A big deficit??

bigmouthaj
bigmouthaj Posts: 21 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys I’m new to this, and i weigh 209 pounds, I aim to lose a pound a week. MFP gives me 2600 calories a day. Is that a lot?? It seems like a lot but then again I’m very new to this.

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    bigmouthaj wrote: »
    Hey guys I’m new to this, and i weigh 209 pounds, I aim to lose a pound a week. MFP gives me 2600 calories a day. Is that a lot?? It seems like a lot but then again I’m very new to this.

    Calorie targets are derived from your stats (sex, height, and weight) as well as activity level. Nobody can really say whether it is a lot or not as calorie requirements are individual. If you are a male and active in your day to day, I'd say no...that's not a lot. I lose about 1 Lb per week eating around 2500 calories and I'm a desk jockey but exercise regularly, but not excessively.
  • ChaoticMoira
    ChaoticMoira Posts: 103 Member
    If that is the only exercise you are getting then I wouldn't put moderate. I personally would put light because, while it will burn some calories, it wouldn't likely burn the same as 3-5 intense workouts. On the FAQ for the tdee calculator I use is description to help judge activity level.

    https://tdeecalculator.net/faq.php

    That said, if you continue to lose weight at that calorie count, then it is perfectly fine. These calculators are only a guideline.
  • bigmouthaj
    bigmouthaj Posts: 21 Member
    I put moderate cause it said that food runners are moderate. Plus I workout 3 times a week.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    bigmouthaj wrote: »
    I put moderate cause it said that food runners are moderate. Plus I workout 3 times a week.

    Your activity setting is absolutely nothing to do with your 3 times a week exercise.
    That is estimated separately on the days you exercise so your goal is actually 2,600 + a reasonable estimate of your exercise burns.

    No it doesn't sound like a lot for someone with an active job but time and results will tell over a number of weeks, then you will have personal data which will allow you to dial in the rate of loss you desire.
  • Onedaywriter
    Onedaywriter Posts: 324 Member
    2600 cals sounds about right to me. See how it works and adjust when necessary. One thing to note is that you’ll have to drop calories as you drop weight. Figure like 10 cals/lb of weight loss at this weight. As you get smaller the calorie drop gets smaller - don’t worry.
    People who say it is high either try to lose quickly, move less or are smaller than you.
  • bigmouthaj
    bigmouthaj Posts: 21 Member
    I lost 5 pounds in 2 weeks. How do I know when to take in lower calories
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,961 Member
    bigmouthaj wrote: »
    I lost 5 pounds in 2 weeks. How do I know when to take in lower calories

    You may not ever need to. As you get closer to a healthy weight, it's preferable to slow down your rate of loss, not try to maintain it, so if your weight loss is leading to a reduction in your calorie needs, that might work out just fine.
  • bigmouthaj
    bigmouthaj Posts: 21 Member
    Right on. I feel great, not too hungry, losing weight in short time! I love this deficit haha
  • Onedaywriter
    Onedaywriter Posts: 324 Member
    MFP will change your daily calorie goals as your weight changes automatically when you update your weight
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,107 Member
    Onedaywriter wrote: »
    MFP will change your daily calorie goals as your weight changes automatically when you update your weight

    If it does for you, you're one of the lucky ones, it never did for me. The first time I 'updated' my goal settings (changed them and then changed them back to the original settings) my calorie goal went down by over 100 calories.
    I need to update my goal settings every 5 lbs or so to update my calorie goal.

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