Is 1500 calories too little to eat to lose weight?
steponebyone
Posts: 123 Member
I posted recently, but have another question. So, I'm a 5'9 girl, about 170lbs, looking to lose 10-15lbs. My question is, is 1500 cals too little. Should I make it 1700? I work out maybe 5-6 days a week and burn at least 500 calories each time. Let me know if this is a good amount to stay with and still be healthy. Thank you.
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Replies
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1500 is minimum for guys, so you should be fine. Minimum for girls around these parts is 1200 calories.
But I would start by working out your tdee and how much you want to lose per week and go from there,.
Or just enter your details in mfp and let it do all the work.0 -
Since you are not very overweight to begin with, set a goal like 0.5 to 1 lb max per week and let MFP suggest calories to you.0
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I popped your stats into this calculator, and assumed you have a desk job. It came back with 1841 cals for maintenance, 1473 cals (TDEE-20%) to lose 0.7 lbs per week.
Given that you only have 10-15 lbs to lose, 1500-1600 looks just about right, putting you at 0.5 lbs or so per week ... a nice sustainable rate. Best of luck!
ETA - Note that the above assumes you are fairly sedentary. If you are active, you'll need to eat back a portion of those activity calories. The way I did it ... if I was feeling strong, I ate back fewer exercise calories; if I was feeling lethargic, I ate back most of my exercise calories. You'll find your own balance point.0 -
Since you are not very overweight to begin with, set a goal like 0.5 to 1 lb max per week and let MFP suggest calories to you.
I agree - would definitely favour .5 lbs.
I'm 5'7, lightly active (that's pushing it, very minimal exercise right now) and I maintain 135 at 2100-2200 per day. I lost (from 178) lbs) with 1800-2000 at an activity level comparable to yours.
I think your body will probably lose on way more than 1500. If I were you, I wouldn't go lower than 1800 or even 1900-2000 (gross). You need to have enough energy to do your workouts and live your life and not feel deprived, and you can do that and lose weight at the same time.0 -
I popped your stats into this calculator, and assumed you have a desk job. It came back with 1841 cals for maintenance, 1473 cals (TDEE-20%) to lose 0.7 lbs per week.
Given that you only have 10-15 lbs to lose, 1500-1600 looks just about right, putting you at 0.5 lbs or so per week ... a nice sustainable rate. Best of luck!
ETA - Note that the above assumes you are fairly sedentary. If you are active, you'll need to eat back a portion of those activity calories. The way I did it ... if I was feeling strong, I ate back fewer exercise calories; if I was feeling lethargic, I ate back most of my exercise calories. You'll find your own balance point.I popped your stats into this calculator, and assumed you have a desk job. It came back with 1841 cals for maintenance, 1473 cals (TDEE-20%) to lose 0.7 lbs per week.
Given that you only have 10-15 lbs to lose, 1500-1600 looks just about right, putting you at 0.5 lbs or so per week ... a nice sustainable rate. Best of luck!
ETA - Note that the above assumes you are fairly sedentary. If you are active, you'll need to eat back a portion of those activity calories. The way I did it ... if I was feeling strong, I ate back fewer exercise calories; if I was feeling lethargic, I ate back most of my exercise calories. You'll find your own balance point.
I agree, just need to find the balance. I definitely want to have a healthy weightloss and not starve myself. I probably should be eating back more of my calories from exercising, that might make me feel filled up more at night. Thanks for your response!0 -
Thanks for the input everyone. It really helped
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I agree with comments but would like to ask what are you doing that you believe burns 500 calories?0
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Okay so, 3500 calories is equivalent to 1 pound. Exercise is a key element to losing weight, but diet is just as important. Calories are not necessarily the key to dropping pounds, but in fact what you eat is significant. If you eat 1500 calories of junk food a day, or 2000 calories of healthy food a day, you're certainly more likely to loose it by eating healthier. Cutting back on calories can be hard as you're not used to it, so aim for 6 meals a day: breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and night snack. Snacks are essential as they'll prevent craving junk food during the day. Try and snack on apples as they're equivalent to 0 calories as your body burns off the amount of calories in them trying to digest it.
Remember 3500 calories = 1 pound. Therefore if you're eating 1500 calories a day, it would be ideal if you could burn off 200, which would make you lose it faster!
