How low do you go?...

[BrilliantYou]

Hi just wondering how low calorie everyone goes and what amount of weigh loss are you seeing? My bmi is 33 so I have around 3.5 stone to lose. Started slimming world a month a go and have lost 7ibs but I'm relying on too much artificially sweetened junk really so want to calorie count so that no food is a 'syn'. I've been sticking to 1600 cals since last Friday and so far I've stayed the same weight (i know it's only been a few days). I'm trying to walk lots and add in exercise to create more of a deficit without lowering my cals anymore but wondering if they're too high? I've worked out my BMR and physical activity levels etc and 1600 is the amount inc a 500 per day deficit.

I would go lower to 1200 max and ignore all the extra calories allowance given by exercise. Eat 1200 and ditch all articola sweeteners as they alter your gut bacteria

Artificial

I personally stick to 1400 a day as that is what the NHS recommends for women. If you go too low, you are likely to struggle to fit in all the nutrients you need. It may get you to lose weight faster, but your health won’t benefit from that kind of approach, so don’t go lower than you absolutely have to.

I have lost over 2.5 stone in 5 months this way, so it works for me. At the start I was roughly losing about 2 lbs a week. Weightloss has slowed down a little bit recently, but it still averages out to about 1-1.5 lbs a week.

It may not be super fast, but it’s sustainable and that’s what matters in the long run

I've just started a low calorie diet and I'm having no more than 1200 per day and I ignore the extras given for exercise. I lost 4lb in week 1. I'm using MyFitnessPal to track everything (easy) and I'm being true to what I'm consuming (no under estimating).

Good luck.

I'm also at 1200 cals a day and find it is Ok to get the recommended amounts on there e.g. protein - try and aim for around 60g or more a day to not lose muscle. I am quite short though.

I definitely wouldn't lose weight on 1600 cals despite running several times each week. Without exercise my BMR is around 1350 so I stick to 1000-1200 cals to lose weight, sad but unfortunately true. I'd go to 1200 if you want to see significant losses

I don't lose on much more than 1050. Depressing but true.

Losing 7lb in a month is good. More than the realistic 1 a week- which means you've also lost water weight.

The reality is that your calories and metabolism lower the lighter you get. You hold weight more on the middle the older you get. To maintain, i eat 1900, to lose. 1500- but I'm very active, and still over the lower end of my bmi. It's not just a very individual number - it's a constantly changing number for every individual , in that we all age/ have different metabolism/ exercise differently etc.

You have to get to know your body basically