Caloric Deficit help

susanwebster4413

Hello everyone. Im back on my fitness journey and already down 10 pounds!! Loving being back on my grind. I usually burn about 3000 cal and I am eating 2000cal a day. Im trying to have 50% of my intake protein. Eventually Id like to drop my deficit. So lower 2000 to maybe 1900/1800? Is that too low? Im currently sitting at 250 and my goal is 200/190. I currently feel like i am eating enough at 2000 im not hungry or need to snack. I feel full! Should I continue at my current 2000in 3000out or start to drop to 1800/1900. Is a weight drop plateau something I may run into if I dont lower my deficit?

Thanks for any feedback and responses:)!! Would love all the help!!

Lietchi

Your deficit is the difference between the calories you burn and the calories you consume. So in fact your wish is to increase your deficit from 1000 to 1100-1200 calories.

A deficit of 1000 calories equates to a weight/fat loss rate of around 2lbs per week, which is already aggressive. A weight loss rate of 0.5-1% of your bodyweight per week is recommended (preferably on the lower end of that). 1800 calories as your intake would increase your deficit. The faster you lose weight/the bigger the deficit, the more likely it is you'll lose muscle mass along with fat mass. I wouldn't recommend it no, 2000 is low already if 3000 calories is what you need to maintain your weight.

50 percent protein sounds high by the way for someone eating 2000 calories. Where did you get that number?

westrich20940

1. Congrats on the weight loss so far.
2. Your deficit is fairly large right now. Which may be fine when you are heavier and have a lot to lose, but as you lose, you should probably DECREASE your deficit to lose at a slower rate. It's just more sustainable/healthier that way. As the above poster said -- when your body is burning the midnight oil - it burns ALL of it....not just fat, like you hope. So having a huge deficit sort of has negative side effects too. Slower weight loss makes it easier to keep the good stuff while shedding the bad, so to speak.
3. If you chose to lose 2lbs per week...I'd lower that to 1lb per week. It should be more sustainable. And I know that you said you don't feel hungry...but I wouldn't go by that alone. When I was trying to lose weight the first time, I had that feeling --- I'd eat like 900 cals in the day and then I wasn't hungry so I didn't eat anymore. I stalled bigtime. I also recently had a couple weeks where I must have been sick recently or something bc I definitely noticed I didn't really have an appetite --- if I wasn't hungry I didn't eat, but I was still doing my usual activity. I went on a fairly long day hike with a friend, rested the day after, went for a run the day after that, and then the next morning BAM --- hypoglycemia. I do not have diabetes or have any issues with my blood sugar...but I was about to pass out and had to drink maple syrup straight...which was kind of cool but also not lol. When I actually went back and logged what I'd eaten in the past days it was very clear that I'd under-eaten by a LOT. I actually feel like I'm still not great at eating intuitively...but getting better at it. But at the beginning of my weight loss journey...I was NOT good at it.