Losing weight on 1400-1500 calories?

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  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
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    I was eating about 1500-1550 and strength training 4-5 times a week and cardio around 3-4 times a week (mostly HIIT cardio, jump training, stair intervals and volleyball) and I did not lose any weight for a month (I did lose about 3 lbs the first month). So now I have been eating 1350 or under most days and went down a pound in the past 2 weeks.

    Like you said everyone is different and I do sit at a desk all day. I don't do a lot of walking or activities outside of my workouts or volleyball tournaments on the weekends. I also allow myself 1 "splurge" meal a week (1 meal-not the whole day).

    I'm sure it's possible but this is my current situation.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
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    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    can I ask how 1200-1300 is maintenance for you? Im curious because thats an awfully low number for maintenance for your height/weight.I dont really think age is a big factor as lot of women/men here have lost weight and quite a few are older.

    How? Because I don't lose or gain at that level. I don't know how else to explain it. :) As I said, I am an outlier (always have been all my life) so I am at that low end of the scale. It's worth noting that all those calculators use averages of a larger range, to come with their numbers. I just fall at the low end, and always have. I have several others (older females) that follow that same profile, so who knows maybe it is a genetic thing. :/

  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
    edited February 2017
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    How are you measuring your Calories In?

    Hmmm. How do you measure them? I use a food scale for everything. I've been tracking calories for many years, so I know the routine I assure you. ;) Every morsel, every m&m. Really. I also have a desk job, always have. So most of my day is spend off my feet, even though I exercise at night regularly.



  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
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    Wickglamgirl wrote: »
    So here's a question to this group - would you say that one should decrease one's calories depending on age? Or should I stick with the guided MFP plan? I also work out - more now than ever - but I'm not consistent with my weight dropping. I've lost about 8 lbs. - but it has taken me FOREVER - LOL - I'm at 1450 cals now

    I would not do it just because of age. Sure metabolism drops but I think the calculators take that into account. If what you are doing is working, then stick with it. If not, then make a change.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    can I ask how 1200-1300 is maintenance for you? Im curious because thats an awfully low number for maintenance for your height/weight.I dont really think age is a big factor as lot of women/men here have lost weight and quite a few are older.

    How? Because I don't lose or gain at that level. I don't know how else to explain it. :) As I said, I am an outlier (always have been all my life) so I am at that low end of the scale. It's worth noting that all those calculators use averages of a larger range, to come with their numbers. I just fall at the low end, and always have. I have several others (older females) that follow that same profile, so who knows maybe it is a genetic thing. :/

    I dont think its a genetic thing unless the other females you are mentioning are family,you say they follow the same profile??? In the past I had no issues losing weight,heck in 2003 I lost it without even trying.fast forward to now, and I find out I have a metabolic disorder(had it all my life just had no idea),and weight loss is soooo very slow for me.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
    edited February 2017
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    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    I dont think its a genetic thing unless the other females you are mentioning are family,you say they follow the same profile??? In the past I had no issues losing weight,heck in 2003 I lost it without even trying.fast forward to now, and I find out I have a metabolic disorder(had it all my life just had no idea),and weight loss is soooo very slow for me.

    Yes I meant to say that those women were family members. Typed too fast! I have never had my metabolism checked, but have had my thyroid checked (I have a complete physical every year) and it is normal. Many years ago, when I was around 21, I had a couple of fainting spells, and I was told I had low blood pressure - dr told me I needed to incorporate an exercise program into my day to "get the blood flowing". :) It took a while but I did start running at 27, have been a runner all my life until a knee issue this past year, and I've been a regular gym-goer for as many years. My health is excellent and my dr. attributes it so exercise and good diet. And I do still have good BP too - my resting heart rate is high 40's, probably due to so many years of running.
  • silversequin7
    silversequin7 Posts: 6 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    silversequin7 wrote: »
    I wanted to know if anyone (specifically women) have had success losing weight on a 1400-1500 calorie diet.

    I would like to lose 20-30 pounds--I am currently 165 lbs / 5'8". I have lost weight in the past, but through unhealthy measures i.e. 1000-1100 calorie diets. I would like to go about losing weight now using healthier measures. I have shifted from mostly cardio to mostly weights and I want to be able to eat moderately low calories, not ultra low.

    I know that what works for one person and what works for another can vary widely, but I was just curious if there were people losing weight eating 1400-1500 calories.

    Just FYI if you just switched to weight lifting you might have some temporary water weight gain - my own scale went up 7 pounds when I started lifting again.

    Are you talking 1400-1500 calories gross or net?

    Gross calories include the calories you ate back from earning more calories from exercise.

