Is my calorie deficit too high?

gazter

needs to get a life
Into my seventh week on Slimming world (and 100% so far), so far so good, 27 1/2 pounds down and just finished week 5 of c25k running plan.

The change in my eating habits is huge. No fast food, no chocolate, no crisps, bread of regular fizzy drinks. I was just over 300lbs when I started.

As someone who is always curious about how things work, and now that I am seeing my body change, I have dug a bit deeper. Investigating things like bmr etc.

My basal metabolic rate is 2453 calories, and since following the c25k exercise plan I probably fit somewhere between the lightly active and moderately active.

This puts my calorific daily requirement anywhere between 3400 and 3800.

Since moving to slimming world I occasionally use foodfocus.o.uk to see with hindsight ( I never measure calories while eating, just stick to the slimming world plan) how much I have eaten in the last few days.

The average daily amount is about 1400 calories. It very occasionally jumps up to 1800, but often hangs around 1200. There is no cheating going on, or under recording of calories. Sometimes you have to estimate, but since I am preparing my own foods I know exactly what is going into them.

This is filling me up, not leaving me short of energy, in fact I feel better now then ever and is giving me around a three to four pound a week weight loss.

When reading up on the Internet about various diets etc, one of the big warning is is about not having a deficit for more than a 1000 calories a day. But my deficit seems to be closer to 2000 a day.

To be honest I don't think I could possibly even eat 2500 calories following slimming world rules without exploding, and trust me, I'm normally a big eater.

Should I be worried? Or does the 1000 a day deficit thing not really apply to someone who is as overweight as me?
 
In my opinion, no - you shouldn't be concerned.

If you're truely following Slimming World, you shouldn't even be looking at/counting calories - SW is not a VLC diet, it's a healthy eating plan that is not based around calories.

As long as you're eating when you are hungry, and stopping once you are full, then I don't see the problem.
 
Sorry but i have no idea about basal metabolic rates but what i would say is if your on sw just trust the plan! when you stop loosing for a month (odd wks of low losses or sts are NORMAL!) i would re-evaluate but for now just keep doing what your doing
27.5lbs in 7 wks is incredible & way beyond normal sw expected weight losses.
 
Hiya,

I weighed 371 lb when i started slimming world 7 weigh ins ago and as you say i have not been starving myself and generally (most of the time at least) dont feel hungry, i have had some massive losses as you will see in my sig and then i have had some more sensible losses recently but i think its fairly obvious that when you are carrying an excessive amount of weight that you will burn a lot more calories just by moving around.

Now the question really is this, if you only want to lose 2lb per week then you need to consume more food, however if like me you are just pleased to see the back on the weight then keep doing what you are doing.

As your weight decrease so will your metabolic requirements and therefore your weight losses with level off and i guarantee the last few stone of your weight loss will be more like 1-2lb per week so enjoy this quick start while it lasts is my advice :)

if you wanna keep in touch i would be happy to have a SW buddy btw seeing as we have similar hills to climb :)
 
Hey. I log everything I eat through myfitnesspal, mostly because I like to make sure i'm eating enough protein every day (i'm a vegetarian who hates eggs, milk) I also log my fitness on there. According to their site i'm only eating between 700-1200 each day (the lower end is usually red days, higher end is green days) and apparently I should be eating 1800+ on days where I don't exercise or 2200+ on days where I exercise...BUT i'm happy the way i'm eating. I'm getting enough protein, fat and carbs..I'm always full and i'm actually eating more than I was before I started SW! I don't think you should be worried about your calorie intake being low, SW isn't about calories! Just eat until you're full and follow SW and don't worry about the calories! x
 
Wow, super impressive losses there. Do you notice a slight irritability in the other sw members when you win slimmer of the week again and again? 4x slimmer of the week, the one week I missed it I got slimmer of the month....

It is incredible though how it just falls off so easily at this weight. I hope to hit the magic two stone on Wednesday and the club 10. I can't see a difference in the mirror, but people I know look at me a bit funnily and ask.

One older lady I know, who has known me since a child, (I am only back down to what I was three years ago), asked me if I was ill. I said 'no, just good food and exercise'.
 
