1300 or 1600 calories?

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lozzieemayjenkins
lozzieemayjenkins Posts: 71 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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?
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Replies

  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    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.
  • fluffypetal
    fluffypetal Posts: 50
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    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
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    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
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    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: 12,293 Member
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    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
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    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?
  • calisunrise
    calisunrise Posts: 307
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    i'd shoot for 1600.
    your BMR is higher than my maitenance calories. jealous
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
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    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
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    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: 12,293 Member
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    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.
  • ruckerbenton
    ruckerbenton Posts: 94
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    ^^^

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