Advice Please!

Tuesday20
Tuesday20 Posts: 93 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey!

My Mum has just started using MFP and I think she has piled her weight on over the last few years because her body is starving. She is a waitress and used to eat about 800 calories a day (most of that came from pure sugar). So I have advised her to eat about 1650 calories a day, her TDEE - 20%. She is getting the hang of logging calories and is managing 1600 most days.

Can anyone recommend how she progresses from here? What next? Will her weight increase because of the calorie increase? Also, how long should she eat 1650 calories for, before we decrease the amount to cause a deficit? Im not a weight loss expert, and I feel like we will have to go backwards (eating more) in order to go forwards... how does this work??

(PS she is 53 and 147lbs, she would like to lose 16lbs asap lol)

Replies

  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    She should actually probably eat closer to her TDEE for about a month or so (maybe even 2) and then drop down to TDEE -20%. She might gain a few pounds during the process, but once her body adjusts when she drops the calories again, weight should come off easily.

    **edit: I'm not an expert, but it just seems to me that to get her metabolism up again, she would need to eat about the amount she needs to maintain and then drop back a little to lose weight.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    TDEE-20% is a deficit, and to be honest, if she only wants to lose 16 pounds, that's a very aggressive deficit. There is no "losing 16 pounds asap." If all she has to lose is 16 pounds, it should take roughly 20 weeks, if not longer. Half a pound to one pound a week is healthy weight loss.
  • karenmi
    karenmi Posts: 242 Member
    TDEE-20% is a deficit, and to be honest, if she only wants to lose 16 pounds, that's a very aggressive deficit. There is no "losing 16 pounds asap." If all she has to lose is 16 pounds, it should take roughly 20 weeks, if not longer. Half a pound to one pound a week is healthy weight loss.

    ^^This!
  • Tuesday20
    Tuesday20 Posts: 93 Member
    TDEE-20% is a deficit, and to be honest, if she only wants to lose 16 pounds, that's a very aggressive deficit. .

    Thank you for your advice!! I know it's a deficit, but she is struggling to eat 1600 calories, let alone telling her to try 2070!! LOL Should I recommend her eating 2070 calories, or does she need to increase her intake slowly? (2 weeks ago she was eating only 800 calories) :)
  • Tuesday20
    Tuesday20 Posts: 93 Member
    She might gain a few pounds during the process, but once her body adjusts when she drops the calories again, weight should come off easily.

    get her metabolism up again, she would need to eat about the amount she needs to maintain and then drop back a little to lose weight.

    Thank you! (Sounds so common sense when you say it like that :) )
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    I would suggest she eat close to her TDEE for at least 6 weeks. She may experience some gains but it will most likely be due to water weight. Than drop down to about 10-15% less than TDEE. With only 16lbs to lose she shouldn't be trying to go for a large deficit.

    She may have better luck with focusing on building some muscle. That will not only help her metabolism but also help change the look of her body more than 16lbs will. Whatever approach she does she should lift heavy weights a few times a week to ensure she doesn't lose muscle.

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