How do people eat 1600+ calories and still lose weight?

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Replies

  • hmaddpear
    hmaddpear Posts: 610 Member
    I've been eating close on 1900kcal a day for the last eight months - losing around 1.4lb a week. Reasons? Exercise, plus being heavy. My BMR is around 1600 a day at the moment (see the comment on being heavy), my current TDEE is 2600kcal. Both are going to drop as I lose the weight, but I'm resigned to that.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I am female, 5 ft 7, 160lbs and I lift 3x a week...some sort of exercise the other 2 days...walks/hiit/bike soon I hope...

    my BMR is 1454...I lose about 1lb a week (or have lately) eating 1700 calories a day...my TDEE is 2000 (probably higher I need to recalculate it soon)

    I have a good amount of LBM as well..and I expect my TDEE to be about 2200 when I recalculate so that will mean I can lose on 1800-1900/
  • rawhidenadz
    rawhidenadz Posts: 254 Member
    People can lose weight eating that much because their TDEE is higher than 1600. I lose about a pound a week eating 2000 calories if I'm working out 5x a week because my TDEE is around 2500 when I work out that much.
  • Nissi51
    Nissi51 Posts: 381 Member
    I lose on 1600... I am almost 6 feet though, I have a quite the workout schedule.
  • slk_5555
    slk_5555 Posts: 177 Member
    I thought I understood BMR & TDEE, but can someone just clarify that what I am doing is correct. My BMR us about 1600 and TDEE 1950 - when u did the calculation, I just selected sedentary lifestyle. On this basis, when u exercise. Should I eat back the cals, as they have not already been factored in?

    I am trying to net 1600 at the moment & eating back approx 200 cals from exercise on days I work out. So gross I'm eating about 1800.

    Just want to check I'm understanding correctly.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    My BMR is 1,200 (I am F, 5ft3in, 138lbs) I eat (log my food every day) 1100-1300 cal/day during the week and 1500-1700 on the weekends. Being very conservative, my 4 workouts burn another 2,200 calories/week. I have been doing for 3 months now and I have not lost 1 lb.....pretty frustrating

    Something is off then.
    Do you weigh your food? **This is a big one for most people. Measuring cups & spoons are generally only accurate for liquids and loose poweders.**
    How are you determining your workout calorie burn?

    When I was working on losing weight, I averaged about 1886 calories per day. Currently I'm 31 weeks pregnant and not trying to lose weight. The reason I was able to eat so much while I was losing weight was:
    - Fitbit Calorie Burn goal set to 2585 calories per day. (that's not just the workout burn, but bmr + daily life + workout)
    - I weigh all my food. (except when I eat out....that's just a little to weird for me)
    - Personal goal have fitbit report that I walked at least 3 miles everyday (this of course is what helped me to get the high calorie burn)
  • AmyEm3
    AmyEm3 Posts: 784 Member
    I lost almost 50lbs at age 34 (female) eating usually 1600-1800 calories a day with some days between 2000-2400. I started at 185 ish and got down to 134 or so. I ate whatever I wanted but tracked calories closely and I was running about 30 miles a week at a decent pace and doing p90X.
  • Roaringgael
    Roaringgael Posts: 339 Member
    Its all been said.
    I'm a 55yr old 163cm woman. I have been following a plan to reduce my body size.
    I have lost a considerable amount of weight so far.
    I started out unable to exercise so my TDEE was set to sedenatary/light - I found this one easy to understand
    TDEE Calculator:
    www.fitnessfrog.com

    Some people use others.

    I now exercise regularly so recalculated my TDEE - cause it changes as you get thinner still using sedenatry /light. It is 1960cals.
    I eat it at 30% lower because I still have around the 75lbs to lose (many recommend 20% less if you are less than that overweight) and I eat back some of my exercise cals - because I will always over-estimate my burn. The stats for it are broadly based.

    A woman of my age/height at sedentary/ light has a TDEE of 1960cals. to maintain my body size as is.

    Weight loss is not linear, particularly for women my age.

    These two threads below are excellent reading for anyone who has weight stalled. It helped me enormously.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/919346-still-think-your-1200-or-less-diet-is-a-good-idea
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
    I'm what I lovingly call dinosaur-sized.

