Alright I'm confused

Hey everyone! Can someone please help me understand? It's been awhile since I've tried losing weight so I redid my BMR and TDEE. My BMR is 1284 and my TDEE is now 1541. Doesnt that mean I need to eat 1041 calories a day to lose weight now? I'm 5'2" 128lbs 24 years old and my goal weight is 118. This seems like a really low calorie goal and I just started Saturday doing 1200 intake a day. Thoughts?

Replies

liz0269

You would need to eat 1041 to lose a pound a week but you should never eat less than 1200. You will lose just at a slower pace which, I am told, is better when you have so little to lose. You could go up to 1291 and lose a half a pound a week.

kimny72

With so little to lose, you should only be aiming to lose 0.5lbs per week.

If your TDEE is 1541, then you should eat at a 250 calorie deficit, or 1291 cals (give or take).

You don't have enough weight to lose to expect a rate of 1 lb per week! And please keep in mind, losing so little means you won't see the scale move every week, as water weight fluctuations will easily hide that. Patience will be necessary

shaf238

You're only trying to lose a small amount so I'd suggest a 0.5lb per week loss which should bring your calorie goal to something around 1200 (assuming 1541 TDEE is correct). Although tbh a 6lb loss isn't really going to represent a noticeable physical difference so you do have to question whether losing is the right thing for you. Your BMI is in the healthy range. Why do you want to lose another 6lbs?

LittleChipin

shaf238 wrote: »

You're only trying to lose a small amount so I'd suggest a 0.5lb per week loss which should bring your calorie goal to something around 1200 (assuming 1541 TDEE is correct). Although tbh a 6lb loss isn't really going to represent a noticeable physical difference so you do have to question whether losing is the right thing for you. Your BMI is in the healthy range. Why do you want to lose another 6lbs?

My lowest weight was 123lb and theres a big difference in my belly, that's where all gains go unfortunately. 118 is my goal to account for fluctuations and to be lower on the BMI scale for health reasons. Based on your answer, 1200 seems like where I should stay?

shaf238

LittleChipin wrote: »

shaf238 wrote: »

You're only trying to lose a small amount so I'd suggest a 0.5lb per week loss which should bring your calorie goal to something around 1200 (assuming 1541 TDEE is correct). Although tbh a 6lb loss isn't really going to represent a noticeable physical difference so you do have to question whether losing is the right thing for you. Your BMI is in the healthy range. Why do you want to lose another 6lbs?

My lowest weight was 123lb and theres a big difference in my belly, that's where all gains go unfortunately. 118 is my goal to account for fluctuations and to be lower on the BMI scale for health reasons. Based on your answer, 1200 seems like where I should stay?

Fair enough. And @kimny72 's response is sound.

kimny72

OP, if your main concern at this point is your midsection, there might be some useful info for you in this thread too:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1

liz0269

It may also be worthwhile to read this.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10689837/does-this-uterus-make-my-stomach-look-fat/p1

birdlee2016

i am confused as well, if i eat 1200 cal per day i will gain weight, currently 109 lbs down from 220, i use withing scale, which shows body fat decreasing but weight increase slightly, also started aquafit to tone legs

collectingblues

birdlee2016 wrote: »

i am confused as well, if i eat 1200 cal per day i will gain weight, currently 109 lbs down from 220, i use withing scale, which shows body fat decreasing but weight increase slightly, also started aquafit to tone legs

Do you weigh and track everything you eat? Even though you're light, it is *highly* unlikely that your TDEE is only 1200 calories.

Maxematics

collectingblues wrote: »

birdlee2016 wrote: »

i am confused as well, if i eat 1200 cal per day i will gain weight, currently 109 lbs down from 220, i use withing scale, which shows body fat decreasing but weight increase slightly, also started aquafit to tone legs

Do you weigh and track everything you eat? Even though you're light, it is *highly* unlikely that your TDEE is only 1200 calories.

Agreed. I'm also 109 pounds (5'3") and my TDEE is 1900 to 2400 calories per day on average. Granted I'm quite active, but my BMR is approx 1260. Unless someone has a severe medical issue that makes them an anomaly, I can't imagine them gaining weight on 1200 calories.

Justin_7272

birdlee2016 wrote: »

i am confused as well, if i eat 1200 cal per day i will gain weight, currently 109 lbs down from 220, i use withing scale, which shows body fat decreasing but weight increase slightly, also started aquafit to tone legs

If you're gaining weight eating 1200 calories it is medically highly likely you need to gain weight.