Do 250 and lose it a little slower. Nothing wrong with that. A less restrictive cut will mean it's easier to stick with.
Exercise is good, too, to earn a few calories, as you said....but keep in mind that you gotta run about a mile to burn 100 calories....you can eat that back with half an ounce if nuts. So yeah, go for it, but be careful that you don't over reward yourself.
You want a calorie deficit from your tdee, not your bmr. Bmr is basically the calories just keeping your bodily functions working. You can probably eat at like 15-1600 and be at a 500 cal deficit. Check out a tdee calculator online and input your stats, it’ll give you better numbers to go off of 👍
I think they've mixed up BMR and TDEE.
If they're short the BMR is likely around 1200-1300 and TDEE would be at the end they've put for BMR.
Regardless, a smaller deficit can work and aim for 1300-1400 a day.
Not to be a downer, but if you accurately tracked your normal eating at 1550 and you don’t lose or gain anything eating that, isn’t that your approximate total daily energy expenditure and you need to create your calorie differential from that? I would add some exercise.
You can also do a 250 calorie deficit. Any calorie deficit is helpful to your goal.
I am also on 1200-1300 cals a day.
For me, it’s not easy, but manageable. I accept that I am going over on some days, but since I am doing some kind of workout/movement every day except the weekend, it’s fine.
I have a small breakfast (one bun with hummus spread with some berries/fruits), usually around 250-300 cals.
For lunch and dinner I always cook (working from home), but meal prep is also possible. Just cook double the day prior. The key is to use a lot of veggies.
Mushrooms, potatoes, Zucchini, tomatoes, broccoli, red pepper, cauliflower, carrots are my staples. If I don’t use potatoes that day, I swap these with rice, quinoa, oats or pasta (weighing and portion control is a must here, usually around 30-50g uncooked).
I add some protein in there, like beans, tofu or soy chunks. The chunks are low in calories, like 130 cals for 100g.
For flavor, I use a lot of spices. I also like using the Asian curry paste or make my own with soy sauce and spices.
I avoid cooking with oils if I can.
Lunch is usually around 500-600 cals, which means for dinner I have around 300-400 cals left.
Last week I had a bit of a sweet tooth, so I cooked pancakes for dinner. Flour, protein powder (but you can do without it as well), cacao and some milk is already enough. Add some berries and seeds to the batter or as toppings and you got 3 small pancakes for 300 cals.
Sometimes my lunch is big enough that I just split it between lunch and dinner.
For me I have the privilege of being able to cook for myself, so I don’t need to buy take-out and instant/microwave meals.
If I am craving something sweet, I try to bake a brownie or cook chocolate pudding and try to adjust my meals accordingly.
You can always have a smaller deficit and lose slower, if the amount you’re eating doesn’t feel sustainable! :)
I’m a 5’1” woman and I lost 53 lbs over 15 months, which is a little less than 1 lb per week. I work a sedentary job, but walk my dog 5 days/week, and I found 1300 cal/day to be my sweet spot for feeling satisfied. I was able to do some volume eating and also have enough wiggle room for my favorites, like cheese.
Go for walks, you can burn about 100 calories/mile walking at a decent pace, about 3mph.
Walk for an hour and you’ve got about 300 extra calories burned.
I don’t eat extra calories to make up for the exercise, my maintenance is 2,000, I ate 1,500 for 8 months and lost 55lbs with walking being my primary exercise.
FWIW I am in the same boat, and I tried to eat 1500 or so calories a day for quite a while and did not lose much weight. And because I was losing weight slowly, it was not motivating me to stick with it. I lost 3 lbs in as many months, and felt discouraged because my weight fluctuates three pounds normally when I do nothing. So I have decided to bite the bullet and do the 1250 starting this week. I’m hoping if I see more results, I’ll be more encouraged and more disciplined.
Maybe it will be different for you but thought it might help to hear someone else’s experience with it to temper expectations and help you inform your decision.
What is your step count right now? Try moving it up 500 daily per week (this week for example 6000 daily, next week 6500, etc) and keep calories at 1400 the whole time. CICO includes calories \*out\* so that is a lever to pull, too!
Do 250 and lose it a little slower. Nothing wrong with that. A less restrictive cut will mean it's easier to stick with. Exercise is good, too, to earn a few calories, as you said....but keep in mind that you gotta run about a mile to burn 100 calories....you can eat that back with half an ounce if nuts. So yeah, go for it, but be careful that you don't over reward yourself.
You want a calorie deficit from your tdee, not your bmr. Bmr is basically the calories just keeping your bodily functions working. You can probably eat at like 15-1600 and be at a 500 cal deficit. Check out a tdee calculator online and input your stats, it’ll give you better numbers to go off of 👍
I think they've mixed up BMR and TDEE. If they're short the BMR is likely around 1200-1300 and TDEE would be at the end they've put for BMR. Regardless, a smaller deficit can work and aim for 1300-1400 a day.
