Calories in vs out concerns

[IvanDaThug]

So i'm a little new to the whole weight loss thing but i'm learning, slowly. 

I do have a concern though.

If you consume way less calories than you expend, is there a downside?

On the "Harder intensity plan" the goal is a 1k deficit, what if the deficit is 2k? Is this one of those "doing more harm than good" situations?

Any info would be appreciated or directions to a good web site.

[emili]

it depends and you will get a lot of opinions about this- it is a very sensitive topic. You will get the theory of starvation- if you deprive your body of a certain number of calories it will retain them to keep you from starving. This has been proven, debunked, proven, debunked, etc, etc. etc.

If you plan to do it for a long period of time, yes you will cause more harm than good. what is a long period of time? that depends on a variety of things about you and your genetic composition. The other concern would be nutrition. what are you eating vs what your body needs you to eat to perform at its best. How do you feel eating so few calories- tired, lethargic, confused, hungry? I know I just brought more confusion to it. Ultimately, no one can tell you if you should or shouldn't and those who will - its up to you who you listen to. If I were you, I would research your question and experiment to see what works for you and what doesn't.

[Skullclutter]

A 1K deficit is equal to losing 2lbs/week, and even that is too much for a lot of people. It's too much for me.

A 2K deficit would be pretty much impossible unless you're regularly burning 4000 calories a day.

Remember, it doesn't matter how fast you try to lose, if you're so hungry you can't stick to the plan, you'll just end up giving up and going back to gaining. It's better to aim for slower loss at a rate that is comfortable. That way you'll be more likely to stick to it, which means the weight will actually come off faster. I'd suggest you stick between a deficit of 0 - 1000 calories, depending on how much you want to lose.

For example, I'm aiming to lose a total of 60 lbs and I'm at a 500 calorie deficit.

[IvanDaThug]

Just as I was reading your post my fitbit informed me that I hit the 4k cals goal and its still early. This seems to be why I have a high deficit, my seven day average is 4667 cals while taking in 2000 to 3000 cals a day. The strange thing is, I don't fell like i'm pushing myself hard or not to the point where I'm any worse for wear the following day.

I'll let things play out as they for a couple of weeks and see if there are any downsides.

Thanks for your advice

[A_Lurker]

I've been wearing a non-HR tracker with an HR tracker for a little while now.  I'd say that the first under-reports and the second over-reports.  I already knew that my Charge HR ended up out by about 10% (this is based on a more than 6-month period of tracked food compared to losses).  Here's the thing, you can eat a huge deficit for a period of time and lose weight.  Depending on what you start with and how much you have to lose can make this more or less effective.  I started my weight loss almost a year ago and (assuming tomorrow's weigh in ends where I think) I'm down 100 pounds.  The thing is, I'm actually eating more than I was when I started.

My weight loss is weird in a way.  If I eat too little eventually I slow my energy* and I stop losing weight (if not actually gain weight).  If I eat more, I'm more active, and I lose weight easier.  What I've done along the way is just pick a point during the day and stop eating.  Right now it's either 2500 calories or 2750 (I let how I feel determine this).  However, if I have a super low calorie burn day I stick with the -1000 calorie deficit.  So, if I burn 3200 I eat 2200.  If I burn 4000+ I stop at 2500-2750 calories.

* I've done many comparisons and doing the same number of steps can burn a low baseline, up to as much as 20% more.  So it's not always about doing a certain number of steps but how you do them.  If I have a day where I nap on the couch and only do my steps in bursts I burn way fewer calories than days where I'm just generally more active.

[Malme84]

Any caloric deficit can do harm over the long run, if it is also resulting in a nutritional deficit. Making sure you are still getting the proper levels of vitamins & minerals, as well as balanced caloric sources of fats, carbs, and protein, will minimize any long term negative effect.

[Davedog7 · Accepted solution]

My advice is to do research on your own without a pre-conceived idea of what you hope to find. A lot of people hope to find out that they shouldn't aim for a 1k/day caloric deficit (or more), because they know that will be difficult to maintain. 

The overwhelming constant is that you lose fat if your body requires more calories to function than you consume. Of course, there are numerous caveats, side notes, etc. to that, so at bare minimum, make sure you're getting enough protein, vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and so forth. 

I can quite easily maintain a 1k/day calorie deficit when it's time to shed some pounds (although I personally like to do that during the week, and then have a meal or two of whatever I like over the weekend). It really starts w/ the hidden calories, such as adding sugar to coffee, soft drinks, ketchup or mayo, etc. If you're being true and accurate in your tracking, it's completely reasonable to eat 1,500 calories and burn 2,500 in a given day. 

I exercise 5 days a week, and most days eat right at 1k to about 1,200. I'm rarely tired.

Lastly, everybody is different. Best advice is, again, be accurate and truthful with yourself, make sure you're getting enough essential nutrients (very important), and be aware of indicators like fatigue, light-headedness, inability to maintain focus, etc. 

[IvanDaThug]

Yep Davedog7 I think you kinda hit the nail on the head, there is no one answer.

Different things work for different people, I just need to work out what works for me.

Or, I work on the assumption that the fitbit isn’t very accurate when calculating how many calories I’ve burned and therefor there’s nothing to be concerned about.

I am an ostrich.

The frustrating thing about the whole get fit thing, that nobody warned me about, is that exercising is the easy bit.