2000 Calorie Deficit

msukjstm
msukjstm Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi All,

First time poster so I'll try to keep it brief.

Im 6"6 and weigh in at around 260lbs (21% bf)

According to some calculators etc this means my BMR sits at around 3400 calories (some say more) but then others say around 2,200.

Regardless of that, I've been taking in around 1800/2200 calories per day and training fairly hard (around 1000 calories per day burned off with exercise)

This means that I routinely leave an (estimated) deficit of anything up to 1600/2000 calories.

Is this likely to have a negative impact on my continued weight loss? I've read a lot about it and there seems to be massively conflicting views!

Any help would be hugely appreciated!

:)

Replies

  • FlexinHenrique94
    FlexinHenrique94 Posts: 48
    If your goal is weight loss and it is working for you, I don't know why you should worry about it. Anyway, if these two questions help you out... Do you feel like you're out of energy? Hungry all the time?
  • msukjstm
    msukjstm Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks for the reply!

    I know it's worked up until now but I seem to be hitting walls every month or so where I stall for 3/4 weeks then lose a minuscule amount (2/3lbs) and then go back to stalling.

    Im not sure how else to manage my routine in order to keep the loss moving
  • mikes99mail
    mikes99mail Posts: 318 Member
    I'll be watching replies with interest - I'm only 6'2" & 230lb but, like you, I regularly get a deficit of > 1000 / 1500 lower than the BMR that online calculators give me and I'm losing buggerall...
  • Squamation
    Squamation Posts: 522 Member
    I can't see your diary.

    From your ticker it looks like you've lost a considerable amount- it gets harder the smaller you become.

    What sort of exercises are you doing? Burning 1000 cals a day sounds like a lot of cardio. Have you tried doing any strength training?
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,222 Member
    If you are 21% body fat then yes a 2000 calorie deficit is too much. 1500 should be a max deficit if your other numbers are correct and by max it means less is better for sustainability and for maintaining LBM.
  • Shaky44
    Shaky44 Posts: 214 Member


    According to some calculators etc this means my BMR sits at around 3400 calories (some say more) but then others say around 2,200.

    Your BMR is somewhere in the 2200 - 2500 range. If you are getting a value of 3400, that is likely to be your TDEE.
  • dinosnopro
    dinosnopro Posts: 2,177 Member
    My TDEE is around 4000 to 4200 and like you I can run a big deficit for awhile, but I like to eat, so I just use the TDEE minus 20%. As you have found out even if you have the room for a large deficit, you will stall.
  • tectactoe
    tectactoe Posts: 73 Member
    1000 calories burned seems like an awful lot, too. How did you come up with that number?
  • bridgie101
    bridgie101 Posts: 817 Member
    I think it will eventually have a negative impact because I think you're eventually going to totally crash and burn, severely.

    It sounds like it's already getting harder now. How about giving it a holiday, sitting on maintenance for a week, by which I mean your total daily energy expenditure, not just your base metabolic rate - and get yourself back to a stable level. This will reset your metabolism/hormones, give you some perspective, and then you can go back down to a deficit of 500cals a day, and just take it a bit easier.

    You've lost all the easy weight. Now comes the hard weight and you have to take it slow. You're 6'4". no way you should be eating 1800 cals a day and exercising your guts up.

    :P :)
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    I'd question the accuracy of logging. Even with some level of metabolic adaptation, at that kind of deficit you should be losing more weight loss. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because this deficit is too high if accurate.

    There's a limit on how much of a deficit that you can run and still have your body lose primarily fat. IIRC, research has given that each pound of fat can release 31.4 calories/day of energy -- I use 30 calories/day because the numbers are easier to crunch in my head -- and at 21% body fat, you've only got a bit over 50 lbs of fat.

    The problem with losing lean mass instead of fat mass is that 1) you have to lose more weight to get the level of bodyfat you want, 2) it puts strain on your heart because when your body starts to cannibalize muscle it doesn't say 'hey look, those pecs over there? he doesn't need those, we'll go nom those' but takes it from everywhere, just like fat loss comes from everywhere and unfortunately for me not just from your abs.