Hey. I log everything I eat through myfitnesspal, mostly because I like to make sure i'm eating enough protein every day (i'm a vegetarian who hates eggs, milk) I also log my fitness on there. According to their site i'm only eating between 700-1200 each day (the lower end is usually red days, higher end is green days) and apparently I should be eating 1800+ on days where I don't exercise or 2200+ on days where I exercise...BUT i'm happy the way i'm eating. I'm getting enough protein, fat and carbs..I'm always full and i'm actually eating more than I was before I started SW! I don't think you should be worried about your calorie intake being low, SW isn't about calories! Just eat until you're full and follow SW and don't worry about the calories! x

I notice 30 day shred in your sig. On Friday I ran non stop for twenty minutes, the accumulation of five weeks of couch to 5k. On Saturday, somewhat thinking of myself as king of the world, I tried 30 day shred. Well, I lasted eight minutes, and that included the warm up.
 
I notice 30 day shred in your sig. On Friday I ran non stop for twenty minutes, the accumulation of five weeks of couch to 5k. On Saturday, somewhat thinking of myself as king of the world, I tried 30 day shred. Well, I lasted eight minutes, and that included the warm up.

If it makes you feel any better, I only last about 30 seconds running then I feel like i'm going to die lol! The 30 day shred is hard at first, i'm on my 3rd week and I still take cheeky 5 second breaks quite often during it! I say just do as much as you can and take breaks when you need to, it gets easier over time. I couldn't do certain moves at first but now they're easy! Your body will hurt for a couple of days but its worth it IMO! x
 
Yeah i know what you mean to be honest however i do have another big guy at my group who in fact is even bigger than me so we kinda fight over the SOTWs between us so i dont get them every week.

I also have to agree about the weight loss not showing yet as i am also in the same boat, i can feel i have lost weight as my body feels more nimble and less painful in the joints etc but im looking forward to seeing a substantial change in the mirror over the coming months.

We will get there mate, we just need to stay focused and we will be at our desired weights in no time, i worked out if i can carry on losing 3lb per week i will be where i want to be by christmas which would be all kinds of awesome lol

Wow, super impressive losses there. Do you notice a slight irritability in the other sw members when you win slimmer of the week again and again? 4x slimmer of the week, the one week I missed it I got slimmer of the month....

It is incredible though how it just falls off so easily at this weight. I hope to hit the magic two stone on Wednesday and the club 10. I can't see a difference in the mirror, but people I know look at me a bit funnily and ask.

One older lady I know, who has known me since a child, (I am only back down to what I was three years ago), asked me if I was ill. I said 'no, just good food and exercise'.
 
If it makes you feel any better, I only last about 30 seconds running then I feel like i'm going to die lol! The 30 day shred is hard at first, i'm on my 3rd week and I still take cheeky 5 second breaks quite often during it! I say just do as much as you can and take breaks when you need to, it gets easier over time. I couldn't do certain moves at first but now they're easy! Your body will hurt for a couple of days but its worth it IMO! x

And she is very aggressive " you can't do a twenty minute workout and take a break, that's not how it works". She reminds me of a very mean gym teacher (who to be honest looked nowhere near as hot).
 
And she is very aggressive " you can't do a twenty minute workout and take a break, that's not how it works". She reminds me of a very mean gym teacher (who to be honest looked nowhere near as hot).

Hhaha yes - on level two she says "i want you guys to feel like you're going to die" and it fills me with rage because thats EXACTLY how I feel haha :)
 
I was told that anything under 1,500 is a starvation diet and you should not really go under that for a healthy weight loss. But can get quick results on vcld diet.
 
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I was told that anything under 1,500 is a starvation diet and you should not really go under that for a healthy weight loss.

I think its anything under 1200 (for women) and probably about 1500 for men...but I eat less than 1200 most days and am always stuffed! If I was eating more than I do now it wouldn't make sense..i'd be eating for no reason. I am following the SW plan 100% so i'm not bothered about my calorie intake.
 
