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Large deficit leading to overeating. How to set calories?

halimaiqbal00
halimaiqbal00 Posts: 288 Member
edited November 2024 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hi there

My stats:
Female
5' 7
33 years old
147 pounds
5' 7
BMR 1400

My main objective is to get my body fat down further and gain a little muscle. I've been eating 1750 calories for a year now and get incredibly hungry on this amount, which leads to overeating from time to time. Nothing too drastic though.

I workout 4 days a week and my sessions are really intense. Generally 40 min weightlifting and 30 min cardio (very intense) I'm burning around 700 calories per session.

I don't care so much about the hunger in the scale going up as long as the fat percentage shows a downward trend.

I have no idea what to set my calories at as I feel that 1750 is too little, given the intensity of my workouts 4 times a week. I eat healthy, nutrient dense foods 80% of the time.

Any advice/suggestions?


Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,750 Member
    What results have you had in a year on 1750 calories? How do you determine your intake (weigh vs eyeball?) and how many times, and by how much do you overeat?
  • halimaiqbal00
    halimaiqbal00 Posts: 288 Member
    I stuck to the calories religiously and lost 8 pounds in 2 months but it wasn't sustainable. I gained it all back in 4 months. I weigh and measure cerytjing, tracking everything on mfp for the past year. I weigh everything that enters my mouth and meal prep. I'd say I maybe net on average 1800 calories a day
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,750 Member
    edited September 2017
    So you haven't been eating 1750 calories for a year?

    You did it for 2 months and lost a lb a week, which for someone already in a healthy weight range is too fast. For the next 4 months you ate slightly over maintenance to put that weight back on - I'm guessing you didn't track and log during that time?

    Maybe consider a smaller deficit (0.5lbs a week loss) to lose fat or, recomp; eating at maintenance whilst following a progressive lifting program to enable you to very slowly lose fat as you very slowly build muscle. This will give would the ability to change your physique and get a bit leaner. MFP calculates your intake before exercise - consider whether you need or want to eat exercise calories. Your estimate of 700 may be overinflated. It may be worth trying a month at a time, eating all, part or none and seeing how it affects your results.
  • halimaiqbal00
    halimaiqbal00 Posts: 288 Member
    The one time I religiously stuck to 1750 for two consecutive months, I lost the 8 pounds but I've not been able to stick to that amount since. Well, not for a few weeks at a time. I find I'm starving after a few days of eating this number of calories.

    Thanks for your suggestions. I think I'll increase my calories to 1900 and test it for a month and see how I fare.

    Thanks again
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    What you eat could be a problem for hunger too. Have you experimented with your macro splits to see if that makes a difference? Personally, if I'm hitting protein, most of my fat and getting at least a small serving of starchy carbs with each meal I find it much easier to be compliant to my calorie goal.
  • halimaiqbal00
    halimaiqbal00 Posts: 288 Member
    Hi, yes I have been counting macros this past year too. Im hitting 110g protein, 50 fat and 200 carbs. I am increasing my fat and protein now, while keeping my carbs at 200g..this is with my new calorie adjustment of 1900. I'll experiment with this and see how I get on. It's going to have to be trial and error
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    when you say 1750 - is that what MFP gave you and are you eating back workout calories?

    for your height/weight it seems a bit low if you were doing TDEE - if you have a frequent/steady workout plan, maybe try switching to that for a month and see how you do (I would estimate it would probably put you in the 2200 range, but you do NOT eat back workout cals)
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Youre not burning 700 cals with half an hour of cardio and some lifting...
  • misnomer1
    misnomer1 Posts: 646 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Youre not burning 700 cals with half an hour of cardio and some lifting...

    Agree. Should be closer to 500-600 for 40 mins of lifting and 30mins of cardio.
This discussion has been closed.

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