    If your logging's accurate, you really ought to eat a bit more now that your weight is lower. But you should also make sure that you're weighing everything that you can weigh and measuring anything you can't, and investigate the accuracy of your exercise calories -- because if the reason you're losing slower than you'd like is because your logging is far off (like secret eaters far off) and your deficit is more like 400 calories, then eating more is definitely going to bring it to a halt.
  • ekz13
    ekz13 Posts: 725 Member
    I'm in the same boat too.... (6'3, 230lb) and eating 1540/day (according to MFP) with 4.5 mi running daily.. I tried the tdee -20% and I was gaining again

    scooby is showing (with no exercise) BMR 2152 / TDEE 2582 / daily goal of 2065

    I can see the 1k burned/day, my running estimates about 800-850, so toss on a couple strength things and you can hit that I think.

    I can't believe that everyone is logging incorrectly
  • AnjaliSD
    AnjaliSD Posts: 42 Member
    Double check your logging, but also speak with a your doctor, or any GP. I feel like a 1500 deficit over time could mean that you aren't getting in all the nutrients you need. Remember that at 6'6, you need more calcium, iron, and really everything else in order to stay healthy.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I'm 5'10" 180 Lbs, 19% BF and oldish and lose easily and steadily at 2200 - 2300 calories per day with a TDEE (including exercise) of 2700 - 2800 calories. If you're over 6 foot and exercising and not losing eating 2000 - 2500 calories per day then I'd say you're doing something wrong...either you are underestimating your intake by several hundred calories, or you are overestimating your exercise and eating back too many calories or overestimating your TDEE if you're using that method.

    If a smallish 5'10" guy can lose eating 2200 - 2300 calories then someone much larger should have no issue whatsoever...
  • zippyjojo
    zippyjojo Posts: 22 Member
    What is a TDEE??!! (sorry peeps, new to this!)
  • ekz13
    ekz13 Posts: 725 Member
    Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)
  • tjw00
    tjw00 Posts: 18 Member
    Hi All,

    First time poster so I'll try to keep it brief.

    Im 6"6 and weigh in at around 260lbs (21% bf)


    Unless you feel the "burnout blahs", i wouldn't worry about it. I was 240lbs when I started, and I'm 6'2". I ran a huge calorie deficit in the beginning, and I wouldn't slack off till I got that really tired feeling at the time of day you usually workout. I knew i was overextending when I would feel really *blah* at my usual workout time. Later on, I used my heart rate as a benchmark for when I am overreaching. If my resting heart rate is not close to where it should be when I usually start my run, then I don't run that day. I typically do 1000+ of cardio a day.

    Like someone else said, you'll tear through fat till you reach those last remaining pounds before your target weight. Those last few pounds are really tough.
  • sarafischbach9
    sarafischbach9 Posts: 466 Member
    That does seem like a large deficit, but you are a very tall and active guy, verses a small girl like myself. A 2000 calorie deficit would be starvation for me. My TDEE is around 2000--- sometimes more, like 2200 or 2300, but usually around 2000, and that is me being moderately active. On days I run I'm sure its much higher.

    I do think that is a large deficit, but like I said, your body is different from mine and you are allowed more calories overall. You have more calories to play around with, so I don't think it will hurt your body as much. That being said, a 2000 calorie deficit is a large one and maybe your body is getting used to it, thus the stalls? How much more weight do you need to lose?

    Are you hungry at night? I find that if I'm hungry when I go to bed, then I probably didn't eat enough during the day. Or if I get crabby or something.

    Good luck!
  • Hondo_Man
    Hondo_Man Posts: 114 Member
    [/quote]

    Like someone else said, you'll tear through fat till you reach those last remaining pounds

    [/quote]

    And at a 2000 calorie deficit, he'll tear through muscle too.
  • Hondo_Man
    Hondo_Man Posts: 114 Member
    OP, what you're doing is extremely dangerous for your health. You calories are so far beneath your BMR, that this is going to hurt you more than do you good.

