1300 or 1600 calories?

I'm currently eating 1300 calories a day, but it's only been a few days so I'm not sure how my body is responding to this number.

What I'm wondering is.. If losing weight is all about creating a calorie deficit, and for me I have a BMR of 2300 so to lose 2lbs a week I'd require a 1000 cal deficit which takes me down to 1300 a day.

But then I see TDEE minus 20% all over this forum, and people saying they have better weight loss results and better inch and body fat loss results eating more..

So I'm not sure which path to take?
«13

Replies

  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    What is your BMR? Create as large a deficit as you like, but do not eat under your BMR as it will eventually cause metabolic damage. My BRM is 1303 and TDEE around 1950. I eat 1800 or so because I am close to goal but in the past the same number of calories was a 1 pound a week deficit.
  • Hiya,

    So I can gather after reading alot of topics on here, you need to work out you BMR then work out your TDEE. You then minus 10 or 20% from your TDEE total and that will tell you how many cals you need to eat. If you want to lose weight, you eat under your TDEE (with the minus %). If you want to stay the same weight, you eat your TDEE (without minusing any %). If you want to gain weight you eat above you TDEE.

    BUT, you must never go below your BMR total as that is the number of cals you HAVE to eat to survive.

    TDEE and BMR calcuators are all over the internet. Just google them.

    Good luck.

    Annie xx
  • lozzieemayjenkins
    lozzieemayjenkins Posts: 71 Member
    What is your BMR? Create as large a deficit as you like, but do not eat under your BMR as it will eventually cause metabolic damage. My BRM is 1303 and TDEE around 1950. I eat 1800 or so because I am close to goal but in the past the same number of calories was a 1 pound a week deficit.

    My BMR is 1743.. and to lose 2lbs a week I'm meant to eat 1300 but that's well below my BMR. But even if I calculate my sedentary TDEE minus 20%.. that's below my BMR too.
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    What is your BMR? Create as large a deficit as you like, but do not eat under your BMR as it will eventually cause metabolic damage. My BRM is 1303 and TDEE around 1950. I eat 1800 or so because I am close to goal but in the past the same number of calories was a 1 pound a week deficit.

    My BMR is 1743.. and to lose 2lbs a week I'm meant to eat 1300 but that's well below my BMR. But even if I calculate my sedentary TDEE minus 20%.. that's below my BMR too.

    How much do you want to lose?

    2lb a week may not be right for you.

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    I would suggest that you eat 1300+ all of your exercise calories back, or just eat 1600-1800 or so cals everyday depending on how often you workout each week, whether you workout or not on a given day.
  • lozzieemayjenkins
    lozzieemayjenkins Posts: 71 Member
    What is your BMR? Create as large a deficit as you like, but do not eat under your BMR as it will eventually cause metabolic damage. My BRM is 1303 and TDEE around 1950. I eat 1800 or so because I am close to goal but in the past the same number of calories was a 1 pound a week deficit.

    My BMR is 1743.. and to lose 2lbs a week I'm meant to eat 1300 but that's well below my BMR. But even if I calculate my sedentary TDEE minus 20%.. that's below my BMR too.

    How much do you want to lose?

    2lb a week may not be right for you.

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

    I'm 80lbs overweight & wanna lose 80.. So I guess I'm okay at 1300 cause I've got so much body fat?
  • i'd shoot for 1600.
    your BMR is higher than my maitenance calories. jealous
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
    Your BMR is 2300 or 1743? You have both in 2 different posts. Eat above your BMR, under your TDEE. How did you find out your BMR/TDEE, did you use helloitsdan's post (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12)
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    I'm currently eating 1300 calories a day, but it's only been a few days so I'm not sure how my body is responding to this number.

    What I'm wondering is.. If losing weight is all about creating a calorie deficit, and for me I have a BMR of 2300 so to lose 2lbs a week I'd require a 1000 cal deficit which takes me down to 1300 a day.

