Calorie deficit

[K00K]

Hi guys,

This is probably going to sound like a very silly question but here goes!
I currently eat about 2000-2500 calories every day maybe more at the weekend!

I need to lose about a stone so am currently cutting out the crap like cake etc - averaging on around 1800 a day.

My calorie calculator tells me I need to eat 1200 a day to be in a true deficit of my TDEE.

Will I still lose weight if I’m eating less than I usually do or do I need to be eating 500 less than my daily expenditure?
Thanks

It depends if you burn off more than 1800 calories per day. If you don't then you won't lose any weight

It depends on what your actual TDEE is really, do you mind posting your height and weight and roughly what you do in a day?

The scientific theory is that if you under eat by 3,500 calories you’ll lose a lb (this is a rough rough guide). If you work out your actual TDEE and then subtract 500 daily, that’ll be a pound a week (ish). If you increase your TDEE with exercise then obviously you can eat more and still have that deficit.

If you eat less than normal, but still more than you need, you’ll continue to gain weight until your TDEE (which rises with weight gain) balances your intake

Hope that helps?

Thank you both

Struggling that’s really helpful, thanks.
I’m 5”8 and weigh just over 11 stone. I’m in a desk job so am pretty much sedentary... I don’t exercise...

tdeecalculator.net/

I just put your stuff through that and got 1,750 to maintain, so if you cut by 250-350 you’ll see a loss, it will be slower and take more time but it’s more realistic long term to stick to 1400-1500 a day instead of 1200. Even if you could fit a short brisk walk in a day for 20/30 mins it’ll help push the deficit up without feeling like your depriving yourself

I lost and kept off 5 stone by sticking to a 300 deficit every day but Saturdays, means you can still enjoy the foods you love and eat out and I gradually got more active when the weight went so now I can eat a load more of what I want and it’s fine 😆

Thank you so much Struggling really helpful and congratulations on your weight loss that’s amazing!!
Definitely agree that I need to start doing some exercise... love my food too much

Christ alive, the amount of calories you have to drop to lose just one measly pound 😱

Makes me realise why I haven't lost the 3/4 stone I would like to, despite dramatically reducing my coffee and cake habit.

Why does it have to be so hard?!

I'm very vertically challenged so my maintenance calorific rate is only 1400 to lose weight I have to aim for 1,000 - 1,200 per day but then if I get invited out for a meal/drinks I can partake.

It does work and I always feel better when eating a healthy balanced diet using my fitness pal guidelines.

I generally try have around 1200/1400 cals in the week and then more relaxed on weekends. However I do exercise pretty much everyday burning off anywhere between 300-850 cals depending on how much time I have.

I've lost about 18lbs since mid Jan doing this and I love it as I still enjoy treats and food!

They say you can't outrun a bad diet which is true but weight loss def speeds up if I've had some good workouts!

Tolleshunt it is really hard - I always find 1200 calories feels like barely anything (unless I’m eating punnets of mushrooms and blueberries) but unfortunately, I prefer pizza!
Random I use MFP too and its an eye opener to how many cals are in what foods isn’t it
Congrats on the weight loss chips what exercise do you do if you don’t mind me asking?

Yes of course kook! I have a subscription to FIIT. It costs me £15 a month and i love it! It's essentially loads of classes online but they send you a fab heart rate monitor you wear under your bra and that counts your calories etc which I find very motivating!

Classes are either 25 or 40 mins and you can choose beginner, intermediate or advanced. The classes are also broken down into cardio, strength and rebalance (yoga etc). Some classes require equipment but most don't! Maybe just get a good mat though for floor exercises.

For me I'm very time poor and even just going to the gym and back would take 20 odd mins so this gives me the best return for my time! I can do at home whenever I have the time and I've really been able to stick to it.

Probably sounds like I work for them but I don't! I just think it's a brilliant way to keep fit without a gym or expensive memberships!

There is a myth that all calories are equal, and the truth is they aren't. That's why a low glycaemic load / index diet works, despite in theory having more calories in some foods.

It's about how easy it is for the body to extract the calories, and what the body does with the calories - does it lay them as fat or burn them, or use them to build muscle.

So soup - may be low calories, but the calories are very easily accessible. Wholemeal sourdough bread may be higher calorie, but the calories are trickier for the body to extract.

Have a look at low glycaemic load foods and try and make those the bigger part of your diet. Good quality icecream is surprisingly low loaded so that can be your weekly treat!

It's sometimes referred to as the Diabetes Diet because it can treat the effects of Type II diabetes by balancing the blood glucose throughout the day. More information here

Sorry - should have been wholegrain, not wholemeal. Wholegrain is tougher to extract, wholemeal is already a bit ground up so easier to extract.

Beenandgone I have found just sticking to no "easy" sugar and just more complex carbs by using MFP to monitor has made a huge difference. Best of all I sleep so so much better because I'm not eating sugary crap in the evenings!

Alas as the menopause approaches my cholesterol is likely to rocket so that will likely mean more dietary changes 😳

RandomMess dark chocolate and red wine are both great at reducing cholesterol.

Oooh that sounds brilliant chips
beenandgone I will look into this, sounds interesting and probably partly where I’m going wrong as I don’t focus on what I’m eating, just on daily calories

I agree @ChipsAreLife exercise really does help. My maintenance without exercise is 1500 but with a 50 min run and a decent amount of walking that’s pushed over 2000 and it benefits my mental health too, plus pizza

Diets are someone everyone has an opinion on, but it’s what works best for you and finding something that you can continue with for a lifetime. I generally go with a 50% carb, 30% fat and 20% protein but constantly get told the carbs will make me gain weight . Each to their own, but that’s what works for me

Beenandgone - just awful for making me not sleep 🙈