Do obese people have more deficit "wiggle room "?

happyheathen927

I read somewhere on mfp that if you had a lot to lose (as in, clinically obese, which I am), you could cut more than 20% from TDEE and still do fine. I'm 5'6.75" and currently weigh 225 lb. My #'s from the Scooby calculator are thus:

TDEE: 2704
BMR: 1744
20% Cut: 2163
25% Cut: 2028

I do an hour-long yoga class 1x/week, crossfit 2-3x/week, and run 30-40 minutes/day 1-2x/week. I have 1-2 rest days a week. I set my activity level at moderate when calculating my TDEE.

I've been aiming for 2000 the last couple weeks, but have been averaging about 1900 -- gross, not net, as I haven't been counting/eating back my exercise calories. I haven't lost a pound in weeks. It's frustrating the crap out of me. Am I still not eating enough? Since I have so much to lose, I thought keeping a 25-30% deficit would be okay. Perhaps I need to chill a little longer and give it more time, but if such a big deficit is counter-productive I'd rather fix it now than keep waiting. And waiting. :grumble:

Thoughts/advice?

Greenrun99

You can get away with a bigger cut when heavier.. so I would probably eat at the 25% level for a bit.. I am assuming during your crossfit and run days you are pushing yourself as hard as you can go correct? Yoga I don't really count as intense.. You could benefit from 1-2 days of weight lifting as well (but not necessary just recommended).

I was looking at your diary and was wondering what your following, seems like a low carb high fat kind of meal plan? I would definitely track your sodium levels and try to eat more protein and less fat items, I noticed you have things like Ranch Dressing, or Butter and packaged items as some of your main meal items.. try to make those protein, so most calorie item during a meal should be the protein item if possible. Also eat your calories, 200 saved doesn't help, you want to be close to that.. so if that means eating some fruit at night, or some nuts or something.. go for it.

happyheathen927

Thanks for your input. i do push as hard as i can during my cf and runs, and yoga has a reputation for being gentle (and it can be) but it can be pretty darn intense, too. My trainer is limiting my lifting until we can work on form. Most of my work is done on my own and she doesn't want me to injure myself. So, lifting is definitely in the plans...the sooner the better as far as I'm concerned. Lol

RE diet: I'm t2 diabetic and my family eats paleo. Low-carb/high-fat has done wonders for my bG control. I aim for 1.0g of protein per pound of lbm and I keep my carbs below 100/day. The balance of my calories comes from healthy fats (olive oil in homemade mayo and salad dressings, coconut oil, grassfed butter). I'm not sure what other packaged items you're referring to?

The total calories is basically what I was asking about...whether 30% was too big a deficit to maintain regardless of how much a person needs to lose?

Gapwedge01

Thanks for your input. i do push as hard as i can during my cf and runs, and yoga has a reputation for being gentle (and it can be) but it can be pretty darn intense, too. My trainer is limiting my lifting until we can work on form. Most of my work is done on my own and she doesn't want me to injure myself. So, lifting is definitely in the plans...the sooner the better as far as I'm concerned. Lol

RE diet: I'm t2 diabetic and my family eats paleo. Low-carb/high-fat has done wonders for my bG control. I aim for 1.0g of protein per pound of lbm and I keep my carbs below 100/day. The balance of my calories comes from healthy fats (olive oil in homemade mayo and salad dressings, coconut oil, grassfed butter). I'm not sure what other packaged items you're referring to?

The total calories is basically what I was asking about...whether 30% was too big a deficit to maintain regardless of how much a person needs to lose?

25% already gets you close to your BMR so I would not encourage you to try 30%. At 30% you are leaning towards going back to a low calorie diet. Actually, with as much cardio as you do I would be more inclined to stop at 20%. The more intense your cardio is during the week the more you should eat. Lifting can be done with a bigger deficit.

ANewLucia

We don't suggest more than 15% cut regardless of size. You should start at 15% so you can have some wiggle room if you want to try cutting a little bit more due to a plateau, but don't start off so steep. When you cut so steeply you increase the likelihood of losing precious muscle mass. Though you have a bit more to lose, your ultimate goal is the same as the rest of us...lose fat while keeping muscle.

Now, what you can do is go a longer time before TDEE breaks. Go 6-8wks instead of 4wks. But don't cut 25%...

happyheathen927

Thanks, y'all ... that's exactly the feedback I needed. Think I'll push hard to hit -15% for at least a few weeks and see how that goes. Then I can drop back down to -20% if it seems necessary.

I also need to talk with my trainer; she's of the mindset that cardio is what will get my weight-loss going, and I'm actually enjoying learning to run. However, I'm feeling the lack of strength training and I DON'T want to lose the muscle I have.

ANewLucia

Strength training is number 1 in retaining muscle mass. When you lose muscle you lower your metabolic rate. I strength train without fail 3 days a week and cardio at least once a week, but in cut I go up a little more on the cardio, but NOTHING displaces strength training:-)

Gapwedge01

Strength training is number 1 in retaining muscle mass. When you lose muscle you lower your metabolic rate. I strength train without fail 3 days a week and cardio at least once a week, but in cut I go up a little more on the cardio, but NOTHING displaces strength training:-)

^^^^^^^this!!