.org/healthy-weight-tool-kit/assessment-calculator/) to calculate and for my goal weight of 124 lbs, I will have a daily limit of 1453 calories to maintain that weight. To get to below 124, I will need a total limit of 953.
Goal Weight
Measure System
Age: 38
What is your activity level?
Feet: 5 Inches: 3
Weight: 124
My Goal Weight: 124
Healthy Weight Range: 104.0 - 141.0
Current BMI: 21.9
Healthy BMI Range 18.5 - 24.9
To maintain current weight: 1453 calories
To lose weight: 953 calories
The current stats are as follows.
Current Weight: 154
Healthy Weight Range: 104.0 - 141.0
Current BMI: 27.2
Healthy BMI Range 18.5 - 24.9
To maintain current weight: 1616 calories
To lose weight: 1116 calories
So yes for me, I need to be eating less than 1200 calories to lose weight.
1
Replies
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Perhaps you need to reconsider your goal. You are already within the healthy weight range for your height - if you want to change your body composition, take up resistance training. Eat at maintenance, do a recomp. Increasing muscle mass will increase your bmr.1
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I am currently at a BMI of 27.2. Healthy is 18.5-24.9. I look fat.1
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Go low carb instead of low calorie? Adjust your macros so that your body hits Ketosis and burns stored fat (takes about 2 weeks to get there) instead of burning carbs and storing everything else. Low calorie diets trigger your body to go into "starvation mode" and store all calories instead of using them.0
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The figures you posted are to lose a pound a week (500cal/day*7days/wk=3500 weekly deficit). You should still be eating 1200 calories at minimum. The 953 calorie number is NOT RECOMMENDED.3
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I hear ya. I'm right at the top of the healthy range.
47
5'6
1598 to maintain
1098 to lose
I will say though that different calculators will spit out different numbers; not a lot different, but some what.0 -
To maintain current weight: 1616 calories
To lose weight: 1116 calories
So yes for me, I need to be eating less than 1200 calories to lose weight.
No you don't. You'd need to eat less than 1200 calories to lose one pound per week. You could lose half a pound per week if you ate 1366 calories. This is, of course, assuming you actually are sedentary. I'm 5'3" and 115 pounds. According to my stats, that says I need to eat 946 calories to lose weight at sedentary, but I'm active. The highest setting they have is moderately active and it says I'd have to eat 1367 calories to lose weight. I still lose weight at 2000 calories sometimes depending on how active I've been and I'm not even trying to lose weight.
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Maxematics wrote: »
To maintain current weight: 1616 calories
To lose weight: 1116 calories
So yes for me, I need to be eating less than 1200 calories to lose weight.
No you don't. You'd need to eat less than 1200 calories to lose one pound per week. You could lose half a pound per week if you ate 1366 calories. This is, of course, assuming you actually are sedentary. I'm 5'3" and 115 pounds. According to my stats, that says I need to eat 946 calories to lose weight at sedentary, but I'm active. The highest setting they have is moderately active and it says I'd have to eat 1367 calories to lose weight. I still lose weight at 2000 calories sometimes depending on how active I've been and I'm not even trying to lose weight.
This. Although I don't know if we should save our breath - the OP has been stubborn in other threads.
OP - you will not get agreement on this low calorie approach. I don't know why you keep trying.6 -
Those numbers only look to be right for a very sedentary person. Are you sedentary OP?0
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Maxematics wrote: »
To maintain current weight: 1616 calories
To lose weight: 1116 calories
So yes for me, I need to be eating less than 1200 calories to lose weight.
No you don't. You'd need to eat less than 1200 calories to lose one pound per week. You could lose half a pound per week if you ate 1366 calories.
Mathematically correct, but practically not very helpful for most people.
Mainly because the smaller the deficit is the easier it is to erase it with errors in measurement and logging. Even if you are very careful real life leads to at least some estimation for most people.
Maybe OP CAN lose weight on more calories, or maybe not.
Calculators are just a place to start. Then you need real personal data to see if the calculator results are correct for you.
If it is working and you can stick with it keep going.
If it isn't working (compliance, results) then you need to change something up.
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Maxematics wrote: »
To maintain current weight: 1616 calories
To lose weight: 1116 calories
So yes for me, I need to be eating less than 1200 calories to lose weight.
No you don't. You'd need to eat less than 1200 calories to lose one pound per week. You could lose half a pound per week if you ate 1366 calories.
Mathematically correct, but practically not very helpful for most people.
Mainly because the smaller the deficit is the easier it is to erase it with errors in measurement and logging. Even if you are very careful real life leads to at least some estimation for most people.
Maybe OP CAN lose weight on more calories, or maybe not.
Calculators are just a place to start. Then you need real personal data to see if the calculator results are correct for you.
If it is working and you can stick with it keep going.
If it isn't working (compliance, results) then you need to change something up.
This is why I said assuming she is actually that sedentary and then went even further by comparing my actual calorie needs to what the calculator claimed. Obviously the only way the OP will find out is by trial and error, but I will never ever support someone eating a low calorie amount unless they're an outlier or they are working with medical professionals. It is my understanding that the OP has made several threads in which they are trying to get support in approaching weight loss by over-restriction of calories.1 -
Why are you so desperate to find a calorie calculator and site that validates your belief that you need to be eating below the recommended minimum in order to achieve your goals?
