Beginning calorie deficit when you're used to eating a lot

pink_mint · February 2020

So when you're used to eating 4,000 or so calories a day, how do you ease into a calorie deficit? I know I was eating this much because I started this current weight loss endeavor by being very honest with myself and tracking my intake on a normal day where I wasn't trying to be "good".

I know what MFP says I should be eating to lose weight. But how realistic and sustainable is it to just all of a sudden drop a full 2,000 per day? This is not about specific numbers per se. I'm just wondering about a calorie range when starting out in a place where you're used to eating so far above what your recommended calorie budget is for weight loss.

Do you just cut your calories so drastically and suffer through it until you get used to it? Or lower them in stages, even though you won't be in an actual deficit at first?

Any thoughts appreciated!

nutmegoreo · February 2020

It's up to you, really. I find that hunger takes about a week to shift, but I can see there would be some advantage to cutting back over time. One of those being that you can create smaller, sustainable challenges. Of course, for weight loss, you might see some water weight shift during that time frame, but fat loss will happen once you're in the calorie deficit. As for making those changes, if you have good logging already, then review those and see where the bulk of your calories are coming from, and look for alternatives. Can you cut back some of that and substitute some for lower calorie options?

WinoGelato · February 2020

I generally am a proponent of advising people that it’s ok to eat what you still eat just a little bit less, so that the changes don’t seem so drastic. However when you’re used to a really high calorie intake (surplus) and trying to shift to a deficit, it’s going to be a pretty significant swing. I would try to make sure you focus on satiating foods - what that is can be very individual some people find grains and vegetables very filling, some people find fat to be quite satiating.

You said your numbers in the OP are just an example. What are your actual numbers - stats, activity level, how much weight you want to lose... and what rate of loss did you select and what calorie target did MFP provide?

pacsnc6 · February 2020

I'm no expert but I would suggest you drop 200 - 300 calories for a day and see how it makes you feel. If you're not TOO hungry drop another 200. Suddenly cutting your calories by large amounts will make you feel too hungry and cause defeat as you'll wonder if it's worth it. Remember the best way to lose weight is slowly and you'll be better able to keep it off.

cwolfman13 · February 2020

Are you maintaining your weight on your current calories or gaining weight? If you're more or less maintaining your weight, you don't have to cut straight away to 2000 calories. I would personally do it incrementally the way many people go back up to maintenance from a deficit because they're used to not eating as much.

cherys · February 2020

You will be used to grazing and snacking and feeling very full. You could start by adding lots of bulk through vegetables and salad. Add popcorn, cooked with no oil or butter - for the first couple of weeks, then gradually reduce the portions so you get used to not feeling overfull.

Cut out all refined carbs because they trigger really bad cravings. If you don't follow any other advice, follow this. It is so helpful. Without white flour and sugar you won't get that horrible crazed hunger that has you giving up by midday. Eat plenty of protein too. And drink a lot of water (not diet sodas) to fill up too.

WinoGelato · February 2020

cherys wrote: »

You will be used to grazing and snacking and feeling very full. You could start by adding lots of bulk through vegetables and salad. Add popcorn, cooked with no oil or butter - for the first couple of weeks, then gradually reduce the portions so you get used to not feeling overfull.

Cut out all refined carbs because they trigger really bad cravings. If you don't follow any other advice, follow this. It is so helpful. Without white flour and sugar you won't get that horrible crazed hunger that has you giving up by midday. Eat plenty of protein too. And drink a lot of water (not diet sodas) to fill up too.

Refined carbs may trigger bad cravings for YOU but that is not universal. And there is no need to cut out white flour and sugar, in moderation sugar is completely fine and how do you know what the OP is feeling at mid day? Also... why not diet soda which is >98% water?

Blanket, arbitrary advice about extreme restrictions that someone “must” do in order to be successful is why so many people give up. Or fail to get started in the first place because they think it will be too hard.

All that is needed is a calorie deficit, and patience. Small sustainable changes is the key for a lot of people. Sweeping changes that are difficult to keep up with or leave you feeling deprived is the recipe for failure not success.

pink_mint · February 2020

@WinoGelato those numbers I mentioned actually are (approximately) my intake. I guess I just mentioned that it's not necessarily about numbers because it's just about eating much less than you're used to, however much that is.

I am 5'5" 203 lbs. I gained 50 lbs over a year and a half after I stopped doing keto because after doing it for 3 and 1/2 years I couldn't stand it anymore. For me personally it is not sustainable mentally or physically. So at roughly 4,000 calories a day I had been continuing to slowly gain weight.

