AIBU for thinking these calories are way too low?

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Hi everyone,

I’m 76kg 180cm Strength training 4x per week + 12,000 steps daily.
I have been strength training consistently for two years. I recently consulted a personal trainer for fat loss, and she suggested a target of 1,500 calories per day.

I am feeling a bit concerned because the only time I have previously eaten at this level was years ago, when I was significantly less active and not involved in strength training.

AIBU to think these are low for my height and activity? Should I bring it up to my PT or just try to stick to it?

Ive attached an image of my current physique for reference.

Id love to know my bf percent but I have no clue. Ive always been heavier than I look though I think. The lowest I’ve ever been was 68kg and I was very thin at that weight I’m not sure how.

2lb per week is crazy.

you need to get a new PT. One who actually knows what they are talking about.

I’d respectfully suggest you need a new PT.

BMI is nonsense. You obviously have muscle which skews it. All my gym mates would fall into ‘obese’ based on BMI as they have so much muscle, none have fat to lose.

Has she measured your body fat properly with calipers? That’s the only way to do it properly.

Yes 1,500 if you are also training sounds mental. You’ll just end up burning all your lovely muscle tone!

She said I just need to volume eat at 1500 and I asked if I could do 1800 and she said it’s too much. Its confused me as she’s very well respected and gets great results that’s why I started with her. She hasn’t measured my body fat no.

No no no. Your PT needs to do this for you! Proper PTs have equipment they use to measure body fat. Start with that.

I’d respectfully suggest the reason you are heavier than you think is because you have good muscle tone. This. Is. A. Good. Thing.

also, from what i can see, you are gorgeous!

Babe you need a new PT. Sorry this one is an idiot. My brother’s a PT AND and idiot and even he would know she’s talking rubbish

Look up bulking and cutting. https://www.puregym.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-bulking-and-cutting/

If you want to get more muscle definition you can lose fat during your cut phase while still maintaining muscle.

I agree with everyone who says you need to get a different PT. You are clearly already slim and fit so there is no point in starving yourself to lose 2lbs a week. You will just end up weaker and discouraged and will not have the physique you are hoping for.

I think everyone’s pretty much said it already but:

1. your photos don’t suggest a cut is needed
2. BMI is the wrong metric when building muscle, so is weight, muscle has mass and so if you build muscle it will make you weigh more. This is a psychological challenge, not a physical one!
3. Yes, you need enough energy to exist (maybe 1600-1800) and then enough to train (at least another 500). Not enough energy taken in and you’ll feel terrible and go into catabolism, breaking down your hard earned muscle.

So:

1. choose a different metric. Scales that do body fat % aren’t that accurate but whatever they say you’re on now is fine. Keep it there. You’ll gain weight as you build more muscle, but if the body fat % stays stable it’s all good (you’re in your 20s and active, it’s unlikely you’ve got a lot of visceral fat. That’ll come in 10-20 years!) - even better - get a DEXA scan (and use that to calibrate your scales)
2. Get a new trainer. Anyone who is supporting someone of your physique to drop body fat is dangerous.

And if you’re trying to get to single figure body fat percentage to do some bikini body building thing then all the above applies, it’s dangerous and essentially encourages disordered eating

I imagine you're trying to recomp - to retain your muscle whilst losing fat.

For this you need a very small deficit and plenty of protein, patience and consistency.

Use this TDEE calculator https://tdeecalculator.net/ to figure out your total daily energy expenditure with your current muscle mass and then cut by about 10 per cent .

Look at youtubers like Leanbeefpatty for inspiration (and great results)

A decent personal trainer with any understanding of the body would never recommend a 2lb a week weight loss for an objectively slim client well within a healthy BMI. It’s ridiculous.

She's either not explained herself properly / you’ve misunderstood / she’s absolutely shit.

BMI is outdated and not applicable and any decent PT shouldn’t be using it

OP I’m older than you and my PT is trying to get me to increase my calorie intake after I have been on a fat loss journey. I’ve gone from about 1500/1600 a day to about 2000 and do monthly body fat scans. My bmi is about 23 and my weight has maintained since I started training 3months ago. However - my body fat has gone down and my muscle mass has increased noticeably. Defo worth finding somewhere to do a body scan because you will not be able to build muscle on that amount of calories.

I mean that’s what I did to lose weight (I did 1,300 at 70kg but I’m short only 163cm). With exercise and weight lifting. You need a big deficit to lose 2lbs a week so that’s about right..

However my BMI is now 23 and I don’t want to lose more weight. I have a 6 pack and amazing muscle definition. At that weight I’d suggest a body recomp (ie gain some muscle and lose some fat) and not weight loss. What are the body fat scales saying on fat %?

Agree 100%. A 2lb a week weight loss is only for those carrying a lot of extra fat.

Your pics are thst of a perfectly healthy young woman. Your PT’s advice is bordering on dangerous. You feel instinctively that your calories are way too low and I agree with you. Please keep in mind that the major of PTs are not experts in nutrition

You look very healthy! I would deffo chat to your PT about it, that's what you're paying them for. Different bodies need different amounts too surely!

To loose weight you need to be in a deficit of around 500/600 calories, so if you are maintaining on 2100-2200 then you need to take some away. I’d probably aim for 1700 and if I don’t see changes then go with what the PT advised 1500

I've literally just been doing my PT nutrition qualification coursework and it was very clear that 1lb per week is a sensible and sustainable rate, and that going above that risks losing lean body mass and isn't recommended.

1500 sounds correct for what you’re trying to achieve and the rate you want to achieve it. I’m the same age as you but shorter (5’7”) and more active. If I’m trying to cut fat I’ll do 1400 at the max, but usually 1200. 1800 is high for a woman trying to do a cut which is probably why she’s discouraging it.

Most people on here are approaching it from the perspective of being overweight/high BMI which is very different from a fit person trying to cut fat to see more definition.

Have you given this PT a weight goal and a deadline? That is really the only reason I can think of for going in with 1500 cals and “needing” to lose 2lb per week.

But also, if this is the way the PT works, that’s why they have great results. Plunging anyone into a big deficit WILL get results, but check back on those same people 6 months later and it will look like they never started the deficit to begin with.

That is definitely too low a daily count unless you want to lose a lot (which you shouldn't!) Don't forget that BMI is less accurate for tall people. A BMI of 23 might be on the high side for a short Asian* woman, but a tall European is fine at your weight.

• Not racism at all. Asian women are medically overweight at a lower BMI than European and African women.

it doesn't sound like the right approach for you.

bmi is kind of useless when you are actively building muscle/ strength training.

do you know your body fat percentage?

I'm currently on 1577 calories, trying to cut from 32% body fat to 25%. i also strength train 3x a week and do another day of whatever I fancy. I find it quite hard some days.

calories are split
177 grams protein
86g carbs
58g fat

That seems very low. I am 55kg, 163cm and MFP tells me to eat 1200 to lose 2lb/wk. I swim a lot and an hour/day workout would easily bring me up to 1600 and I am more than a decade older than you and much smaller so your calorie intake for same would be significantly higher.

As a pp suggested id start logging everything for a week and go from there. I’d use myfitnesspal then you can look at all aspects of your diet. When I'm trying to drop some weight I really have to be careful to eat enough protein among other things. Once you’ve worked out what you are actually eating then slowly drop the calories until you start losing weight.

Even though I think I’m knowledgable about nutrition I slip into bad habits and occasionally monitoring my diet helps highlight problem areas.