You've said in other threads that MFP calculates your sedentary maintenance calories to be 1680, which going with the minimum goal of 1200 should yield a loss of 1 lb/week. Which for the amount of weight you have to lose is only am appropriate goal for about 5-10 lbs and then you should be switching to a goal of 0.5 lb/week. And again; these are Sedentary goals so if you exercise, you should be eating more.
And I will repeat.... I started at the exact same weight as you and I'm an inch shorter. I lost > 30 lbs and am maintaining below your goal weight and I rarely ate less than 1600 cals while losing. I'm maintaining at 2200. You do not have to eat below 1200 cals in order to lose. Period.8 -
As others have pointed out, that would be the case to lose 1 lb a week (500 calorie daily deficit) but if you are 20 lbs or less overweight or at a healthy weight that is not the usual recommended rate of loss. You could lose at a rate of .5 lb a week (250 calorie daily deficit) and not go below 1200 calories. You could also increase your activity and eat more than 1200 and lose weight.
In summary, you do not have to eat below 1200 calories to lose weight at all.
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It is very difficult to get all of the nutrients necessary on fewer than 1200 calories. MyFitnessPal has a large database but only tracks certain things. I got to use a very fancy doctors office style program while taking my Nutrition class and I still had two pages of deficiencies eating 1700 calories because I was only concerned with calories and macros at the time.0
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How about eat 1200 and lose just shy of a pound a week or exercise for the grand total of 84 calories a day and lose a pound there is really very little in it. But why would you want to be that strict. There is no point in punishing yourself. The winner is the person who eats the most and still loses.
But you know, you are an adult if you want to risk damaging your body who am I to stop you.2 -
Why would you want to make such a large deficit at this weight? I've lost all my weight at deficits of 100 to 300cals per day.0
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No, you do not need to be eating under 1200 calories to lose weight. Your goals are too aggressive and you risk not getting your body's necessary fuel and nutrients if you don't eat enough calories. Set your goal to lose half a pound a week and be patient.
I am several inches shorter than you are and currently weigh less than you do, yet I am still losing at 1200+exercise calories. I have my baseline calorie goal set at 1200/sedentary and I add in any exercise I've done. I've lost 96 pounds doing that. I lose FAR more slowly now because, like you, I'm close to my goal weight and my deficit is smaller. But I am still losing.0 -
So I just took a quick few seconds to pop your stats into some of my fave calcs (Scooby, IIFYM, etc) and the numbers you have seem to be a little off. Even averaging, your BMR is around 1450-1500 and your TDEE -- even at sedentary -- is at or above 1700, which means that to lose 1 lb per week (-500 cals) you would be eating 1200.
You're on the shorter side yes, but you are certainly not an outlier. I have women in their 60's the same height and weight as you on my friends list successfully losing on much more than 1200 calories.
The 1200 calorie minimum isn't just this magical line in the sand, it's been so latched onto by the weightloss/fitness/health community because below that amount of calories it becomes incredibly hard for your body to get the type of nutrients it needs; most often because with fat being the highest calorie macro, people tend to eat less of it which actually then hinders your vitamin/nutrient absorption even if you're eating the "right" foods. So many people (women especially) think they're fine until a couple months in when they begin to lose hair or see colour/texture changes to their nails etc.
Ideally, if your stats take you below 1200 to create a reasonable loss per week you should be doing something to make up the difference. If you feel that 986 calories is magically the only number you can lose at, how about exercising to create the room to eat more? In the long run it will absolutely benefit you from a health standpoint. I'm not even saying you have to do much, but how about a nice hour long walk after dinner or a zumba class with a friend a few times a week?
If you do continue to insist on eating below 1200 calories to lose, it's your life. You do you. But please do you in a way that includes frequent checkups with a medical professional who has the ability to order blood tests etc.
My biggest fear for you is that you lose the 30 lbs you want to and then realize that you're still incredibly unhappy with your body composition because you cared more about being right than you did about your health.3 -
Starting my own thread based on my specifics.
I used another calculator ( http://caloriecontrol.org/healthy-weight-tool-kit/assessment-calculator/) to calculate and for my goal weight of 124 lbs, I will have a daily limit of 1453 calories to maintain that weight. To get to below 124, I will need a total limit of 953.
Goal Weight
Measure System
Age: 38
What is your activity level?
Feet: 5 Inches: 3
Weight: 124
My Goal Weight: 124
Healthy Weight Range: 104.0 - 141.0
Current BMI: 21.9
Healthy BMI Range 18.5 - 24.9
To maintain current weight: 1453 calories
To lose weight: 953 calories
The current stats are as follows.
Current Weight: 154
Healthy Weight Range: 104.0 - 141.0
Current BMI: 27.2
Healthy BMI Range 18.5 - 24.9
To maintain current weight: 1616 calories
To lose weight: 1116 calories
So yes for me, I need to be eating less than 1200 calories to lose weight.
NO - 953 is not required.
ANYTHING below 1453 = weight loss. For example a 1200 calorie diet would provide you with adequate nutrition and a 253 calorie deficit. That's 1/2 pound a week. A perfectly acceptable speed for weight loss when you are close to goal. That small deficit also provides you with some muscle insurance (you lose a larger % of fat).
I have a hard time believing the 1453 is maintenance for you. This calculator gives you more: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
Only 1567 for sedentary......but still. A 1200 calorie diet (adequate nutrition.....keep more muscle & a full head of hair).....and a 367 calorie deficit. 3500/367 = 1 pound loss every 9.5 days.
3
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