What if I told you 2500 calories "clean" plus exercise works

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auticus
auticus Posts: 1,051 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Something I've been working is an experiment where I don't focus on such a massive deficit (to be fair, I've only done 1200 calories twice and that was a fast essentially but I notice a lot of people, particularly women, cling to 1200 calories like a life raft) and incorporate a solid cardio and strength training program.

I'm not going to lie, I'm scared but have been reassured that this is the route that I want to take. So I eat about 2500-2800 calories a day, mostly clean, and I keep my carb and protein macros even as I can (my protein count comes out a little higher but not significantly so)

I put in three days of weight training at the gym a week and each one of those sessions is precipitated by 15-20 min of cardio. I put in another 2-3 days of cardio (running, eliptical, trying to get bag work back in and swimming back in).

Anyone have any experience with this? I need to lose about 10 lbs or so right now, though I suppose I could lose 20 overall.

Replies

  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
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    I average about 3200 calories a day and could care less about "cleanliness", I just am sure to eat ~200g protein a day.

    Losing 1 lb/wk reliably. Need to go slow as I'm in the visible abs territory.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
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    I lost my last 10 pounds after bulking eating 2000-2200 per day. I am VERY active.
    I also didn't eat mostly "clean." just what I like to eat

    I personally thing that 2800 might be a bit high, but I don't know your activity level outside of exercise.
    I would try which ever # you think and adjust from there after a few weeks
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    I lost a half pound a week eating 2000 NET (so 2500 or so total) last summer. I'm a 5'9" female at ~160lbs. I didn't eat "clean" either.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    I personally thing that 2800 might be a bit high, but I don't know your activity level outside of exercise.
    I would try which ever # you think and adjust from there after a few weeks

    He's a 200+ pound male. 2800 should be fine.
  • cedarghost
    cedarghost Posts: 621 Member
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    2800 may be about right for you. My TDEE is a little over 2700 and I lift heavy three days a week, have a desk job and do 0 cardio right now. By the time you add in your cardio it could be right. Not sure since you didn't give height, weight, etc.

    Everyone has to find their own "magic number" and the only way to do that is time and consistency with diet and exercise. Try 2800 for a month, weigh in once a week and more importantly measure body fat before and at the end of the 30 days and see what happens then adjust from there.

    You want to find the point to where you start to gain weight and then back off from there. With only ten pounds to lose I would shoot for .5 pound a week, though you may want to do more. I do .5 pound a week and I am happy with that.

    That being said, I don't worry about eating 100% clean. I just try to hit my protein macro, stay away from bad carbs and drink more water. I am eating healthier than before I started down this path, but I wouldn't call it healthy.

    Since September 1st, I have lost 20 pounds, however the scale doesn't tell the whole story. I have actually lost 11% of my bodyfat which equates to a fat loss of right at 30 pounds and a lbm gain of almost 10 pounds.
  • cedarghost
    cedarghost Posts: 621 Member
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    Just noticed, we have a lot in common. We are both around the same current weight and we are both from KY. I am from Paris (just outside Lexington) and work in Lexington. I will shoot you a friend request.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
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    I personally thing that 2800 might be a bit high, but I don't know your activity level outside of exercise.
    I would try which ever # you think and adjust from there after a few weeks

    He's a 200+ pound male. 2800 should be fine.

    I'm a 6'1" 200 lb male and maintain at 2800 cal/day NET, which means a gross intake in the 3700 cal/day area.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
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    I personally thing that 2800 might be a bit high, but I don't know your activity level outside of exercise.
    I would try which ever # you think and adjust from there after a few weeks

    He's a 200+ pound male. 2800 should be fine.

    Oops! For some reason I was assuming female
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
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    Yep, earlier this year I was cutting on 2500 (with an active lifestyle + gym 5 x a week) and managed to lose weight :)

    Didn't eat "clean" but I did focus on hitting my macro targets (protein, fat, carbs) and getting as much fruit and veg as I could, for the nutrients + fibre.

    5'8 and at the time 140-150lbs.
  • auticus
    auticus Posts: 1,051 Member
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    Apologies:

    I'm 6'2, 226 lbs and about 22.96% body fat currently (based off of tape measurements and the us army guidelines for body fat)

    In the past I lost weight at about 1800 calories total plus 40 min cardio 5x a week (I was up to 8 mile runs). I've never tried going up to 2500-2800 so that's what scares me.

    I work a desk job. I shoot for 5x a week exercise.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    Great to hear people are having success without resorting to extremes.
  • cedarghost
    cedarghost Posts: 621 Member
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    Apologies:

    I'm 6'2, 226 lbs and about 22.96% body fat currently (based off of tape measurements and the us army guidelines for body fat)

    In the past I lost weight at about 1800 calories total plus 40 min cardio 5x a week (I was up to 8 mile runs). I've never tried going up to 2500-2800 so that's what scares me.

    I work a desk job. I shoot for 5x a week exercise.

    I started at 1800 but starved. Just had my rmr checked and it is just over 2000, so I won't eat below that. I am 6'4'' 216 pounds, around 20% body fat (also using US Army guidelines) and am currently losing/recomposing on 2300 a day, no cardio but heavy lifting 3 days a week. I have kept track of the following for the past three months:
    body fat %
    calories eaten
    weight lost
    scale weight
    So I KNOW what my TDEE is by averaging out calories eaten and adding in the calories from the weight I have lost.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
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    Sometimes I forget people can be that large... (Height and weight) and eat that much...

    I FEEL tall at 5'4" as a male... but only because I am second tallest in my family of 6 lol.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    The number of calories one needs can vary greatly from person to person, but for a man working out regularly I would think you could probably eat a little more and still lose.
  • cordianet
    cordianet Posts: 534 Member
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    I think you're in about the right place if you're saying 2500-2800 TOTAL calories and you're not trying to add in exercise calories on top of that. Also, you might consider replacing one of your workout days with a HIIT day. I'm not at a point where I can do these regularly for health reasons at the moment, but back before I got so fat, I used to find my HIIT days to be extremely valuable to my overall athletic performance and well being. Plus it's said to be very beneficial for fat loss. Just something to consider.
  • xYourSize
    xYourSize Posts: 1 Member
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    How long did it take you to lose the 10lbs?
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
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    I eat 2500 dirty calories a day and have no issues

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