    My TDEE-cut goal is about 2400 calories. When I'm in beast mode regarding my exercise routine (not right now due to surgery, but soon, and watch out!) I log a TDEE burn anywhere from 4k-6k a day.
    I opted to invest in a BodyMedia unit because the calculators weren't working for me. I was eating the suggested cut given to me by MFP and the scale didn't budge. Definitely learned that my natural feeding inclinations put my calorie intake well below what I needed to function. I increased my intake, and when very active (2-3 hours of exercise per day) it seems 3300-4000 calories eaten is the magic number. Once I gave my body what it needed instead of what I wanted to give it, I started losing 4-6 pounds a week.

    Essentially though, the concepts are the same as everyone. I just opted for a measuring device to get my 24/7 calorie burn rather than average calculators. Those calculators aren't made for very heavy people. But anyway, once you have an accurate understanding of what you are actually burning every day, you can make the right kind of calorie cut, and it will work out.

    By the by, you do eat exercise calories on a TDEE plan. A standard TDEE calculator doesn't incorporate individual workouts. It attempts to approximate the burn you produce during your daily activities... with living and working and stuff. I think it's way more effective to log exercise separately and eat the calories back in a customized way. At least, if you're like me at all, you burn so much when you work out that it drastically affects your daily burn. *shrugs*
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    I thought I understood BMR & TDEE, but can someone just clarify that what I am doing is correct. My BMR us about 1600 and TDEE 1950 - when u did the calculation, I just selected sedentary lifestyle. On this basis, when u exercise. Should I eat back the cals, as they have not already been factored in?

    I am trying to net 1600 at the moment & eating back approx 200 cals from exercise on days I work out. So gross I'm eating about 1800.

    Just want to check I'm understanding correctly.

    TDEE method assumes you have already incorporated exercise into the calculation; the NEAT method used by MFP is where you eat back your exercise calories. So to get your proper TDEE numbers, you would need to select an activity level that includes your exercise.
  • slk_5555
    slk_5555 Posts: 177 Member
    I thought I understood BMR & TDEE, but can someone just clarify that what I am doing is correct. My BMR us about 1600 and TDEE 1950 - when u did the calculation, I just selected sedentary lifestyle. On this basis, when u exercise. Should I eat back the cals, as they have not already been factored in?

    I am trying to net 1600 at the moment & eating back approx 200 cals from exercise on days I work out. So gross I'm eating about 1800.

    Just want to check I'm understanding correctly.

    TDEE method assumes you have already incorporated exercise into the calculation; the NEAT method used by MFP is where you eat back your exercise calories. So to get your proper TDEE numbers, you would need to select an activity level that includes your exercise.

    Thanks for advice - it is appreciated. But now I have conflicting advice - 1 person says eat cals & then you advise not to. I thought TDEE took into account energy used in daily tasks, not exercise. I had an option to see to sedentary, or numerous workouts per week. Because I don't exercise consistently, I set at sedentary (no exercise) so that i could account for exercise as and when I do some. Sorry to keep questioning - but I need to get this right.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    I thought I understood BMR & TDEE, but can someone just clarify that what I am doing is correct. My BMR us about 1600 and TDEE 1950 - when u did the calculation, I just selected sedentary lifestyle. On this basis, when u exercise. Should I eat back the cals, as they have not already been factored in?

    I am trying to net 1600 at the moment & eating back approx 200 cals from exercise on days I work out. So gross I'm eating about 1800.

    Just want to check I'm understanding correctly.

    TDEE method assumes you have already incorporated exercise into the calculation; the NEAT method used by MFP is where you eat back your exercise calories. So to get your proper TDEE numbers, you would need to select an activity level that includes your exercise.

    Thanks for advice - it is appreciated. But now I have conflicting advice - 1 person says eat cals & then you advise not to. I thought TDEE took into account energy used in daily tasks, not exercise. I had an option to see to sedentary, or numerous workouts per week. Because I don't exercise consistently, I set at sedentary (no exercise) so that i could account for exercise as and when I do some. Sorry to keep questioning - but I need to get this right.

    TDEE takes into account TOTAL Daily Energy Expenditure. Exercise, breathing, all of it. So if you're doing TDEE include your exercise, average it out over a week if you don't do it regularly, and go with that. Stick with it for minimum 4 weeks before changing anything, or else you'll end up like me and never know what it is that you're doing, exactly, that is making the difference :laugh:
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    I thought I understood BMR & TDEE, but can someone just clarify that what I am doing is correct. My BMR us about 1600 and TDEE 1950 - when u did the calculation, I just selected sedentary lifestyle. On this basis, when u exercise. Should I eat back the cals, as they have not already been factored in?