    But then I see TDEE minus 20% all over this forum, and people saying they have better weight loss results and better inch and body fat loss results eating more..

    So I'm not sure which path to take?

    I took both paths (1200 calories, vs my goal TDEE in my case) and I could fill up this page with how much I prefer to eat a reasonable amount of calories, but right now I'm just going to put in my vote and say I would go by the higher one, especially since to maintain on 1600 you'd have to be slim. That and you can get more nutrition on more food (and you can't get much fat/protein on a 1200 calorie diet and just diet wise to preserve muscle mass you need higher protein and to absorb vitamins you need fat).

    P.S. I NET more then both options. And the larger you are, the more you can eat and still lose weight. Don't think you need to cut more because you want to lose more. That's not the way it works.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    What is your BMR? Create as large a deficit as you like, but do not eat under your BMR as it will eventually cause metabolic damage. My BRM is 1303 and TDEE around 1950. I eat 1800 or so because I am close to goal but in the past the same number of calories was a 1 pound a week deficit.

    My BMR is 1743.. and to lose 2lbs a week I'm meant to eat 1300 but that's well below my BMR. But even if I calculate my sedentary TDEE minus 20%.. that's below my BMR too.

    How much do you want to lose?

    2lb a week may not be right for you.

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

    I'm 80lbs overweight & wanna lose 80.. So I guess I'm okay at 1300 cause I've got so much body fat?

    If you set to 1300, make sure you eat back most of the cals burned from exercise. If you burn 600 cals in the gym and just eat 1300, that would be like eating 700 cals (1300-600) on a day you don't workout.
  • I use the range. I went from 1800 to 1500 and was trying to be very strict. I felt terrible and had all sorts of gilt and shame when I didn't stick well to 1500. Now, I use the range and I feel so much better!
  • chels0722
    chels0722 Posts: 465 Member
    Eat more. Weigh less. I don't want to type out the whole speil about TDEE-20% and BMR. That is what Google is for.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    What is your BMR? Create as large a deficit as you like, but do not eat under your BMR as it will eventually cause metabolic damage. My BRM is 1303 and TDEE around 1950. I eat 1800 or so because I am close to goal but in the past the same number of calories was a 1 pound a week deficit.

    My BMR is 1743.. and to lose 2lbs a week I'm meant to eat 1300 but that's well below my BMR. But even if I calculate my sedentary TDEE minus 20%.. that's below my BMR too.

    I think you must be doing the math wrong.
  • seena511
    seena511 Posts: 685 Member
    for having so much weight to lose, you are probably OK eating below your BMR for awhile as long as you eat back your exercise calories. i would err on the side of caution and stick with closer to 1600. recalculate your TDEE and BMR every month or so, and readjust your weekly goal based on how much you've lost.
  • Cptrob
    Cptrob Posts: 80 Member
    you can eat 1300 and drop the weight...
    if you're going to eat back your cardio calories, might as well stay home and relax...

    If you are doing some weight lifting and cardio, rest assured that if you go over that "1300" mark you'll be fine because of the added deficit..
  • lozzieemayjenkins
    lozzieemayjenkins Posts: 71 Member
    Your BMR is 2300 or 1743? You have both in 2 different posts. Eat above your BMR, under your TDEE. How did you find out your BMR/TDEE, did you use helloitsdan's post (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12)

    My BMR is 1743 and my TDEE is 2300. Yes I used the road map post & dan advised me to eat 1600.
  • lozzieemayjenkins
    lozzieemayjenkins Posts: 71 Member
    What is your BMR? Create as large a deficit as you like, but do not eat under your BMR as it will eventually cause metabolic damage. My BRM is 1303 and TDEE around 1950. I eat 1800 or so because I am close to goal but in the past the same number of calories was a 1 pound a week deficit.

    My BMR is 1743.. and to lose 2lbs a week I'm meant to eat 1300 but that's well below my BMR. But even if I calculate my sedentary TDEE minus 20%.. that's below my BMR too.

    I think you must be doing the math wrong.