    Read this from the Illinois University Medical Staff:
    http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/handouts/metabolism.htm

    I've said this so many times over the years, but will continue to do so. Eating below your BMR is unhealthy. Your body demands a certain amount of calories per day to function. The bear minimum - BMR. When is doesn't get it, it can cause irreparable harm. A woman posted on this site that due to her eating 1200 calories per day, which was under her BMR, it damaged her heart. Medical professionals were able to determine the issue, instructed her on proper nutrition, which among other things, increased her caloric intake, and her heart has gotten stronger. Fully recovered? No. But healthier. So, OP, if you want to lose weight and remain healthy, increase your calorie intake. The best and safest course is 10-20% of your TDEE.

    I use the BMR/TDEE calculator from the Heidelberg University of Sport Medicine here in Germany. Based on your stats, your TDEE is 4000 and your BMR is 2350.
  • KseRz
    KseRz Posts: 980 Member


    According to some calculators etc this means my BMR sits at around 3400 calories (some say more) but then others say around 2,200.

    Your BMR is somewhere in the 2200 - 2500 range. If you are getting a value of 3400, that is likely to be your TDEE.

    Also keep in mind that as you get closer to your goal, these numbers will decrease as will your 1000s of calorie deficit.
  • tjw00
    tjw00 Posts: 18 Member
    There will always be those ready to quote arcane University studies and use scare tactics. There is only one expert on your body : you. There is only one benchmark on how your body is responding to training: how you feel. Once again, I ran huge calorie deficits in the beginning of my training and tore through fat in the beginning. Once those initial gains were achieved, i had to be more careful, and my body told to be careful with feedback of tiredness and runner "blahs" the next day.


    Listen to your body, not some University study.
  • msukjstm
    msukjstm Posts: 6 Member
    I walk 3 miles a day (to and from work) and do an hour of weights followed by a min of 30 mins jogging. Ive dropped 4.5 stone until now but it's really starting to slow up...
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I walk 3 miles a day (to and from work) and do an hour of weights followed by a min of 30 mins jogging. Ive dropped 4.5 stone until now but it's really starting to slow up...

    check your logging...if your weight loss is slowing you are eating more than you think....and with so little weight left you should be reverse dieting now...which means slowly upping your calories to maitenance.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    There will always be those ready to quote arcane University studies and use scare tactics. There is only one expert on your body : you. There is only one benchmark on how your body is responding to training: how you feel. Once again, I ran huge calorie deficits in the beginning of my training and tore through fat in the beginning. Once those initial gains were achieved, i had to be more careful, and my body told to be careful with feedback of tiredness and runner "blahs" the next day.


    Listen to your body, not some University study.

    If only that damned science stuff actually worked or made sense .... oh, wait .... it does.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    I'm in the same boat too.... (6'3, 230lb) and eating 1540/day (according to MFP) with 4.5 mi running daily.. I tried the tdee -20% and I was gaining again

    scooby is showing (with no exercise) BMR 2152 / TDEE 2582 / daily goal of 2065

    I can see the 1k burned/day, my running estimates about 800-850, so toss on a couple strength things and you can hit that I think.

    I can't believe that everyone is logging incorrectly

    It's a very common problem. Already there's a formula that says net running calories burned = .63 X weight (lbs) X distance (miles) = .63 x 230 x 4.5 = 650 ish. It may not be 100% accurate for everyone but hey, it's something. Food calories if you want to know if you're logging accurately you'd need to open up your diary. Skilled loggers can usually tell when something sticks out a bit and the numbers don't look right and can help you

    Settings -> Diary Settings -> Diary Sharing (Select Public) -> Save Changes

    Forgive me if you were just randomly commenting and are ok with your progress. I just woke up :)
  • msukjstm
    msukjstm Posts: 6 Member
    Diary's now open :)
  • msukjstm
    msukjstm Posts: 6 Member
    Turns out it was just a bit of a stall...had a "whoosh day" and dropped 6lb over night. Seem's to be a recurring theme now. Drops steady for a week or 2, then stalls for 3/4 then a big drop over night (usually after a drink or cheat day)
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
    Turns out it was just a bit of a stall...had a "whoosh day" and dropped 6lb over night. Seem's to be a recurring theme now. Drops steady for a week or 2, then stalls for 3/4 then a big drop over night (usually after a drink or cheat day)

    This happens to me too. I will be steady for a couple of weeks then I get a big drop.

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