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WHY WOULD I EAT 1300 CALORIES?! HELP! I am confused! I don't understand calorie deficits!!!

A isha baby

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I'm 5'4
Current Weight 171
Goal weight 150


I don't have a super active life. I'm pretty much always at home but I exercise everyday between 30 minutes to an hour doing high intensity/low impact workouts.

It was recommended on my fitness pal that in order for me to lose 2lbs a week I need to CONSUME 1300 calories. But why would I do that? This is where my confusion comes in. If its, "don't eat more that you burn" then why would I eat 1300 calories? Wouldn't that mean I have to burn 1300+ calories because "more out than in"?????? Y'all I am so lost. I'm pretty sure this is simple as hell but it's just not regeristing with me. How many calories should I be burning everyday?

FYI
Today's breakfast was potato has with egg and spinach and 1 Turkey sausage patty

Lunch: grapefruit

Dinner: brown rice, broccoli and baked chicken breast.


Today's workout



 
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ikn1wchi

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You burn calories every day just by living. 1600-2400 calories are gone a day and that isn’t even including working out.
 

Trinidad1983

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Do you have a fitbit? Or a smart watch? If not,get one so you can see how many calories you burn so you can tell more or less what you need to do.
 

A isha baby

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You burn calories every day just by living. 1600-2400 calories are gone a day and that isn’t even including working out.
Sis I am literally in the house everyday (for the most part) lol I just don't see how I'm naturally burning 1600-2400 calories a day.
 

FinallyLoggedIn

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Your body burns fat when you’re not consuming enough calories but it does it very slowly. It takes a lot for the body to convert fat into fuel, therefore you need to eat to keep your energy levels up so you can burn more fat as you workout.
 

Lucifer Cat

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Sis I am literally in the house everyday (for the most part) lol I just don't see how I'm naturally burning 1600-2400 calories a day.

I don't know your age, but for your weight and height it's more likely 1800. Your body burns calories just creating new cells,breathing,etc.
 

SakuraCream

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Sis I am literally in the house everyday (for the most part) lol I just don't see how I'm naturally burning 1600-2400 calories a day.
walking to the toilet burns calories. sitting up burns calories. you burn calories doing nothing at all.
an adult woman is supposed to consume about 2000 calories a day to maintain her weight, so 1300 is a nice deficit.

how to find your resting rate: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

or your weight in lbs x 11 but that’s a rougher estimate
 

sunnyjune

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Sis I am literally in the house everyday (for the most part) lol I just don't see how I'm naturally burning 1600-2400 calories a day.

yeah sis, you're still burning calories lol. even people in comas are too. burning calories = using up energy. it takes energy for your body to perform basic metabolic functions like breathing, circulating blood, etc

try eating at 1300 calories and see how you feel. it's on the low side but i'm sure you could get away with eating a bit more and still losing tbh
 

Auntie Iyanla

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Sis I am literally in the house everyday (for the most part) lol I just don't see how I'm naturally burning 1600-2400 calories a day.

TDEE. Your body is like a car, whether you're active or not you are still burning calories. Just sitting and breathing causes you to exert energy needed for your body to function.

Using the math on their suggested calorie counter, let's say your TDEE is 1700 calories a day

1700-1300= 400 calorie deficit. That's if you don't have much activity during the day.

400x7= 2800 calories deficit a week. You need a 3,500 deficit to lose 1lb a week.

There's science behind it.
 

trucompassion86

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your brain burns MAD calories too just thinking

also OP if you're interested in losing weight, really focus on cutting sugar (added sugars, simple carbs, refined sugars, and higher sugar fruits) out and decreasing your insulin resistance. If youre eating something with natural sugar, it should have lots of fiber too (complex carbs). otherwise your body will never make it around to actually burning fat because it has plenty of surplus sugar to burn for energy.
 

CNBLBT

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If you drop your calories too low your body starts hoarding fat. Trust the science

ETA: Because some of y'all don't understand. If you undereat, not STARVE, but undereat it lowers your metabolism. Your body does it's best to conserve what it can to keep you functioning. As a result you might be eating less, but not losing weight. That's why drastically cutting calories is not best. If the app says 1,300 calories then trust the science because you'll lose weight with damaging your metabolism and losinf muscle mass.
 
