Can I lose more than 2lb per week eating more than 1400 calories??
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mrsdowding88
Posts: 3 Member
Hi all,
I'm new to calorie counting and I'm really struggling with only eating 1400 calories per day after doing slimming world for so long! Can I up my calorie in take by a couple of hundred and still lose weight? Suggestions would be great, thank you
I'm new to calorie counting and I'm really struggling with only eating 1400 calories per day after doing slimming world for so long! Can I up my calorie in take by a couple of hundred and still lose weight? Suggestions would be great, thank you
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Replies
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If MFP has you set to lose 2lbs per week on 1400, any more calories will just decrease your deficit and you will lose slower. More calories does not mean faster weight loss.2
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Why do you want to "lose more than 2 lb per week"??7
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Why do you want to lose more than 2lbs/week? Depending on your current weight, I wouldn't suggest losing more than 2lbs/week.
To answer your question, we need more information like your current weight and height.5 -
Even losing 2 lbs a week is too much for most people. Since you haven't given us any details we have no idea what you could lose or not.2
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Depends how much you do, I ate an average of 2250 Calories a day last week and lost well over 2lb, but I was working with a PT all week, so 5 PT sessions, 10 classes, running, and a personalised meal plan to make sure I got enough protein etc.
Under normal circumstances I eat 2000-2500 to lose 1lb a week, but I am extremely active0 -
OP: What are your stats? Height, current weight, goal weight? What did you choose for your activity level and amount you wanted to lose each week?
Giving us this info will help us help you more accurately.
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If you're struggling on 1400 for 2 pounds a week switch it up to 1.5 pounds a week and you'll get 250 more cals however your loss will slow to 1.5 which is still pretty fast Keep a pace that's sustainable, it is much better to slow your loss a little now than carry on feeling miserable at 2 pound loss and chucking in the towel in a couple of weeks and joining the yo-yoers. x 1
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For calorie counting to be helpful, you'll want to do some research to estimate your maintenance calories if you don't know what that is already (there are lots of discussion of this in the stickied threads). This is the number you need to eat under to lose weight. There are tons of variables involved, so you're never going to be really sure of that number unless you spend some time tracking and weighing yourself to make sure you've got things about right.
So once you have that number, then your deficit - ie. how many net calories you eat below that number - is going to determine how much weight you lose. Different people will lose at different rates eating 1600 calories a day. Smaller people might not lose much at all, or might gain. Heavier people can lose a couple pounds a week on that number - I'm actually right about in that boat myself, as I currently weigh 185 lbs, have a maintenance number around 2400, and so eating 1600 gives me a hefty deficit that can get me close to two lbs a week loss.
The real philosophy behind MFP, however, isn't "how fast can I lose weight" but "how can I change my diet and lifestyle in ways that lead to weight loss and are sustainable." It sounds like 1400 is too low for you right now, and that's totally fine! Any sort of deficit will add up over time.4 -
Ready2Rock206 wrote: »Even losing 2 lbs a week is too much for most people. Since you haven't given us any details we have no idea what you could lose or not.
This^
Let's say your maintenance was 2443 calories (this is based on height, weight, age, gender and activity level + exercise) ......2 pounds a week would require a 1,000 calorie deficit. 2443-1000 = 1443
I have no idea what your stats are, so I plugged in random values: 5'5" - 170 pounds - 25 years old - exercise 3 to 5 hours a week.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
2 pounds a week won't work for everyone.0 -
I was losing 2lb/week on 1710... BUT at that time I was 124 lbs away from goal (114 from the top of my BMI range). It depends on how much you need to lose (2lbs/week isn't recommended unless you have 75 lbs or more to lose), and what your maintenance is (and if you can eat 1,000 calories below it).
These days, eating back half my exercise calories, I usually eat somewhere around 1600-1800 and lose anywhere from 0.8 to 1.8/week. I have MFP set for me to lose 1lb, but then I exercise. And, currently 46 lbs from goal, 1-1.5 is fine for me. But that's me. Depending on how much you need to lose and how many calories you need to maintain, it may not be you.2 -
Thanks for all of your responses. I'm currently 28 years old, weigh 15st 12lb and 5"4 (female if you couldn't tell from the profile pic!) I'm only questioning this as I lost more than 2lb per week following sw and I ate way more than 1400 cals- maybe cal counting isn't for me??0
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mrsdowding88 wrote: »Thanks for all of your responses. I'm currently 28 years old, weigh 15st 12lb and 5"4 (female if you couldn't tell from the profile pic!) I'm only questioning this as I lost more than 2lb per week following sw and I ate way more than 1400 cals- maybe cal counting isn't for me??
If you weren't counting calories using SW, how do you know you were eating more than 1400 calories? All weight loss is calories in vs. calories out. Use whatever method helps you moderate your intake.
Your estimated TDEE (maintenance) NOW with moderate exercise (3 to 5 hours a week) is 2,766 calories. So you could eat 1,766 and lose 2 pounds a week.
