Is 1000 calories per day safe?

erikayvonne09

Hi! I'm 59.40 kilos, my height is 5'4, and I usually do strength training 3x/week without cardio or anything else in between. I just calculated my TDEE using an online calculator and it said my TDEE was 1579. Is it correct that to lose weight, I have to deduct 500 from that making my daily caloric intake goal 1079? If it's correct, is consuming only that much safe? Thanks!

lgfrie

Not correct. 1200 is the minimum. So you can run a 379 calorie per day deficit by eating 1200 and safely lose 3/4 lb per week. Sorry. Small people get the short end of the stick with this stuff, but you should focus on safety first and not try to exceed 3/4 lb per week. In the long run you will be happier, healthier - and thinner - if you stick to safe dieting and not try to push it further than that.

MFP will not let you set a goal below 1200 in the Goals tool. Give that tool a try and see what it comes up with.

Duck_Puddle

No. It takes a minimum of 1200 perfectly curated “healthy” calories to get all the vitamins, minerals, nutrients, etc that you need to keep your organs functioning properly. You also need those calories for energy (more if you’re working out).

So the minimum you can eat to be “safe” is 1200 plus whatever you burn in your workouts.

What that means is that you are not large enough (and don’t have the fat stores) to support losing an entire pound a week. You should be aiming for .5% of your body weight/week. Which is right about where you’ll be if you eat the1200 plus whatever you burn in your workouts.

Do not eat less than 1200.

Duck_Puddle

Also-you’re already well within a healthy weight for your height. How much are you planning to lose?
Have you considered doing a recomp (eat at or near maintenance but do a solid, progressive lifting program to adjust your body composition-less fat, more “toned” - but minimal or no actual weight loss).

erikayvonne09

Thank you so much! Beginner here so I don't really know a lot. I just started working out around March this year. I haven't read much on how to do a recomp.

gradchica27

I’m 5’4”, on my way from 133 to 125 (127 now). No, that amount of calories is not healthy or sustainable. I had set myself at 1300 (plus exercise calories), but am losing a bit too quickly for comfort, so bumping up to 1450. I walk and lift weights 5-7x/week, but no high impact stuff. The walking gives me about an extra 200 calories a day, so I feel pretty satisfied with my amount of food (important for consistency) and I can get my nutrition in with occasional treats (important for health and consistency).

Strength training will help a lot in reshaping your body—which will make the bigger difference in how clothes fit. Though at our size, a pound or two seems like a big difference in clothes!

erikayvonne09

Thank you so much!! I'll try working out more or try to get some walking in as well!

AnnPT77

erikayvonne09 wrote: »

Thank you so much! Beginner here so I don't really know a lot. I just started working out around March this year. I haven't read much on how to do a recomp.

Try this, for a start:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat

erikayvonne09

AnnPT77 wrote: »

erikayvonne09 wrote: »

Thank you so much! Beginner here so I don't really know a lot. I just started working out around March this year. I haven't read much on how to do a recomp.

Try this, for a start:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat

Thank you!