Am I doing it right - calorie deficit IF

[Monas1979]

I have recently acquired my Fitbit Charge 2 and I love it!  I have quit smoking 4 months ago, and without much change in my diet (I keep a food diary), have managed to gain 10kg.  I have since lost about 3kg and would just like to know if I am on the right path.

According to my Fitbit, my daily average calorie burn is abour 2100.  I am following an IF diet 1:1 which means low calorie (600-700) every alternative day followed by 1200-1300 calories inbetween.  It works for me as my history shows that I would eat more one day than the next.

According to my Fitbit graphs, I am in deficit of between 800 - 1200 calories per day depending in the IF schedule.  Would that pertain to about 1kg loss per week if adhered to strictly?  I have been stagnant in weightloss the past 3 weeks and although I think I look at bit different, I might just be dreaming.  I haven't measured myself, which might be a good idea?

Just your thoughts on my weightloss plan.

[Dominique]

Let’s do some math: let’s say you are 4 days at 700 calories and 3 days at 1300. Your weekly intake is 6700 calories. If your average expenditure is 2100, that’s 14,700 on a weekly basis. Calculated weekly deficit is 8000 calories (1143 per day).

It is generally considered you need a deficit 3500 calories to lose 1 pound. For 2.2 pounds (1 kg), that would be 7700 calories. Quite close to your calculated 8000 calories.

Now, a 1143 average daily deficit / 1.04 kg weekly weight loss is quite high. Eating only 45% (6700/14700) of your expenditure also sounds excessive, unless you have a lot to lose. With "only" 10 kg, I would go for a lower deficit, even if it takes longer (slow and steady usually wins the race).

Keep in mind that estimating calories burned with a fitness tracker isn’t an exact science: there’s a margin of error and your Fitbit may overestimate your expenditure.

Kudos in any case for quitting smoking. Even if the short term outcome was gaining weight, you will eventually be much better off.

[Monas1979]

Great reply! Thank you @Dominique!
I will stick with current plan for next couple of weeks and check in again.

[Majka]

Hi Monas, others have already answered you about the mathematical side of things.  While I applaud and admire your self control, people have to eat 1200 calories a day for survival.  Personally, I am 88 lb but have been as low as 77 lb before (not healthy - would not recommend it) and I eat at least 1200 calories a day, so it is possible.  Weight loss plateaus happen because the body is a mystery and fluctuates a lot so you'd have to have lost a lot of weight to ensure the number on the scale goes down.  You can observe how your body looks x