Anyway I think I have a pretty high TDEE but I want to track my intake, lower my calories and use my own data over time to get an accurate picture.

I do a short bodyweight workout (squats, lunges, pushups etc) 6 days a week and am moderately active otherwise. I'd like to lose a good 50 lbs.

WinoGelato · February 2020

pink_mint wrote: »

@WinoGelato those numbers I mentioned actually are (approximately) my intake. I guess I just mentioned that it's not necessarily about numbers because it's just about eating much less than you're used to, however much that is.

I am 5'5" 203 lbs. I gained 50 lbs over a year and a half after I stopped doing keto because after doing it for 3 and 1/2 years I couldn't stand it anymore. For me personally it is not sustainable mentally or physically. So at roughly 4,000 calories a day I had been continuing to slowly gain weight.

Anyway I think I have a pretty high TDEE but I want to track my intake, lower my calories and use my own data over time to get an accurate picture.

I do a short bodyweight workout (squats, lunges, pushups etc) 6 days a week and am moderately active otherwise. I'd like to lose a good 50 lbs.

Sounds very sensible! So have you used MFP to log intake? What goal does it give you for a loss of 1 lb/week? How about 1.5 lb?

As you know you don’t need keto to be successful, but some people do have luck with a lowish carb approach, particularly if you find that way or eating satiating as I mentioned above. That might be a good way to ease into that calorie deficit without feeling too deprived.

You also know that MFP goals are based on NEAT activity so when you exercise, log and eat back some of those calories?

cherys · February 2020

@WinoGelato - you're absolutely right. These are things that helped me a lot but they might not work for the OP. I was guessing that someone who eats 4k calories does a fair bit of bingeing and from that I guessed the bingeing might be triggered. I was only sharing what I find helps me eat less without cravings but I didn't make that clear.

psychod787 · February 2020

I am and am not a proponent of calorie counting. Yes, a calorie deficit is needed to lose weight. The law of thermodynamics applies. I suggest whatever route works best for you. I would focus on adequate protein. 1.6g/kg of lean mass. Lower energy dense, less refined, whole foods. This route takes a little learning. A food scale and potion system can teach you proper sizes. Learn to get some physical activity almost every day. Does not have to be insane. Walking is great. Get a cheap pedometer and slowly increase steps 1000 every week or two until you reach 10000. Best of luck ma'am.

Maxxitt · February 2020

When I finally got serious about losing the excess #50, I just slammed into a calorie deficit that was reasonable from an objective standpoint (sufficient nutrition, moderate deficit) and was *keenly* aware of feeling hungry the first couple of weeks. After that, I was good to go - I would feel "I could eat now" but not like I just had to. For me (so your own mileage will vary), I felt most satisfied eating lots of vegetables, limiting animal protein to lean meat, plain 0 fat greek yogurt, and fish, whole grains, beans and lentils, and whole fruits (apples, oranges, grapefruit mostly). Since then, because "maintenance" has been about gain a bit, eat at a deficit for a bit, the same strategy basically works.

MaltedTea · February 2020

Beyond the suggestions above, I'd add reconsidering the language you use to describe this process. Things like "suffering through it" or "all of a sudden drop..." set you up, psychologically, for more of a challenge than necessary.

Also, volumetrics (the "bulk foods" like veg and fruit mentioned by several people already) really can be helpful. Here's where I randomly mention fiber being the answer to all life's woes.

amtyrell · February 2020

You are eating at gain 1 lb a week. I would start by doing a month just focused on eating at maintenance. Then drop it to losing 1 lb a week.
It will feel like a lot easier switch if you do t have to do such a change all at once.

Also pay at least a bit of attention to what males you feel full vs hungry. For example large bulk and protein help me feel full vs fats or sugars but it is different for different people.

You can do this!!! Persistent Progress for the win.

lgfrie · February 2020

Just jump in there. Put your #'s into MFP's goals tool, tell it you want to lose 0.5 or 1 pound a week, and whatever number it spits out, eat that amount of calories. You don't need a long runway, you just need to dive in and watch the scale go down, which is very motivating. In 4-6 weeks you'll have a good idea of whether that calorie level is working for you and can adjust accordingly.

When I started 9 months ago, I was EASILY eating 4,000 cals a day, and gaining weight, and was over 300 pounds. MFP gave me 1670 cals LOL I was ravenously, insanely hungry for 3-4 days but was also motivated to turn my life around, which kind of balanced things out. Within a week I was adjusted to the calorie level and not particularly hungry.

