Is 0.25 lb / week deficit too small?

[SunsetRunner]

I really bumped up my cardio goals.  I'm working out harder than I ever have in my life.  The downside is that I'm hungrier.  Although my ideal deficit is 1lb/ week, sometimes this is just too difficult for me to stick to.  If I slip as low as 0.25 lb/ week, will this even amount to anything?  I don't have a goal date in mind, I just want to make changes that I can maintain for the long haul.

[SunsetRunner]

I have really bumped up my cardio the past few weeks.  My daily goal is now set to run for one hour on the treadmill.  I've noticed improvement in muscle tone, however I am much hungrier and find it difficult to stick to the 1lb a week deficit.  Some days I slip as low as a quarter pound per week deficit.  Is this rate of weight loss to slow?  I don't really have a goal date in mind.  I just want to make changes that I can keep up for the  long haul, but I do EVENTUALLY want to reach my goal weight (I have about 20 pounds to go).

[Dominique]

@SunsetRunner: I would address the hunger issue by making sure you’re eating food that provides a lot of satiety. That includes protein, food with a lot of fiber and veggies that are filling and low in calories. I’m currently eating at a 2000+ calories deficit four days a week as part of a rapid fat loss experiment and I’ve had no hunger issues so far on those days, precisely because of the high-satiety items I’ve included.

In itself, there’s nothing wrong with a smaller deficit, especially if you are more interested in sustainability than in meeting a particular deadline. The only thing is it can be hard to ensure you’re in a deficit at all, since both calories in and calories out are estimates: underestimate your intake by 100 calories and overestimate your expenditure by 100 calories (both quite easy) and you have a surplus instead of a deficit.

[Dominique]

@SunsetRunner: you’ve asked almost the same question in the Eat Well forum. It’s better to ask any given question on just one forum.

[SunsetRunner]

Who are you to tell me how to utilize community discussions for information seeking purposes?  I did not come here to get chastised.  

[vineviz]

My experience has been that I find communities like this one to be more helpful when I follow the rules and accept constructive criticism gracefully.  I, too, like getting my questions answered and that happens more often if I'm not acting uncivil.

[SunsetRunner]

A. Original reply is not constructive criticism.  It is irrelevant (which is technically against the rules), and offers no basis or reason for the suggestion.

B. I see no way in which I am being uncivil.  Snarky passive aggressive comments however, are on the verge of being uncivil.

[vineviz]

Perehaps, @SunsetRunner, you missed the section of the Community Guidelines entitled 'Use good network etiquette" in which crossposting is expressly rejected.

If I was uncivil by suggesting that you not be so defensive about a valid criticism, you have my apology.

[RobertoME]

Hello @SunsetRunner good to see you here and thank you for your assistance @Dominique and @vineviz. 

Keep in mind our Fitbit Community is a place where everyone can share their opinions, but always under a friendly environment. Let's try to keep it in that way.

@SunsetRunner you can post all the questions you have and experiences you want to share but as @vineviz mentioned before, is not allowed to post the same content on different boards to get a faster answer. For more information you can read our Community Guidelines.

See you around and for anything else keep me posted.

[SunsetRunner]

I understand  what you're saying, but my goal was not to get a faster answer.  I was hoping to get input from people who were focused more on the nutrition aspect, and also from people with a weight management perspective.   My apologies 

[RobertoME]

Hi @SunsetRunner, thank you so much for your understanding and rest assure both of your post are now in one place.

Feel free to keep posting in our community, since we are here to share best practices about fitness goal and connect with other users who want to have a better and healthy lifestyle.

Hope to see you again 

[GershonSurge]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

I have really bumped up my cardio the past few weeks.  My daily goal is now set to run for one hour on the treadmill.  I've noticed improvement in muscle tone, however I am much hungrier and find it difficult to stick to the 1lb a week deficit.  Some days I slip as low as a quarter pound per week deficit.  Is this rate of weight loss to slow?  I don't really have a goal date in mind.  I just want to make changes that I can keep up for the  long haul, but I do EVENTUALLY want to reach my goal weight (I have about 20 pounds to go).

