I thought I wouldn't ask this question

If I eat 1300 calories in a day and burn 2400 calories in a day obviously my deficit is larger than 1000, but isn't that ok if I am obese? I seem to flip flop on where I stand with this.

I was obese (just barely got out of that category), and I had a deficit of slightly over 1,000. I didn't have any problems.

at some point you will plateau

i was eating 1200 cals and having a deficit of 1000 and have plateaud for 2 months now and counting... so now I am just maintaining and not worrying about my last 4lbs

had i read more on BMR:  http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

yes, the weightloss wouldve been slower still this plateau would not happen .. maybe.. but either way.... research on that... ok for your weight....

 

People who are obese can often keep a deficit higher than 1000, and I've read posts by several cc+ members who lost successfully doing this.

However, I doubt 1300 is enough for you - I need at least 1400 to lose successfully, and my BMI is in the "normal" range. Although 1200 is quoted as the bare minimum for women, most people, especially those who are larger, need to eat more than that.

I'd say eat more (without knowing stats, I couldn't begin to guess how much), and exercise more if you want to try to have a high deficit.  But don't achieve the deficit by cutting your intake too much.

double post

Having a deficit greater than 1000 once in a great while will not do any harm.  By this, I mean days where you don't feel well so you don't eat a lot, or have a real busy day and get to bedtime and realize you hardly ate that day.  Once in a while doesn't hurt.

However, unless you are under medical supervision, it is recommended not to go over a 1000 calorie deficit.  Your body needs a certain amount of calories to sustain itself, and that amount depends on how much you weigh (you need less calories as you lose weight.)  If you don't eat enough calories to sustain yourself for a prolonged period of time, you will lose weight at first, but then it will stop as your metabolism slows down to conserve energy and nutrients. 

Here is my biggest problem. I do an hour of exercise every day, either stationary bike at a moderate level, or cardio plus weights. I log the cardio plus weights as circuit training and it says it's a lot of calories burned. I don't trust it completely. But I log it and my calories burned goes way up, for example today it went up 588 calories. So while I continue to eat the same amounts my totals should be higher. And I talk myself out of eating more because I don't trust the logged amount of calories burned. Ugh.

I do cardio / or weights every other day... but I only log in cardio.. weights training is a bit tricky... cardio for me is the treadmill which has a counter on it.. so i enter that.... so on cardio days I eat 1600 (bmr is 1400) weights days i eat 1400 ....

melkor can probably explain this better than I can.  But there is a safe deficit range of 31 calories per lb of fat mass per day you can maintain and stay healthy.  Obviously the more fat mass you have, the easier this is.  As you lose weight then you can no longer maintain this level of deficit.

This is how contestants on The Biggest Loser are able to lose so much quantity.

Also it should be noted that you should achieve this deficit through exercise and not through limiting calories.  There is still a minimum of calories you must consume for your body to stay healthy.

 

If you are at a plateau, then try the zig zag calorie diet (http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calc ulator.htm).  I plateau'd within 1.5 months of changing my eating habit to a healthier one and was able to start losing weight again.  I have noticed that I need more intake if I want a successful workout like playing tennis singles for two hours.  I have more energy and endurance.  On days that are light workout, then having a deficit greater than 1000 is fine.

Original Post by fringe1000:

If I eat 1300 calories in a day and burn 2400 calories in a day obviously my deficit is larger than 1000, but isn't that ok if I am obese? I seem to flip flop on where I stand with this.

Right now, my average daily calorie intake is 2400 calories.  My diet is comparatively rich as well.   I used to weight 320, 4 years ago.  Today I weight 226.  I burn on average, 530 cals a day through cardio (hiking/brisk walking).  I list myself as sedentary, even though I have a somewhat physical job.  By doing this, I have a built in insurance.  I have lost, since Mar 17/08, 23 pounds.  It is a matter of finding a level of eating that makes you feel satisfied, and achieving deficit through exercise, not deprivation.  Your sympathetic nervous system will sabotage you if you try to achieve you weight loss through low level starvation.  It will not let you starve yourself to death. I suggest you eat 1800-2000 calories a day, and ramp up the activity level so you show no more than a 1000 deficit per day.  That's 2 lbs. a week.  The key is not to lose fast, but lose steadily and predictably. 

 

 

 

 

 

You should be OK.  If you find yourself getting hungrier than you can manage, than it is too big of a deficit.  The best advice for dieters is not how little you can eat, it is how little can you comfortably eat.  Practice good eating habits and experiment.  Try to find those things that will work for you to achieve permanent weight loss.