    Depending on my exercise level, I can lose weight eating 2,000 gross calories or more.

    Yeah I do think that weight lifting may have cause me to gain some water weight, especially after leg workouts. How long did it take you to shed?

    I don't log exercise into MFP so I only consider gross calories.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Wickglamgirl wrote: »
    So here's a question to this group - would you say that one should decrease one's calories depending on age? Or should I stick with the guided MFP plan? I also work out - more now than ever - but I'm not consistent with my weight dropping. I've lost about 8 lbs. - but it has taken me FOREVER - LOL - I'm at 1450 cals now

    MFP takes your age into consideration when you set up your goals. Just follow what it says.

    OP - I'm 5-7 and 149#, I lose one pound a week at 1800 cals when I stick to it. I lift, run or do Pilates every day.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    I dont think its a genetic thing unless the other females you are mentioning are family,you say they follow the same profile??? In the past I had no issues losing weight,heck in 2003 I lost it without even trying.fast forward to now, and I find out I have a metabolic disorder(had it all my life just had no idea),and weight loss is soooo very slow for me.

    Yes I meant to say that those women were family members. Typed too fast! I have never had my metabolism checked, but have had my thyroid checked (I have a complete physical every year) and it is normal. Many years ago, when I was around 21, I had a couple of fainting spells, and I was told I had low blood pressure - dr told me I needed to incorporate an exercise program into my day to "get the blood flowing". :) It took a while but I did start running at 27, have been a runner all my life until a knee issue this past year, and I've been a regular gym-goer for as many years. My health is excellent and my dr. attributes it so exercise and good diet. And I do still have good BP too - my resting heart rate is high 40's, probably due to so many years of running.

    oh ok, Im not a runner but on a good day my resting HR is in the 40s. I too have low blood pressure,which they are keeping an eye on because its something new for me.I've always had health issues,even when I was thin and active. But some have improved since I have gotten older and became active again.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    I am 5'8.5" and 160lbs. I am losing eating 1800 to 2000 calories a day plus exercise calories.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    OP - first, I would check to make sure that the goal weight you are striving for is a healthy one. To lose 30 lbs, from where you are now, that would put you at 5'8 and 135 lbs. That's within a healthy BMI range, but toward the lower end. You are focusing more on strength training than cardio - a lot of people find with that approach that they achieve their desired body composition at a higher weight than strictly focusing on an arbitrary scale number.

    Second - yes I absolutely think it is possible for you to lose weight eating 1400-1500 cals. I think it's possible for you to lose weight eating even more. I'm 5'2, and lost about 30 lbs (from 153-120) eating b/w 1600-1800 cals. I'm pretty active even though I have a desk job, averaging now 15K steps/day (I was truly sedentary when I started), so my maintenance calories are ~2200.

    I would put in a goal of 0.5 lb/week, let MFP set a calorie target for you, log everything you eat accurately and honestly (ideally using a food scale) and eating back at least a portion of your logged exercise calories. Monitor and adjust over time. Since strength training is a focus, make sure you are getting adequate protein.

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    I would freak out and binge on 1500 calories daily. :#

    42 years old, 5'9", 173 pounds, losing on 2055 calories/day.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,084 Member
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    Wickglamgirl wrote: »
    So here's a question to this group - would you say that one should decrease one's calories depending on age? Or should I stick with the guided MFP plan? I also work out - more now than ever - but I'm not consistent with my weight dropping. I've lost about 8 lbs. - but it has taken me FOREVER - LOL - I'm at 1450 cals now

    As others have pointed out, MFP factors in age.

    But higher age is not a non-negotiable guarantee that one needs lower calories, nor is it always true that a younger person needs more calories.

    Getting back to OP's point: I'm 5'5", lost 60+ pounds (about a third of my body weight) at age 59/60, most of it at 1400-1600 daily net calories, while eating back pretty much all of my (carefully estimated) exercise calories. (I'm an outlier, BTW.)

    What many people don't realize is that the calculators (like MFP's) are giving you an initial goal that's based on the average (mean) result in research studies on large groups of people, for any given age/weight/height/etc.

    Individual people will vary from those values. Most of us will be fairly close to the calculators' estimates (in statistical terms, the standard deviation is relatively small, the bell curve is fairly steep/narrow). But a few of us will vary from those estimates by hundreds of calories per day.

    (See, for example: https://examine.com/nutrition/does-metabolism-vary-between-two-people/ )

    So, believe the estimate at the start, stick with that goal for around a month (for pre-menopausal women, maybe even go a bit beyond one monthly cycle). Ignore the first week or two, which may produce a bigger drop (water weight, lower average content of digestive system), then adjust your calories based on your personal weight loss rate. Obviously, if you're clearly losing way too fast, and see that before a month is over, adjust calories upward - don't wait to get weak/fatigued!

