Too large of a deficit?

DeterminedToLoseIt02

My TDEE is 2,100 and my BMR is 1,500. My TDEE-20% leaves me with 1,670 to work with. I'm lightly active (walking pretty much every day) and I'm 5'3.

MFP gives me an allowance of 1,200. Should I continue eating at 1,200 or should I up my calories to 1,670? I do tend to feel hungry at times when I'm eating 1,200.

ladymiseryali

1200 is offered if you want to lose 2 lbs a week. I would go with 1670.

diannethegeek

If you use MFP 's numbers, they expect you to log your extra exercise and eat the earned calories. Are you doing this already? Usually, this brings it closer in line with the TDEE - 20% calculation.

I_Will_End_You

I would go with the 1670, too.

TX_Rhon

I would go with the 1670, too.

x3

MinnieInMaine

If you use MFP 's numbers, they expect you to log your extra exercise and eat the earned calories. Are you doing this already? Usually, this brings it closer in line with the TDEE - 20% calculation.

This.

Francl27

If you use MFP 's numbers, they expect you to log your extra exercise and eat the earned calories. Are you doing this already? Usually, this brings it closer in line with the TDEE - 20% calculation.

Yep.

DeterminedToLoseIt02

If you use MFP 's numbers, they expect you to log your extra exercise and eat the earned calories. Are you doing this already? Usually, this brings it closer in line with the TDEE - 20% calculation.

I do on the days I exercise, which brings it usually closer to the 1,670. I eat back most of my calories from exercise.

thereallucylastix

I'm encouraged to read a lot of people who have lost significant amounts of weight suggesting the higher amount. But I still can't bring myself to up my calories. I've been maintaining my weight for years at about 1200 calories or less - whenever I increase the number I gain weight, even if I up the exercise.. Surely I'm not a medical anomaly? Why does this not work for me?

cwolfman13

My TDEE is 2,100 and my BMR is 1,500. My TDEE-20% leaves me with 1,670 to work with. I'm lightly active (walking pretty much every day) and I'm 5'3.

MFP gives me an allowance of 1,200. Should I continue eating at 1,200 or should I up my calories to 1,670? I do tend to feel hungry at times when I'm eating 1,200.

1200 is for sedentary and is for a 2 Lb per week loss goal and you should be eating an estimate of your exercise calorie back when you exercise. Your TDEE - 20% includes (or should include) an estimate of all of your activity (thus you wouldn't eat back exercise calories) and represents roughly 1 lb per week for most.

I'm encouraged to read a lot of people who have lost significant amounts of weight suggesting the higher amount. But I still can't bring myself to up my calories. I've been maintaining my weight for years at about 1200 calories or less - whenever I increase the number I gain weight, even if I up the exercise.. Surely I'm not a medical anomaly? Why does this not work for me?

You're most like underestimating your intake...if you just eyeball your portions and don't really use a food scale, etc then I can guarantee it...studies indicate the people underestimate intake by 30 - 50% when they "eyeball".

Also, metabolisms do suffer when being held to extremely low calories for substantial periods of time...it is also highly likely that whatever little weight gain you are seeing is largely water and glycogen because if you really are eating that little to "maintain" then your glycogen stores are depleted...they get replenished when you eat more and glycogen has weight...and it's not fat...but everyone freaks out because all they care about is an arbitrary number on the scale but the have no idea what that number means.

diannethegeek

I'm encouraged to read a lot of people who have lost significant amounts of weight suggesting the higher amount. But I still can't bring myself to up my calories. I've been maintaining my weight for years at about 1200 calories or less - whenever I increase the number I gain weight, even if I up the exercise.. Surely I'm not a medical anomaly? Why does this not work for me?

This might be worth a read for you: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/993576-why-you-gain-weight-if-you-eat-more-than-your-cut

thereallucylastix

Thanks for the advice guys. I suspect it's a bit of both. I guess I have trained my body to live on too few calories - I don't suffer so much now but I used to feel tired all the time until I gave up smoking and started eating! I did lose the weight (when I started smoking again...) but I definitely eat more now than I used to.

And I'm going to invest in a good set of kitchen scales. I do tend to use the weights on packets as a guide rather than eyeball my portions - and I'm starting to load up on veggies or salad rather than just upping the size of everything.

I hear what you're saying about the number on the scale, but it's not really that which irks me - I can feel thin and weigh more than I expect and conversely feel fat and weigh less than I expect. I tend to judge more by the fit of my clothes than the reading on the scale. But again, since I got a digital set of bathroom scales I have found myself weighing myself more. Battery was removed this morning and I'm just going to weigh once a week (myself that is - food will now be weighed at every meal!)

Thanks again guys. I just want to be healthy (i.e. eat enough calories) without getting too big, and now that I've stopped smoking I'm starting to obsess about it - i don't want to be packing on the weight like I did last time I quit.