To be honest I don't see how you can possibly be eating enough if you are only having 700 calories some days. Your healthy extras alone would come to be around 480 calories plus around 200 calories of syns based on 10 a day. And that's before any free or superfree foods. A diet that low in calories can't be nutritionally balanced to my mind. Only VLCD diets have that few calories but they are carefully worked out to make sure you get all the nutrition you need. Not trying to beat you up about it but I'm really curious what you are eating and how much for it to be so low in calories. :)
 
I think its anything under 1200 (for women) and probably about 1500 for men...but I eat less than 1200 most days and am always stuffed! If I was eating more than I do now it wouldn't make sense..i'd be eating for no reason. I am following the SW plan 100% so i'm not bothered about my calorie intake.

Thats how i feel. A typical day:

35g branflakes, 200ml of skimmed milk and a banana (all in, 300 calories)
Various pieces of fruit throughout the day (i dont get hungry during the day very much), say 250grams (about 150 calories)
A big dinner, 300grams of chicken breast, cooked in oven, one medium sized baked potatoe, third a can of baked beans and 200 grams of mixed veg, with a laughing cow extra light triangle on the potato or if i still have some healthy extra left over, a slice of 30% reduced cheese and some reduced sugar ketchup. ( about 800 calories).

In total thats 1250 calories. Thats a typical day, i havent left anything out. I might switch a few things around, but good breakfast, light snacking during the day and then a big dinner. I never feel hungry, i never scrimp the plate and i'm supposed to be on the verge of starvation according to some sites.
 
Ironically this diet actually works better when you eat more to a certain degree as it really fires up your metabolism with foods which are easily burned and gives great nutrition which means the kidneys and liver are processing your fat a lot more effectively, under eating can put you in starvation mode which will cause your metabolism to drastically slow down.

The irony is you need to eat more to lose more fat as if you eat too little it will end up stripping down your muscle to create energy and this will in turn lead on to an even slower metabolism.

Its worth think about to be honest

To be honest I don't see how you can possibly be eating enough if you are only having 700 calories some days. Your healthy extras alone would come to be around 480 calories plus around 200 calories of syns based on 10 a day. And that's before any free or superfree foods. A diet that low in calories can't be nutritionally balanced to my mind. Only VLCD diets have that few calories but they are carefully worked out to make sure you get all the nutrition you need. Not trying to beat you up about it but I'm really curious what you are eating and how much for it to be so low in calories. :)
 
You really should try to eat some sort of lunch mate eg i have a food flask i take to work which i have a Mugshot in (there are a number of these which are free on EE) as your body needs more than just fruit between morning and evening.

It will help you with your sports and training too as carbs give longer lasting energy than fruit which is gone almost as soon as you eat it as natural sugar is processed so easily into your body.

Complex carbs on the other hand will last a lot longer in your system meaning your metabolism wont drop down

Thats how i feel. A typical day:

35g branflakes, 200ml of skimmed milk and a banana (all in, 300 calories)
Various pieces of fruit throughout the day (i dont get hungry during the day very much), say 250grams (about 150 calories)
A big dinner, 300grams of chicken breast, cooked in oven, one medium sized baked potatoe, third a can of baked beans and 200 grams of mixed veg, with a laughing cow extra light triangle on the potato or if i still have some healthy extra left over, a slice of 30% reduced cheese and some reduced sugar ketchup. ( about 800 calories).

In total thats 1250 calories. Thats a typical day, i havent left anything out. I might switch a few things around, but good breakfast, light snacking during the day and then a big dinner. I never feel hungry, i never scrimp the plate and i'm supposed to be on the verge of starvation according to some sites.
 
