Correct Calorie deficit?

Hi Guys,

I have been using MFP since 3rd Jan, starting off at 85.3kg, and currently down to 78kg which a goal of around 73kg. I am a 24 year old guy, and set my weight loss goal as 2lb/week, which retrospectively was too much, and MFP set my daily calories at 1330. Does that seem correct, or a touch on the low side?
I have now changed my goal to lose 1lb/wk and it has changed my daily calories to 1760. Does that seem correct? Seems a touch high, but maybe because I have been eating at a low calories limit for a couple of months now.

Thanks for any help in advance!

With the amount you have to lose your goal should be 0.5 lbs/week which is a deficit of 250 cals/day, otherwise you are going to lose a large % of lean muscle mass, not just fat. and as a man you should not be below 1500 Net calories even if you had more to lose.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

Since the recommended minimum for men is 1500 calories your initial calorie setting might have been too aggressive, but it certainly worked for you as per the weight loss.

My 'goal' is 1900 calories to lose 2 lbs per week, I'll be changing that in the next couple days to a 1lb a week goal rather than the 2 lbs which will put me to 2400 calories to lose the weight I wish to.

Keep in mind that the proper calorie goal for YOU will depend partially on your activity level (which we have no way of knowing). 500 calories a day less than maintenence is approximately 1 pound per week loss, and 1000 less than maintenence is 2 pounds. Either way, you should not eat a great deal less than your BMR. That's what your body needs just to keep functioning without any activity at all.

With the amount you have to lose your goal should be 0.5 lbs/week which is a deficit of 250 cals/day, otherwise you are going to lose a large % of lean muscle mass, not just fat. and as a man you should not be below 1500 Net calories even if you had more to lose.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

^^this
I did what you are doing and ate the lowest limits for several months last fall (1200-1350 and not eating exercise cals back), I lost a load of weight but became very weak and lost a lot of lean mass. I am 6 ft tall started around 230 lbs and was around 30%+/- body fat, and I lost down to 165 and only reduced my body fat to 20% because I was eating too little.
I spent around 3 months finding what it truly took to maintain my weight and did a short bulk (up to 173) that ended at the beginning of February. I am now eating 2600 calories on work out days and 2,100-2,300 a day on rest days. Workouts consist of running 3 days a week and lifting 3 days a week and I am losing a 1-1.5 lbs a week. Since I am already lighter than I want to be, I will probably start eating 2,600 calories EVERY DAY. Oh, and make sure you get adequate protein. Feel free to add me if you want to stalk my food diary and exercise activities.


edit: If you look at my ticker below, you can see that originally my goal was to get down to 180 lbs. and for a 6 ft male, this should have left me with a decent body composition, but I lost so much lean mass that I kept dieting till my ticker indicator was out of sight. its hiding off the screen at 166 as of this morning and I am still pudgy.

*bump*

There is a thing called the Harris Benadict equation the can give you APPROXIMATELY the number of calories you need a day. It breaks down like so:
BMR = 66 + (6.23 * weight in pounds) + (12.7 * height in inches) - (6.8 * age in years)
That is the Basic Metabolic Rate
You multiply that based on activity as follows
Sedentary = BMR * 1.2; Lightly active = BMR * 1.375; Moderately active = BMR * 1.55; Very active = BMR * 1.725

This formula does not account for a lack of nor an above normal amount of lean muscle. Therefor it is a starting point and you must adjust accordingly.
Everything I have read also points out that you should never go below 1200 calories a day without medical supervision no matter what number you come up with.

So you can go through all of that or just trust what myfitnesspal tells you as they are basically using the above.

From the MFP BMR calculator page: "Our calculator uses the Mifflin-St. Jeor equations to estimate your BMR which is believed to be more accurate than the more commonly used Harris-Benedict equation."

These are the Mifflin-St. Jeor equations (weight in kilograms, the height in centimeters, and the age in years):

Male: BMR = 10×weight + 6.25×height - 5×age + 5
Female: BMR = 10×weight + 6.25×height - 5×age - 161

The BMR/TDEE calculators are based on ideal scenarios and may not reflect a person's true BMR/TDEE.

The truth is, if you are grossly overweight, e.g. you need to lose more than 50lbs/23kg, then you may find that your BMR is actually greater than the calculator advises.

According to MFP when I started I was 113.8kg so my BMR was 1973. The reality was actually a more scary 2606 which is why I could consume 3000 Calories a day no probs.

Now 7 months down the line, MFP thinks I should have a BMR of 1733, but my metabolism is still running fast and I actually sit around the 2030 mark. Of course I've actually also gone from totally sedentary to moderately active, so that no doubt helps.

The reason I'm saying this is not to discredit MFP's numbers... hell I couldn't have achieved what I've achieved without this site... but to show why it's important not to starve yourself. 1200 is a base guideline for young women and small-framed men, but most of us could still eat 1500-1800 Calories a day and still lose weight.

Finding a healthy balance that suits you and leaves you satisfied is, I believe, the best way to lose weight, get fit and sustain a weightloss and maintenance program that you can live with long-term.

Good luck to one and all! :happy: