Calorie Level

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candysleirer
candysleirer Posts: 28 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have tried to stay a couple hundred calories under my limit hoping that I would lose more, I just noticed the disclaimer stating the negatives to doing this. Wondering if anyone else does it anyway and if it works or not. I feel like I have been getting adequate nutrition and am having more energy than before I started. I would appreciate any "first-hand" experiences you can share.
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Replies

  • msbunnie68
    msbunnie68 Posts: 1,894 Member
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    Your limit (depending on how much weight per week you stated you wanted to lose) already has a calorie deficit built in to lose that amount of weight.

    Eat close to your limit, don't eat under. You are doing it unnecessarily hard on yourself and eventually it becomes unsustainable. MFP is NOT a diet. It is a tool to track you energy intake and if you treat it like a diet that you toss once you reach your goal you will gain ALL your weight back plus some. Start learning about how much you should be eating and how much you will need to be eating to maintain your goal weight.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    Your limit (depending on how much weight per week you stated you wanted to lose) already has a calorie deficit built in to lose that amount of weight.

    Eat close to your limit, don't eat under. You are doing it unnecessarily hard on yourself and eventually it becomes unsustainable. MFP is NOT a diet. It is a tool to track you energy intake and if you treat it like a diet that you toss once you reach your goal you will gain ALL your weight back plus some. Start learning about how much you should be eating and how much you will need to be eating to maintain your goal weight.

    This. Exactly.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    The goal isn't to eat as little as possible. The goal is to maintain a calorie deficit while still fueling your body adequately.

    Have I done it? In the beginning yes, because I didn't know any better or do my research. After a while my workouts began to suffer, I started losing hair and I got tired all the time. Totally not worth it for the extra 1-3 lbs I probably lost. I finally did my research and read some of the awesome threads here on the forums and I never looked back.
  • polostaber
    polostaber Posts: 7 Member
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    Spot on.
  • candysleirer
    candysleirer Posts: 28 Member
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    Totally get what your saying, However the maximum weight loss you can put in is 2lbs a week and I would really like to do a little more than that. And what the heck is a 250 calorie snack gonna do for me after cutting back so much junk already? Just sayin'
  • MBrothers22
    MBrothers22 Posts: 323 Member
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    Unless you have a lot to lose, eat right at your calorie goal. Mine is 2600 to lose 2 pounds per week but I usually eat 2200. I don't feel hungry at all and I've lost 30 pounds in 58 days
  • candysleirer
    candysleirer Posts: 28 Member
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    Hmmm
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
  • candysleirer
    candysleirer Posts: 28 Member
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    I am still reading the article and I also read some other posts on this topic so I'm seeing what your all getting at but I do want to clarify that what I am talking about is not BIG caloric deficits or LARGE amounts of activity.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Totally get what your saying, However the maximum weight loss you can put in is 2lbs a week and I would really like to do a little more than that. And what the heck is a 250 calorie snack gonna do for me after cutting back so much junk already? Just sayin'

    Doing more than that would be *bad* for your health. Presumably you're losing weight to *improve* your health.

    You ARE talking about BIG caloric deficits. 2 lbs a week is a calorie deficit of 1000 calories a day. That's already a big deficit. To lose 3 lbs a week you need to do a 1500 a day deficit. That's enormous.

    If all you care about is the number on the scale and you're willing to sacrifice bone mass, organ mass, heart health, and lean mass to the maximum extent possible just to get your weight loss over with, go right ahead.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    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
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

    If your ticker is correct, you have 68lbs to lose so you should be aiming for 1 to 1.5lbs a week loss

    Trying to push it faster isn't going to really do much. Sure you may lose some weight, but it won't be sustainable. In fact, trying to net really low may just end up encouraging yo-yo dieting and disordered eating. You'll not learn to maintain (more than likely) and end up gaining most (if not all and then some) back.

    And with fast weight loss/a very low net - you end up losing a lot of muscle mass along with the fat.


    From personal experience, you'll end up losing the scale number but you'll be around the same size (clothes/measurement wise).

    And I have about 70lbs more to lose and if I were to put myself at a net 1200, it still wouldn't be a full 2lbs/week loss, so not sure how low you'd be trying to go...you say not a large deficit, but you would have to be to get that full 2lbs.