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QueeninJeans

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I’m 165 5’4 and my basal metabolic rate is 1450 cal. So i burn that by doing nothing supposedly. It can’t take into account anything but those objective numbers though. As long as I don’t feel hungry I don’t think I’m too low on calories. I usually just use these numbers and things as a base line and then tweak it to my own individual needs/differences.
 
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Assuming you’re around 25-30 and you’re not that active, 5’4, 171 lbs a tdee (how many calories you burn just being alive + your activity level which is almost nothing) you need about 1800 to stay the same weight. To lose a pound of fat a week you have to eat 3500 less then your tdee, in your case 1800, which is 500 less then 1800 a day, which is 1300 because 500 less calories a day times 7 days is 3500. So assuming your tdee is 1800 and you eat 500 less a day (1300) you should lose a pound a week, going below 1300 is dangerous and not recommended because you might not get all the vitamins, proteins, fat etc that you need, you might get an earring disorder, etc
 

CNBLBT

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That is not true,otherwise people who are starving would not lose weight.
You lose weight to a point, but when your body realizes it's receiving insufficient nutrients your metabolism slows down. Starving is not the same as undereating. Your body cannot maintain on a starvation diet, but it can maintain while undereating.
 

TeaWitherspoon

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Girl that’s my weight, goal weight, & height lmao. I’ve been trying to lose weight as well. MyFitnessPal is what I’ve been using since January. Your calories are supposed to be 1600 not 1300 to get to 150-155. My goal weight is 150 & my calories are capped at 1,680 calories a day.
 

diamanteview

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If its, "don't eat more that you burn" then why would I eat 1300 calories? Wouldn't that mean I have to burn 1300+ calories because "more out than in"??????

You burn calories constantly. Breathing is a whole set of mechanisms that require energy to work. Same with walking. And every other human bodily function. Our bodies are kind of like machines except we came first lol.

The statement “eat less calories than you burn” goes with the whole constantly burning calories thing. There’s an amount of calories that you burn in a full 24 hrs called your Tdee(this number changes daily but calculators online give an idea on what the range is). So this number tells you how much you need to eat in a day to maintain your body. If you want to lose weight you have to eat less than this number because you want your body to utilize the excess weight as energy instead. So eat less than your Tdee is what that means.

I'm pretty sure this is simple as hell but it's just not regeristing with me. How many calories should I be burning everyday?
Honestly you don’t have to focus to hard on the amount you’ve burned in a day. Of course do so if you choose to but the amount burned from exercise is negligent when compared to how much your body already naturally burns(This doesn’t mean don’t exercise! Exercise is necessary for overall health also so keep at it). Just focus on eating in a healthy deficit, making sure to get an optimal amount of nutrients/vitamins, working out as you have been, and drinking enough water. Good luck !
 

Lord Manderly

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It is because you are trying to lose 2lbs a week, if you aimed for 1lb your calories would be more reasonable.
 

SerafinaCyan

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Sis I am literally in the house everyday (for the most part) lol I just don't see how I'm naturally burning 1600-2400 calories a day.

I was confused just like you a few months ago.

Then I did a bit of research and learned that every bodily function takes energy and uses our food as fuel. So you don't have to actively workout and burn 1,300 calories on the treadmill, you will end up burning more than that just by breathing, sleeping etc.

So let's so you eat 1,300 calories but you burn 2,500 calories. You will automatically lose weight that way
 

SerafinaCyan

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TDEE. Your body is like a car, whether you're active or not you are still burning calories. Just sitting and breathing causes you to exert energy needed for your body to function.

Using the math on their suggested calorie counter, let's say your TDEE is 1700 calories a day

1700-1300= 400 calorie deficit. That's if you don't have much activity during the day.

400x7= 2800 calories deficit a week. You need a 3,500 deficit to lose 1lb a week.

There's science behind it.

Is the 3,500 deficit to lose 1lb a constant, across people?

If not, is there a calculator or formula you use to find this out?
 

Auntie Iyanla

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Is the 3,500 deficit to lose 1lb a constant, across people?

If not, is there a calculator or formula you use to find this out?