I hope this helped, good luck 0 -
livcrabtree wrote: »Okay so, 3500 calories is equivalent to 1 pound.
roughly
Exercise is a key element to losing weight, but diet is just as important.
wrong..weight loss is 80-90% diet and exercise for overall health
Calories are not necessarily the key to dropping pounds, but in fact what you eat is significant
rubbish ...what you eat is significant to overall health not weight loss. Weight loss is absolutely calories
. If you eat 1500 calories of junk food a day, or 2000 calories of healthy food a day, you're certainly more likely to loose it by eating healthier.
holy cow ...what rot! CI<CO that's the science ...that's the maths
Cutting back on calories can be hard as you're not used to it, so aim for 6 meals a day: breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and night snack.
meal timing is completely irrelevant ...you could eat it all in one meal and have the same result
Snacks are essential as they'll prevent craving junk food during the day.
for some
Try and snack on apples as they're equivalent to 0 calories as your body burns off the amount of calories in them trying to digest it.
holy cow! You seriously believe that ...an apple is about 80 calories and is the same as eating 80 calories of chocolate...seriously how can you even think that
Remember 3500 calories = 1 pound.
roughly
Therefore if you're eating 1500 calories a day, it would be ideal if you could burn off 200, which would make you lose it faster!
I hope this helped, good luck
That didn't help anyone because it was almost complete nonsense0 -
livcrabtree wrote: »Okay so, 3500 calories is equivalent to 1 pound. Exercise is a key element to losing weight, but diet is just as important. Calories are not necessarily the key to dropping pounds, but in fact what you eat is significant. If you eat 1500 calories of junk food a day, or 2000 calories of healthy food a day, you're certainly more likely to loose it by eating healthier. Cutting back on calories can be hard as you're not used to it, so aim for 6 meals a day: breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and night snack. Snacks are essential as they'll prevent craving junk food during the day. Try and snack on apples as they're equivalent to 0 calories as your body burns off the amount of calories in them trying to digest it.
Remember 3500 calories = 1 pound. Therefore if you're eating 1500 calories a day, it would be ideal if you could burn off 200, which would make you lose it faster!
I hope this helped, good luck
Dear everyone, please disregard all of the above. Just so much no...0 -
livcrabtree wrote: »Okay so, 3500 calories is equivalent to 1 pound. Exercise is a key element to losing weight, but diet is just as important. Calories are not necessarily the key to dropping pounds, but in fact what you eat is significant. If you eat 1500 calories of junk food a day, or 2000 calories of healthy food a day, you're certainly more likely to loose it by eating healthier. Cutting back on calories can be hard as you're not used to it, so aim for 6 meals a day: breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and night snack. Snacks are essential as they'll prevent craving junk food during the day. Try and snack on apples as they're equivalent to 0 calories as your body burns off the amount of calories in them trying to digest it.
Remember 3500 calories = 1 pound. Therefore if you're eating 1500 calories a day, it would be ideal if you could burn off 200, which would make you lose it faster!
I hope this helped, good luck
No. No, no no.0 -
The apples bit is my favourite...0
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It was bad enough when people thought celery was a 0 calorie food, but this expansion is ridiculous.0
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livcrabtree wrote: »Okay so, 3500 calories is equivalent to 1 pound.
roughly
Exercise is a key element to losing weight, but diet is just as important.
wrong..weight loss is 80-90% diet and exercise for overall health
Calories are not necessarily the key to dropping pounds, but in fact what you eat is significant
rubbish ...what you eat is significant to overall health not weight loss. Weight loss is absolutely calories
. If you eat 1500 calories of junk food a day, or 2000 calories of healthy food a day, you're certainly more likely to loose it by eating healthier.
holy cow ...what rot! CI<CO that's the science ...that's the maths
Cutting back on calories can be hard as you're not used to it, so aim for 6 meals a day: breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and night snack.
meal timing is completely irrelevant ...you could eat it all in one meal and have the same result
Snacks are essential as they'll prevent craving junk food during the day.
for some
Try and snack on apples as they're equivalent to 0 calories as your body burns off the amount of calories in them trying to digest it.
holy cow! You seriously believe that ...an apple is about 80 calories and is the same as eating 80 calories of chocolate...seriously how can you even think that
Remember 3500 calories = 1 pound.
roughly
Therefore if you're eating 1500 calories a day, it would be ideal if you could burn off 200, which would make you lose it faster!
