Minimum Daily Net Calories?
briannasnyder12
Posts: 14 Member
Hello all,
I’ve been trying to research what my minimal net calorie (rather than total calorie intake as I weight lift and/or run almost daily) intake would be to have the greatest calorie deficit while avoiding any repercussions in regards to brain breakdown (not that i plan on going that low, it’s more a mixture of intellectual curiosity and peace of mind.)
I have read a “one size fits all” number of 500 and I have also read a formula of [31 x (body fat in pounds)] is the maximum calorie deficit you should have.
Thoughts? Links? Thanks!
I’ve been trying to research what my minimal net calorie (rather than total calorie intake as I weight lift and/or run almost daily) intake would be to have the greatest calorie deficit while avoiding any repercussions in regards to brain breakdown (not that i plan on going that low, it’s more a mixture of intellectual curiosity and peace of mind.)
I have read a “one size fits all” number of 500 and I have also read a formula of [31 x (body fat in pounds)] is the maximum calorie deficit you should have.
Thoughts? Links? Thanks!
5
Replies
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1200 net calories or a female. 500 is way too low.
Net calories is simply the calories you ate that day minus the amount of calories you burned doing deliberate exercise.
For example...
If I ate 2000 calories and went for a run and burned 250 calories my net calories are 2000-250=1750.
For a female this number should be no less than 1200 calories and that is only for those that are really short.
500 is a great number for calories for a deficit to lose around 1 pound a week. For example...
If you TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is 2000 calories you should consume 1500 calories to lose 1 pound a week.
Or.....
If your NEAT (Calories before exercise is taken into amount which is the goal number MFP uses) is 1600 you should consume 1200 calories and your exercise calories on top of that.6 -
1200 for women, 1500 for men1
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briannasnyder12 wrote: »Hello all,
I’ve been trying to research what my minimal net calorie (rather than total calorie intake as I weight lift and/or run almost daily) intake would be to have the greatest calorie deficit while avoiding any repercussions in regards to brain breakdown (not that i plan on going that low, it’s more a mixture of intellectual curiosity and peace of mind.)
I have read a “one size fits all” number of 500 and I have also read a formula of [31 x (body fat in pounds)] is the maximum calorie deficit you should have.
Thoughts? Links? Thanks!
How tall are you, and how much do you weigh now?0 -
This too. OP, I have an active job and can’t eat below 1500. Eating more than the minimum is better in the long run, especially since you’re lifting.1 -
briannasnyder12 wrote: »Hello all,
I’ve been trying to research what my minimal net calorie (rather than total calorie intake as I weight lift and/or run almost daily) intake would be to have the greatest calorie deficit while avoiding any repercussions in regards to brain breakdown (not that i plan on going that low, it’s more a mixture of intellectual curiosity and peace of mind.)
I have read a “one size fits all” number of 500 and I have also read a formula of [31 x (body fat in pounds)] is the maximum calorie deficit you should have.
Thoughts? Links? Thanks!
How tall are you, and how much do you weigh now?
I am 5’4, 147 pounds. I have tried losing weight with 1300 net calories, however, seem to just maintain at that amount. I suppose my question is what the minimum number of calories someone can eat per day is, although I do not intend to eat that few at all. Mostly intellectual curiosity0 -
You should stick with the averages for your stats and activity level until you have established a good baseline. If you pick a different and lower number by some other criteria you risk undereating. At first you may experience a dip in performance or a lower energy level but if you don't connect the dots the truly nasty repercussions of undereating are cumulative and they can take months to appear.0
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briannasnyder12 wrote: »briannasnyder12 wrote: »Hello all,
I’ve been trying to research what my minimal net calorie (rather than total calorie intake as I weight lift and/or run almost daily) intake would be to have the greatest calorie deficit while avoiding any repercussions in regards to brain breakdown (not that i plan on going that low, it’s more a mixture of intellectual curiosity and peace of mind.)
I have read a “one size fits all” number of 500 and I have also read a formula of [31 x (body fat in pounds)] is the maximum calorie deficit you should have.
Thoughts? Links? Thanks!
How tall are you, and how much do you weigh now?
I am 5’4, 147 pounds. I have tried losing weight with 1300 net calories, however, seem to just maintain at that amount. I suppose my question is what the minimum number of calories someone can eat per day is, although I do not intend to eat that few at all. Mostly intellectual curiosity
Did you use a food scale? How long did you give it? You don't have much to lose, so you shouldn't be expecting to lose more than 0.5lbs per week or so, which can very easily hide behind water weight fluctuations for weeks at a time.
Considering your stats, unless you have an undiagnosed medical condition, not losing weight eating 1300 cals means innacurate logging and/or lack of patience. Use a food scale, double check the entries you are using in the database, and log everything every day for at least 6 weeks before deciding it's not working.
I'm 5'4 started at 145. I was positive I was eating 1400 cals per day until I started using a food scale for everything and got really critical about how I was logging. Found I was actually eating more than 1700 per day, which explained why I wasn't losing!2 -
OP, I understand your question... just don't know the answer.0
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Rather than trying to figure out the minimum you can eat, you should be aiming for what is the maximum amount of cals you can eat and still achieve your weight loss goals.
Besides trying to get basic nutrition, you should be concerned with providing adequate fuel for your activities, preserving organ function, hair, nails and skin, and lean body mass. Additionally those that engage in long periods of very low cals and/or yo dieting can have some cases of adaptive thermogenesis whereas those who focus on trying to eat more at a higher activity level often find that they reap the benefits by having positive improvements in NEAT and overall TDEE beyond their exercise levels.
And as a wise rabbit used to say - the winner is the one who eats the most and still loses the weight.7
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