Does deficit actually work ?

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GreazyG925
GreazyG925 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Can anyone lmk if I have a 500 calorie deficit everyday for 1-2 months will I see a difference? I’m only maybe 15 pounds overweight. My BMR is 1800 so if I eat 1200 ish a day is that enough?

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  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
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    GreazyG925 wrote: »
    Can anyone lmk if I have a 500 calorie deficit everyday for 1-2 months will I see a difference? I’m only maybe 15 pounds overweight. My BMR is 1800 so if I eat 1200 ish a day is that enough?

    Your BMR is the basic number of calories needed if you were in a coma. You should never eat less than this amount as long term undereating will result in significant health problems. Your deficit should come off of your total daily energy expenditure instead which is much higher for most people than their BMR.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
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    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    A deficit is the only thing that works. That's how any weight loss diet on the planet that results in fat loss works. When it seems to not work, it's because there is no deficit due to user error (not logging accurately) or because water weight may mask the loss temporarily.

    As for your case, specifically, a 500 calorie deficit may be too steep, depending on your activity level. You only have 15 pounds to lose, so a 250-300 daily deficit would be more appropriate if you don't want to lose more muscle than you'd like. 1200 is also too low for most women, let alone a man. The bare minimum acceptable calorie level for a sedentary man is 1500 calories. If you're not sedentary, you get to eat more. Faster loss isn't necessarily better.

    ^^This.
  • Hannahwalksfar
    Hannahwalksfar Posts: 572 Member
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    That’s literally how weight loss works so yes
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    GreazyG925 wrote: »
    Can anyone lmk if I have a 500 calorie deficit everyday for 1-2 months will I see a difference? I’m only maybe 15 pounds overweight. My BMR is 1800 so if I eat 1200 ish a day is that enough?

    Plug your stats into MFP, select the appropriate activity level, and choose to lose 1 pound per week. It will give you a good place to start on a calorie goal with a 500 calorie deficit. Stop using BMR calculators because they are not helpful unless you know how to convert them to TDEE or NEAT.

    In about a month you can figure out if you need to adjust your calories based on your actual rate of loss. If you need help with that just pop in and someone will gladly guide you through it.

    In the meantime read this:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    Yes.

    Your body works just like your bank account. Spend more than you save, and it'll get smaller. Save more than you spend and it'll get bigger.
  • maureenseel1984
    maureenseel1984 Posts: 397 Member
    edited July 2019
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    Also try to not only look at the number on the scale.
    A lot of times folks lose inches but not lbs...which means that you might be seeing a difference or more definition in the mirror or fitting into different clothes...but the number on the scale isn't budging. The scale isn't the only thing that reflects progress.
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
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    That should end up at 8 pounds off over two months. For me that was almost a full size down.

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