Eating more calories?

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missylectro
missylectro Posts: 448 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I apparently have a low metabolism which prevents me from losing weight from eating around 1700 calories a day, which is below my calculated TDEE and therefore I should be losing... I'm considering lowering my calories (again) to 1200 which is where I lost the most weight when I did. Problem is (according to my friend) that what if I eat at 1200 and am not losing? She claims that you need to eat more calories than 1200 in order to lose... But what if my metabolism is crap?
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Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Everyone is going to say the same thing: Are you weighing all of your food? Logging it all? Etc.

    Let's say you really are, there are lots of numbers between 1200 and 1700 to mess around with.

    People on here don't usually recommend 1200. I did it for a little kick in the *kitten*. I lost weight, but I put it back up slowly and continued to lose.
  • cookmtn
    cookmtn Posts: 156 Member
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    Why drop 500 calories? Why not lower by 100 calories, give it a couple weeks, and if that shows no change, lower by another 100. Weight loss takes time. If you want specific advice give age, weight, height, how much you want to lose, if you weigh your food with a digital scale, and open your diary.
  • Robbnva
    Robbnva Posts: 590 Member
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    Definitely do 1200 if you can, especially if 1700 isn't working for you. Stay above 1000 net cories imo
  • cookmtn
    cookmtn Posts: 156 Member
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    I see from your profile you only have 7 lbs to lose. It will go VERY slowly now. Large deficits will do more harm then good.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    How long has it been since you last lost weight?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    Robbnva wrote: »
    Definitely do 1200 if you can, especially if 1700 isn't working for you. Stay above 1000 net cories imo

    Don't listen to that.

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    The small amount you have to lose makes it all more imperative that you tighten your logging belt.
  • missylectro
    missylectro Posts: 448 Member
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    My diary is open.
    Last time I lost weight was two weeks ago but I'm beginning to think it was just water cuz I quickly gained it back. Before that... I don't remember... more than 6 months

  • missylectro
    missylectro Posts: 448 Member
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    Also I'm weighing and measuring everything
  • missylectro
    missylectro Posts: 448 Member
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    cookmtn wrote: »
    I see from your profile you only have 7 lbs to lose. It will go VERY slowly now. Large deficits will do more harm then good.

    Your math is off... I have around 20 pounds to go
  • 50sFit
    50sFit Posts: 712 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    Robbnva wrote: »
    Definitely do 1200 if you can, especially if 1700 isn't working for you. Stay above 1000 net cories imo

    Don't listen to that.
    Yep, that was the voice of absurdity... :o

  • missylectro
    missylectro Posts: 448 Member
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    :o
    LOL
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    hmmm, diary looks alright. What's your TDEE? Maybe try 1500 calories or so. I don't think it's blasphemous to eat at 1200 for a short period of time, but I find lots of people on here disagree.
  • missylectro
    missylectro Posts: 448 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    hmmm, diary looks alright. What's your TDEE? Maybe try 1500 calories or so. I don't think it's blasphemous to eat at 1200 for a short period of time, but I find lots of people on here disagree.

    My TDEE should be anywhere between 2000-2500... Different calculators give different TDEE.. I calculated it once based on my logging and I think it was 2200... But if that was my TDEE I should be losing at 1700 calories...

    Thank you. I think I can eat a lot of food and it would be around 1200... I eat very clean usually.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    how long have you been dieting/cutting for? how long did you previously eat at 1200 calories? what does your work out regimen consist of?
  • missylectro
    missylectro Posts: 448 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    how long have you been dieting/cutting for? how long did you previously eat at 1200 calories? what does your work out regimen consist of?
    I've been watching what I eat for over a year but got frustrated last summer and kinda ate whatever I wanted for a while... When I was eating at 1200 I lasted about 2 months. Now is different because I eat healthier and more in volume less in calorie (I have 6 meals a day). I work out 6 times a week. Doing Turbofire right now so a lot of cardio and stregth training at the gym a couple times a week.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    is 1700 a 500 per day deficit for you?

    My suggestions would be to eat at 1950 for a while and see how your body responds..with dieting for over a year you may have metabolic adaptation …

    sure, you can keep cutting lower and lower, but eventually your work outs are going to suffer and you are going to be starving all the time….
  • missylectro
    missylectro Posts: 448 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    is 1700 a 500 per day deficit for you?

    My suggestions would be to eat at 1950 for a while and see how your body responds..with dieting for over a year you may have metabolic adaptation …

    sure, you can keep cutting lower and lower, but eventually your work outs are going to suffer and you are going to be starving all the time….

    Something like that, sometimes a 300 calorie deficit or lower... What's "a while"?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    missylectro wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    is 1700 a 500 per day deficit for you?

    My suggestions would be to eat at 1950 for a while and see how your body responds..with dieting for over a year you may have metabolic adaptation …

    sure, you can keep cutting lower and lower, but eventually your work outs are going to suffer and you are going to be starving all the time….

    Something like that, sometimes a 300 calorie deficit or lower... What's "a while"?

    two weeks …and then re-assess...
  • doctorsookie
    doctorsookie Posts: 1,084 Member
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    cookmtn wrote: »
    I see from your profile you only have 7 lbs to lose. It will go VERY slowly now. Large deficits will do more harm then good.

    ^^^the last 15 are the hardest to get off. I'm about to lower my calories again too to jump start things again but I refuse to go to 1200 again. It was five when I had to lose 70 pounds but I only have fifteen to go. Well, 4.8 to my original goal which is the high end of my healthy weight. I'll reassess after that goal is met.

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