Dieticians and doctors believe it's mostly standard, though there may be some differences depending on how people's metabolism burns body fat. This is a good article that explains how to use it as a baseline for calorie reduction+exercise:

How to Achieve 1 Pound of Weight Loss | Everyday Health

I've had success with using these calculators to determine macros and what my TDEE is

TDEE-calculator

How Many Calories Should I Eat? (A Calculator for TDEE) | Nerd Fitness
 

JuicyBussy

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I just never understood why it always felt like its so easy to pig out on Taco Bell and gain weight but so hard to diet and lose weight Chile.:unsure:
 

DULOVEMEDO

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You should base your cut off range from your sedentary rate not your BMR and just become more active.

So, 200+ minus your sedentary rate. It makes no sense to cut into a deficit at your BMR. This is what your body uses/burns when it is in a coma........Literally....not moving.

My BMR is about 1500-1600 and that is calculated with my body fat percentage as well as I am way taller than you. So I know your BMR is under 1300 based on your height and weight.
 
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Sis I am literally in the house everyday (for the most part) lol I just don't see how I'm naturally burning 1600-2400 calories a day.
Your basal metabolic rate is the amount t of calories that you burn with your body doing it’s normal processes. Even if you were sleeping in bed all day, your body is burning calories because all of the things it needs to do need energy. So for example, your kidneys need energy even just making your pee. Your gut uses energy just digesting your food.

if you google basal metabolic rate, you can find a calculator. A lot of calculators will let you put in what your activity level is. This will tell you how much energy or calories, based on your age, and weight, your body is using to just simply exist.

to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you need, or eat less calories. So lose it is just guessing ,based on your weight, about how many calories you use doing absolutely nothing, how much weight you wanna lose per week, and spits out a number. That’s why if you add an activity to lose it, it will allow you to eat more calories because you are burning more.

I hope this makes sense!
 

Madame St Clair

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I'm using my Fitness Pal and I have to consume 1290 calories per day to lose weight. Since I am watching what I eat, I'm having trouble getting to that amount especially after it calculates my exercises into the equation.
 

A isha baby

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Your basal metabolic rate is the amount t of calories that you burn with your body doing it’s normal processes. Even if you were sleeping in bed all day, your body is burning calories because all of the things it needs to do need energy. So for example, your kidneys need energy even just making your pee. Your gut uses energy just digesting your food.

if you google basal metabolic rate, you can find a calculator. A lot of calculators will let you put in what your activity level is. This will tell you how much energy or calories, based on your age, and weight, your body is using to just simply exist.

to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you need, or eat less calories. So lose it is just guessing ,based on your weight, about how many calories you use doing absolutely nothing, how much weight you wanna lose per week, and spits out a number. That’s why if you add an activity to lose it, it will allow you to eat more calories because you are burning more.

I hope this makes sense!
Okay so today for instance, I only burned 600 calories according to my fitbit. Does that mean I should EAT LESS than 600 calories for the day?
 
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Okay so today for instance, I only burned 600 calories according to my fitbit. Does that mean I should EAT LESS than 600 calories for the day?

This means that on top of the calories your body burns doing nothing add 600.

So for example, based on my age, my weight, my height and my gender, my basal metabolic rate is 1600 calories. That means if I slept for 24 hours, didn’t move, didn’t do anything, just sleep, my body would burn 1600 calories just existing. Now this is just super super simplified, the body is more complex than this. But Let’s say I wake up only to do a workout that burns 600 calories. In that 24 hour period, I will have burned 2,200 calories.

The calories you burn exercising are more than what your body burns to just simply keep you alive. When you breathe, you use energy(calories) , your heart uses energy to beat( calories).

I think most dieticians suggest not eating less than 1200 calories a day. The “Lose it” app is estimating how many calories you need to eat in order to lose a certain amount of weight in a week. If you want to post a screenshot from your lose it app, I can try and help you figure it out.
 

naaymaa_

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I’m confused as well. What if I do high intensity workouts every another day, what's the calorie would be like for a semi-active person ( work life- feets all day, and HIIT+ weight lifting 4x a week).

I don't want to damage my body's metabolism.
 

