Calorie deficit question.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · July 2010

So a good calorie deficit is... no more than 1,000 a day to keep your body running and not in starvation mode, right?

Well, since I got my Bodybugg (see my previous post) I've been burning well over 3,000 calories on my workout days. I think I was at 3400 by the end of the day yesterday. Can this be possible? My trainer set my calorie burn "goal" at 2400 and has been recommending I eat on the low end of my calories lately. Sparkpeople had me at 1300-1700 a day, give or take, so I've been aiming for 1400-1500.

HOWEVER, I've been plateauing for a good two months. Like, I'm in the same 7 pound range (depending on when I weigh and what I've had to eat). I'll confess to a lot of cheating here and there, especially weekends - especially beer and bar food. But do you think I actually NEED to be eating closer to 2,000 calories a day and what's making me slow in my weightloss are my low-cal days rather than my cheat days?

Help! If you got through that novel, advice please? Anything I'm missing?

blg529 · July 2010

When it comes to going into "starvation" mode, it's more about the absolute number of calories you eat than the deficit you create. Women should eat no fewer than 1200 calories a day. So if you burn 2500 calories in a day and eat 1300, you'll have created a 1200 calorie deficit but still be about 1200 calories for the day so you'd be fine. I would put money on your cheat days being the problem, not your light days. One day of eating too few calories isn't going to shut down your metabolism, but the calories from beer and bar food can add up much more quickly than you'd think.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · July 2010

Ok! I will keep working on cleaning up my diet, then. Damn, I shouldn't have had that donut this morning! I was so confused for a while about this deficit thing.

vmf04 · July 2010

if you track your food (ALL OF IT, including your cheats) you will see that you are actually eating more than you think you are. The beer, bar nuts, doughnut, handful of m&ms off the office desk, gatorade you got at the gas station will ALL add up to several HUNDRED calories. It takes only over eating a few hundred calories every few days to gain one to two pounds a week. If your goal is to lose weight, then you need to be honest with yourself and with your food tracking and body bugg. It will all be worth it when you look and feel FABULOUS on your wedding day!

Good luck with it all. Just remember, people that prepare and plan ahead are the ones that reach their goals. If you plan your day out from the start, pack your lunches and your smart snacks you will be less likely to get into that "man I'm SOOOOO starving" mode. It's in those moments of being "starving" that we make hasty, bad decisions. So, set yourself up for success, start with a good, breakfast with (YES) carbs and protein. That way you have some carbs to keep you energized all day and you can burn them as the day goes on. Just think "the worst thing I can do, is let myself get hungry"....so, eat moderate sized meals, and have snacks around 100-200 calories inbetween your meals. This will keep you from going hours and hours without eating and then getting to that "I'm so STARVING" point. (Girl, I've been there....standing in front of an open fridge cause I"m so hungry thinking 'what can I get my hands on right NOW!")

good luck!

Victoria
NASM Personal Trainer
"Move More...."

Goldlie11 · July 2010

Not sure if this helps but I recently decided to cut out alcohol. I lost almost 2 pounds in a week by doing that and increasing my exercise and vegetables.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_calorie-deficit-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:dc0c8146-f54f-4c4a-b4be-f0bbd9c30103Post:a3fbd58b-f3ef-4723-9927-b334d2182b7b">Re: Calorie deficit question.</a>:
[QUOTE]Not sure if this helps but I recently decided to cut out alcohol. I lost almost 2 pounds in a week by doing that and increasing my exercise and vegetables.
Posted by Goldlie11[/QUOTE]

<div>I'd like to do this is theory. FI and I LOVE trying new craft beers, but the calories add up. But I might institute a rule, like only 2 beers per week or no beer at home or something to restrict it further. As of now I don't drink alcohol during the week at least.</div>

Goldlie11 · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_calorie-deficit-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:dc0c8146-f54f-4c4a-b4be-f0bbd9c30103Post:54f9027e-2c98-40d6-8b83-c9b110309b61">Re: Calorie deficit question.</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Calorie deficit question. : I'd like to do this is theory. FI and I LOVE trying new craft beers, but the calories add up. But I might institute a rule, like only 2 beers per week or no beer at home or something to restrict it further. As of now I don't drink alcohol during the week at least.
Posted by msmerymac[/QUOTE]
2 beers a week sounds fine to me. I do know other people who have lost lots giving up alcohol. <div>
</div><div>I'm jealous that you have the body bugg. I keep wanting to get it. Maybe I'll ask FI for one on my birthday. Is it very bulky?</div>

raynes · July 2010

I'm sorry, but I totally disagree with blg529. Yes, the point is to burn more than you're eating, but at a certain point, you start to starve yourself.

By the math alone a person need to eat 500 calories less in a day then they burn to lose 1 lb a week, 1000 cals less for 2 lbs a week. So, if you're burning up to 3,000 calories a day, then only eating 1200 is asinine.

How do you feel with the amount of food you're eating now? Tired? Sluggish? Or fine? Are you always hungry?

Honestly, I would say try eating more for 2 weeks. See how it goes. Just make sure you're getting good quailty, nutrient dense foods. There are posts all the time on Health & Fitness on TN about people coming back to say "thank you" for the suggestion of eating more. (here's one)

I figure as long as you're accounting for your beers, then enjoy them (to a reasonable extent) but try to avoid the crap eating that usually goes along with a beer!

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_getting-shape_calorie-deficit-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:238Discussion:dc0c8146-f54f-4c4a-b4be-f0bbd9c30103Post:6b033c3b-7f18-42c7-ad60-4474735f0566">Re: Calorie deficit question.</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Calorie deficit question. : 2 beers a week sounds fine to me. I do know other people who have lost lots giving up alcohol. I'm jealous that you have the body bugg. I keep wanting to get it. Maybe I'll ask FI for one on my birthday. Is it very bulky?
Posted by Goldlie11[/QUOTE]

<div>I don't think it's too bulky. It doesn't really show if you have it under a regular t-shirt. Sleeveless dress, then yes. ;-)</div><div>
</div><div>Raynes, I might try that for a few weeks. I'm usually way more lax on the weekends, but even with my bowl of guacamole and chips yesterday and brunch at a friend's house (basically, eating as much as I felt comfortable eating - not stuffing myself, but eating until full) I still had a deficit of 150 calories. And I didn't even go to the gym. The bodybugg is supposed to be 90%+ accurate, so...</div><div>
</div><div>I was losing weight really easily when I first started gymming it hard in January and tracking food, but it's tapered off, which I expected but... it would be nice to keep going. I honestly have 60 pound to lose before I'm in a healthy weight range!</div>

Calorie deficit question.

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