The bigger (you were) the larger your TDEE was. This might explain more than 2 pounds a week. BUT, this maintenance number continues to go down as you lose more & more weight. When you get close to goal a 1 pound a week loss would be more reasonable.1 -
mrsdowding88 wrote: »Thanks for all of your responses. I'm currently 28 years old, weigh 15st 12lb and 5"4 (female if you couldn't tell from the profile pic!) I'm only questioning this as I lost more than 2lb per week following sw and I ate way more than 1400 cals- maybe cal counting isn't for me??
If you weren't counting calories using SW, how do you know you were eating more than 1400 calories? All weight loss is calories in vs. calories out. Use whatever method helps you moderate your intake.
Your estimated TDEE (maintenance) NOW with moderate exercise (3 to 5 hours a week) is 2,766 calories. So you could eat 1,766 and lose 2 pounds a week.
The bigger (you were) the larger your TDEE was. This might explain more than 2 pounds a week. BUT, this maintenance number continues to go down as you lose more & more weight. When you get close to goal a 1 pound a week loss would be more reasonable.
I was eating a lot more food so I must have been eating more calories. I feel like if I were to only eat 1400 cals a day I would lose more that 2lbs a week! I put my activity to light as in an office worker and work long hours so find it hard to fit in any additional exercise
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mrsdowding88 wrote: »mrsdowding88 wrote: »Thanks for all of your responses. I'm currently 28 years old, weigh 15st 12lb and 5"4 (female if you couldn't tell from the profile pic!) I'm only questioning this as I lost more than 2lb per week following sw and I ate way more than 1400 cals- maybe cal counting isn't for me??
If you weren't counting calories using SW, how do you know you were eating more than 1400 calories? All weight loss is calories in vs. calories out. Use whatever method helps you moderate your intake.
Your estimated TDEE (maintenance) NOW with moderate exercise (3 to 5 hours a week) is 2,766 calories. So you could eat 1,766 and lose 2 pounds a week.
The bigger (you were) the larger your TDEE was. This might explain more than 2 pounds a week. BUT, this maintenance number continues to go down as you lose more & more weight. When you get close to goal a 1 pound a week loss would be more reasonable.
I was eating a lot more food so I must have been eating more calories. I feel like if I were to only eat 1400 cals a day I would lose more that 2lbs a week! I put my activity to light as in an office worker and work long hours so find it hard to fit in any additional exercise
Could you give an example of what you would eat in a day on SW?1 -
mrsdowding88 wrote: »mrsdowding88 wrote: »Thanks for all of your responses. I'm currently 28 years old, weigh 15st 12lb and 5"4 (female if you couldn't tell from the profile pic!) I'm only questioning this as I lost more than 2lb per week following sw and I ate way more than 1400 cals- maybe cal counting isn't for me??
If you weren't counting calories using SW, how do you know you were eating more than 1400 calories? All weight loss is calories in vs. calories out. Use whatever method helps you moderate your intake.
Your estimated TDEE (maintenance) NOW with moderate exercise (3 to 5 hours a week) is 2,766 calories. So you could eat 1,766 and lose 2 pounds a week.
The bigger (you were) the larger your TDEE was. This might explain more than 2 pounds a week. BUT, this maintenance number continues to go down as you lose more & more weight. When you get close to goal a 1 pound a week loss would be more reasonable.
I was eating a lot more food so I must have been eating more calories. I feel like if I were to only eat 1400 cals a day I would lose more that 2lbs a week! I put my activity to light as in an office worker and work long hours so find it hard to fit in any additional exercise
I'm a volume eater myself.....low on calories big on portions. Many fruits & veggies are here.
But there are many calorie dense foods (small serving sizes)....if I put a small spoonful of nut butter on a banana that's a high calorie snack. If may not seem like a lot of food.....but it's a fair number of calories.
1400 calories in VS. YOUR maintenance. Some generalizations: more active = higher maintenance, younger = higher maintenance than older person, heavy person = higher maintenance than light person, and muscular = higher maintenance than a high body fat %. Some of these you don't control.1 -
If you spend most of your day sitting in the office, you might want to change your activity level to sedentary. It won't give you more calories, on the contrary, but that way you also won't be overestimating your calorie burn.2
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mrsdowding88 wrote: »mrsdowding88 wrote: »Thanks for all of your responses. I'm currently 28 years old, weigh 15st 12lb and 5"4 (female if you couldn't tell from the profile pic!) I'm only questioning this as I lost more than 2lb per week following sw and I ate way more than 1400 cals- maybe cal counting isn't for me??
If you weren't counting calories using SW, how do you know you were eating more than 1400 calories? All weight loss is calories in vs. calories out. Use whatever method helps you moderate your intake.
Your estimated TDEE (maintenance) NOW with moderate exercise (3 to 5 hours a week) is 2,766 calories. So you could eat 1,766 and lose 2 pounds a week.
