Think I'll be able to stay with 2000 calories?

Losingthedamnweight
Losingthedamnweight Posts: 536 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I see a lot of people talk about how as they get skinny their deficit changes and so they change their daily calorie budget to a lower number. That's all great and everything, but I don't wanna eat less than 2000! I like the budget I'm at. How much will it change throughout my weight loss?

I'm 5'8 and 240. I'm a nurse so I walk quite a bit and even on my days off, I get my 10,000 steps. Will I be able to stick with 2000 calories until I hit my goal weight of 150 and have a solid weight loss number every week? Can any fellas chime in?

Replies

  • joshdann
    joshdann Posts: 618 Member
    I have no problem staying within that same budget, and I'm 6'6", 280. You can do it, too :)
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    No, absolutely not.


    If you wanted to stay at 2000 youd have to continually up your exercise as your weight dropped. At some point it would be so much exercise that something would break. Not to mention, you'd most likely decide that eating less was better than all that cardio.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    I'm 5'8 and 240. I'm a nurse so I walk quite a bit and even on my days off, I get my 10,000 steps. Will I be able to stick with 2000 calories until I hit my goal weight of 150 and have a solid weight loss number every week? Can any fellas chime in?

    At your goal weight, you're looking at a TDEE of a bit over 2000. The weight loss will slow as you get closer to the goal, of course, but being able to eat around 2000 calories/day is a reasonable expectation for your goal weight.
  • ls_66
    ls_66 Posts: 395 Member
    6'1 currently at 217 on 2100 calories but fairly active (run 3 times a week)
  • Losingthedamnweight
    Losingthedamnweight Posts: 536 Member
    Thanks for the responses! But you people are so damn confusing! One person says it'll be ok the next "absolutely not. Nope. No way". Huh?

    I just looked up my tdee at 150 with moderate activity (and I probably get even more than that) and it said my tdee was 2500 cals. So theoretically, even if I was 150 and ate 2000 calories, wouldn't I still be at a deficit? Hell. Wouldn't I need to up my cals to 2500 just so I wouldn't continue losing weight? Looking at the numbers and then reading "no way absolutely not" is pretty confusing.

    Anybody make it down to their goal weight able to chime in?
  • watto1980
    watto1980 Posts: 155 Member
    You should be right going 500 calories under your TDEE. Sometimes those calculators aren't completely accurate so you might have to tweak things after a few weeks depending on how much weight you are losing.

    I have been eating around 500 calories under my TDEE for a few months now.

    Some days are tougher than others, but if you can stay motivated mentally, I think it is possible. The occasional cheat meal every couple of weeks works well for me too. I usually won't eat above my TDEE for the day though, cheat meal will put me up around maintenance calories.
  • SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish
    SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish Posts: 831 Member
    Its just math. Exercise more, eat more/day. Exercise less, eat less/day. I'm eating 2,500-3,800 calories/day and building muscle and losing weight at the same time. Didnt make it to my goal weight yet, but that's irrelevant: once I get to my goal weight, I can actually keep the same diet. Remember, your calorie goals include a deficit so you will lose weight, so if you are doing lifting and aerobic exercise and eating back the calories, you can keep the same amount of exercise and the calories you will stabilize at will be relatively similar. You just cant stop exercising, and no it wont kill you as some guy said :)
  • jadethief
    jadethief Posts: 266 Member
    Thanks for the responses! But you people are so damn confusing! One person says it'll be ok the next "absolutely not. Nope. No way". Huh?

    I just looked up my tdee at 150 with moderate activity (and I probably get even more than that) and it said my tdee was 2500 cals. So theoretically, even if I was 150 and ate 2000 calories, wouldn't I still be at a deficit? Hell. Wouldn't I need to up my cals to 2500 just so I wouldn't continue losing weight? Looking at the numbers and then reading "no way absolutely not" is pretty confusing.

    Anybody make it down to their goal weight able to chime in?

    Not at goal weight, but your thinking is correct. As you get closer to your goal weight, reduce your deficit so that you're eating closer to TDEE. I'm actually eating (net) what my future TDEE will be.

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