    I am trying to net 1600 at the moment & eating back approx 200 cals from exercise on days I work out. So gross I'm eating about 1800.

    Just want to check I'm understanding correctly.

    TDEE method assumes you have already incorporated exercise into the calculation; the NEAT method used by MFP is where you eat back your exercise calories. So to get your proper TDEE numbers, you would need to select an activity level that includes your exercise.

    Thanks for advice - it is appreciated. But now I have conflicting advice - 1 person says eat cals & then you advise not to. I thought TDEE took into account energy used in daily tasks, not exercise. I had an option to see to sedentary, or numerous workouts per week. Because I don't exercise consistently, I set at sedentary (no exercise) so that i could account for exercise as and when I do some. Sorry to keep questioning - but I need to get this right.

    Well by definition what your doing is the NEAT method.

    NEAT = Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (BMR + Daily Activity)

    TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expediture (BMR + Daily Activity + Exercise)

    With TDEE methods, you eat an exact number of calories everyday regardless of whether or not you worked out.
    With the NEAT method, your calories will be lower on days you don't work out and higher on days you do.
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
    I thought I understood BMR & TDEE, but can someone just clarify that what I am doing is correct. My BMR us about 1600 and TDEE 1950 - when u did the calculation, I just selected sedentary lifestyle. On this basis, when u exercise. Should I eat back the cals, as they have not already been factored in?

    I am trying to net 1600 at the moment & eating back approx 200 cals from exercise on days I work out. So gross I'm eating about 1800.

    Just want to check I'm understanding correctly.

    TDEE method assumes you have already incorporated exercise into the calculation; the NEAT method used by MFP is where you eat back your exercise calories. So to get your proper TDEE numbers, you would need to select an activity level that includes your exercise.

    Thanks for advice - it is appreciated. But now I have conflicting advice - 1 person says eat cals & then you advise not to. I thought TDEE took into account energy used in daily tasks, not exercise. I had an option to see to sedentary, or numerous workouts per week. Because I don't exercise consistently, I set at sedentary (no exercise) so that i could account for exercise as and when I do some. Sorry to keep questioning - but I need to get this right.

    TDEE takes into account TOTAL Daily Energy Expenditure. Exercise, breathing, all of it. So if you're doing TDEE include your exercise, average it out over a week if you don't do it regularly, and go with that. Stick with it for minimum 4 weeks before changing anything, or else you'll end up like me and never know what it is that you're doing, exactly, that is making the difference :laugh:

    Here's the deal. There doesn't seem to be a universal TDEE consensus, so we can put it like this:

    You can use a TDEE calculator to do it either way. You can have it estimate your burn based on everything except your exercise. If you do it this way, you would eat your calories back. It might be preferable if you are really inconsistent with working out.

    If you use it to calculate an average expenditure over a week, then you wouldn't eat your calories back when you exercise.

    Personally, I advocate for estimating based on just daily living, and many sites do as well. It is hard to estimate your workouts in advance, and for someone like me, the calorie difference between the two is going to be huge. I realize the difference between the two theories, but seeing as this person was saying they were using sedentary as a setting, I figured they were opting to add exercise as it comes.

    I mean, I'm just thinking of the stats I see with my BodyMedia unit. if I don't work out, I burn 3300 or so a day. If I do work out, it can get to twice that much. I personally only use TDEE to set an average intake goal... and if my unit registers a burn way higher, I eat more. Hasn't steered me wrong yet!
  • Zekela
    Zekela Posts: 634 Member
    I'm 5'5 and about 118 pounds and need to eat between 2000 - 2500 calories on average daily if I don't want to weigh 100 pounds. I just run a lot so need it.
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    I'm 5'3.5" 116 lbs and would lose at least 1 lb a week on 1600. It's about logging accurately and every body is different. I only do weightlifting 3x a week for an hour a piece and take care of my kids and clean. I maintain around 2000.
  • Rerun201
    Rerun201 Posts: 125 Member
    I've seen some people say they eat anywhere from 1600-2000 calories a day and still lose 1-2 pounds a week. How do they do that? If their BMR was around 1500 or something, wouldn't they have to burned 100-500 calories every single day just to not gain anything? Am I missing something here?

