Calorie question
zfitgal
Posts: 518 Member
Hi everyone, I have a calorie question. I have been eating 1600 cal for quite some time now and I’ve been losing weight but at this point it’s pretty slow. A few years ago my perfect number or I lost weight and got to my goal was 1650, I know that really isn’t such a big difference but that’s the number I was at. my question is in order to speed up my weight loss should I drop my calories 2 to 3 times a week to 1400? Or should I raise my calories to 1650 and see what happens. Four days ago I had a cheat day after not indulging for six weeks straight, it was very enjoyable and very needed. unfortunately, my thighs are still retaining water, about half an inch. When do you think that will go back down to normal as well
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Replies
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A lot depends on your current and desired rate of loss. As you lose weight, your BMR goes down, so it makes sense your rate of loss would drop too.
The other thing you could do is add more zone 2 cardio like walking, if you currently aren't doing much.1 -
If 1,600 has been good for weightloss and now your maintenance calories are lower since you're lighter so to keep moving downward at the same rate you need to lower weekly calories however remember as you lean out you don't want to lose too fast. It's best to list your height and weight.
Don't go off what worked a few years ago as your daily activity may be less now so go off of recent calories and their effect on your weight.4 -
tomcustombuilder wrote: »If 1,600 has been good for weightloss and now your maintenance calories are lower since you're lighter so to keep moving downward at the same rate you need to lower weekly calories however remember as you lean out you don't want to lose too fast. It's best to list your height and weight.
Don't go off what worked a few years ago as your daily activity may be less now so go off of recent calories and their effect on your weight.
I’m extremely active. Walk 10k a day. Weight training 5 days a week and cardio 45 mins 4 times a week. I don’t want to drop my calories to much. I haven’t weighed myself in awhile but I have been measuring myself and measurements keep dropping but very slowly.. I’m going to start weighing myself tomorrow and watch the trend.
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If you had been weighing yourself, that would inform you what your actual TDEE is, e.g. if you've been losing half a pound per week recently, then you're in a deficit of about 250 per day.I haven’t weighed myself in awhile but I have been measuring myself and measurements keep dropping but very slowly.. I’m going to start weighing myself tomorrow and watch the trend.
The closer you are to lean, the harder it will be. Maybe that's why you're seeing slow progress.
Since your measurements are going down, if you're also making progress in the gym with more reps and weight, then it sounds like things are going in the right direction.3 -
Still need your height and weight2
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If it's not measurably and objectively heading in the wrong direction.... then it's still heading in the correct direction. Faster or slower. Management will remain management.2
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tomcustombuilder wrote: »Still need your height and weight
Heigh is 5 feet 4 inches about 140 pounds0 -
ok! You’re not that far off base so losses shouldn’t be aggressive. A half a pond a week at the most is probably going to be about right. At this point your goal should be to also maintain muscle mass.tomcustombuilder wrote: »Still need your height and weight
Heigh is 5 feet 4 inches about 140 pounds
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tomcustombuilder wrote: »
ok! You’re not that far off base so losses shouldn’t be aggressive. A half a pond a week at the most is probably going to be about right. At this point your goal should be to also maintain muscle mass.tomcustombuilder wrote: »Still need your height and weight
Heigh is 5 feet 4 inches about 140 pounds
Yes, maintaining muscle mass is always my goal. I would like to be losing half a pound a week. Like I said before I wasn’t really a big skill watcher. The scale has always played with my mind so I have always use measurements. At this point in my weight loss journey, I am planning to step on the scale tomorrow and use it as a guide it to where I am in my way lost journey. I do like having a cheat day every 6 to 8 weeks.1 -
TDEE is so helpful. As I lose 5-10 lbs, I reevaluate using an online calculator. Once it’s given me my maintenance calorie count, I subtract points to make sure I have a deficit. (I personally deduct 500 calories for the stage I’m in to lose approximately a pound per week.)1
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brightside4me wrote: »TDEE is so helpful. As I lose 5-10 lbs, I reevaluate using an online calculator. Once it’s given me my maintenance calorie count, I subtract points to make sure I have a deficit. (I personally deduct 500 calories for the stage I’m in to lose approximately a pound per week.)
