Do you use all the calories?

[Kezp80]

Hi all,
I got my fab charge Hr two days ago and loving it but a little confused! My deficit is 1000 and currently burning between 2500-2700. I've set a calorie target of 1400 daily as that's what I've done before but fit bits telling me off for being under! I'm female, 169 lbs, bmr 1484.
Do you eat the calories it tells you to?

[JohnRi]

Ok, first of all a 1000 calorie deficit is for anyone 40+ lbs over weight.  750 is for 20 to 40 lbs.  A 500 deficit is for people 10-20 lbs over weight.  And a 250 deficit is for someone want to lose less than 10 lbs.

Keep in mind that a woman should not eat less than 1200-1300 calories in day.  So just because you choose a 1000 deficit, you should not eat less than the minimum.

Based on the 2500-2700 calorie range, and being a woman, you should be fine eating 1500-1700 calories in a day.  Now since your fitbit is probably a little wrong on how many calories you burn, you are ok to 1300 to 1500 calories and be under without doing harm to your health. 

So to anser your question, no you do not have to eat what it tells you. 

I eat 1800 calories most days.  I burn 2500 to 3400 calories.  But I'm about to be under 40 from my goal, and I'm going to increase my diet, and change my deficit to 750.

It doesn't sound like you need to lose over 40 lbs, so you might consider lowering your deficit to 750.

[Ukase]

Sorry - but I tend to disagree with sweeping generalities - like 1000 calorie deficits are for people 40+ lbs overweight. 

Says who? where? 

To answer the OP's question - no. I sure don't. That message that you're x calories under the allotment has two purposes. It lets you know that if you're still hungry, you could go get a light snack and probably be okay. The other purpose is that when you don't eat enough calories, at a caloric deficit, your body doesn't take energy solely from your fat cells. It takes them from your muscle cells, too - primarily because muscle is harder for your body to maintain than fat. So, you want to be sure you're not skipping meals and trick your metabolism into thinking you're in starvation mode. (Seems like it would take more than one meal skipped to trigger this - but we really don't know enough about our metabolism yet.) 

Me, I don't care. I'll skip 500, 1000, whatever - because I'm eating pretty much the same amount each day - but my activity level will vary. 

[JohnRi]

Here are couple why a 1000 calorie diet is only appropriate for those that Obese, and not some just someone overweight.

So unless someone is obese, their BMR rate is not high enough to maintain a 1000 calorie deficit, without either eating too few calories, or requiring an excessment amount of daily exercise. 

When I was 281 lbs, my BMR was 2600 calories,  with my normal daily activities I was burning 3000-3400 calories a day.  Once I added exercise this went up to 3400 to 4000 calories a day.  I was only walking a mile every other day.  It was all I could do back then. 

Now that I'm lost 56 lbs, my BMR is down to 2300 calories.  Even with daily exercise I barely burn 3000 to 3300 calories a day.  Without exercise I only burn 2400-2600 calories in a day.  A 1000 calorie deficit is impossible to make while still eating a minimum of 1800 calories in a day.  The minimum calories someone a male should eat is 1800 calories.

Once I get down to my goal weight of 183, my BMR will have dropped another 300 calories, down to 2000 a day.  If I tried to maintain a 1000 calorie defict at that point, I'd have to exercise 2-3 hours a day.  I frankly don't have the time.

Motivation is another reason.  A 1000 calorie deficit is not appropriate for those want to lose a few pounds, as it's quite hard to do.  So many people want to lose a few lbs, and they choose a 1000 calorie deficit cause they want to lose it quick.  But then they end up eating too few calories, are hungry all the time, and either cheat on their "diet" or give up.

A 1000 calorie diet when someone is obese, is easier to do.  They have a lot of fat reserves and body can pull from that easily.  Someone trying to lose 10 lbs, they don't have the fat reserves, and body tries very hard to hold onto them.  Which is why the last 10 lbs is so hard to lose. 

BMR and motivation aside, another reason is learning how to eat properly.  You can't just keep a 1000 calorie deficit until you hit your goal.  What are you going to do then?  Suddendly eat a 1000 calories more?  What do you think you body would do with a daily increase of 1000 calories?  So many people go on a diet, until they lose the weight, and then go back to their old diet and gain it all back. 

By choosing a more appropriate calorie intake based on the weight one needs to lose will train your body to the correct number of calories you need to eat.  More importantly, the dieter will also learn the habits to slowly increase their diet, without weight gain. This reenforces good eating habits needed to maintain a healthy diet and weight.

Metabolism slow down.  When you only have 20-30 lbs to lose, a 1000 calorie deficit diet will usually cause your metabolism to slow down, making it even harder to lose weight. 

And then there is muscle mass loss.  As you mentioned muscle mass is easier to lose.  Several studies have found that one someone is obese, and they go on a 1000 calorie deficit, they lose mostly fat.  The lower your weight, maintaining a high calorie deficit, you will lose more muscle mass, as your body tries to hold onto the fat.  You can't lose more the 0.7% of your body weight a week, without losing lean body mass.  People that have only a few lbs to lose, will lose mostly muscle by having a 1000 calorie deficit.  Losing muscle mass makes weight loss even harder as you burn fewer calories.

These are just a few reasons that I'm aware of.  I'm sure there are others. 

So if you talk to any nutrionist, dietitian, or doctor he can say these same things.  Plus if you do a search on weight loss, and calorie deficits, you will see many studies and papers published on the subject.  A simple google search you wilf find all kinds of sites on the subject.

So I stand by my post, 1000 calorie deficit for those you need to lose 40+.  750 for those 20-40 lbs overweight.  500 for those 10-20 lbs.  And 250 for those trying to lose 10 or less.

But for a few more lbs, I eat 1800 calories a day, regardless of my activity.  I should be losing 2-3 lbs a week, but I'm only losing 1 1/2 to 2 lbs a week.  I've been able to maintain my lean muscle mass, and lower my fat percentage.  But I'm 42 lbs from goal, and it's getting harder and harder.  My days at a 1000 deficit are numbered.  1-2 more weeks at the most... 

Yes it will take me longer to lose the last 40 lbs. I'm ok with that, as my goal is to have a fat % around 19% and maintain my lean body mass while doing that. 

[emili]

If you want to lose you eat below TDEE- whatever below means to you. And that is determined by how you feel, your overall health and what is tolerable. If you are imagining that you are starving, you will eat and that will be a problem. So what feels good to you? If you eat to TDEE you will stay the same, above you will gain. That's it. Regardless of what fitbit is telling you that's the secret. I am in maintenance and I never eat to calories out. I am always below. Why? Because that ensures I will not gain on days I splurge and its comfortable for me. I don't feel full, I don't feel hungry, I feel just right. Experiment different calorie counts for a few days and see how it feels and what the scale says. Then when you find the exact spot- magic will happen.

[Ukase]

JohRi, I really appreciate the depth and length of your post. A lot of good information there. 

The reason why I ask questions like "Says who?" or more specifically - where's the data behind this statement is that, as you've seen there's a lot of anecdotal evidence out there (and in these pages) as opposed to hard facts. 

In my case, when I was heavier - I had a job that had me on my feet all day. At 250, at rest, I was probably cooking off 2900 a day doing nothing. At work - I easily logged in 8000 to 10,000 steps a day, and tossing in my weight training, burning 4000 calories a day wasn't that hard to do. 

Eating a 2000-2200 calorie diet, exceeding 1000 calories day was easy. I did it Mon-Fri. As for muscle loss - I was consuming a great deal of protein, about 200 grams of it a day. I knew at a caloric deficit, I would lose fat and muscle - but more fat than muscle. I was okay with that. 

The thing is - despite your confidence - your assertions may indeed be true for you, but they are not true for everyone. Not every adult male is 70-72 inches and 1800 lbs. Those who are shorter and lighter might get fat eating 1800 calories. Those who are older, with slower metabolisms also. 

As a rule of thumb, you're correct. But, we don't always play with our thumbs. 

Still kudos to you for doing the work - the brain work and in losing the weight.