    MFP thinks I'd maintain around 1500-1600 (so do other calculators). I'm currently working to slowly drop around 5 pounds Fall/holiday gain above my maintenance range of 117-123. I'm eating at about 1800 net. When I stick to that, I lose . . . very slowly.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    1400-1500 should be my sweet spot. I didn't lose the last time I tried though. Maybe I was logging poorly? I don't know whats going on. But yes, I'm 5'4" and currently 144. In the past I have lost eating 1400-1500 all through the 160s down to 120s.

    Wish I could lose now :(
  • crooked_left_hook
    crooked_left_hook Posts: 364 Member
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    I'm 5'6" 135lb and I just lost 7lbs eating 1300-1550 per week. I lost about 0.5-0.75lb per week so it took 8 weeks. I walk 8000-10000 steps per day and go to the gym 2-3 times a week (I'm dealing with injuries). I never feel deprived.
  • duckie_runs
    duckie_runs Posts: 7 Member
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    i am 36 years old and started dieting at 199lbs almost the end of december and have lost 23lbs. I was eating about 1500 calories sometimes maybe 1600 depending on how I felt and the exercise I was doing. I am though starting to bump up my calories to 1700-1850 calories because I am being more active and burn a lot of calories.
  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
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    I'm 5'4" and losing at least 1 lb a week eating anywhere from 1500-2100 calories a day but I'm very active and should probably eat more. I also use my TDEE.

    With your goals 0.5-1lb a week is healthy but closerather to 0.5 lbs will be more sustainable in the long run.
  • silversequin7
    silversequin7 Posts: 6 Member
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    OP - first, I would check to make sure that the goal weight you are striving for is a healthy one. To lose 30 lbs, from where you are now, that would put you at 5'8 and 135 lbs. That's within a healthy BMI range, but toward the lower end. You are focusing more on strength training than cardio - a lot of people find with that approach that they achieve their desired body composition at a higher weight than strictly focusing on an arbitrary scale number.

    Second - yes I absolutely think it is possible for you to lose weight eating 1400-1500 cals. I think it's possible for you to lose weight eating even more. I'm 5'2, and lost about 30 lbs (from 153-120) eating b/w 1600-1800 cals. I'm pretty active even though I have a desk job, averaging now 15K steps/day (I was truly sedentary when I started), so my maintenance calories are ~2200.

    I would put in a goal of 0.5 lb/week, let MFP set a calorie target for you, log everything you eat accurately and honestly (ideally using a food scale) and eating back at least a portion of your logged exercise calories. Monitor and adjust over time. Since strength training is a focus, make sure you are getting adequate protein.

    I am aiming for 135 area because that was where I was at 6 years ago and I would like to get back there. I do use a food scale, and I aim aiming for 120-140g of protein a day. I keep my carbs around 100 most of the time as I don't have a huge desire for carbs other than cereal and vegetables/fruit and I prefer fats.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    I lose on 1600-1700/day quite easily. I'm 5'2" and in my 40s.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    silversequin7 wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    OP - first, I would check to make sure that the goal weight you are striving for is a healthy one. To lose 30 lbs, from where you are now, that would put you at 5'8 and 135 lbs. That's within a healthy BMI range, but toward the lower end. You are focusing more on strength training than cardio - a lot of people find with that approach that they achieve their desired body composition at a higher weight than strictly focusing on an arbitrary scale number.

    Second - yes I absolutely think it is possible for you to lose weight eating 1400-1500 cals. I think it's possible for you to lose weight eating even more. I'm 5'2, and lost about 30 lbs (from 153-120) eating b/w 1600-1800 cals. I'm pretty active even though I have a desk job, averaging now 15K steps/day (I was truly sedentary when I started), so my maintenance calories are ~2200.

    I would put in a goal of 0.5 lb/week, let MFP set a calorie target for you, log everything you eat accurately and honestly (ideally using a food scale) and eating back at least a portion of your logged exercise calories. Monitor and adjust over time. Since strength training is a focus, make sure you are getting adequate protein.

    I am aiming for 135 area because that was where I was at 6 years ago and I would like to get back there. I do use a food scale, and I aim aiming for 120-140g of protein a day. I keep my carbs around 100 most of the time as I don't have a huge desire for carbs other than cereal and vegetables/fruit and I prefer fats.

    Sounds like you are on the right track. When you put in a goal of losing 0.5 lb/week, or even 1 lb/week - what NET calorie goal does MFP suggest?

    I think you should be able to lose on 1500 NET - meaning you would eat even more than that.

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