Beginning calorie deficit when you're used to eating a lot

So when you're used to eating 4,000 or so calories a day, how do you ease into a calorie deficit? I know I was eating this much because I started this current weight loss endeavor by being very honest with myself and tracking my intake on a normal day where I wasn't trying to be "good".

I know what MFP says I should be eating to lose weight. But how realistic and sustainable is it to just all of a sudden drop a full 2,000 per day? This is not about specific numbers per se. I'm just wondering about a calorie range when starting out in a place where you're used to eating so far above what your recommended calorie budget is for weight loss.

Do you just cut your calories so drastically and suffer through it until you get used to it? Or lower them in stages, even though you won't be in an actual deficit at first?

Any thoughts appreciated!
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Replies

  • cherys
    cherys Posts: 387 Member
    You will be used to grazing and snacking and feeling very full. You could start by adding lots of bulk through vegetables and salad. Add popcorn, cooked with no oil or butter - for the first couple of weeks, then gradually reduce the portions so you get used to not feeling overfull.

    Cut out all refined carbs because they trigger really bad cravings. If you don't follow any other advice, follow this. It is so helpful. Without white flour and sugar you won't get that horrible crazed hunger that has you giving up by midday. Eat plenty of protein too. And drink a lot of water (not diet sodas) to fill up too.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    When I finally got serious about losing the excess #50, I just slammed into a calorie deficit that was reasonable from an objective standpoint (sufficient nutrition, moderate deficit) and was *keenly* aware of feeling hungry the first couple of weeks. After that, I was good to go - I would feel "I could eat now" but not like I just had to. For me (so your own mileage will vary), I felt most satisfied eating lots of vegetables, limiting animal protein to lean meat, plain 0 fat greek yogurt, and fish, whole grains, beans and lentils, and whole fruits (apples, oranges, grapefruit mostly). Since then, because "maintenance" has been about gain a bit, eat at a deficit for a bit, the same strategy basically works.
  • freda666
    freda666 Posts: 338 Member
    edited February 2020
    I don't agree with the advice to gently do this or that gradually over a month or whatever. If you are determined to start now and you have the required mindset then grasp that feeling with both hands and just get on with it.

    And I was eating a lot of calories through chocolate, crisps and bread and not eating that stuff does not make me less full or more hungry. I now just make different choices and consume food with less calories to get my calorie deficit.
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
    Check out the thread for "volume eaters"... they have lots of ways to get the feeling of being full without killing your calorie goal. I'd link, if I were on my computer, but can't from the phone. A search should pull it up.
  • whoami67
    whoami67 Posts: 297 Member
    Personally, I would just jump right into it. But that's me. It may or may not be the best route for you; only you can decide. I would likely focus on eating plenty of volume to help keep me full when I'm cutting back so drastically on what I eat. And while I know from the experience of 40 years of dieting what foods, macros, etc keep me most satiated, you probably will have to experiment for a while. I would expect some unpleasant side effects (hunger, maybe headaches, possibly chills, fatigue) the first week or two while your body adjusts to less fuel.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,906 Member
    edited February 2020
    How many calories does MFP give you to maintain weight? Maybe start with that for a while to get an idea on the right amount of calories for that. You''ll likely drop a bit on the scale by doing that, but that's just due to less waste in your system. Or if that number seems to low then why not find a mid-point between your 4000kcal and maintenance amount for a week, then try to reduce it to maintenance once you feel confident. And then go a bit under maintenance. This gives you time to think what kind of food you enjoy most and what keeps you full on your journey. Remember: weight loss is not a race but a marathon. Being in a deficit a few weeks later is no problem. And people on this forum have shown time and time again that an all or nothing mentality has a bigger chance of failure than easing yourself into it. There's no reason to feel hungry. Plus, just dropping down big time increases the risk of binging.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,352 Member
    What @cherys and @igfrie did worked for me.

    I have tried to calculate, and figure I was easily eating 8-10,000 a day. I do not for the life of me know how I wasn’t morbidly obese, and I’m grateful I wasn’t. I would start the day with a half dozen entemann’s donuts, start a family sized bag of M&Ms, have a big fast food lunch, finish the bag of candy and the box of donuts, start another bag of candy or cookies, and polish off a bag or two of Geneva cookies after dinner, Then there were the inevitable Cokes, and many glasses of milk to go with all that chocolate, and random sweets and treats I “deserved” in between all that.

    When I was ready, I was ready, I stopped cold turkey, and put myself on 1400 a day, although I increased it a little bit every couple of months after that, til I stayed at 1870 for six months or so.

    I think what @cherys says has some merit. If I had eased myself into it, I would have weakened and quit.

    I started with an elimination diet my doctor had given me, so was very heavy on chicken, beans, vegetables and fruit,which helped. In other words, pretty much the food pyramid that we learned in the dark ages, minus dairy and grain.

    It was hard for the first two or three weeks, but then I discovered that foods were tasting better, and becoming more satisfying as a result. Fruit now tastes waaaaaaay more sweet to me than candy.