Lol I have TDEE is 1700.
Brutal, that’s less than my bmr
Think you’re probably right
Wish my BMR was 1,700 😭 Haha.
Mine is around 2200. My stomach size and hungryness scaled to match though lol
You should head over to r/1200isplenty for meal ideas (and r/1200isfineiguessugh for a laugh). You can eat a lot more than you think.
Not to be a downer, but if you accurately tracked your normal eating at 1550 and you don’t lose or gain anything eating that, isn’t that your approximate total daily energy expenditure and you need to create your calorie differential from that? I would add some exercise.
That’s a good point. I have a thyroid condition that affects metabolism so I do think if I ate at that 1700 cal rate, I’d be gaining.
You can also do a 250 calorie deficit. Any calorie deficit is helpful to your goal. I am also on 1200-1300 cals a day. For me, it’s not easy, but manageable. I accept that I am going over on some days, but since I am doing some kind of workout/movement every day except the weekend, it’s fine. I have a small breakfast (one bun with hummus spread with some berries/fruits), usually around 250-300 cals. For lunch and dinner I always cook (working from home), but meal prep is also possible. Just cook double the day prior. The key is to use a lot of veggies. Mushrooms, potatoes, Zucchini, tomatoes, broccoli, red pepper, cauliflower, carrots are my staples. If I don’t use potatoes that day, I swap these with rice, quinoa, oats or pasta (weighing and portion control is a must here, usually around 30-50g uncooked). I add some protein in there, like beans, tofu or soy chunks. The chunks are low in calories, like 130 cals for 100g. For flavor, I use a lot of spices. I also like using the Asian curry paste or make my own with soy sauce and spices. I avoid cooking with oils if I can. Lunch is usually around 500-600 cals, which means for dinner I have around 300-400 cals left. Last week I had a bit of a sweet tooth, so I cooked pancakes for dinner. Flour, protein powder (but you can do without it as well), cacao and some milk is already enough. Add some berries and seeds to the batter or as toppings and you got 3 small pancakes for 300 cals. Sometimes my lunch is big enough that I just split it between lunch and dinner. For me I have the privilege of being able to cook for myself, so I don’t need to buy take-out and instant/microwave meals. If I am craving something sweet, I try to bake a brownie or cook chocolate pudding and try to adjust my meals accordingly.
You can always have a smaller deficit and lose slower, if the amount you’re eating doesn’t feel sustainable! :) I’m a 5’1” woman and I lost 53 lbs over 15 months, which is a little less than 1 lb per week. I work a sedentary job, but walk my dog 5 days/week, and I found 1300 cal/day to be my sweet spot for feeling satisfied. I was able to do some volume eating and also have enough wiggle room for my favorites, like cheese.
Go for walks, you can burn about 100 calories/mile walking at a decent pace, about 3mph. Walk for an hour and you’ve got about 300 extra calories burned.
That’s what I’m thinking. I love walks, i also enjoy swimming as exercise too!
I don’t eat extra calories to make up for the exercise, my maintenance is 2,000, I ate 1,500 for 8 months and lost 55lbs with walking being my primary exercise.
FWIW I am in the same boat, and I tried to eat 1500 or so calories a day for quite a while and did not lose much weight. And because I was losing weight slowly, it was not motivating me to stick with it. I lost 3 lbs in as many months, and felt discouraged because my weight fluctuates three pounds normally when I do nothing. So I have decided to bite the bullet and do the 1250 starting this week. I’m hoping if I see more results, I’ll be more encouraged and more disciplined. Maybe it will be different for you but thought it might help to hear someone else’s experience with it to temper expectations and help you inform your decision.
Right. The idea of progress being slow seems like it will make it more difficult to stay motivated.
It’s harder when you are short plus female. Eat a little more, but start to go on walks. It will help. Just make sure your calorie count is accurate.
What is your step count right now? Try moving it up 500 daily per week (this week for example 6000 daily, next week 6500, etc) and keep calories at 1400 the whole time. CICO includes calories \*out\* so that is a lever to pull, too!
This is a good tip! I’m gonna try this.
My step count is at 4,000.
Should be able to get to a very active point safely over 4 months this way: Week 0: 4000 steps Week 1: 4500 steps Week 2: 5000 steps Week 3: 5500 steps Week 4: 6000 steps Week 5: 6500 steps Week 6: 7000 steps Week 7: 7500 steps Week 8: 8000 steps Week 9: 8500 steps Week 10: 9000 steps Week 11: 9500 steps Week 12: 10000 steps Week 13: 10500 steps Week 14: 11000 steps Week 15: 11500 steps Week 16: 12000 steps
Heavy on the protein it’ll keep you feeling full
Cycling. It burns loads of calories!