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Original poster

Calorie deficit not working

208 replies

Username06 · 19/05/2025 19:45

I am a lifelong yo-yo dieter, if truth be told I definitely have some issues with food, I've been on/off a diet since my teens, basically I'm either on a diet losing weight or eating like food is going to become non-existant hence the constant yo-yoing.
I've always gone to slimming groups, always lose the weight and think I've changed my life around and then end up back at square one.

So i have decided now to try a calorie deficit in order to eat the things I still love in moderation and try to learn to eat healthy with occasional treats and lose weight. I have also started jogging a couple times a week as I'd like to be able to exercise and then have a treat without putting on the weight again when i reach my goal. At present I have a stone to lose to get back to a healthy BMI.

Here's the issue, in a month I've lost a couple of pounds despite feeling starving everyday and bloody exercising! I lose weight much faster following slimming world, what is going on, do calorie deficits just not work on some people, feeling so disheartened 😔

OP posts:
SoSoLong · 19/05/2025 19:56

You're either underestimating your calorie intake or you're overestimating how many you consume through exercise. Or you're doing both right but the deficit isn't large enough.

Daisypod · 19/05/2025 19:54

I keep track of my calories on My fitness pal, most of the time I manage 500 calorie deficit but I definitely notice that the scales don’t move when I eat higher sugar/fat foods as opposed to when eating healthier cleaner foods even when in deficit.

londongirl12 · 19/05/2025 19:51

All diets are a calorie deficit. Whether it’s slimming world or calorie counting. You have to be in a deficit to lose body fat. Are you logging everything you eat? Weighing everything correctly? Every drink, cooking sauce, bite of kids leftovers etc?

geekygardener · 19/05/2025 19:50

A couple of pounds a month is normal and it entirely depends on what deficit you are doing. It differs between people of course but on average a 500cal a day deficit would make you lose a pound a week. I also think it’s very easy to miscalculate calories. You have to include literally everything, sauces, milk in coffee, a mint etc etc the only way to properly know is to weigh absolutely everything you put in your mouth

EnterFunnyNameHere · 19/05/2025 19:49

Sorry to start with the obvious but:

A) how are you calculating your calorie intake?

B) how are you calculating what a defixit looks like for you?

In a lot of cases, it's just down to not knowing what to aim for and not accurately tracking against that target...!

SweeneyToddIer · 19/05/2025 19:48

A calorie deficit is basic maths and it 100% does work. However, a lot of people don’t do it right.

Have you worked out your BMR, TDEE, and are you weighing, measuring and tracking every single thing that passes your lips?

Iwrotethelyricstoaxlf · 19/05/2025 19:48

Well

it also depends on the makeup of the calories

whats your TDEE and what does your diet look like as a snapshot.

Citycathedral · 19/05/2025 19:48

How much of a calorie deficit are you in each day? You need I a deficit of 500 calories a day to lose one pound a week. Are you drinking enough water too?

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