Is 1300 calories a realistic goal?

Amylacc · September 2014

I set my activity level as sedentary, which is not entirely true, but given that I spend most of my days behind a desk probably close enough to true. With a weigh loss goal of 1 lb per week, this gave me 1300 calories to spend. Now, on days when I work out (which is 4-5 per week), it is not a problem meeting that. If I burn 300-400 calories working out, I have no problems whatsoever eating less than the total of 1600-1800. The issue is days like today when I don't have time to workout. I cannot meet that 1300 goal without being hungry and/or extremely dissatisfied with my food.

I've decided that it's probably okay to go over on some days of the week. That's just how it's going to be, I don't have a tremendous amount to lose (20 pounds or so) so if it takes longer, I've decided I'm okay with that.

I just feel like 1300 is never enough.

tomandshell · September 2014

It can be done. I like to eat out for lunch but have learned to change what I order. I can have a chicken fajita rice bowl at Chipotle for 400 calories, mixed veggies and broccoli beef at Panda Express for 350, 6 oz sirloin and soup for 450 at Chili's, or shrimp skewers with rice and broccoli for 300 at Red Lobster. I have found <500 calorie meals at most of the places I like to go.

Then dinner is often chicken noodle soup with apples, grapes, carrots and a Fiber One bar for about 400 calories. Add an English muffin and tea in the morning and I still have a bit left. Even days without exercise can stay within 1300 calories if you plan things right. You just don't get to throw in much bread or other treats. But that makes your exercise days more rewarding.

Shalva · September 2014

I eat 1200 a day .... on the days I workout I still eat 1200 on the days that I don't work out I stick to the 1200. I seldom eat back my calories. On the days I do go over I never go over 1300.

I think it is all in how you eat and what you choose.

I tend to eat real foods .... I don't typically eat any "diet" foods other than lower cal desert choices which I may or may not eat anyway given how the day went ....

It takes time to find foods that fill you up that are not over the top in calories. Going to the grocery those first few times are a challenge but I have now figured out breads and chips and such that I like and are lower in calories.

I think the 1300 calories is doable

breakfast for me is usually 2 eggs and 2 toast or a yogurt, banana and hardboiled egg, I keep hardboiled eggs on hand all the time they are a great filling snack....

lunch is usually a sandwich of some sort (egg salad, leftover protein) or a can of soup and some baked lays chips

dinner is usually a lean protein (ie. turkey cutlet, chicken, pork... whatever, I made a pot roast the other night) vegetable and a potato or rice....

paperpudding · September 2014

You could try changing your loss rate to 1/2lb week ,especially as you only have 20lb to lose. Of course you would reach your goal a bit slower but if alternative is not adhering to your plan, it's probably a better idea.

I did that, lost 10kg or about 22lb, in10 months.

Also, you could even your intake over the week , ie the days you work out and have an allowance of 1600, eat, say 1500, and carry the spare 100 over for a non work out day. This might stop those days feeling so restrictive.

tara_means_star · September 2014

I have noticed that if I focus on getting all my protein in for the day and eating a good amount of fiber--resisting empty calories and filling up on veggies as much as possible, it's easier most days to stay at a low calorie deficit like 1300 calories. If you do this and find that you are simply too hungry to maintain 1300 calories, I feel like you should listen to your body. The truth is, if you cut 250 calories from your diet and burn 250 calories each day in exercise, in 1 week that calorie loss is 3500 calories or 1 pound. If 1300 calories doesn't work for you, that's okay, you CAN go up some.

teiganb · September 2014

how much do you weigh? 1300 is nowhere NEAR enough!

_HeartsOnFire_ · September 2014

970Mikaela1 · September 2014

how much do you weigh? 1300 is nowhere NEAR enough!

I'd die.

olgasgarden · September 2014

take a look at my diary see if you can find any filling-food ideas.
i do around 1200 most days even if i work out (run 4-5 times per week). some days i struggle but most days i am totally ok. i am 38yo 5'7" and currently my weight is 185. i started 2 1/2 months ago and was at 211lb (heaviest point of my life).

PinupGirl13 · September 2014

It depends on how tall, how much you weigh, what your resting metabolism is, and whether you add in a workout or not.

I would love to help! I put my calories in about 500 less per day than I burn WITHOUT exercise and when I do work out I earn more calories! That way you lose weight whether or not you work out.

80 percent of weight loss really is diet! I started last week and have already lost lbs (and that was going way over for 2 days.) I also overestimate my calories in and underestimate calories out by a little.

I highly suggest doing somewhere where they can test your metabolism.

paperpudding · September 2014

how much do you weigh? 1300 is nowhere NEAR enough!

I disagree.

1300 is not enough for everybody but it is for some people.