    In the end, taking it slow doesn't just help minimize muscle mass loss (along with eating sufficient protein and including some resistance/strength training in your weekly routine), it also helps minimize loose skin issues, teaches you more about moderation/willpower, and the forming and setting of habits you want to last so you are able to maintain your loss.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    Totally get what your saying, However the maximum weight loss you can put in is 2lbs a week and I would really like to do a little more than that. And what the heck is a 250 calorie snack gonna do for me after cutting back so much junk already? Just sayin'

    Doing more than that would be *bad* for your health. Presumably you're losing weight to *improve* your health.

    You ARE talking about BIG caloric deficits. 2 lbs a week is a calorie deficit of 1000 calories a day. That's already a big deficit. To lose 3 lbs a week you need to do a 1500 a day deficit. That's enormous.

    If all you care about is the number on the scale and you're willing to sacrifice bone mass, organ mass, heart health, and lean mass to the maximum extent possible just to get your weight loss over with, go right ahead.

    This 100%.
  • msbunnie68
    msbunnie68 Posts: 1,894 Member
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    Eating at 2 lbs a week loss is already a huge calorie deficit.

    Under eating that by 100-200 cals every day is another big deficit on top of the one MFP has created.

    Do you want to stay healthy and run around after that little one you are holding in your picutre? Yes? Then eat well and go for steady weightloss instead of dramatic flappy skin overnight "miracle' loss. It is not sustainable and you will fall off the wagon and binge at some point.

    Use the search function on this site to read all the binge/fell off the wagon/ etc stories. There is a common thread in most of them - they were way undereating what they needed and could not sustain it.
  • candysleirer
    candysleirer Posts: 28 Member
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    Dang that article was kinda harsh...I can't help that I am tightly wound. lol. But I guess I do need to just chill the hell out. But after reading to the end it seems that I am doing the right thing by doing moderate calorie deficit and moderate activity, right? I mean a 200 calorie deficit and 20-50min a day of moderate pace walking seems pretty balanced to me, plus with needed to lose 70lbs or more. I do appreciate everyone's comments, totally!
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    But after reading to the end it seems that I am doing the right thing by doing moderate calorie deficit and moderate activity, right?

    Yes. This isn't a race, and it would be stupid to sacrifice your health in order to lose a little bit faster.
  • msbunnie68
    msbunnie68 Posts: 1,894 Member
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    Dang that article was kinda harsh...I can't help that I am tightly wound. lol. But I guess I do need to just chill the hell out. But after reading to the end it seems that I am doing the right thing by doing moderate calorie deficit and moderate activity, right? I mean a 200 calorie deficit and 20-50min a day of moderate pace walking seems pretty balanced to me, plus with needed to lose 70lbs or more. I do appreciate everyone's comments, totally!

    That is where you are confused. The calorie deficit has already been worked out for you by this site - if you set 2lbs weight loss then MFP has ALREADY deducted the calories away from your total that you should eat to maintain your current weight. The total MFP gives you is the total daily calories you should eat TO LOSE 2LBS...you do not need to add in your own deficit. You need to eat AT the calorie level MFP says. You do not need to eat at 200 calories under that number. You need to eat AT or around that number.
  • candysleirer
    candysleirer Posts: 28 Member
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    Yeah I realized after reading another post that when it says moderate deficit that is included in the 2lbs a week. Crazy how your mind just doesn't want to accept it, it just has to believe that cutting more works. I'm not gonna lie, it is going to be difficult for me to be patient and wait to see the results.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Yeah I realized after reading another post that when it says moderate deficit that is included in the 2lbs a week. Crazy how your mind just doesn't want to accept it, it just has to believe that cutting more works. I'm not gonna lie, it is going to be difficult for me to be patient and wait to see the results.

    It gets easier. You WILL see the results.
  • candysleirer
    candysleirer Posts: 28 Member
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    Well shoot then, I guess I betta go get me a snack! haha
  • msbunnie68
    msbunnie68 Posts: 1,894 Member
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    Welcome to the healthy lifestyle club :D

    Our minds will and do play tricks on us. Sometimes the scales - they LIE dammit! But in the end we educate ourselves on what is best for bodies and try and live the lifestyle accordingly in the real world with real everyday foods while exercising our bodies and our portion control.

    Good luck xx

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