What do I need to do to lose weight from diet control alone?

Lara_z
Lara_z Posts: 94 Member
edited November 16 in Food and Nutrition
My BSR is 1288 and according to MFP I need to consume at least 1200 calories a day.
Therefore I do not create much of a deficit to lose weight.
What can I do to lose weight?

Replies

  • aflane
    aflane Posts: 625 Member
    Weigh all your food using a digital food scale (set to grams as the unit of measure), and log EVERYTHING you consume.
  • barnett1967
    barnett1967 Posts: 1 Member
    It also matters which foods you consume, choose foods with a high nutritional value and a low glycemic index.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    What is BSR? Do you mean BMR? If so, that is your Basal Metabolic Rate, the number of calories your body needs to carry out the necessary metabolic functions to sustain life. That's what you would burn from doing absolutely no movement at all, like being in a coma. Since you aren't in a coma, your body burns more calories than that, even if you're sitting at a desk all day.

    I am very short and very close to my goal weight, so my BMR is under 1200, and yet I am still in a caloric deficit. I eat 1200 calories/day plus most of my exercise calories. I track my calories very accurately, weighing and measuring as much as possible. I'm still in a caloric deficit because I'm not in a coma. Doing things like sitting, typing, cooking dinner, or walking around the house all use energy and put your calorie burn above your BMR.

    For someone in this situation, weight loss is probably not going to happen quickly because your calorie deficit is small, especially if you aren't increasing it with exercise. I'd recommend setting MFP to lose 0.5 pounds per week, and being committed to weighing and logging all of your food as accurately as possible.
  • tillerstouch
    tillerstouch Posts: 608 Member
    barnett1967 wrote: »
    It also matters which foods you consume, choose foods with a high nutritional value and a low glycemic index.

    For weight loss no, it doesnt matter...

    For feeling full, muscle retention and yout health yes eating nutritional food is more beneficial.

    Feel free to include any food in your diet as long as you fit it into your calories.


  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,645 Member
    1) an appropriate calorie goal
    2) foods you like that fit within said goal, meet nutritional needs and are satisfying
    3) a food scale, especially if you're running a small deficit.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Lara_z wrote: »
    My BSR is 1288 and according to MFP I need to consume at least 1200 calories a day.
    Therefore I do not create much of a deficit to lose weight.
    What can I do to lose weight?

    Your BMR is just the energy you expend merely existing...your deficit isn't from your BMR...your deficit is from your TDEE. You do more than exist, so a 1200 calorie diet will be a bigger deficit.

    For example, my BMR is 1700-1800 calories. Even without exercise I would lose weight eating 2000 calories...as it is, I lose about 1 Lb per week eating around 2500 calories because my TDEE is around 3,000.
  • brichards_
    brichards_ Posts: 113 Member
    For me, I diet control with plant based eating. It's helped stabilize a weight that I like
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