I do not know OP's height - but she is 46 years old, sedentary and only has 20lb to lose.
If her height is also on the shortish side, 1300 sounds a reasonable net amount. And OP is eating back exercise calories when she works out so she is using net amount correctly.

paperpudding · September 2014

how much do you weigh? 1300 is nowhere NEAR enough!

I'd die.

You are a man, possibly younger than OP and probably taller.

Agreed, 1300 is not enough for you - but that is irrelevant, you are not OP.

ilikethisname · September 2014

MFP gives me 1200 calories per day and I set my lifestyle to moderately active. I can hit it IF I don't snack and drink water only. (and coffee in morning). Meat and veggies for dinner are key. Bye bye most sauces.

This is not to say that I don't go over. It is almost always the snacks (that I don't really need) that do it.

ka97 · September 2014

1300 is tough. And honestly, if you feel like it's not enough, it's probably not. However.....if you have your goal set to lose 1lb per week, then you already have a deficit of 500 calories built in each day. So in reality if on your rest days you go over by 100-200 calories, you still have a deficit for the day. I'm not advocating going over, but realistically if it's just once a week, it's not going to have a big impact. However, if it's multiple times per week, you may want to consider either changing your goal to 1/2lb loss, or use the TDEE method.
I've got my goal at 1300, but most days with exercise calories I eat 1600-1800. The days that I don't do cardio are tough to stay within my goal. But then there are days when I have a large number of exercise calories that I couldn't possibly eat back. So over the course of the week, it all evens out.
In terms of trying to stay in the 1300 - fresh veggies are your best friend. Load up on them as much as possible.

Kalikel · September 2014

You kind of asked and answered your own question here, lol.

Good luck with your plan!!

Liftng4Lis · September 2014

Set your goal to 1/2 pound a week.

MsHarryWinston · September 2014

It's doable, that's my goal. It's about learning how to create high volume foods with low calories for meals. So if I chop up a steak round tossed in teriyaki sauce, then chop up an entire green pepper add 2 cups of spinach and a cup or two of mushrooms it's a TON of food but only 300ish calories. Because all the calories come from the beef. The veggies are all SUPER filling, you practicallly OD on vitamins but they have so few calories. Mushrooms have like, no calories. I LOVE them for adding bulk to...well everything. Oh you add all the veggies to the beef and cook it all down by the way not raw. Like a simple stirfry.

Once you learn and remember more and more foods that you can eat like 4 cups of with few calories the easier and happier you will be with a lower calorie goal. Seriously, an entire head of romain lettuce is like 100 calories. That would be a MASSIVE salad base.

SteveMFP123 · September 2014

I eat 1300 - 1500 a day as a 6ft 3 man, so it's perfectly doable. I only really get hungry late at night. Eating small but often helps a lot, and drinking a full 2 litres of water a day.

lipglossjunky73 · September 2014

I'm in the 1260 range! I am active but recently gained weight for a few reasons so I now have 25 lbs to lose!!! On non cardio days I almost go over about 100 calories!

MeganDominique · September 2014

I eat 1300-1500 max calories a day. I am a very short 21 year old female however

A general day for me looks like

Breakfast- Vega Sports Performance Shake (Made with water, lactose problems) + banana and all the plain tea I could want.. I only drink black tea however

Lunch : 100 calorie 100% ww wrap, 2 eggs , deli meat and a small amount of lactose cheese about 360 cals

Dinner: I like to vary it up but my fast go to's are :
extra lean ground turkey, broccoli cole slaw and a bit of cheese + salsa for a undone taco if you will

390 cals
panko crusted tilapia, 1/4c rice+ 1/2 plate of veggies is 370ish
tonight I was in a hurry so I had soup + a homemade veggie+deli meat quesadilla on a ww wrap =440

typical snacks:
niagra county apple bar 100 cals (full of nuts, apples)
cashews
fruits and veggies
hummus
chai latte (made at home)
coconut yogurt+granola (measured of course)
normally my snacks are around 340-320-350 for the day

don't get me wrong if im hungry I eat more! I never ever deprive myself, I just make healthy choices.
I find that by eating more protein+ nuts+ fiber I stay very full but that's me

Amylacc · September 2014

As it turned out, yesterday wasn't really an issue. I only went over by about 13 calories. Thanks for all the advice. I'll stick with it for a while, and see what happens.

I have done this before , a few years ago and, while I don't remember what the totals were then, it seemed to work while I was doing it. When I stopped tracking (and then switched jobs to one that was more sedentary), that's when I got in trouble. Well, if you count 20 extra pounds trouble. I'm kind of amazed it wasn't more, but I have been working out more or less all along.

