Maximum Deficit?

carolann_22

I know I've seen a formula on here but I tried searching and can't find it.

I am currently 245 pounds. According to my BodyMedia, I burn an average of 3300 - 3500 cals a day. I set my MFP to 2 pounds a week and that gave me 1290 calories daily. With exercise, I earn another 500 -700 daily. But that still just brings me to a max of 2000, leaving me with a daily deficit of 1500 - 1700. Can I get away with that since I have a lot to lose, or will this be problematic? What is the largest deficit I should have?

Thanks!

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

You can lose ~2.5 pounds safely...a deficit of 1250 calories. I wouldn't go beyond that. 1% of your bodyweight is the maximum healthy rate.

AlabasterVerve

I don't think you have anything to worry about, regardless of your deficit, considering you have the fat stores to sustain you and are eating 1200 - 2000 calories a day of nutritious food. That's just my opinion, of course, and considering I don't buy into the latest round of dieting do's & don'ts--eating below your BMR and "starvation mode" specifically--I imagine there are a ton of people who will disagree.

I thought this article about losing weight quickly in a safe way (which will be the result of a large calorie deficit) was interesting and you might find it helpful or reassuring considering you're doing everything the article recommends.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/lose-weight-fast-how-to-do-it-safely

KareninCanada

I would agree with love4fitness. Partly because it sounds sensible, and partly because you might want to leave yourself some room to adjust your calories later on.

stubbysticks

I weigh about the same as you & wear a BMF also. I'm still trying to find the "right" calorie deficit for me...when I was right around 1,000 it didn't seem like enough so I'm trying 1,200 to see if that makes a difference. Personally I want to eat as much as humanly possible & still lose weight, lol.

I don't think a formula can tell you what deficit is going to be too big for you. Not sure how long you've been tracking your deficit with the BMF, but what I would do is try to keep it consistent for a few weeks & compare it to your results, then make an adjustment one direction of the other & see what happens. The only way I can know for sure if something works for my body is to try it.