Calories when near goal

hoops1888
hoops1888 Posts: 95 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Hi MFP ers

This is a hypothetical question as I am not at this stage yet but out of curiosity, I wondered what sort of strategy would you adopt if, say, calories to lose 1lb a week would go under 1200? Would it be a case of losing less than a 1b a week in order to reach your goal in a comfortable way? You would surely end up eating around 1000 calories at some point to lose.

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    You would just reduce weekly loss, and never go below 1200.
  • hoops1888
    hoops1888 Posts: 95 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    You would just reduce weekly loss, and never go below 1200.

    Even if the weight wasn’t coming off?
  • DaintyWhisper
    DaintyWhisper Posts: 221 Member
    edited March 2018
    I'd recommend reevaluating how you are tracking your calories if you're not seeing results. You shouldn't ever have to go below 1200 to lose weight. The closer you get to your goal, the longer it will take to lose the same amount of weight you did previously when you were heavier. You'll probably have to switch to 0.5lb loss a week at some point, depending on your height/weight. You don't want to resort to unhealthy habits, such as starving yourself, to get to your goal faster. It's not worth it!
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    edited March 2018
    If the weight is not coming off, then you’re overestimating calorie burn, underestimating calories eaten, and/or being too impatient with your rate of loss. 1 lb/week is too rapid for many people who are close to their goal. It is extremely common for weight loss to happen very slowly when you’re near your goal. This does not mean you should go below 1200. It means you need to be as accurate as you possibly can with your logging, and be patient.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Unless you are under 5 ft, completely sedentary, and on the older side, your TDEE will be high enough that you can eat 1200 cals or more and at least have a small deficit.

    If you are logging 1200 or less and not losing, you need to tighten up your logging - use a food scale for all solids and double check you are using good entries in the database.
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