I try to aim for a 800-1000 calorie deficit on my non-work out days, is this too much? I'm 142, 5'10, female and hoping to get down to 133 by July, CC advises I eat 1200 cals a day, this is ok with me I'm not hungry most of the time, but it seems low for my height. Also every second weekend I go home to my parents and eat a lot more than usual (cant resist my moms home cooking), could someone tell me if this is keeping my metabolism on track or messing it up more? I've lost about 3 pounds since starting (two wks ago)and I just want to keep it up and still be able have fun at wkends.

I was just looking around to post a similar question (I'm 5'11, 173, male). About twice a month I cheat on a fast food sub or burger.. the fat & cholesterol are doing the damage.. the extra calories make me feel better in general.

Using the CC, burn meter and daily food logs, I'm taking in 1200-1300 calories a day. 1900 is recommended. I'm burning 2400. I should be taking in at least 1500 so I'm going to add another snack each day.

I've only been keeping the logs for 2 days but I measured my weight last week and today. This week I've dropped from 178 to 173.5 lbs. I was wondering if the 1200 calorie deficit is too much or harmful.

Spantini, you are not eating enough and are burning skeletal muscle.  You and I are the same height and are within 10 lbs in weight.  Even for light activity you need 2100 cals.  Min would be 1600 which puts you at a 1000 deficit.  Anything beyod that and say GOOD BYE TO YOUR SKELETAL MUSCLE!!!!!  Do you find yourself miserable lately?  It's because you are not eating minimum requirements.  Take it from someone who has been through this.  EAT MORE!!!!!  Get around 2000 calories per day 50-30-20 ratio and you will be happier and healthier.

that's fine.. That's losing about 2lbs a week (3500 is 1lb of body fat).  Don't go lower though as it could be dangerous...5'10 at 142 is perfect!   Can't understand why you'd want to lose more :D

Yep, that deficit is too big, and take it from me, doing that over a long period isn't very good for you.  And yes, at times I run a deficit this big, ot higher.  But I eat 3500+ cals a day.  Making the deficit a lower % of my daily calorie needs. 

carolally - you say you've lost so far, but it might slow down in another week or so.  Many people (including myself) that for those of us near or at our goal weight, a deficit of over 500 calories is too much, and weight loss slows. There is a study that says the maximum caloric deficit you can have is 31 calories per pound of body fat. But if you don't know what your bf% is, that doesn't really help.

Spantini - 1500 is the bare minimum for a male, but you should probably aim for 1900 like cc+ recommended - 4.5 lb loss the first week isn't unusual, especially if you are very large, but at 5'11" 173, you aren't large - in fact, what is your goal weight?  Remember that BMI isn't very accurate if you have more than average muscle.

I'd guess (and this probably applies to carolally too, since she is already at a healthy weight for her height, and her goal is pretty low, if not too low at 5'10") that you would benefit more from lifting weights than keeping a deficit.

Weight lifting will help maintain your muscle mass, which is necessary to stay healthy. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so it's great to keep around, or even increase. Plus, by weight lifting, you can sorta reshape your body - while staying the same weight - you won't be "skinny-fat".  And once you are at a healthy weight, isn't it more important how you look, and your body fat %, compared to just a number on the scale?

Thanks for all the advice, I thought tat 1200 cals a day was quite low too but that accounts for a predicted weight loss of 1.5 pounds per week over approx ten wks and that sounds healthy to me. So the only way I can decrease my deficit is not to exercise and I will lose my sanity if i dont get out for a run every other day, I do lift free weights about two days a week and a toning class once a week also, so I'm aware that being light just for the sake of it is not attractive. Anyways another question regarding my weekend funsies.. does this count as zig zagging your cals in an attempt to keeping my metabolism revved up or am i just trying to get the best of both worlds.. actually having a life and losing weight...

Well, I definitely eat more on the weekends (I don't count - practice for the future, I guess), but I don't consider myself zig zagging. Just do what works and what makes sense for your life, I say. Who cares what it's called.

Thanks to everyone for the responses.. My goal weight is 166 and BMI 24.1 (from the tool here). About 6 weeks ago I cut about 700 calories from my diet in the form of frozen entrees. I was getting too much protein and dehydrating. Feeling better now as far as that's concerned but I think my ratio is whacked.. rough estimate is 70-20-10. My doctor has me working toward a no-fat, low sodium (<2000mg/day) diet. I was feeling much better when I had those extra calories.

Guess you could say I feel miserable.. not angry or depressed, just don't have that jump out of bed to greet the new day feeling. Real lack of motivation.

I'm going to add those 700 calories back using rice and fruits to begin with and see what happens. Losing skeletal muscle sounds bad and my doctor has restricted my exercise to cardiovascular with no-heavy lifting. Can't do much to build up my muscles, just keeping what I have toned is hard enough. Thanks again...

