How much deficit are people aiming for

[mangomaggie]

I'm settling into it. Started 3 weeks ago. Losing slowly but had very strong suppression so need to really eat well when I do eat. My TDDR is 1600 so do I need to be on 1100?
I've had today : toasted tea cake, pasta pesto small bowl , 2 quorn sausages , 6 jelly babies , lentil rice cakes plus cottage cheese. I think this might be too much and too low in protein though

I think that a lot of what you've eaten is (nice but) not really nutritionally rich.

Are you veggie? Try and eat veggies, pulses and legumes in their natural state. If they been processed, they're easier to digest and lose some of their nutritional benefits.

That seems pretty low for a TDEE, are you quite short? Mine is 2100. Just checking you are not working off your BMR instead?

I've been doing it since Jan and focussing on protein and really cutting down carbs and UPFs. So in a normal day I would have nothing for breakfast, scrambled eggs and bacon with a slice of wholemeal/seeded bread for lunch and something like chicken fajitas (1 wholemeal wrap), with lots of veg, avocado, sour cream etc for tea.
if I snack (not often at the moment on 7.5mg!) I have fruit and nuts.
i don't calorie count generally, but I have done every now and again just to check and it's generally around 1400-1500 calories a day so 600-700 under my TDEE.

500 below TDEE

My tdee is 1500 and I'm 5'8 87kg.

So I need to be aiming for 1000.

Are you sure that’s your TDEE and not BMR? Seems very low?

(Obviously, it can vary if you’re elderly or have a disability that means your movement is below a typical “sedentary” level)

I just put your height and weight in an online TDEE calculator (guessed at age 40) and your TDEE came out as around 1900, your BMR is around 1500.

try copy/pasting what you ate today into ChatGPT and ask it to calculate the calories, macro and the biggest issues. You can also tell it what you are aiming for and ask for tweaks to make it better.

What you are eating is just as important as how many calories.

Too much of you list looks like fast carbs which will spike sugar levels leaving you hungry quickly when they drop again. Not enough protein, fibre, veg. Looks like you are vegetarian so I can’t suggest diet changes, but you can tell ChatGPT that and it will give suggestions.

do you track your food in an app and check how your macros look?

I didn't think I was understanding it 🤣 I only did it yesterday so haven't been calorie counting as such!

I am disabled so I am very sedentary.

I'm confused now as to how many cals I should be eating to be in deficit.

Age is closer to 50 😭

I'm very short yes. 5'1. I had a crap eating say as was out and about and didn't plan well. Other days I have had yogurt and fruit as a brunch then a hello fresh type meal (burrito bowl , chick pea curry ) type thing.
Today I've had yogurt and a sprinkle of muesli with dates and nuts in it plus cinnamon. I'm debating lunch options. Not been shopping so I'm limited. Maybe cup soup!! But yes I'm conscious what o do eat needs to be delivering on nutrition

I’ve calculated it based on that I do for you, if you don’t mind?

Your TDEE is 1,700 (the typical multiplier is a fairly sedentary lifestyle is 1.2 but I’ve used 1.1 given the info you’ve given around having a disability). If you stuck to c. 1,200-1,300kcals a day, you would lose about 1lb a week which is a safe and manageable amount.

I’d also recommend you try and eat a high protein diet- at least 100g protein a day, but 120-140g ideally. The reason for this is that, on low calories, your body will start breaking down muscle cells as well as burning fat, especially if your mobility isn’t fantastic.

Protein is basically the food source for muscles so eating protein keeps the muscles well maintained. This is important both from the perspective of managing a disability/general mobility, but also in dieting- reducing your muscle mass will reduce your metabolism and slow down weight loss

So low calories, high protein.

Lovely breakfast!

Are you using 0% fat Greek yogurt and weighing everything? For me, that’s the biggest key to managing a deficit- I weigh and track everything.

It’s so easy to accidentally add an extra hundred calories of muesli or granola, so I find keeping a small scales on my kitchen counter helps massively.

Protein is key to weight loss- Greek yogurt, or a low fat protein yogurt or Skyr is just brilliant. I’d usually have a really big bowl of this (200g 0% Greek, with 15g granola, 50g strawberries, 50g blueberries. That’s about 230kcals and 23g protein.

I often add a scoop of whey protein powder. This adds about 120kcals so you end up with c. 350kcals but almost 50g of protein which is amazing for one meal, especially in the morning when your body has been fasting. It’s also a very filling meal so will keep me going until the afternoon.

I know not everyone likes protein powders and shakes but I find them brilliant if you can learn a bit about how to use them- eg, as a meal replacement as part of a balanced diet. I’ve lost just over 9st and have one more to go- adding protein has been key for me. I’ll add whey to my breakfast or replace a meal at lunchtime with a decent quality protein shake.

Today, my diet is:

Morning- protein shake (400kcals, 40g protein)
Lunch- chia protein pudding with strawberries.
Dinner- two poached eggs on a slice of buttered sourdough toast with nduja, Gouda, raw spinach and roast mushrooms with garlic.

Because I’m limited on food options today (due to work schedule and location), I’m not getting as much fruit or veg as I’d like so I’ve also had a daily green drink which gives me the majority of my vitamins and minerals for the day.

I would normally have the shake OR the chia protein pudding but it’s just how today worked out so I’m going with it. I’d usually have shake or chia or yogurt with fruit and whey for breakfast, something like the egg dish for lunch, then a portion-controlled high-protein dinner like chicken with veg, or turkey burgers.

That typically landed me at about 1,300kcals, and 100-120g protein.

I appreciate that not everyone wants or needs to eat like this for weightloss and I’ve been more flexible up to now, but I’d love to drop that last stone asap so I’m happy to stick to something strict for the next couple of months.

I don't mind at all! I think that's what I was asking for, without actually asking.

Thank you!

I shall update in due course.

@BoIIocks can you recommend a protein powder ? I am
Veggie so struggle getting protein in. Cottage cheese and yogurt are my main ones but I think I need an easier source. Thank you. Your experience is really interesting. Thanks for sharing

I have found that eating to improve my gut microbiome by avoiding ultra processed ingredients has been helpful.

Sadly most of the protein powders contain UPFs, but this one contains only sheep and goat whey, no sweeteners or flavourings. I mix it into soups, porridge, smoothies and it just tastes a bit milky, no synthetic aftertaste, and suitable for people who don't tolerate cow's milk.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KEU8TAO

I’ve tried a few and my favourite is Huel (let me know if you want a discount code- think I have one for money off somewhere). I use the Cinnamon Swirl flavour. I find the texture nicer than most their brands which can feel very sticky.

I also really like their Daily Greens vitamin drink. Takes a few days to get used to but I like it now. I also add a scoop of marine collagen.

I'm so cross at myself. Just had loads of m and ms from a share bag DH got me in USA. I'm going to donate them to school via DS. I now feel sick and embarrassed. I was craving but should have had tea with honey. I gave up chocolate for lent and was fine but one whiff of chocolate like that and I'm like a machine. I may stop altogether and just not eat it. I feel disgusting