Is 1300 calories a realistic goal?

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  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I eat 1300 - 1500 a day as a 6ft 3 man, so it's perfectly doable. I only really get hungry late at night. Eating small but often helps a lot, and drinking a full 2 litres of water a day.

    This is scary - and not good advice for the original poster as she has much less weight to lose. FYI: Water doesn't support lean muscle mass...but carry on

    OP - if you plug in your stats using a TDEE calculator (total daily energy expenditure) and include exercise.....then take a cut....500 calories for 1 pound a week.....this will average out the calories. You wouldn't have the up/down of workout vs. rest days.

    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
  • throoper
    throoper Posts: 351 Member
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    It's fine to go over a few days a week, it just means you will slow down your progress. But that's better than being starving and then binging on an extra 1000 calories of food once a week or something.

    I try to stick to 1200 calories on days I don't exercise. I don't always succeed, but it's fairly doable. One of the keys is to fill yourself up with lots of veggies. Here's a sample food diary:

    Breakfast - coffee and milk plus a fried egg or a fruit/veggie/protein smoothie - 200-250 calories
    Lunch - big spinach salad with grilled chicken or canned salmon, balsamic vinegar, bell peppers - 300 calories
    Dinner - a big plate of veggies oven roasted in a little bit of olive oil plus 3-4 ounces of lean grilled protein - 400-500 calories
    Snacks - light string cheese, apple, light popcorn, a few nuts, etc - 200 calories
    Total - 1100 - 1350 calories
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,014 Member
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    As it turned out, yesterday wasn't really an issue. I only went over by about 13 calories. Thanks for all the advice. I'll stick with it for a while, and see what happens.

    I would consider 13 calories over to be on target - you dont have to get under really, you know - your total already has a built in deficit so going over slightly is really fine.:flowerforyou:
  • HestiaMoon1
    HestiaMoon1 Posts: 278 Member
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    Yes, you're fine. You'll adjust really quickly and not feel that fake hunger pain. I choose protein and healthy fats for most of my food and I don't feel deprived at all. Good luck!
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    One thing that occurs to me is that maybe the method of having a base calorie amount and 'eating back' exercise calories doesn't work for you. It's MFP's default method, but it doesn't mean that's how you have to do it. It could be that it's hard for you to eat less on the days you're not exercising than on the days you are.

    Overall, you should aim for a 3500/week deficit. So if you're working out on alternate days, try to use the weekly TDEE less 3500 calorie method, where the TDEE is calculated with the activity level you do built in. Then eat around the same number of calories every day whether or not it's a workout day, and don't worry about eating back exercise calories. It should average out to the same as what you're eating now, but with fewer fluctuations.

    Which method is better? I suspect it's personal preference. Give it a go if you like, and see how it does for you.
  • sarahjane135
    sarahjane135 Posts: 40 Member
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    I stay around 1100-1200 everyday and I find it totally doable (I'm a shorty though so I don't need much). I've never been a breakfast eater so that gives me the ability to have larger meals later. A lot of people eat breakfast because you are "supposed to" when those hunger feelings are actually your body digesting the food from the day before. To each their own though. A lot of it is also mental. If you see the large amounts of food you can have for that amount of calories then you begin to think differently about whether it is restrictive or not.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    OLD THREAD and according to her ticker OP hasn't lost any weight.
  • chicacherry666
    chicacherry666 Posts: 24
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    Hey I'm on a 1200 calorie per day thing but one day of the week I allow myself to have 1500 calories I find this works for me and I find it suits me and I will continue this :)
  • ljashley1952
    ljashley1952 Posts: 273 Member
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    I'm doing 1350 and have managed to stay under for 18 out of the 21 days I've been doing this. If I plan carefully I do not feel deprived. I cut calories where I can and make up for any excess in exercise. I think you should adjust your fitness level to more active status.

    You don't sound sedentary to me, if you work out 4-5 times a week. Sedentary would include people who have health problems that prevent them from actively working out on a regular basis. For example, I've had a total knee replacement, which eliminates impact exercise. I'm limited to walking and biking. It's harder to reach the heartrate one needs for good cardio that way. Walking and biking can be hard on the knees too, so I would consider myself fairly sedentary.

    I think if you claimed a more active status you would be allowed a few more calories to play with. Maybe 1600-1800, but I'm not sure.

    A typical breakfast for me is either coffee and toast or coffee and steel-cut oats, or maybe a piece of toast with a fried egg on it. Lunch is likely to be tea or coffee and a sandwich with half an ounce of cheese, one slice of deli sliced turkey, with a slice of tomato and lettuce or a bowl of vegetable soup. I try to keep breakfast around 200 calories and lunch at 300. That gives me room to have a normal dinner and a bedtime snack.

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