is a 700 caloric deficit healthy?

imarimayasa

i’m 5’3 and 144lbs; slightly overweight. my tdee is about 1900, about 1400 of which is is bmr. i eat about 1200 calories a day give or take, is this healthy or not? and if not how much do you recommend?

kshama2001

Given that you don't have a lot of weight to lose, a less aggressive deficit will make your weight loss more sustainable. See https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/ and:

AnnPT77

Have you been doing this for a few weeks? If so, how fast are you losing, on average per week? That's more important than theoretical deficit from so-called calculator (really an estimator).

One rule of thumb is to lose no more than 0.5-1% of current body weight per week, with a bias toward the lower end of that if body weight itself isn't a health threat. You're above the lower end, near the upper end, of that range. If it were me, I'd go for half a pound a week when that close to goal (and did, when I was there). That would be in line with the sensible recommendations from the post above.

Another common rule of thumb is to eat for no more than a 20% of TDEE deficit (unless dangerously overweight), which in your case would again be in the vicinity of half what you're shooting for.

Fast loss is not a guarantee that there will be problems, but it is a higher-risk bet. The risks are health issues of various types and severities, and difficulty complying with goal for long enough to lose a material total amount of weight.

A lot of people go out hard, try to lose fast, then crash and burn - either a compensatory overeating episode, or giving up entirely. I 100% get that slow loss can be frustrating, but - from experience - it's comparatively painless, easier to keep going. Sometimes a less aggressive weight loss rate will get us to goal weight in a shorter calendar time than an aggressive rate with wired-in oopsies along the way.

Whatever you decide, best wishes for success with your goals!

imarimayasa

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Have you been doing this for a few weeks? If so, how fast are you losing, on average per week? That's more important than theoretical deficit from so-called calculator (really an estimator).

One rule of thumb is to lose no more than 0.5-1% of current body weight per week, with a bias toward the lower end of that if body weight itself isn't a health threat. You're above the lower end, near the upper end, of that range. If it were me, I'd go for half a pound a week when that close to goal (and did, when I was there). That would be in line with the sensible recommendations from the post above.

Another common rule of thumb is to eat for no more than a 20% of TDEE deficit (unless dangerously overweight), which in your case would again be in the vicinity of half what you're shooting for.

Fast loss is not a guarantee that there will be problems, but it is a higher-risk bet. The risks are health issues of various types and severities, and difficulty complying with goal for long enough to lose a material total amount of weight.

A lot of people go out hard, try to lose fast, then crash and burn - either a compensatory overeating episode, or giving up entirely. I 100% get that slow loss can be frustrating, but - from experience - it's comparatively painless, easier to keep going. Sometimes a less aggressive weight loss rate will get us to goal weight in a shorter calendar time than an aggressive rate with wired-in oopsies along the way.

Whatever you decide, best wishes for success with your goals!

i’m not really sure how to reply on here but i’ve been doing this high of a deficit for a few weeks now losing about 1lb a week, thank you so much for the advice i think i’ll increase my intake a little so it’s more sustainable.

imarimayasa

kshama2001 wrote: »

Given that you don't have a lot of weight to lose, a less aggressive deficit will make your weight loss more sustainable. See https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/ and:

omg thank you so much for this !!

sollyn23l2

If you're losing about a pound a week, that sounds reasonable. Remember, BMR estimators are going to be inaccurate, so your own rate of loss is the best indicator. If you find yourself struggling with getting too hungry, eat a little bit more and go at a bit slower rate. Which it sounds like you're planning on doing. So, sounds good!