A LOT of people describe themselves as "not particularly hungry" once they dive in and start nailing a calorie deficit. There is no point in going through phases and toe-dipping and setting yourself up for doubt about it as you ease off a high calorie level on step at a time. In days you will be good to go if you grab MFP's recommended calories by the horns and run with it.

Be sure to exercise. Even if you start small with a gentle stroll, exercise can make a huge difference, mentally, as you get going with a diet.

freda666 · February 2020

I don't agree with the advice to gently do this or that gradually over a month or whatever. If you are determined to start now and you have the required mindset then grasp that feeling with both hands and just get on with it.

And I was eating a lot of calories through chocolate, crisps and bread and not eating that stuff does not make me less full or more hungry. I now just make different choices and consume food with less calories to get my calorie deficit.

serindipte · February 2020

Check out the thread for "volume eaters"... they have lots of ways to get the feeling of being full without killing your calorie goal. I'd link, if I were on my computer, but can't from the phone. A search should pull it up.

whoami67 · February 2020

Personally, I would just jump right into it. But that's me. It may or may not be the best route for you; only you can decide. I would likely focus on eating plenty of volume to help keep me full when I'm cutting back so drastically on what I eat. And while I know from the experience of 40 years of dieting what foods, macros, etc keep me most satiated, you probably will have to experiment for a while. I would expect some unpleasant side effects (hunger, maybe headaches, possibly chills, fatigue) the first week or two while your body adjusts to less fuel.

yirara · February 2020

How many calories does MFP give you to maintain weight? Maybe start with that for a while to get an idea on the right amount of calories for that. You''ll likely drop a bit on the scale by doing that, but that's just due to less waste in your system. Or if that number seems to low then why not find a mid-point between your 4000kcal and maintenance amount for a week, then try to reduce it to maintenance once you feel confident. And then go a bit under maintenance. This gives you time to think what kind of food you enjoy most and what keeps you full on your journey. Remember: weight loss is not a race but a marathon. Being in a deficit a few weeks later is no problem. And people on this forum have shown time and time again that an all or nothing mentality has a bigger chance of failure than easing yourself into it. There's no reason to feel hungry. Plus, just dropping down big time increases the risk of binging.

springlering62 · February 2020

What @cherys and @igfrie did worked for me.

I have tried to calculate, and figure I was easily eating 8-10,000 a day. I do not for the life of me know how I wasn’t morbidly obese, and I’m grateful I wasn’t. I would start the day with a half dozen entemann’s donuts, start a family sized bag of M&Ms, have a big fast food lunch, finish the bag of candy and the box of donuts, start another bag of candy or cookies, and polish off a bag or two of Geneva cookies after dinner, Then there were the inevitable Cokes, and many glasses of milk to go with all that chocolate, and random sweets and treats I “deserved” in between all that.

When I was ready, I was ready, I stopped cold turkey, and put myself on 1400 a day, although I increased it a little bit every couple of months after that, til I stayed at 1870 for six months or so.

I think what @cherys says has some merit. If I had eased myself into it, I would have weakened and quit.

I started with an elimination diet my doctor had given me, so was very heavy on chicken, beans, vegetables and fruit,which helped. In other words, pretty much the food pyramid that we learned in the dark ages, minus dairy and grain.

It was hard for the first two or three weeks, but then I discovered that foods were tasting better, and becoming more satisfying as a result. Fruit now tastes waaaaaaay more sweet to me than candy.

As I’ve dabbled and tweaked, I’ve learned that protein helps keep me full, so I lean heavily on things like homemade beef jerky, cottage cheese, yogurt, and lots of chicken. Also, the “Volume Eaters” thread was helpful to me. I make massive salads for lunch. So big it can take me 30-45 minutes to eat the things,

YMMV, and this is just my experience of what worked for me. Everyone experiences this journey differently, so you’ll get s thousand different stories and recommendations.

rheddmobile · February 2020

Since you’re a keto veteran who has found that it’s not sustainable for you, may I suggest what has worked for me? I find that eating lower carb, but not fully keto (I get about 150 g net per day) keeps my blood sugar stable enough to prevent most cravings, prevents me from overeating sweets and breads, but allows me to enjoy a modest portion of almost anything. Everyone is different but this has been helpful to me!

Anyway I would just jump right in and get it over with. My experience with eating at a deficit has been that after a couple of weeks it feels much better.

Beginning calorie deficit when you're used to eating a lot

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