What is my daily calorie to lose 1lb a week?

Ludwigsheim
Ludwigsheim Posts: 2 Member
edited February 2021 in Health and Weight Loss
According to my TDEE calculator: Almost 27, Male, 5ft 6 Give or take. Current weight between 73-74 kg.

The app automatically put me at 1,500 per day but I am wonder if I should go lower to speed it up? I also did not realize I fast 18-19 hours a day. I eat lunch 12 am every day and dinner around 5-6pm then I stop eating till the next day. I do not remember last time I had breakfast or ate 3 meals a day. I sometimes snack on cashews or almonds, consume tons of water. I try to eat healthy, avoid heavy carb foods. Mostly eat chicken wraps with Avocados and peppers or other home made meals my wife cooks. I avoid sugar much as I can. Just to give general eating habit.

Sedentary Maintenance calorie: 1,935
Basel Metabolic Rate: 1,613

Should I be at 1,200 or 1,500 or?

I do lift weight at home 2-3 times a week as well and adding walking to to it soon.

Replies

  • autumnblade75
    autumnblade75 Posts: 1,661 Member
    edited February 2021
    As a male, no lower than 1500 calories per day, which is very close to what you need to eat to lose 1 lb per week (if you are indeed sedentary, and that estimate is correct for you.)

    Meal timing doesn't affect weight loss directly, but may help if you find it easier to stay in compliance with your calorie goal. Breakfast isn't any more important than any other meal. Eating healthy is great for nutrition, but unless it creates a calorie deficit (so that you eat less than you burn) you won't lose weight.

    When you add walking, you should probably eat back a portion of the calories you burn with that purposeful exercise (since 1500 is the absolute lowest you should eat, as a male.)

    According to BMI, you're only a little tiny bit overweight - about 5 lbs - so you might want to consider only aiming to lose 1/2 lb per week. It will give you more calories to eat.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,944 Member
    Don't eat less than 1500 calories per day as it's unhealthy. The reason MFP gives you 1500 calories means that you're weight loss goal is likely a bit too aggressive. You'd never get less than 1500, and hence if your goal is too big you get a default of 1500. See what happens when you chose 1/2 pound per week. If you get around 1750 calories then you're probably still ok with a goal of 1lbs per week, if it's less then you won't manage.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited February 2021
    Ludwigsheim wrote: »
    The app automatically put me at 1,500 per day but I am wonder if I should go lower to speed it up?

    It doesn't automatically assign you a low calorie goal as the initial calculation based on your stats is for maintenance calories for a day with no exercise. You are making choices on your calorie setting primarily from the rate of loss you select.

    Set an aggressive rate of loss and you will hit the minimum 1500 + exercise calories that this app won't go below.
    And no you shouldn't go lower.

    What did your TDEE calculator give you for losing half a kilo per week?
    Or alternatively what did it estimate your maintenance calories as? (And if you are exercising that should mean on a TDEE calc you aren't sedentary. On MyFitnessPal the activity setting purely reflects your day to day life and is nothing to do with exercise.)

    (By the way TDEE calcs include your exercise up front as an average, this app adds it separately after the event. Over time they tend to even out.)
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited February 2021
    No, you shouldn't be going lower. Just as there are health risks for being overweight/overeating, there are also health risks for undereating for sustained periods of time.
    The 1200 base calorie goal is for women.
    Why do you feel the need to speed it up? What's the rush? Why not just lose it at a healthy and sustainable pace? Good health is a lifelong journey.
  • rcervetto
    rcervetto Posts: 60 Member
    What is your goal weight/how much are you trying to lose? You're very close to a "normal" weight (by BMI standards) already, so your weight loss will be slow. 1 lb per week might be too aggressive for you.
  • Ludwigsheim
    Ludwigsheim Posts: 2 Member
    edited February 2021
    dragon_girl26 wrote: »
    No, you shouldn't be going lower. Just as there are health risks for being overweight/overeating, there are also health risks for undereating for sustained periods of time.
    The 1200 base calorie goal is for women.
    Why do you feel the need to speed it up? What's the rush? Why not just lose it at a healthy and sustainable pace? Good health is a lifelong journey.

    Thanks everyone for the feedback it is appreciated! The general idea is I would like to lose a big gut or belly popping out of my clothing or at the minimum reduce it by summer or this coming winter. Im from the alps of Germany towards Austria would like to get back in shape to Hike, Cycling and Ski with family and friends this year. I have not been able to keep up last give or take the last two years, would very much like to rejoin them and not hold them back when we go.

    The main goal is to get rid of my overly sized belly popping out and drop 10-12kg, that's why I am looking for something aggressive to help reduce it by mid summer? Or at least get me started somewhere towards that goal. Trying to also fix my health and weight for myself and family & everyone else around me.

    But for one personal selfish, bad side reason is: This might sound a little insane to those outside of Germany or The Alps, but the day I realized I could not fit into my Lederhosen and had a giant gut, to go Hiking or Festivals or German holidays, my local beer hall, ect... really sent me over the deep end towards this aggressive goal. It is really embarrassing (no one makes me feel that way ofc, but I personally feel embarrassed of my own doing) where I live German/Austrian alps region to attend all kinds of events/activities and everyone has on their Lederhosen and I have to wear Jeans or a bigger awful non-fitting Lederhosen.

Categories