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@SunsetRunner,

Carbohydrate depletion causes physical hunger pangs. Perhaps, adding more complex carbs like rice, potatoes, whole grain bread, etc., will help. It's worth a try.

As for only losing .25 lb a week, I suggest following your instincts.

[Inclined · Accepted solution]

I have been spinning for over 4 years (3-4 days per week) now. When I decided to eliminate the bad carbs, and be cognisant of a healthy balance of (good) fats, (healthy) carbs, protein, and fiber I have been able to run a 10,000 caloric deficit for over 11 straight weeks without the onset of lethargic energy levels.

I too, found it difficult in the past cutting back on calories, when the "weak, lethargic energy" levels took me off the game. Back when I was only focusing on calories (not a balanced nutritional value) I found I could only run about a 700 calorie deficit daily. Now.....? I'm able to sustain over a 1,000 caloric deficit daily. As a result I'm down 28 lbs in 12 weeks (fat burn), and am strong on the spin cycle.

My suggestion? Be balanced. The body needs "good" carbs for energy. The body needs protein (for strength). Good fats are actually aiding in my celulite burn. Good Luck!

I suggest finding & reading the digital book "Burn the fat, Feed the muscle"

[MAK1973]

Losing .25 lbs a week is still weight loss.  Also remember that muscles burn more calories than fat so if you are exercising had you are bound to need to eat more and  if your body thinks it is starving your metabolism will slow down as a survival mechanism.  If you are consistently exercising, eating a healthy diet that contains less calories than you burned (by approximatley 350-500/ day), not restricting calorie intake to an extreme, and staying hydrated you will get to your goal.  Maintaining weight loss requires a program you can stick to even once you reach your goal weight and increase calories to maintain.  So ultimately slow and steady is more likely to win the race.  

[Dominique]

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@MAK1973 wrote:

Also remember that muscles burn more calories than fat so if you are exercising had you are bound to need to eat more  

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We all burn calories, by merely beeing alive (BMR) and through activity. What you mean is that – all things being equal (same age, same sex, same size) – a leaner and more muscular person will burn more calories that someone carrying more fat and less muscle. For instance, Arnold at his peak (225 lbs, 5% body fat) would burn a lot more calories (even while doing nothing) than a guy also weighing 225 lbs, but overweight. However, we are comparing very extreme cases here. A more realistic comparison would be comparing yourself now to yourself a few months later, after you’ve been doing resistance training and have managed to gain some muscle. Whatever amount of muscle you manage to gain in a few months won’t make a big difference on the total amount of calories you are burning. Especially if you are actively losing weight at the same time (which in itself slows down potential muscle gains), as becoming lighter also causes you to burn less calories. I’m not saying there’s no point in doing resistance training (on the contrary, I’m all for it), just that we shouldn’t overplay the role of added muscle in energy expenditure.

[DerrickS]

I think that @MAK1973 took the words right out of my mouth!

@SunsetRunner I think that if you have a system in place where you are eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, your stomach feels satisfied, and you are losing weight; you'll be able to lose weight in the short-term and keep it off in the long-term.

I also agree with @Dominique's point about eating food that is easy for your body to process like veggies, protein, and high-fiber foods. Not only will these food make you feel full, they will also be easier for your body to digest. 

[OldPup]

If I am exercising above my MEP (metabolic efficiency point), then I am mostly burning carbs (burning through my carbs more like) and less fat.  Going through the carb roller-coaster causes crashes (hunger) in me, whereas working out within my MEP and eating good fats and balanced diet keeps things a little more constant.  

If you don't know your MEP, get with a professional that can run you through the test and find out your personal info and then center your workouts to maximize fat burning.  Being carb dependent is a rough ride.

[Dominique]

@OldPup: are you a proponent of low-carb/high-fat diets and a believer in the "carbs are evil / carbs make you fat" mantra?

[OldPup]

Not necessarily, but I might be coming around to it. 😉
I have eaten a lot of carbs in my diet for quite some time and while I am not what would be considered fat per se, I am familiar with the crashes. A few peeps I know have gone through it with good results, so what the heck. I can always go back to the crashes. Don't get me wrong, carbs are delicious.

[Dominique]

I was intrigued by the need to optimize exercising based on the consumption of carbs vs. fats