How low can I go?

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redshadow310
redshadow310 Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm trying to be aggressive about losing weight as I have quite a bit to drop. With a goal of losing 2lbs a week MFP puts my target at 3130 calories per day. I have been averaging 2550 calories per day consumed. Exercise is at about 450 calories per day burned on top of that. I'm pushing my current limits with exercise. Would it be healthy to cut another 400-500 calories from my diet? Could I cut even more without having issues?

Thanks!

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  • LolaKarwowski
    LolaKarwowski Posts: 217 Member
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    You may need to provide some more info here. You are male/female? Weight? Height? Activity level?
  • redshadow310
    redshadow310 Posts: 18 Member
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    Sure. Male / 36 / 433 / 5'10" / Low during the day. For exercise I have been walking a bit more than a mile each evening.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Can you get a referral to a registered dietician from your doctor? I'd think you could definitely aim for more than 2 lb/week, but it's probably good to get some guidance and oversight.
  • redshadow310
    redshadow310 Posts: 18 Member
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    I will be seeing one in a couple of weeks. I just want to get some good momentum going right now.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
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    Do you feel sated?
  • redshadow310
    redshadow310 Posts: 18 Member
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    Most of the time. I have been snacking quite a bit to meet 2500 calories in a day.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    How long have you been at your current intake level? How much have you lost?
  • redshadow310
    redshadow310 Posts: 18 Member
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    I have been at this for a week. I last weighed myself 5 days ago and had lost 1 pound.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    redshadow310 wrote: »
    I have been averaging 2550 calories per day consumed. Exercise is at about 450 calories per day burned on top of that. I'm pushing my current limits with exercise. Would it be healthy to cut another 400-500 calories from my diet? Could I cut even more without having issues?

    Thanks!

    It sounds like you already have great momentum going. Congrats! Since you have a dietician appointment coming up soon, I'd suggest that you stick with the current plan until you get professional guidance. A couple of weeks won't make that much difference, do I'd err on the side of keeping it safe. Good luck!
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    edited July 2015
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    In that case, I would stay at 2500 for another 2-3 weeks just to see the full effect, then think about adjusting. 2500 should have a bigger effect than a little more than a pound per week, but bodies don't respond as quickly/immediately as we'd like. Plus, everyone has kind of a residual excitement when they start a deficit that can mask a lot of things (like hunger and fatigue). It'll be very easy for you to take your calories down a little bit more after the first 4 weeks and create a bigger deficit if you want; however, some people can create an unreasonably huge deficit right out of the gate and have that trigger a binge, and that can be mentally difficult to recover from.
  • loulamb7
    loulamb7 Posts: 801 Member
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    I would agree with keeping it at 2550 for a few week. I would rather keep it higher, then when you have to drop calories, because you've loss weight, you'll have move room to drop.
  • redshadow310
    redshadow310 Posts: 18 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Thanks for the advice everyone, I will stick with what I am doing now and hold off on going any lower. I probably should have clarified a bit better. The one pound loss was after 2 days of 1300 calories and feeling like crap. After that I found MFP and started my current routine of 2500 plus walking a mile+ a night. I plan on weighing myself again Thursday after 1 week on this routine.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    This probably won't be a concern, but be aware that any time you start or change an exercise routine, there's a possibility that you'll see some water retention that can mask weight loss. If the walking is new activity, don't panic yet if you see a smaller loss than you'd expect just based on the math. Good luck!
  • arb037
    arb037 Posts: 203 Member
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    OP, with the stats you posted your BMR is almost 2900 calories. Your TDEE @ lightly acitve is almost 4000 calories.
    2500 is way too big of a deficit. Firstly you should not drop below BMR.
    I understand you want to drop fast, but keep in mind, the body adapts, so in 6 weeks your metabolism is going to slow down to adjust to the reduced energy intake. Start at 3400 Then if you stall for a week or two you can cut more calories. And still have room to cut before getting down to BMR.
    Might look into and read up on the Ketogenic diet,

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