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Help me solve a disagreement.

Bobennah
Bobennah Posts: 3
edited January 26 in Health and Weight Loss
My BMR is 1349, I am losing less than a pound a week at this point. It's annoying, but it is what it is.

Hypothetically speaking a friend and I were discussing how much I would have to work out to lose 3 pounds a week.

I said I would have to burn 1500 cal/day. I am eating 1400 cal/day and exercise daily.

She said I would have to eat 1504 calories and burn 1000.

Doesn't makes sense to me. So what's the math here?

Sorry if this doesn't make sense.

Replies

  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    Well your TDEE if you're totally sedentary is about 1618 (BMR x 1.2 for sedentary level = 1348 x 1.2 = 1618).

    You need a 1500 cal deficit to lose 3lb/wk.

    So, you'd need to NET 118 calories a day. You could eat 118 calories a day, or you could eat 1500 calories and burn off 1382 through exercise, or whatever... your net would just need to be around 118.

    Of course this is HYPOTHETICAL and I would never in a million years recommend this under ANY CIRCUMSTANCE WHATSOEVER.
  • Bobennah
    Bobennah Posts: 3
    That makes sense. Thank you.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    The truth is, there is no way of knowing. Cutting calories has a diminishing return the more extreme you go. If I cut 500 calories a day, I might lose around 1lb a week. If I cut 1000 a day, I end up only losing around 1.5. If I cut 1500 I might only lose around 1.75 (never tried cutting that much). Losing 3lbs a week if you are not massively obese is pretty much impossible (not counting a bonus water weight loss). Even when I was 300lbs I never lost more than a hair over 2lbs a week, even with extreme calorie restriction (for a short period, before I wised up).
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