Your own weight trend is more reliable than an online calculator - online calculators can be very wrong for some people.
If you track your calorie consumption for the last x weeks and compare with your weight trend over that period (using the estimation of 3500 kcal per lb of bodyfat) you can estimate your true TDEE.1 -
I just stepped on the scale this morning. I was on shock. I weighed 147.8. I’m the same number on the scale today then I was back in March but my inches are down. My goal is 130 and I don’t understand why my weight isn’t coming down with the calories I’m eating. There is nothing that goes in my mouth that I don’t weigh. I’m very upset and very confused.3
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Why upset? Personally, I do use the scale as one of the tools to measure progress, but the actual goal is to improve my body composition. Losing inches is a clear sign you've lost bodyfat (and gained muscle mass) if your weight is the same.
Also: if your weight is the same after three months, it would seem you're eating at maintenance level. You could eat 250 calories less to lose slowly (or just continue as is; improving your body composition at the same weight).2 -
250 calories less is extremely Low for how active I am. 1600 should never be my maintenance. At this weight I should be maintaining at 1800-1850. Body comp has changed but I do feel I should be weighing less on the scale1
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250 calories less is extremely Low for how active I am. 1600 should never be my maintenance. At this weight I should be maintaining at 1800-1850. Body comp has changed but I do feel I should be weighing less on the scale
1350kcal (1600 minus 250) would be too low for me (I'd be hungry) but it's just a suggestion - any amount below your TDEE will do - it can be a smaller deficit too.
Or, if you think your current intake has slowed your metabolism, you could try a slow reverse diet (gradually increasing your calorie intake) in the hopes of increasing your metabolism before returning to a deficit again.
Three months is enough time to judge your true TDEE. Your own data would indicate that your TDEE is 1600 calories unless:
- you are currently experiencing exceptional water retention (5 days after a cheat day - perhaps)
- there is somehow inaccuracy in your food logging
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250 calories less is extremely Low for how active I am. 1600 should never be my maintenance. At this weight I should be maintaining at 1800-1850. Body comp has changed but I do feel I should be weighing less on the scale
1350kcal (1600 minus 250) would be too low for me (I'd be hungry) but it's just a suggestion - any amount below your TDEE will do - it can be a smaller deficit too.
Or, if you think your current intake has slowed your metabolism, you could try a slow reverse diet (gradually increasing your calorie intake) in the hopes of increasing your metabolism before returning to a deficit again.
Three months is enough time to judge your true TDEE. Your own data would indicate that your TDEE is 1600 calories unless:
- you are currently experiencing exceptional water retention (5 days after a cheat day - perhaps)
- there is somehow inaccuracy in your food logging
I did have a large 2 day celebration last Wednesday and Thursday and was off track those days.0 -
tomcustombuilder wrote: »
I’m very accurate with my calorie counting. I wish I wasn’t so I’d have something I know I can fix.1 -
We're missing a lot of info here. However, you say you're lifting 5x a week and doing cardio too, so you're probably retaining water for that. You may also be retaining water due to recent diet. One weigh-in is not necessarily representative. Do it again in coming days, first thing, in underwear, after bathroom, and see what that is.
Second, why the fixation on 130? If you're losing inches you're losing fat. Isn't that all that matters? Improved body comp is a win. If you're a new lifter and doing 5x a week, you've probably gained numerous pounds of muscle. Again, we're missing a lot of info, but it's quite possible you look a lot better now (or a few pounds from now) than at 130.
Here's an example from a YT'er I follow, Mark Lewis, talking about his wife's fitness journey. She gained muscle and improved body comp, agreed she looked better, but she was still fixated on a number on the scale. Timestamped to 15m for the relevant part.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUXjbINwTfA&t=900s 0 -
250 calories less is extremely Low for how active I am. 1600 should never be my maintenance. At this weight I should be maintaining at 1800-1850. Body comp has changed but I do feel I should be weighing less on the scale
1350kcal (1600 minus 250) would be too low for me (I'd be hungry) but it's just a suggestion - any amount below your TDEE will do - it can be a smaller deficit too.