I hope this helped, good luck
That didn't help anyone because it was almost complete nonsense
@rabbitjb ^^ nicely done... your comments are always spot on
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Aww thanks
I try
I learned so much from those who went before, I like passing it on because I feel so much better now0 -
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this thread was going fine. Question was asked. Reasonable answers given.
Then @livcrabtree tried to help.
I am not quoting you cause i don't want this to just be an "everyone is crapping on me" thing; but, for your own sake, please read through the getting started section's sticky posts.
Unless you are claiming that the thermic effect of healthy food is such that the net calories absorbed are 25% less than for junk food, and calories being a unit of measurement, on the face of it your argument that 2,000 Calories are less than 1500 Calories makes no sense.
Since on average TEF is of the order of 10%, your claim boggles my mind unless you plan to eat 2000 Calories of celery (and actually celery may or may not generate more of a thermic effect than protein, which might come closest to working the way you seem to think things work https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_dynamic_action)
By the way note that there are health consequences to not eating a semi balanced diet, including to eating huge amounts of protein, so just because TEF for protein is highest this doesn't )mean you get to only eat protein!
And apples have calories. This is not weight watchers.....
Now an apple may help you feel full longer because of fiber, bulk, and time to digest and reduced metabolic impact compared to an equacaloric amount of chocolate, that is true. But that is not what you said....you said apples have no calories..
So no!
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I agree with everyone else's comments regarding @livcrabtree. Just NO! I'm sure she's trying to help but PLEASE don't follow that advice.
I'm 5'8 1/2" and weigh 197 and limit myself to around 1500 cals per day. I'm not hungry at that limit and exercise at least 5 days per week to burn about 800 calories and usually don't consume enough food to meet that caloric limit.
It's all about calories in and calories out, and burning more than you consume. That's the key to losing weight and I think 1500 for your weight and height should be plenty if you make healthy food choices. Add more fruits and veggies and you'll be fine.
Snacking is where I usually have trouble but I'm working on that.
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Nony_Mouse wrote: »The apples bit is my favourite...
Mine too. I love apples, glad I no longer have to log them!
(Just kidding. Really, people, what on earth?)0 -
RunRutheeRun wrote: »livcrabtree wrote: »Okay so, 3500 calories is equivalent to 1 pound.
roughly
Exercise is a key element to losing weight, but diet is just as important.
wrong..weight loss is 80-90% diet and exercise for overall health
Calories are not necessarily the key to dropping pounds, but in fact what you eat is significant
rubbish ...what you eat is significant to overall health not weight loss. Weight loss is absolutely calories
. If you eat 1500 calories of junk food a day, or 2000 calories of healthy food a day, you're certainly more likely to loose it by eating healthier.
holy cow ...what rot! CI<CO that's the science ...that's the maths
Cutting back on calories can be hard as you're not used to it, so aim for 6 meals a day: breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and night snack.
meal timing is completely irrelevant ...you could eat it all in one meal and have the same result
Snacks are essential as they'll prevent craving junk food during the day.
for some
Try and snack on apples as they're equivalent to 0 calories as your body burns off the amount of calories in them trying to digest it.
holy cow! You seriously believe that ...an apple is about 80 calories and is the same as eating 80 calories of chocolate...seriously how can you even think that
Remember 3500 calories = 1 pound.
roughly
Therefore if you're eating 1500 calories a day, it would be ideal if you could burn off 200, which would make you lose it faster!
I hope this helped, good luck
That didn't help anyone because it was almost complete nonsense
@rabbitjb ^^ nicely done... your comments are always spot on
Yep, great post. OP, listen to rabbitjb--she knows what she's talking about!0 -
Anyway, I'm 5'3, 125, so need less calories than you, OP, and am losing really well at the moment with 1500 calories plus some extra exercise calories when I do heavier workouts. I'd recommend eating back a little of your exercise or else factoring it in by starting with a slightly higher number, but 1500 wouldn't be a terrible starting place. Just monitor results and how you feel.0
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1500 is fine i'm a 5'10 man 195 and thats what I eat daily...0
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livcrabtree wrote: »Okay so, 3500 calories is equivalent to 1 pound.