MainMane

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Yall gonna keep operating in that calories paradigm and fµck up your metabolisms.

Exercise has been proven to not help you lose weight/body fat but rather build endurance/muscle.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...8db370-77d7-11e7-8f39-eeb7d3a2d304_story.html

If you want to lose body fat you need to regulate your insulin by avoiding added sugars and processed food, and eating more grass fed meat and if you chose to eat carbs they need to be fibrous. Things will fall into place.
 

lagameuze

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i finally understood why i was maintaining and not losing.
I have a fitbit and on a regular day i burn 1800 and maybe 2300 when i work out (jogging).
we burn way less than we think lol
 

HeySunshine22

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I'm using my Fitness Pal and I have to consume 1290 calories per day to lose weight. Since I am watching what I eat, I'm having trouble getting to that amount especially after it calculates my exercises into the equation.
This is my exact struggle. When I don’t snack and prepare all my own foods, I end up underrating significantly. There are people who say they struggle to eat under 1800 calories and I don’t get it because when I’m in the zone I struggle to get to 1000 calories.
 

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i use myfitness pal to simply track my food/macros. if i went off of what they "suggested" being an endomorph, i'd never lose weight LOL and everyone in my house would be dead because i'd be hangry all the time. there are plenty of free macro calcs online that can give you macros to follow for fat loss. i think most times we grossly under eat. I wear an apple watch and i dont get so caught up in how many calories i burn but i do pay attention to my hr during my workouts.

if you stick to the macros/calories needed for fat loss you will be fine. even carb cycling works (i do that) i think 1200 calories is way too little to eat, a toddler needs more than that (but different strokes for different folks). even eating too little can do more damage than good (metabolism, loss of muscle, periods/hormones, fatigue, etc.)
 

Mavis Gary

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i use myfitness pal to simply track my food/macros. if i went off of what they "suggested" being an endomorph, i'd never lose weight LOL and everyone in my house would be dead because i'd be hangry all the time. there are plenty of free macro calcs online that can give you macros to follow for fat loss. i think most times we grossly under eat. I wear an apple watch and i dont get so caught up in how many calories i burn but i do pay attention to my hr during my workouts.

if you stick to the macros/calories needed for fat loss you will be fine. even carb cycling works (i do that) i think 1200 calories is way too little to eat, a toddler needs more than that (but different strokes for different folks). even eating too little can do more damage than good (metabolism, loss of muscle, periods/hormones, fatigue, etc.)

um so how many calories or macros do I need to lose weight at this height?
 

Froreal3

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Hi sis. I wouldn't go by MyFitnessPal. It's very generic. I would also stick to 1lb a week since that's more sustainable. 1300 is way too low for your height and weight. I'm 5'2", 141 and I am losing on 1600-1700 calories a day. I would also start working on increasing your step count by going on little walks. Start strength training as well.

1. Use this calculator to help you get an idea of how many calories you should be consuming based on activity level.
2. Pick the "sedentary" level along with how often you work out. (ie: sedentary; work out 2-3x per week)
3. Choose the "painful" deficit

It will break down the calories and how much of each macronutrient (protein, carbs, fats) you need to consume per day given your activity level, age, and weight for your goal.

Only use MyFitnessPal to track the food and see how much of each macro nutrient you are getting daily. If you click on "more" in the right side bottom corner and click "nutrition," it gives a breakdown of how much protein, carbs, and fat you ate for the day. If you don't want to/don't know how to track the macros, I would focus on calories and making sure you get at least the proper amount of protein the calculator says.

Try tracking a regular day of eating with MyFitnessPal just to see what you're consuming on a regular basis without doing anything different. This gives you a better understanding of your baseline.

It's also very important to have a food scale and make sure you are weighing things in grams, oz, ml etc. in order to be accurate. You could be eating way more peanut butter than you should in that tablespoon. So, weigh food, don't eyeball or use tablespoons/cups etc.

Another important thing is to not "eat back" calories. When MyfitnessPal says you've "earned" x amount of extra calories, don't eat those. Just stick with your original calories/macros goal. If it says 1600, let it stay within that amount...a bit above or below isn't terrible.

To keep myself on track, I input the foods I want to eat the day prior into MyFitnessPal.
 
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