    As I’ve dabbled and tweaked, I’ve learned that protein helps keep me full, so I lean heavily on things like homemade beef jerky, cottage cheese, yogurt, and lots of chicken. Also, the “Volume Eaters” thread was helpful to me. I make massive salads for lunch. So big it can take me 30-45 minutes to eat the things,

    YMMV, and this is just my experience of what worked for me. Everyone experiences this journey differently, so you’ll get s thousand different stories and recommendations.



  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Since you’re a keto veteran who has found that it’s not sustainable for you, may I suggest what has worked for me? I find that eating lower carb, but not fully keto (I get about 150 g net per day) keeps my blood sugar stable enough to prevent most cravings, prevents me from overeating sweets and breads, but allows me to enjoy a modest portion of almost anything. Everyone is different but this has been helpful to me!

    Anyway I would just jump right in and get it over with. My experience with eating at a deficit has been that after a couple of weeks it feels much better.
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,281 Member
    This is really tricky and personal. You're getting a lot of good information and personal experience that will help you decide what will work for you. You might also find out that you try something and it just isn't manageable. I know that if I had overhauled my diet and cut my calories way down, I would have burned out. I started reading labels, weighing foods, and logging. At times, I had only one serving of something. Other times, 1.5 or 2. It didn't matter. It all got logged. If you managed to stay on keto for 3+ years, you can probably overhaul your diet and calorie intake and stick to it. It does sound like you have the right mindset and attitude for success. Be patient as you go through the process. You'll learn lots of things about yourself, food, your body, etc. Allow for slip ups and trust the process.

    Best of luck to you!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,102 Member
    Several people have mentioned the volume eaters thread. I didn't see that anyone had linked it. I think this is probably the one being referred to:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10563959/volume-eaters-thread
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,464 Member
    Sounds like you’ve got a good plan and a good mindset.
    Lots of luck! You can do it.
    And I have a feeling you WILL do it.
  • losingit4G
    losingit4G Posts: 13 Member
    Random question but I’m just now getting serious about counting all my calories and even logged after I ate an entire pizza but where does it show your calorie deficit-is that the same as calories remaining?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,102 Member
    losingit4G wrote: »
    Random question but I’m just now getting serious about counting all my calories and even logged after I ate an entire pizza but where does it show your calorie deficit-is that the same as calories remaining?

    It doesn't explicitly show your deficit. If you set up MFP asking for X pounds weight loss weekly, that determines your deficit (1 pound per week = 500 calorie daily deficit, for example).

    Then you eat until you've eaten all the calories in your daily goal, plus a reasonable estimate of exercise calories. You eat until calories remaining is zero, or close.

    Your deficit is built in, taken off the top, before it gives you your goal.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,102 Member
    pink_mint wrote: »
    Just wanted to provide a small progress report if it is helpful to anyone. I am 16 days into this weight loss effort. I set/ lowered my calories to 2,400 (from approximately 4,000 starting), tracked my intake without a food scale, and after some cycle related things and fluctuations, I'm officially at a 4 lb loss so far, 2 weeks into this.

    So it is still very early and adjustments are sure to happen over time but... I guess this just goes to show what it's worth to know your own unique body, hunger levels, energy output etc. If I had started at 1,600 calories thinking I just obey MFP calculator or what I "should" be eating to lose, I would have quit and concluded there's something wrong with me by now.

    I'm definitely eating less and it took a few days to get used to but it's tolerable at this point. I think some people just have a higher TDEE than they're 'supposed' to. Hence probably why I ate 4,000 calories a day and and wasn't as heavy as the calculations say I would be.

    So I don't know if this is helpful to anyone but basically we're not computers, we're complex human beings. A food scale may or may not be necessary but there's a big picture🌻

    Yes, possible.

    Your calorie goal is a statistical estimate. MFP is close for most people, a bit off for some (high or low), and way off for a very few (that's rare). That's the nature of statistical estimates. The goal MFP calculates is essentially the average (mean) for people of your size, weight, age, etc.

    MFP thinks I'd burn 25-30% fewer calories than nearly 5 years of carefully-logged weight loss/maintenance tell me I do (quite rare).

    Is note that it's also very common (not universal) to lose faster in the first 1-2 weeks of a diet, because water weight depletes and average digestive contents in transit are lower. Those aren't fat reductions, but they show up on the scale. Sometimes there can be a couple weeks of pseudo-plateau or even fake gain after an initial faster loss, too, sadly, but it settles out with more time. Hang in there, regardless!
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    Were you eating 4K cal due to hunger or habit, binge, etc.? I find myself having a binge day sometimes and mentally calculate the # of cal I think I take in. It's around 4K or so. I'm never hungry, except mentally hungry. My normal days I don't seem to be hungry(except mentally) either and I usually eat to around 1400-1500 cal., depending on activity level.
    Seeing that you've been on this 2+ weeks and are losing a couple lbs. a week, you seem to be at a good spot, or you could even add 200 cal. if you find yourself getting hungry or wanting to binge.

    Good luck!!