    I'm 23 years old, 5ft 3 and weigh 207lbs. My BMR is 1743 and that's from using a few different calculators including fat2fit.
  • _chiaroscuro
    _chiaroscuro Posts: 1,340 Member
    I would make absolutely sure you've calculated your BMR and TDEE correctly, and then never eat below your BMR. Scooby's Workshop and Fitness Frog are the two I used to get an idea of where I should be. I also set everything for sedentary so I knew to eat back any exercise calories, which is how MFP is set up so it helped me avoid confusion. Hope that's helpful!

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/bmr-calculator.html
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    you can eat 1300 and drop the weight...
    if you're going to eat back your cardio calories, might as well stay home and relax...

    What terrible advice.
  • Cptrob
    Cptrob Posts: 80 Member
    ^^^
  • CM9178
    CM9178 Posts: 1,251 Member
    What is your BMR? Create as large a deficit as you like, but do not eat under your BMR as it will eventually cause metabolic damage. My BRM is 1303 and TDEE around 1950. I eat 1800 or so because I am close to goal but in the past the same number of calories was a 1 pound a week deficit.

    My BMR is 1743.. and to lose 2lbs a week I'm meant to eat 1300 but that's well below my BMR. But even if I calculate my sedentary TDEE minus 20%.. that's below my BMR too.

    How much do you want to lose?

    2lb a week may not be right for you.

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

    I'm 80lbs overweight & wanna lose 80.. So I guess I'm okay at 1300 cause I've got so much body fat?
    I have a similar issue to you.. you're not going to be able to lose 2lbs per week and eat above your BMR.
    I had to adjust to .8 lbs per week - that is the MOST I can do without eating below BMR.

    And for the record, this was calculated using the Roadmap Spreadsheet, so I know it is correct.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Please don't listen to the ignorant and do a little research. I have known many people who jump on the high deficit bandwagon to regret it later for many different it-did-not-benefit-them-but-hurt-them reasons. Just know it's easy to get past stalls on a smaller deficit, you'll be able to get more nutrients from food on a calorie deficit, you'll be able to keep your energy expenditure higher then on a smaller deficit (which you can look up on google scholar if you don't believe me) so in turn your metabolism well be higher. It's absolutely true that your metabolism will get slower faster on a higher deficit...I just don't see the point why you should be eating less rabit food compared to someone who is half your size...when you could be eating the exact same thing and be headed to the exact same place...weight loss. The low calorie diets are known to drop initial water weight fast and then come to a halt, mainly because of depleting glycogen stores...the stuff that flows around your body repairing organs and muscles. It's just not worth it if you ask me.

    With that said there are those who have reasons to go on extremely high calorie deficits under the supervision of a doctor...I would imagine you do not fall into this category even if you are overweight. I've seen many larger then you get oodles smaller without eating less then my dog.
  • lozzieemayjenkins
    lozzieemayjenkins Posts: 71 Member
    Please don't listen to the ignorant and do a little research. I have known many people who jump on the high deficit bandwagon to regret it later for many different it-did-not-benefit-them-but-hurt-them reasons. Just know it's easy to get past stalls on a smaller deficit, you'll be able to get more nutrients from food on a calorie deficit, you'll be able to keep your energy expenditure higher then on a smaller deficit (which you can look up on google scholar if you don't believe me) so in turn your metabolism well be higher. It's absolutely true that your metabolism will get slower faster on a higher deficit...I just don't see the point why you should be eating less rabit food compared to someone who is half your size...when you could be eating the exact same thing and be headed to the exact same place...weight loss. The low calorie diets are known to drop initial water weight fast and then come to a halt, mainly because of depleting glycogen stores...the stuff that flows around your body repairing organs and muscles. It's just not worth it if you ask me.

    With that said there are those who have reasons to go on extremely high calorie deficits under the supervision of a doctor...I would imagine you do not fall into this category even if you are overweight. I've seen many larger then you get oodles smaller without eating less then my dog.