roughly
Exercise is a key element to losing weight, but diet is just as important.
wrong..weight loss is 80-90% diet and exercise for overall health
Calories are not necessarily the key to dropping pounds, but in fact what you eat is significant
rubbish ...what you eat is significant to overall health not weight loss. Weight loss is absolutely calories
. If you eat 1500 calories of junk food a day, or 2000 calories of healthy food a day, you're certainly more likely to loose it by eating healthier.
holy cow ...what rot! CI<CO that's the science ...that's the maths
Cutting back on calories can be hard as you're not used to it, so aim for 6 meals a day: breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and night snack.
meal timing is completely irrelevant ...you could eat it all in one meal and have the same result
Snacks are essential as they'll prevent craving junk food during the day.
for some
Try and snack on apples as they're equivalent to 0 calories as your body burns off the amount of calories in them trying to digest it.
holy cow! You seriously believe that ...an apple is about 80 calories and is the same as eating 80 calories of chocolate...seriously how can you even think that
Remember 3500 calories = 1 pound.
roughly
Therefore if you're eating 1500 calories a day, it would be ideal if you could burn off 200, which would make you lose it faster!
I hope this helped, good luck
That didn't help anyone because it was almost complete nonsense
Its almost as if they were trying to push every button. They missed starvation mode and detox/cleanses but appart from those they look to have mention every myth or misunderstanding people have about weight loss.
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rhawfax1986 wrote: »1500 is fine i'm a 5'10 man 195 and thats what I eat daily...
Actually you should be eating more then that and still lose.0 -
Apples are 0 calorie. Rotf. Apples can easily run you 100 calories per apple. Eat 3 of those a day if you're on a 250 calorie deficit.... you will get nowhere.0
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rhawfax1986 wrote: »1500 is fine i'm a 5'10 man 195 and thats what I eat daily...
Actually you should be eating more then that and still lose.
^^ agreed..especially when I can lose eating at 1900cals and I'm 5ft 2"0 -
I have done a little research on this and most things I come across says you should take your weight and times by 12 that's how many calories you need. You can stray from that but you shouldn't go too far until you start to see the scale drop and keep lowering then you can reverse diet to maintain.0
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amber2funke wrote: »I have done a little research on this and most things I come across says you should take your weight and times by 12 that's how many calories you need. You can stray from that but you shouldn't go too far until you start to see the scale drop and keep lowering then you can reverse diet to maintain.
So by your theory, I should be eating nearly 2900 calories a day. My TDEE is 2200. I'd gain weight using your "formula"
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ValerieMartini2Olives wrote: »amber2funke wrote: »I have done a little research on this and most things I come across says you should take your weight and times by 12 that's how many calories you need. You can stray from that but you shouldn't go too far until you start to see the scale drop and keep lowering then you can reverse diet to maintain.
So by you're theory, I should be eating nearly 2900 calories a day. My TDEE is 2200. I'd gain weight using your "formula"
LOL,
Mine says I need to eat 1400 calories to lose weight, I'm doing 1600-1900 calories and losing weight.0 -
The bolded statement is a misunderstanding. While some foods require more digestion than others, the metabolizable energy of food is already accounted for in the Atwater method of determining caloric content, particularly when using the standard adjustements of soluble fiber to 2 calories/g and insoluble fiber to 0 calories/g.livcrabtree wrote: »Okay so, 3500 calories is equivalent to 1 pound. Exercise is a key element to losing weight, but diet is just as important. Calories are not necessarily the key to dropping pounds, but in fact what you eat is significant. If you eat 1500 calories of junk food a day, or 2000 calories of healthy food a day, you're certainly more likely to loose it by eating healthier. Cutting back on calories can be hard as you're not used to it, so aim for 6 meals a day: breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and night snack. Snacks are essential as they'll prevent craving junk food during the day. Try and snack on apples as they're equivalent to 0 calories as your body burns off the amount of calories in them trying to digest it.
Remember 3500 calories = 1 pound. Therefore if you're eating 1500 calories a day, it would be ideal if you could burn off 200, which would make you lose it faster!
I hope this helped, good luck
Why would the human body have metabolic pathways designed to net 0 energy out of food? There would be no evolutionary advantage to such, and there would be some possible disadvantages to it. It just doesn't make sense.0
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