    Exercise
  • CindyB97
    CindyB97 Posts: 146 Member
    If I may also jump in with a similar question. I have looked at several of the TDEE calculators. They all ask to input your activity level, i.e. sedentary, exercise 1-2-3 days a week, etc. And I get stuck on that simple question! I'm mostly sedentary but I do a bodyweight workout routine 4 days a week for like 20-25 minutes, and occasionally I'll walk 1-2 miles. That's not quite the same as, say, running for an hour. So since the websites don't speciffy how intense or how long the exercise, how can they be accurate? Does that make sense? I usually pick sedentary because I guess I don't want to over-estimate.
  • shapefitter
    shapefitter Posts: 900 Member
    BMR is the number of calories needed if you are in a coma. TDEE is BMR + exercise + all the movements we do in a day. If you eat between your BMR and TDEE , you lose weight

    I make sure I eat my BMR of 1680 kcal a day. I think it is far too low, as I'm not in a coma. Therefore, I add an extra 200 kcal on top for good measure. I'm also very active, and can on some days, burn up to 2000 kcal. Now, this is where the confusion starts.
    I eat 1800 kcal, and exercise 2000 kcal. That, gives me 2800 kcal. I'm tempted to eat 2800 kcal, but I don't. My body does however, need about 2000 kcal to perform. That leaves me with 800 kcal. I don't know if this is called TDEE
  • shapefitter
    shapefitter Posts: 900 Member
    I thought I understood BMR & TDEE, but can someone just clarify that what I am doing is correct. My BMR us about 1600 and TDEE 1950 - when u did the calculation, I just selected sedentary lifestyle. On this basis, when u exercise. Should I eat back the cals, as they have not already been factored in?

    I am trying to net 1600 at the moment & eating back approx 200 cals from exercise on days I work out. So gross I'm eating about 1800.

    Just want to check I'm understanding correctly.

    200 kcal for a workout, is what I'd burn, if I walked up a flight of stairs. Are you sure, you have estimated enough?
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    If I may also jump in with a similar question. I have looked at several of the TDEE calculators. They all ask to input your activity level, i.e. sedentary, exercise 1-2-3 days a week, etc. And I get stuck on that simple question! I'm mostly sedentary but I do a bodyweight workout routine 4 days a week for like 20-25 minutes, and occasionally I'll walk 1-2 miles. That's not quite the same as, say, running for an hour. So since the websites don't speciffy how intense or how long the exercise, how can they be accurate? Does that make sense? I usually pick sedentary because I guess I don't want to over-estimate.

    But you are clearly not sedentary. Pick lightly active and see how much you lose. If you lose too much, then increase it to moderate..... or eat in between those two numbers.
  • CindyB97
    CindyB97 Posts: 146 Member
    If I may also jump in with a similar question. I have looked at several of the TDEE calculators. They all ask to input your activity level, i.e. sedentary, exercise 1-2-3 days a week, etc. And I get stuck on that simple question! I'm mostly sedentary but I do a bodyweight workout routine 4 days a week for like 20-25 minutes, and occasionally I'll walk 1-2 miles. That's not quite the same as, say, running for an hour. So since the websites don't speciffy how intense or how long the exercise, how can they be accurate? Does that make sense? I usually pick sedentary because I guess I don't want to over-estimate.

    But you are clearly not sedentary. Pick lightly active and see how much you lose. If you lose too much, then increase it to moderate..... or eat in between those two numbers.

    I suppose you're right. Some of them say "exercise" with no qualifications like light, moderate, etc. I still feel like a fraud saying something other than sedentary because truly, I'm a couch potato most of the day. Well, except for household chores. Thanks! I will take your advice. What I've been doing has been working thus far (using MFP's recommendation and occasionally getting a few extra calories from my Jawbone UP activity monitor), but I'm always researching to make sure I'm doing it right. :-)
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
    If I may also jump in with a similar question. I have looked at several of the TDEE calculators. They all ask to input your activity level, i.e. sedentary, exercise 1-2-3 days a week, etc. And I get stuck on that simple question! I'm mostly sedentary but I do a bodyweight workout routine 4 days a week for like 20-25 minutes, and occasionally I'll walk 1-2 miles. That's not quite the same as, say, running for an hour. So since the websites don't speciffy how intense or how long the exercise, how can they be accurate? Does that make sense? I usually pick sedentary because I guess I don't want to over-estimate.

    But you are clearly not sedentary. Pick lightly active and see how much you lose. If you lose too much, then increase it to moderate..... or eat in between those two numbers.