It's a little tough in this town. Not too many healthy food options for restaurants. And the supermarkets have only fair to poor quality fresh foods. So it's a bit of a pain. And then there's work. (Case in point: my colleagues love to have fish fries for almost any reason. The fish is ALWAYS deep fried, never grilled and accompanied by french fries, etc. LOL). And one of them bakes a LOT, so for birthdays and such we always have goodies. So my will pretty much flies out the window.

TeaBea · September 2014

I eat 1300 - 1500 a day as a 6ft 3 man, so it's perfectly doable. I only really get hungry late at night. Eating small but often helps a lot, and drinking a full 2 litres of water a day.

This is scary - and not good advice for the original poster as she has much less weight to lose. FYI: Water doesn't support lean muscle mass...but carry on

OP - if you plug in your stats using a TDEE calculator (total daily energy expenditure) and include exercise.....then take a cut....500 calories for 1 pound a week.....this will average out the calories. You wouldn't have the up/down of workout vs. rest days.

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

throoper · September 2014

It's fine to go over a few days a week, it just means you will slow down your progress. But that's better than being starving and then binging on an extra 1000 calories of food once a week or something.

I try to stick to 1200 calories on days I don't exercise. I don't always succeed, but it's fairly doable. One of the keys is to fill yourself up with lots of veggies. Here's a sample food diary:

Breakfast - coffee and milk plus a fried egg or a fruit/veggie/protein smoothie - 200-250 calories
Lunch - big spinach salad with grilled chicken or canned salmon, balsamic vinegar, bell peppers - 300 calories
Dinner - a big plate of veggies oven roasted in a little bit of olive oil plus 3-4 ounces of lean grilled protein - 400-500 calories
Snacks - light string cheese, apple, light popcorn, a few nuts, etc - 200 calories
Total - 1100 - 1350 calories

paperpudding · September 2014

As it turned out, yesterday wasn't really an issue. I only went over by about 13 calories. Thanks for all the advice. I'll stick with it for a while, and see what happens.

I would consider 13 calories over to be on target - you dont have to get under really, you know - your total already has a built in deficit so going over slightly is really fine.:flowerforyou:

HestiaMoon1 · September 2014

Yes, you're fine. You'll adjust really quickly and not feel that fake hunger pain. I choose protein and healthy fats for most of my food and I don't feel deprived at all. Good luck!

segacs · October 2014

One thing that occurs to me is that maybe the method of having a base calorie amount and 'eating back' exercise calories doesn't work for you. It's MFP's default method, but it doesn't mean that's how you have to do it. It could be that it's hard for you to eat less on the days you're not exercising than on the days you are.

Overall, you should aim for a 3500/week deficit. So if you're working out on alternate days, try to use the weekly TDEE less 3500 calorie method, where the TDEE is calculated with the activity level you do built in. Then eat around the same number of calories every day whether or not it's a workout day, and don't worry about eating back exercise calories. It should average out to the same as what you're eating now, but with fewer fluctuations.

Which method is better? I suspect it's personal preference. Give it a go if you like, and see how it does for you.

sarahjane135 · October 2014

I stay around 1100-1200 everyday and I find it totally doable (I'm a shorty though so I don't need much). I've never been a breakfast eater so that gives me the ability to have larger meals later. A lot of people eat breakfast because you are "supposed to" when those hunger feelings are actually your body digesting the food from the day before. To each their own though. A lot of it is also mental. If you see the large amounts of food you can have for that amount of calories then you begin to think differently about whether it is restrictive or not.

Liftng4Lis · October 2014

OLD THREAD and according to her ticker OP hasn't lost any weight.

chicacherry666 · October 2014

Hey I'm on a 1200 calorie per day thing but one day of the week I allow myself to have 1500 calories I find this works for me and I find it suits me and I will continue this

ljashley1952 · October 2014

I'm doing 1350 and have managed to stay under for 18 out of the 21 days I've been doing this. If I plan carefully I do not feel deprived. I cut calories where I can and make up for any excess in exercise. I think you should adjust your fitness level to more active status.

You don't sound sedentary to me, if you work out 4-5 times a week. Sedentary would include people who have health problems that prevent them from actively working out on a regular basis. For example, I've had a total knee replacement, which eliminates impact exercise. I'm limited to walking and biking. It's harder to reach the heartrate one needs for good cardio that way. Walking and biking can be hard on the knees too, so I would consider myself fairly sedentary.

I think if you claimed a more active status you would be allowed a few more calories to play with. Maybe 1600-1800, but I'm not sure.

A typical breakfast for me is either coffee and toast or coffee and steel-cut oats, or maybe a piece of toast with a fried egg on it. Lunch is likely to be tea or coffee and a sandwich with half an ounce of cheese, one slice of deli sliced turkey, with a slice of tomato and lettuce or a bowl of vegetable soup. I try to keep breakfast around 200 calories and lunch at 300. That gives me room to have a normal dinner and a bedtime snack.

Is 1300 calories a realistic goal?

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