Confusion about defecits/logging/exercise cals

Dayniie

Im having some confusion if I am eating enough or too little.

Im female, 5"4, 69kgs. My goal is 1200cal for weightloss. Stregnth training as most of my exercise.

Every day I am sitting around my 1200cal with my fat and protein macros generally always at or above target. My nutrients (iron, calcium etc) are generally at the goal too.

Ive noticed that my cal in (1200) seems to be alot lower than cal out (2700-3000)

I do 30-45min of stregnth training 5 days a week so I am not burning a huge amount from that. (around the 200's my Fitbit says)

Is this normal as I have read a few posts about having to eat more? The confusion for me lies with me hitting all my macro, cal, and nutrient goals and that I feel full and satisfied with what I am eating

Thanks!

livingleanlivingclean

How are you determining your intake? Do you weigh all solids and measure all liquids?

How do you determine calories out?

How much weight have you lost, and in what time period?

TavistockToad

how much weight have you lost so far?

LivingtheLeanDream

Have you an active job? that might be why your Fitbit is telling you a high burn.

How much are you losing a week?

Dayniie

I have only just started 2 weeks ago with the change of diet, and stregnth training has been 1 week. I have lost 2kgs but I think that may be mostly water weight.

My job isnt intense, but I am on my feet all day and do some moderate lifting with it

I log everything that goes into my body, and yes, I weigh all food and liquids. Fitbit tells me my cals out via heart rate, steps, etc. I track all ecercise with it too.

Nikion901

Give it more time ... I think it takes more than 2 weeks new into an eating and fitness plan to be able to determine if it's the right mix. ... As for the macro's ... they don't really relate to calorie intake as much as they do to the composition of the food you eat. For example, I can meet my macros at 1200 just as easily at 2400 depending on the food's I choose to eat.

quiksylver296

Are you eating any of your exercise calories?

cwolfman13

If in fact you are burning 2700-3000 calories throughout your day, 1200 is too large a deficit. Did you put sedentary as your activity level even though you're not? That is a 1,500 - 1,800 calorie deficit if in fact you're burning that much..way too large a deficit.

LivingtheLeanDream

cwolfman13 wrote: »

If in fact you are burning 2700-3000 calories throughout your day, 1200 is too large a deficit. Did you put sedentary as your activity level even though you're not? That is a 1,500 - 1,800 calorie deficit if in fact you're burning that much..way too large a deficit.

^^ agreed

Dayniie

Its set to lightly active. No I am not eating back exercise cals as I dont feel hungry or tired.. I do male sure I eat a majority of my protein after working out though.

What are the disadvantages and advantages of having a 1500-1800 cal deficit?

I'll keep going the way I am for now and see over the next week or so how I feel and make changes based on the advice from you all

cwolfman13

Dayniie wrote: »

Its set to lightly active. No I am not eating back exercise cals as I dont feel hungry or tired.. I do male sure I eat a majority of my protein after working out though.

What are the disadvantages and advantages of having a 1500-1800 cal deficit?

I'll keep going the way I am for now and see over the next week or so how I feel and make changes based on the advice from you all

For one, large deficits result in a greater ratio of muscle:fat loss...ie you burn more muscle mass than you otherwise would with a smaller deficit.

Your body also requires energy for basic functions...in a large deficit, "non-essential" functions will be slowed or stopped to conserve energy..ie growing hair and nails, menstrual cycle, etc. Mind you, these things don't generally happen right away and most people who experience them felt fine until they didn't. Plenty of thread here in RE to "HALP...my hair is falling out...lost my cycle, etc.

Beyond that, 1200 calories is pretty much the minimum to get in proper nutrition for a sedentary individual...a more active individual will have more nutritional requirements (beyond energy and calories) than a sedentary person.

Nikion901

Dayniie wrote: »

Its set to lightly active. No I am not eating back exercise cals as I dont feel hungry or tired.. I do male sure I eat a majority of my protein after working out though.

What are the disadvantages and advantages of having a 1500-1800 cal deficit?

I'll keep going the way I am for now and see over the next week or so how I feel and make changes based on the advice from you all

Well, in my opinion, it kind of depends on how much excess weight you are carrying right now. (PS ... because the more excess weight, the more you can rely on stored energy for body energy needs) ... A 500 calorie a day deficit should result in about 1 pound lost a week ... and your stated deficit is marking 3+ pounds a week ... and that is aggressive to maintain for the long haul.

However, you have only been dieting this way for 2 weeks ... so it's in the, shall I say: 'honeymoon phase', meaning that it's all brand new for you and for your body.

As you continue on with your current plan, and should you stay at such a large deficit, you will, more than likely, find that things are changing ... you might feel more fatigue, your nails or hair or skin texture might be showing signs of change, your menstrual cycle might change ... those are all indications that you might want to slow down the rate of weight loss by upping your calorie intake to a slower approach to weight loss.

MFP used to 'yell' if you logged less than 1200 calories a day and were a woman because the health community feels this many calories, from a varied intake of foods, is required to meet minimum nutrition ... currently MFP allows 1000 calories for woman because many complained they wanted to eat less than the 1200 ....

.... So ... make up your mind about what plan you want to follow and stick with it for a period of a month or two and see how you feel. Then start making appropriate changes as might seem desirable to do.

Dayniie

Thanks. I want to understand why I should or shouldnt do things not "do this, dont do that" so the advice from you all is great for me.

Based on my info I gave what do you all reccomment my intake should be? Just so I can compare to what MFP and other tools suggest.

I have a lot of excess weight, to the point my tummy sags over pubic region, flappy arms and thighs etc, minimal muscle so its not like the weights based on good mass.

AnnPT77

If the protein/fat goals you're meeting are MFP defaults, they're set as a percent of your calorie goal. If you set a higher calorie goal (a slower weight loss rate) - which I agree would be a good plan - you'll get higher protein & fat goals.

I calculate macro goals based on goal weight at minimum 0.6-0.8g protein per pound of goal weight (this is about 2x RDA), and minimum fat at 0.35-0.45g fat per pound of goal weight. I use those goals at any calorie level.

At 5'5", goal weight 120lb (54kg) current weight 130lbs (59kg), I eat a minimum of 100g protein daily, and fat around 55g or so minimum.

What really matters, BTW, is not your settings, but your actual weight loss rate over a period of weeks. The settings just give you a starting point estimate. Unless under close medical supervision, it's sensible IMO to lose no more than 1% of bodyweight per week, and even less than that when within 50 pounds of ultimate goal weight.

After 4-6 weeks at the starting point estimate, adjust your calories as needed based on your actual weekly average results. It's always fine to lose more slowly, especially if that makes it more sustainable/achievable.

Best wishes!