Calorie deficit, can you really have a 1000 deficit a day?!

[Blackbear10]

I noticed a post on an earlier thread and it got me thinking about calories and how many an average person actually uses every day.

So the poster said they have a calorie deficiency of 1000 calories a day, my question is how is this possible?

From researching it seems to be commonly regarded that an average woman doing an office job and then a small amount of exercise when you get home I.e. a two mile walk with dogs, uses 1600 calories a day (if you’re lucky)

Or a job that involves the majority of the day moving around then exercise after (like a 5 mile walk or decent run etc) uses 1800 calories per day.

The only way to use 2000 calories a day was to have a very active job (fireman/policeman, livestock farmer, labourer, yard work etc) and be moving constantly throughout the day doing physical lifting and breaking a sweat nearly all day, then run at least 5k 3 times a week and HITT type training the other days for 40 min at least.

I am seriously confused how anyone could have a 1000 calorie deficit a day, or am I missing something?

I do wonder if people have lost sight of how little calories a person actually uses per day on average.

Do you think making people more aware of average calories used would help with the obesity crisis?

Or have I missed son and actually it’s super easy to have a 1000 calorie deficit and I’m just fat and lazy compaired to normal people?

@TheHoundsofLove no that’s not true. The Fast 800 book by Dr Michael Moseley gives a good overview of the research showing that fast weightloss can actually be really good for us, and those that lose a lot rapidly are less likely to put it back on

You can have any deficit you want, but the problem with a lot of diet and nutrition advice is that it ignores the potentially wide variances in calories burned by different individuals.

An tall active man can easily burn through 3500 calories a day whereas a small sedentary woman might burn 1500 or less. A 1000 calorie deficit for someone who burns relatively few calories is OTT in my opinion, deficits should be proportional to your maintenance calories.

but many nutritionists/personal trainers etc. still think that very low calorie diets are quite damaging to the metabolism in the long-term.

Given those aren’t in anyway protected titles (give me half an hour and I could call myself a certified nutritionist), I’m going to trust the research of people with doctorates in relevant areas. ;)

There is something about protein and low calorie that protects the metabolism. Growing body of research into it.

MrsPink that's an offensive point to make, those prisioners were worked to death, so those few 'extra' calories were to prolong their suffering. I agree that 800 cals is dangerously low but still.

Boo I do agree. But even experts seem to be unable to universally agree. It makes it confusing... If someone feels well on whatever there chosen diet is, then it's probably the right one for them, I think. I also think the BSD is in a bit of a league of its own as it was designed to and does a brilliant job of reversing type 2 diabetes.

TheHoundsofLove of course people should do what fits them best. If it works and you are Happy! Great!

However lots of old ways of thinking have been shown to be accurate. Things like the post work out window, where you need to consume certain food or supplements because your muscles are more receptive post work out. It's bollocks, yet many personal trainers still treat it as fact.

Low calories diets don't slow metabolism. And the theory that it dd, was based on no facts. The same as you have to have breakfast to kick start your metabolism. It's not true. Unfortunately it seems to take the fitness industry a good while to catch up.

I know, pre divorce and weight gain, I used to have a food business in the health and fitness industry. I know it well.

That said, if having breakfast works for you, do it. If eating more calories, works for you do it. Just don't treat it as universal fact because a PT or nutritionist says it's fact.

800 calories is not 'dangerously low' - you're misinformed. Most weight loss comes from diet, something like over 80% is down to diet. Exercise is beneficial but unless you are training like an athlete you're unlikely to be burning thousands of calories.

The only long term study on the effectiveness of diets was a 15 year one in the US which concluded that low fat diets for women don't work in the long term.

but with the greatest respect...

Ha! with the greatest respect you're wrong OP.

From a start long of BMI 42, I lost 3 or 4 pounds every week for 5 months - 5 stone in 5 months. That's an average of 3.5lb in 7 days and since it's generally accepted that 1lb=3500cal then it's 12250cal deficit over 7 days, or 1750 cal deficit per day, on average.

I wasn't calorie counting at the time, so no tracking how many calories I was burning or consuming. My only evidence is the weight I lost.

That's an amazing weight loss FATE - it takes determination to do that. However, I'm not sure the 1lb in weight = 3500 calories. There are lots of different factors at play and everyone is different.

I have a 1k calorie deficit.

It's set up on my fit bit.

I log everything I eat.

It tracks my heartbeat and knows my weight and height so I guess it works it out based on that.

I've lost 3lb a week.

However to get the deficit, I need to go the gym if I want to eat more than 1200 calories a day.

I do couch to 5 k Monday to Friday and spin and sone weights.

So I am more active. I will run up and down my stairs if I see I need to burn more or want to have a bit of chocolate or some wine.

I don't by any means starve myself but I have a lot of egg white omelettes with peppers and onions and tomatoes as breakfasts and a lot of protein in my diet. Mainly chicken and turkey.

To do this comfortably I have had to up my veg intake and reduce my carbs and crap food quite a lot. But my diet wasn't great before if I'm honest.

Going the gym and seeing what I've burnt off makes me not want to ruin all the hard work.

I'm really enjoying it tbh. I can see my shape changing.

Congrats fate!

OP I do intermittent fasting - twice a week I eat just 500 calories a day (sometimes on consecutive days). Hand on heart I don’t feel hungry at the end of those days - I eat bulky, filling meals with loads on veg and feel totally fine. Obviously I’m doing it for weight loss and health (so I wouldn’t do it daily or forever) but it is totally doable.

Sunday I normally have a full roast and sod the calories

The 3500cals = 1 pound loss is too simplistic and a bit outdated, there are many other factors that impact on weightloss/gain