what calorie defecit should i be aiming for?

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bimbles83
bimbles83 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
what calorie defecit to i need weekly/daily to achieve weight loss. i work out regularly and im worried im not eating enough. i stick to 1200 perday even when i work out i dont eat above this... i get the feeling this is wrong and i should be eating more on the days i exercise. any advice anyone? thanks :):flowerforyou:

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  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Yes unless you are very short/tiny you probably need more calories. Have you calculated your BMR/TDEE?

    Start here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717565-in-place-of-a-road-map

    and here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/discussion/10118-eat-train-progress
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    what calorie defecit to i need weekly/daily to achieve weight loss. i work out regularly and im worried im not eating enough. i stick to 1200 perday even when i work out i dont eat above this... i get the feeling this is wrong and i should be eating more on the days i exercise. any advice anyone? thanks :):flowerforyou:

    You are correct!
    If only everyone was this smart.
    ;D
    Read the Road Map and friend me if you decide to try it.
  • lorna1002
    lorna1002 Posts: 185 Member
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    I'm at 1200 cals and it's worked well for me, but i am 14lb from goal weight so feel like i should be upping my cals, it's scary doing it though i am worried i'll suddenly stop losing. Maybe i need to do some calculations and try the 20% below TDEE method.

    I think you are right though, good luck with it, I'm sure it'll work out better in the long run :smile:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    what calorie defecit to i need weekly/daily to achieve weight loss. i work out regularly and im worried im not eating enough. i stick to 1200 perday even when i work out i dont eat above this... i get the feeling this is wrong and i should be eating more on the days i exercise. any advice anyone? thanks :):flowerforyou:

    For one thing, you should definitely be eating your exercise calories back, or at least a good portion. You should net to your goal...if you're doing 1,200 and exercising and not eating calories back, you're definitely starving yourself. 1,200 in general is pretty aggressive unless you are very short and/or obese/morbidly obese. If you stick with the MFP method, chose a smaller weight loss goal...my guess is that you put in 2 Lbs per week...doesn't sound like a lot, but unless you're obese, it's actually pretty aggressive...I would suggest 1 Lb per week loss, it's safe and healthy weight loss. The closer you get to your goal, the more you'll want to pull back...if you're within 10 Lbs of your goal weight go with .5 Lbs per week to help preserve your lean body mass.

    I'd also recommend taking a look at the roadmap link that was posted above...it is very good.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I'm at 1200 cals and it's worked well for me, but i am 14lb from goal weight so feel like i should be upping my cals, it's scary doing it though i am worried i'll suddenly stop losing. Maybe i need to do some calculations and try the 20% below TDEE method.

    I think you are right though, good luck with it, I'm sure it'll work out better in the long run :smile:

    Yup, time to up your calories. Don't be scared, just give it enough time to work. At least a month. And make sure you are accurately logging and weighing all your food.

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