    My sedentary TDEE minus 20% is 1600, and that's what I've been advised to eat by Helloitsdan, the original poster of the road map.. But when world famous personal trainers such as Jillian Michaels advise to create a 1000 cal deficit and say that 1200-1400 calories is okay, it just gets really confusing.

    Ultimately all I want is to lose body fat & inches. I've gone from having a 27inch waist only 14 months ago to now having a 40inch waist. I want to fit back into my size 8 clothes again and have very low body fat to being 80lbs overweight.. and I know it's not a face but I'd really like to be back in my size 8's by summer!
  • I talked to a nutritionist today. Rather than use the TDEE/BMR and have to recalculate all the time...use this formula. it will be slower going but easier to maintain in the long run.

    Take your GOAL weight and convert to kg (divide by 2.2). Multply that number by 25-30...thats the amount of calories needed to maintain your GOAL weight. That way, once you get there, you have already developed the eating and exercise habits necessariy to maintain that weight.
  • Stephy2469
    Stephy2469 Posts: 35 Member
    I talked to a nutritionist today. Rather than use the TDEE/BMR and have to recalculate all the time...use this formula. it will be slower going but easier to maintain in the long run.

    Take your GOAL weight and convert to kg (divide by 2.2). Multply that number by 25-30...thats the amount of calories needed to maintain your GOAL weight. That way, once you get there, you have already developed the eating and exercise habits necessariy to maintain that weight.

    This makes more sense numberwise I think. Did the nutitionist say to eat exercise calories back?
  • Stephy2469
    Stephy2469 Posts: 35 Member
    I'm currently eating 1300 calories a day, but it's only been a few days so I'm not sure how my body is responding to this number.

    What I'm wondering is.. If losing weight is all about creating a calorie deficit, and for me I have a BMR of 2300 so to lose 2lbs a week I'd require a 1000 cal deficit which takes me down to 1300 a day.

    But then I see TDEE minus 20% all over this forum, and people saying they have better weight loss results and better inch and body fat loss results eating more..

    So I'm not sure which path to take?

    What number did MFP put you at?
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    bump
  • lozzieemayjenkins
    lozzieemayjenkins Posts: 71 Member
    I'm currently eating 1300 calories a day, but it's only been a few days so I'm not sure how my body is responding to this number.

    What I'm wondering is.. If losing weight is all about creating a calorie deficit, and for me I have a BMR of 2300 so to lose 2lbs a week I'd require a 1000 cal deficit which takes me down to 1300 a day.

    But then I see TDEE minus 20% all over this forum, and people saying they have better weight loss results and better inch and body fat loss results eating more..

    So I'm not sure which path to take?

    What number did MFP put you at?

    1260, which I rounded up to 1300.
  • fightininggirl
    fightininggirl Posts: 792 Member
    I eat 1,330 calories. I have lost 25 pounds so far. you take your weight and times by 10 if you are sedentary, very obese, or elderly

    if you are slightly active times by 13 and if you are active times by 15. that is the calories you are maintaining to lose weight healthy take that answer and subtract 300-500 calories depending on your weight to get your answer. hope this helps.

    give your body at least 3-4 weeks to adjust first before changing calories. when you lose 10 pounds that is when you re access your calories.
  • I talked to a nutritionist today. Rather than use the TDEE/BMR and have to recalculate all the time...use this formula. it will be slower going but easier to maintain in the long run.

    Take your GOAL weight and convert to kg (divide by 2.2). Multply that number by 25-30...thats the amount of calories needed to maintain your GOAL weight. That way, once you get there, you have already developed the eating and exercise habits necessariy to maintain that weight.

    This makes more sense numberwise I think. Did the nutitionist say to eat exercise calories back?

    Eating them back is not necessary. The 25-30 range for multiplying is so you can figure out what works for your body, and i think the same probably applies to the exercise cals. For me, I use the 25 multiplier because I have issues keeping weight down bc of hormonal b.c. I think once I get to my maintenance level I will eat back at least some exercise calories.