The bigger (you were) the larger your TDEE was. This might explain more than 2 pounds a week. BUT, this maintenance number continues to go down as you lose more & more weight. When you get close to goal a 1 pound a week loss would be more reasonable.
I was eating a lot more food so I must have been eating more calories. I feel like if I were to only eat 1400 cals a day I would lose more that 2lbs a week! I put my activity to light as in an office worker and work long hours so find it hard to fit in any additional exercise
You probably were, but a word of caution here: more (i.e. a bigger deficit) is not better. That's not always true, but it's mostly true. In your case, qualified that this is only an opinion of mine, there is no reason for you to shoot for than 2 pounds per week loss. You should always remember why you are doing this.
You might think that a number on the scale is important and the faster you get there, the better. The real reason for even attempting to bring that number on the scale to a specific one in the first place is for something much bigger: your overall health. Creating too big of a deficit can wreak havoc on other areas of your health and make the faster loss not healthy at all. Some side effects might include: loss of energy (can't fuel your activity level), loss of lean body mass (i.e. muscle and tissue), brittle nails, hair loss, etc. Many of these symptoms don't occur or show themselves until after the damage is done. Plus, loss of lean body mass could mean you'll end up weighing less with a larger percentage of body fat than if you would have done this slower.
Be patient. This is one area where if you try to go faster than recommended, you won't be doing yourself any favors.3 -
mrsdowding88 wrote: »mrsdowding88 wrote: »Thanks for all of your responses. I'm currently 28 years old, weigh 15st 12lb and 5"4 (female if you couldn't tell from the profile pic!) I'm only questioning this as I lost more than 2lb per week following sw and I ate way more than 1400 cals- maybe cal counting isn't for me??
If you weren't counting calories using SW, how do you know you were eating more than 1400 calories? All weight loss is calories in vs. calories out. Use whatever method helps you moderate your intake.
Your estimated TDEE (maintenance) NOW with moderate exercise (3 to 5 hours a week) is 2,766 calories. So you could eat 1,766 and lose 2 pounds a week.
The bigger (you were) the larger your TDEE was. This might explain more than 2 pounds a week. BUT, this maintenance number continues to go down as you lose more & more weight. When you get close to goal a 1 pound a week loss would be more reasonable.
I was eating a lot more food so I must have been eating more calories. I feel like if I were to only eat 1400 cals a day I would lose more that 2lbs a week! I put my activity to light as in an office worker and work long hours so find it hard to fit in any additional exercise
Not if you want the calories to be accurate. Office work is pretty much the definition of sedentary, in MFP's definitions.
Have you tried it for any substantial period of time, or are you just presuming what will happen?0 -
Perhaps consider using the two systems together for a few months. Do Slimming World, but log what you eat on it to become more aware of how many calories you are actually eating on that plan and how it affects weight gain/loss. I think you will find the logging insightful.
As others have said here, how many calories you actually eat is important to weight loss. If you already have a meal plan which causes you to lose weight, why not stick with it. It is most certainly working because it allows you to feel satiated at a calorie level which causes you to lose weight. Using MFP and SW together will help you to understand what that calorie level is for you.
MFP doesn't tell you WHAT to eat for those calories. And if you have specific foods which work, use them!3 -
mrsdowding88 wrote: »mrsdowding88 wrote: »Thanks for all of your responses. I'm currently 28 years old, weigh 15st 12lb and 5"4 (female if you couldn't tell from the profile pic!) I'm only questioning this as I lost more than 2lb per week following sw and I ate way more than 1400 cals- maybe cal counting isn't for me??
If you weren't counting calories using SW, how do you know you were eating more than 1400 calories? All weight loss is calories in vs. calories out. Use whatever method helps you moderate your intake.
Your estimated TDEE (maintenance) NOW with moderate exercise (3 to 5 hours a week) is 2,766 calories. So you could eat 1,766 and lose 2 pounds a week.
The bigger (you were) the larger your TDEE was. This might explain more than 2 pounds a week. BUT, this maintenance number continues to go down as you lose more & more weight. When you get close to goal a 1 pound a week loss would be more reasonable.
I was eating a lot more food so I must have been eating more calories. I feel like if I were to only eat 1400 cals a day I would lose more that 2lbs a week! I put my activity to light as in an office worker and work long hours so find it hard to fit in any additional exercise
You might have been eating more food, but you weren't eating more calories. I'm not familiar with how SW works, but perhaps the SW system was steering you to eat more high volume, low cal foods and you are making different choices now that you are just counting calories. Or perhaps you were exercising more while doing SW so you could eat more calories and maintain that rate of loss.
Are you using a kitchen scale to figure your portions? If not, you may very well be eating more than the 1400 cals you are logging. If that's the case, it's possible the SW plan was making it easier for you to more accurately guess your portions.0
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