Or, if you think your current intake has slowed your metabolism, you could try a slow reverse diet (gradually increasing your calorie intake) in the hopes of increasing your metabolism before returning to a deficit again.
Three months is enough time to judge your true TDEE. Your own data would indicate that your TDEE is 1600 calories unless:
- you are currently experiencing exceptional water retention (5 days after a cheat day - perhaps)
- there is somehow inaccuracy in your food logging
I did have a large 2 day celebration last Wednesday and Thursday and was off track those days.
That has the potential to add a material amount of water weight - multiple pounds. That water retention can hang around for up to a couple of weeks, or through a full menstrual cycle (until the same relative point in the cycle) for women who have cycles.
Don't panic; don't do anything extreme. Others have mentioned water retention for other reasons (true ones), and pointed out that for health/appearance goals, the scale numbers are way, way secondary to tape-measurements, how one feels, blood tests, and appearance.1 -
Fixed expectations can play the absolute devil with our minds.
I’m 5’7”. I got all the way down to 127. Woo hoo, right? Nope. Looked like death warmed over.
I have gradually gained back, to 148 right now. I do cardio, weights, walk, power yoga, swim, often all in the same day. I’ve built a lot of muscle. Muscle is denser and heavier than fat, but, because it’s denser, doesn’t have the bulkier, squishier appearance that fat does.
Guess what?
I’m wearing the same size now I did 21 pounds lower- with the exception of a few blouses I had to ditch because they no longer fit around my biceps. Some of my clothes from the 127 era actually bag on me. Whaaaat?
Speaking from personal experience, don’t gnaw and fret over the scale number. It’s the results that count. Its super hard to learn to acknowledge and accept that. I often catch myself silently wailing and self flagellating to the tune of “but I lost so much and gained some back!”
Nope, I gained muscle back and those are hard gains with utterly different results.
Be proud of where you are and thank yourself from the bottom of your heart for where you came from, and look forward to where you’re gonna be in a few months. The path often doesn’t take us where expectations would lead us to, er, expect.3 -
I’ve found that what worked a few years ago doesn’t always work now. We all likely have a different body composition than we previously did, so it would make sense if a different number led to success now vs then.0
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Just remember, muscle weighs more than fat.0
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A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat.Scorpiogurl66 wrote: »Just remember, muscle weighs more than fat.3 -
Many people have complicated relationships with the scale. This is a given.
Doubly unfortunately, people who do not weight consistently and over a continuous and long enough period of time do NOT KNOW either their STARTING weight OR their CURRENT weight.
A single weight in today IS your weight at the time of sampling. But your weight at the time of sampling says nothing about your general weight level at this time. And a single weight in a few months ago also doesn't say much about your general weight level back then.
You could have lost 1 to 10lbs or you could have gained 1 to 10lbs or you could weight the same you did then.
All you really know is that you probably didn't lose or gain much more than 10lbs.
And I would assume that if your clothes were getting tighter as opposed to looser you would have noticed. So you KNOW you have lost weight.
And. I've said it once and I'll say it again when I hear that people are disappointed and angry at the results they got.
If you're disappointed and angry and feel cheated by your results... you're pushing too hard and you're not doing things that are sustainable. If they WERE sustainable you wouldn't need the feel good juice of results in order to keep going. Pull back to a level that's sustainable. How FAST you get there doesn't matter. Actually getting there and staying there DOES.1 -
If you like how you feel, how you look, and how you're shaped, who cares how much the earth's gravity is pulling you?1
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Retroguy2000 wrote: »
A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat.Scorpiogurl66 wrote: »Just remember, muscle weighs more than fat.
But a cubic inch of muscle weighs more than a cubic inch of fat.0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »Retroguy2000 wrote: »
A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat.Scorpiogurl66 wrote: »Just remember, muscle weighs more than fat.
But a cubic inch of muscle weighs more than a cubic inch of fat.
Yes, muscle is denser than fat. It only weighs more if you are talking about the same volume. It's easier to put on a pound of fat than a pound of muscle though....0
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