Original Post by spantini:

Thanks to everyone for the responses.. My goal weight is 166 and BMI 24.1 (from the tool here). About 6 weeks ago I cut about 700 calories from my diet in the form of frozen entrees. I was getting too much protein and dehydrating. Feeling better now as far as that's concerned but I think my ratio is whacked.. rough estimate is 70-20-10. My doctor has me working toward a no-fat, low sodium (<2000mg/day) diet. I was feeling much better when I had those extra calories.

Guess you could say I feel miserable.. not angry or depressed, just don't have that jump out of bed to greet the new day feeling. Real lack of motivation.

I'm going to add those 700 calories back using rice and fruits to begin with and see what happens. Losing skeletal muscle sounds bad and my doctor has restricted my exercise to cardiovascular with no-heavy lifting. Can't do much to build up my muscles, just keeping what I have toned is hard enough. Thanks again...

 

 

 What kind of doctor would tell you to eat absolutely no FAT??!?  That's unhealthy, you need some fat in your diet.   I would get a second opinion if I were you and most doctors (if not all) aren't qualified to be nutritionist.  I would ask to be referred to a certified nutrionist from you current doctor. 

ok, sorry to be back to the same question again but today is my workout day,  i have my activity to sedentary and then log most things, like walking to work in the morning and home and also include a 40 min walk at lunch, and then today, my work out day, ive a total burn today of 2980, I mean seriously how am i meant to be on a diet and have less than  a 1000 deficit (which would mean eating 1980cals), according to CC I should be aiming to eat 1200 cals a day to lose 1 pound per wk, (this is at resting rate), today i ate 1406.. I feel like ive eaten loads... Breakfast 50g (a big bowl) of all bran, filled half slimline milk, half water, black coffee with 1 sugar. Lunch: Potato &Leek soup with some beetroot&shredded red cabbage, ate a plum on my walk a well, Coffee with 1 sugar again later in the day, Dinner: Carrot&Coriander soup 3 ryvitta crackers, 1 tomato&low fat cheeses(2slices). Then i went to the gym, worked out on treadmill for about 35 mins (run), Bike for 15 mins, some weights and then  walking for warm down for about 5 mins. I usually do this similar workout 4-5 days per week, I had to come home then and eat 1 plum&apple mixed with diet yogurt and oats with a rice cake bar and a cup of hot choc and its 11.30pm, just to increase my cals.. I feel like im eating a lot more than when i wasnt dieting so much... Im sorry im going into such detail but What are the chances that when I weigh in the morning ill be up from 142 because of that late snacking  to up the cals... and ive only been on this 1200-1300 cals a day thing for a few days so it wont be gain because ive my metabolism messed itll surely be because im eating too much.. right???

Sorry about that! I mispoke. My doctor didn't actually tell me to eat no fat. She just said no fat like '..and remember, no fat..' at the end of my exam. It was just understood that she meant no extra fat over my RDA and 2000 calories/day diet. That's how I took it, anyway. I know some fat is required to process other things in my system. Can't do without.. thanks for the heads up.

I am eating fats but I've cut out 99% of the animal fats I used to eat and replaced them with nuts, unsaturated oils, and avocados.

Carolally.. Except for the gym, we've got similar stuff here. I've been taking in around 1200-1300 calories and burning 2600. Today I did my usual 35-40 minute walk. Yesterday, I ate a bunch (20) of grapes while walking and today a banana. Also had a couple extra meal/snacks which boosted my calories up to 1673 so far today. The burn calculator for today says 2600 and I'm going to cram in 300-400 more calories before bedtime. My deficit should be 500-600 instead of 1200 as before and I can feel the difference already, thank you. I've got a lower-sodium ham sandwich on 5-multi-grain Italian bread still to go tonight.. no-salt chips in unsat fat too. Instead of yellow mustard, I just bought Kraft mayo with Olive Oil to try for the first time. Tastes great and has some extra good calories. I'm eating another yogurt now (60 calories). I hear ya on gaining the weight. I just weighed and I'm already up over 5 lbs since this morning from eating all day. I hope it's going to the right places.

sure enough im up 143 from 142 yesterday, this is definitely because of the late snacking in a bid to up my cals for the day, can i just ask is it not possible that I am someone who just needs to eat less and burn more than the average person, its really frustrating now, i mean supposedly to put on a pound you have to be consuming 3100 more cals that you are burning, there is no way I am, if anything its the other way around, I ought to be losing but I'm not, no fair... :(

carolally - try changing your activity level from sedentary to light-activity. Your weight change may just be from the fluids you're consuming. A little water goes a long way there. With all that exercise you must be burning more than you think.

Something I just realised this afternoon was I haven't been including sleeping in my activity logs. I went back and added 7 hours of restful sleep to the last few days and wow.. it's almost another 500 calories per day I'm burning.