I don't know how to view the whole month on myfitnesspal so I just went back a couple of days and found two under 1000 :

Breakfast: 1 banana before my walk at 6.30am, and a bowl of blueberries and grapes at 9.30am [192 calories]
Lunch: 2 slices of WW wholemeal bread (heB) & 2 laughing cow light cheese triangles (2/5 of heA) [192 calories]
Dinner: 2 quorn chicken style fillets with chilli and garlic powder, stuffed with 2 laughing cow cheese triangles (2/5 of heA), iceberg lettuce [165 calories]
Snacks: 2 clemintines, 1/2 a muller light strawberry yogurt, 5/6 teaspoons of muller light vanilla & chocolate yogurt, 2 bags of velvet crunch (8 syns) [281 calories]
Total calories: 830

april 21st
Breakfast: Bowl of fruit - pineapple, blueberries, grapes, banana, clemintine [187 calories]
Lunch: n/a (I had a big dinner at lunch time, I prefer to eat my dinner early rather than in the evening)
Dinner: I was craving a takeaway today but decided to make my own instead. Guilt free and tasted so much nicer than a takeaway.Linda McCartney mozzarella burger (4 syns), 2 slices WW wholemeal bread (heB), 1 tablespoon ketchup (1 syn), onions, lettuce, reduced fat mozzarella cheese (heA), SW chips [711 calories]
Snacks: Velvet crunch (4 syns), blueberries, grapes [83 calories]
Total calories: 981


Can't speak for anyone else but I eat until i'm full and I am full every day. I am not going to eat food just for the sake of it. I'm following SW and using most of my healthy extras and 8-10 syns most days.
 
d14 said:
I don't know how to view the whole month on myfitnesspal so I just went back a couple of days and found two under 1000 :

Breakfast: 1 banana before my walk at 6.30am, and a bowl of blueberries and grapes at 9.30am [192 calories]
Lunch: 2 slices of WW wholemeal bread (heB) & 2 laughing cow light cheese triangles (2/5 of heA) [192 calories]
Dinner: 2 quorn chicken style fillets with chilli and garlic powder, stuffed with 2 laughing cow cheese triangles (2/5 of heA), iceberg lettuce [165 calories]
Snacks: 2 clemintines, 1/2 a muller light strawberry yogurt, 5/6 teaspoons of muller light vanilla & chocolate yogurt, 2 bags of velvet crunch (8 syns) [281 calories]
Total calories: 830

april 21st
Breakfast: Bowl of fruit - pineapple, blueberries, grapes, banana, clemintine [187 calories]
Lunch: n/a (I had a big dinner at lunch time, I prefer to eat my dinner early rather than in the evening)
Dinner: I was craving a takeaway today but decided to make my own instead. Guilt free and tasted so much nicer than a takeaway.Linda McCartney mozzarella burger (4 syns), 2 slices WW wholemeal bread (heB), 1 tablespoon ketchup (1 syn), onions, lettuce, reduced fat mozzarella cheese (heA), SW chips [711 calories]
Snacks: Velvet crunch (4 syns), blueberries, grapes [83 calories]
Total calories: 981


Can't speak for anyone else but I eat until i'm full and I am full every day. I am not going to eat food just for the sake of it. I'm following SW and using most of my healthy extras and 8-10 syns most days.

Are you doing green days? I'm assuming yes as your veggie? In which case you don't seem to be eating your second healthy b. The healthy extras are there for a reason - you need them to assist your weight loss. I would replace some of the fruit you eat at breakfast with a healthy b, and maybe another healthy a (second a is optional but NOT second b choice). Or, cook your dinner in a tablespoon of olive oil - extra virgin is a healthy b.

Bottom line - you are going to stop loosing weight if you consistently eat less than 1200 calories a day, and you are doing your body NO favours by shorting it of essential fibre & calcium by not eating your 2nd healthy extras.
 
Ironically this diet actually works better when you eat more to a certain degree as it really fires up your metabolism with foods which are easily burned and gives great nutrition which means the kidneys and liver are processing your fat a lot more effectively, under eating can put you in starvation mode which will cause your metabolism to drastically slow down.

The irony is you need to eat more to lose more fat as if you eat too little it will end up stripping down your muscle to create energy and this will in turn lead on to an even slower metabolism.

Its worth think about to be honest

Well said Paul - I have a huge appetite so it doesnt really apply to me, but on the rare week I havent eaten much, I havent lost much!

I always thought the whole point of SW was NOT having to count calories and weigh and measure everything - just trust the plan - it works just fine as it is!
 
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