    I suppose you're right. Some of them say "exercise" with no qualifications like light, moderate, etc. I still feel like a fraud saying something other than sedentary because truly, I'm a couch potato most of the day. Well, except for household chores. Thanks! I will take your advice. What I've been doing has been working thus far (using MFP's recommendation and occasionally getting a few extra calories from my Jawbone UP activity monitor), but I'm always researching to make sure I'm doing it right. :-)

    MFP's default is not a TDEE calculator. MFP's default is based on the NEAT concept, and is structured so that you would eat back exercise calories. So, if you have not manually manipulated what they calculated for you (as many of us do) you will want to use an estimation of your every day activity without your exercise involved. If you sit on your booty all day and work at a desk, for example, you want to put sedentary, because then when you do workout, you earn calories for those workouts.

    When MFP's program asks if you are sedentary, lightly active, etc, they are asking about your daily life... Usually your job. If you're a stay at home mom, it would be how crazy you are running after the kids. MFP is designed to have the exercise be added on top of the cut they give you initially.

    If you want to do a TDEE eating pattern, you will need to manually adjust the calorie goals to match your TDEE goals.
  • slk_5555
    slk_5555 Posts: 177 Member
    I thought I understood BMR & TDEE, but can someone just clarify that what I am doing is correct. My BMR us about 1600 and TDEE 1950 - when u did the calculation, I just selected sedentary lifestyle. On this basis, when u exercise. Should I eat back the cals, as they have not already been factored in?

    I am trying to net 1600 at the moment & eating back approx 200 cals from exercise on days I work out. So gross I'm eating about 1800.

    Just want to check I'm understanding correctly.

    200 kcal for a workout, is what I'd burn, if I walked up a flight of stairs. Are you sure, you have estimated enough?

    When I say workout, it's not full on. I just started doing 25-30 mins interval training on the rowing machine. MFP calculates about 250 cals - also the concept 2 comes to the same for that amount of time on the machine. I'm eating back 200 of the 250, as I don't know how accurate the calc is. I assume MFP takes into account my weight & height when it calculates my exercise points.
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  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    You're confusing BMR and TDEE.

    Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is the average amount of calories your body burns in a day going about about your normal activities. If you eat your TDEE, you will maintain your weight. Your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the amount of calories your body requires to maintain optimal functioning of your vital organs and body systems if you were totally inactive or otherwise physically incapacitated. To lose fat while maintaining muscle mass, particularly if you have a small amount of weight to lose, it's generally recommended to eat between your BMR and your TDEE.

    Your TDEE is dependent upon a variety of factors, including age, height, gender, current weight, and activity level, so your TDEE may be very different from that of someone else. But as long as you eat fewer calories than your TDEE, you will lose weight. My TDEE is approximately 2100 calories, and my BMR is approximately 1500 calories, so I eat around 1700 calories a day and lose, on average, about a pound a week. :smile:

    There's a lot of good information here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    And here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    ^^^^ all of this
  • AusEliza
    AusEliza Posts: 60 Member
    Definitely it is down to how much excersing you do. I eat around 2000 calories a day and exercise for at least twenty minutes a day. I have seen a positive trend in my weight loss and I feel I'm not starving myself, which is keeping me on track.
  • LMDEN2014
    LMDEN2014 Posts: 8 Member
    Something is off then.
    Do you weigh your food? **This is a big one for most people. Measuring cups & spoons are generally only accurate for liquids and loose poweders.**
    How are you determining your workout calorie burn?

    My workouts: I play r-ball in a league with mostly men once a week for an hour and a half, that, I think is 800cal (conservative); then I play 2 more times a week for another hour and a half (non competitive) each time that is 1200 cal for both and I do 1 sculpting/strength workouts, an hour 250-300 cal (depends on the day). I think I counted my r-ball calories pretty conservative compared to the online numbers.

    Food: I cook every meal from raw ingredients and I do not weigh my food all the time (now I do it, but it is on and off, I kind of know when I eat something the size and number of calories) , but every time I keep a log (like now) that is what it comes out to be. Like the day when I play competitive r-ball MSP tells me I had almost 1,000 calories deficit. Granted that is not every day, overall in a week I do have a deficit. The foods that I eat are very healthy and mostly organic. I never touch soda or any fast food...and Never, means NEVER. Even the days when if I eat 1,200 cal/day, I try to make sure I eat enough protein and fiber and the food is nutritious and balanced.

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