Wohali

I know typically people are told eat 1200 to 1500 per day to lose weight. But if I go by fit day it says with just my lifestyle before I even enter my exercise for day that I should be eating over 2300 calories because of the weight I currently am. I typically exercise 2-3 hours a day plus household activities which makes FD boost my lifestyle calories into the 2600+ range.

Ok somewhere I recall also hearing you need a 500 calorie deficit in order to lose weight. But most days on FD it shows me at anywhere from -800 to -1100 calorie deficit by end of the day. Like right now I feel pretty full, but am afraid if I don't eat more that it will throw my body into deprivation/starvation mode as I have already been told by several fitness instructors that I may not be eating enough as no one can figure out why I've not lost more weight considering what I eat and the amount of exercise I do as I get very strenuous workouts.

cjohnson728

This is from my response to you in the other thread:

The number of calories you "should" consume (based on what you burn) is set by FD based on the difference between your goal and current weight and your goal date (how long in between now and then). Basically, though, a good rule of thumb is to lose a pound a week, burn 500 more than you eat every day; for two pounds a week, burn 1000 more than you eat every day.

As far as "starvation mode," some people experience it and some do not. I for one plateau very quickly if I'm under 1200 for too long. However, some of our very successful "losers" here have never experienced it. I do believe that the conventional wisdom is that if it's going to happen, it doesn't kick in unless you go under 1200 for an extended time, though everybody (and every body) is different.

It usually takes some experimenting to find out the calorie range that satisfies you and also enables you to lose steadily, using the above as a guide.

It's hard to offer anything specific without any info on your particular statistics, so your mileage may vary.

Wohali

I probably should say I have plateaued two times for 6 months period despite being on a lower calorie diet. If I eat at 1200 and supposedly I need 2600 calories a day because of my weight and activity then 1200 is more than half my needed calories which seems like it would cause starvation mode to kick in. I am American Indian and we are at least told that we have a genetic tendency to go into starvation mode since our ancestors used to go without almost any food for about half the year in the old days. I don't know if the genetic tendency is true or not, but its what is said about us and it does make logical sense. So sense I keep plateauing when I should be dropping weight like crazy it seems like I might not be taking in enough calories.

mecompco

As all find out, there is no generic answer to this question. On two occasions I've eaten 0 calories for 30 days and dropped weight like crazy (disclaimer: I do NOT recommend this, and won't personally ever do it again). I've also done 1,000 cals a day for nine months and lost a couple hundred pounds. This time, I've done 1,500 and lost almost as fast (and much more comfortably).

So, I guess my advice is to eat at a comfortable level that still allows you to maintain a reasonably high calorie deficit. If you are significantly overweight, I don't think there's anything wrong with a 1,000 cal a day deficit assuming you are eating good food and making sure to meet your nutritional needs.

Of course, one should always take the advice of a doctor/nutritionist to be safe.

Regards,
Michael

Wohali

How did you eat zero calories for 30 days? Was that a typo? The whole calorie deficit for me doesn't make any sense as I should be losing a load of weight if the charts are correct. I have a hunch I am not consuming enough though I don't know when I could eat more. I do wonder if the FD numbers are that accurate for exercising? Sure I exercised 1 hr 40 mins at gym today, then fished for one hour (yeah that burns a lot of calories according to FD) then did just a little housework and shopped for groceries for 15 mins, plus 7 hours sleep and that has me burning 1506 calories today. That just seems mindboggling high. I fixed a plate tonight of broiled chicken breast and 4 vegetables and I am struggling to force myself to even come close to finishing it even though my FD numbers I should be feeling starved since I am at a 1800 deficit for the day before counting this meal. Somethings just not right. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow, so I will ask him. I'm wondering if I can print out my FD stuff and show him the numbers?

tandoorichicken

Wohali, you said that you're Native American. What types of food are you eating right now? Since you have a genetic tendency to hold onto fat at too low of a calorie level ("starvation mode"), maybe an ancestral-type diet similar to the diet of your heritage would be appropriate for you. I'm thinking plenty of fish, game (or pastured meat), nuts, and loads of fresh greens and starchy roots, and some fruits here and there. Maybe even some offal

RunbikeSki

Nik,
That's a great and very interesting suggestion. I would have never thought of it, but it makes a lot of sense.

What do say Wohali?

BTW that wasn't a typo from mecompco. He fasted for 30 days! Like he said he doesn't recommend it, but a number us do shorter fasts from time to time for various reason.

mecompco

Yes, no typo, but remember, when I did these water fasts I was in the 400 pound range, plenty of fat for me to live off! As I said, long fasts like that probably are not a good idea, unless doctor-ordered.

As long as you are meeting your nutritional needs, I really don't see a huge daily deficit as being a problem. If you are really heavy like I was, my body was burning 3 to 4K calories a day just to survive. Eating 1500 cals gave me a BIG deficit every day.

Now, the lighter you get, the lower your daily requirement for calories is, so the deficit will go down as does your weight.

Really, if you are not hungry, and your nutritional needs are being met, I don't see why you should eat more than what you are.

Regards,
Michael

mecompco

Calories, calories, we don't need no stinkin' calories! (Well, unless we want to die, that is).

BTW, I DO hope you're not considering SPAMMING your posts.

Regards,
Michael

NYCMike

I spent a lot of time researching how many calories to eat during the day... My suggestion (which worked well for me during the last year) is to put in how many calories that you would need to maintain your goal weight (there are many websites that can give you a target if you google it). Then use that as your basis... My thought process is that when I actually get to or near my goal, I wont' have to make any changes or go 'off' my diet. When I had more to lose, I would increase the deficit by a few hundred calories a day to try to speed up the process a little but all in all I have found that I eat far more calories then I expected too and still have lost weight. I have settled into about 2100-2300 calories a day (I workout a lot) and am still managing to lose little by little.

Hope this helps.