# Deficit



## swell (Sep 8, 2014)

Sorry to start multiple threads but I really Need a little help here, I had a plan designed for me to shed some lb,

It's been 2 weeks and not a lb has dropped, infact 2lb was added. My bmr is 1700.

I worked out everything that I'm eating now in this plan and its clocking in at 3214. Exercise and the job I have will shave a bit off that number but surely I'm still eating to much to lose weight?

I'm 10lb over my bmi ideal weight,

Why so many calls? I've worked out I need to almost half my intake to stay at 1700, with exercise making up 4/500 deficit??

Any help?

?


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## mannersjay (Aug 19, 2013)

Sorry to ask, maybe I'm missing something. But where did you, or whoever get this 3214 figure from? What leads you to believe that is your maintenance or an amount that will help you lose weight? Seems like a lot, but without knowing your stats, I can't provide an informed answer. What is your TDEE? My BMR is 1650 and TDEE is 2600. I eat less than 2000 calories a day.


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## kuju (Sep 15, 2010)

swell said:


> Sorry to start multiple threads but I really Need a little help here, I had a plan designed for me to shed some lb,
> 
> It's been 2 weeks and not a lb has dropped, infact 2lb was added. My bmr is 1700.
> 
> ...


I'm confused too - you say your BMR is 1700. So I'm guessing that's your BMR...BEFORE being adjusted for energy expenditure (have you applied teh Harris Benedict formula to your result?)

Whatever - if your BMR, even unadjusted, is 1700 and you're looking to cut weight - then 3214 is WAY over. But I would venture that 1700 is not enough...and that means not enough to lose weight either (well not healthily anyway).

Post your stats - age, height, weight

Post your diet - typical daily diet - broken down by meals (as in...time of day/which meal it is and then what you ate)

Personally I would calculate BMR, adjust using Harris Benedict and then use that for your diet. Forget abotu trying to factor in specific calorie loss from exercise. You can get a broad figure but it's not much use in real terms. Way too much potential variation. An exercise that burns 200 calories in one person will burn more, or less, in another...depending on how fit they are, how adapted to that exercise they are etc etc etc.


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## swell (Sep 8, 2014)

29.

5'10

180lbs

Current meal plan set is this.

Low day

Meal 1 - 125g smoked salmon, 4 whole eggs

Meal 2 - 200g chicken breast, tilda rice bag 125g

Meal 3 - 125g smoked salmon, 4 eggs

Post workout - 4 scoops of reflex whey, 1 scoop of vitargo

Meal 4 - 200g chicken, 125g tilda rice

Before bed - 100g almond butter

High day

Meal 1 - 120g oats & 6 egg omelette

Meal 2 - smoked salmon 125g

Meal 3- 200g chicken, tilda rice 125g

Meal 4 - smoked salmon 125g

Post workout - 4 scoops of reflex whey, 2 scoops of vitargo

Meal 5 - 200g chicken, tilda rice bag 125g

Before bed -50g almond butter

I used my fitness pal to work out what the overall intake is for the above and that came in at 3214cal, I then used an online calculator to determine my bmr that said I needed only 1700cal to maintain weight.

3214 - 1700 = 1514call over.

I don't know what TDEE is??


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## swell (Sep 8, 2014)




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## mannersjay (Aug 19, 2013)

OK, 3214 is clearly too much, and I'm still not grasping how you arrived at this figure because you're questioning why you aren't losing weight on 3214. BMR is how many calories you burn if you just lay on the couch all day. TDEE factors in your activity, and is higher than BMR. At just 180lb I'd be amazed if your TDEE is anywhere close to 3214. Go to an online calculator and it will give you a decent guideline. Once you establish your rough TDEE, this is your number you should focus on. If your TDEE is 2700, then that is your maintenance weight. Constantly eat over this, you'll gain, constantly eat below it, you'll lose. A decent deficit is at least 300 calories, plus however many you feel you can manage.


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## swell (Sep 8, 2014)

Ok, all the food above total up to the overall calorie number of 3214 per day.

The online bmr calculator worked out I need 1788 to stay the same weight, correct?

So if I'm eating my 1426 above the recommended 1700 call per day I'm not in a deficit.

You have said 1700 is to low to lose weight where the calculator is saying I need that just to maintain.

I'm confused at how many calls I should be eating to lose a lb a week basically, because 500 under 1700 is way to low and not healthy.

Il skip the cardio if I'm in the deficit and just concentrate on weights, to maintain muscle,


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## mannersjay (Aug 19, 2013)

BMR isn't maintenance. As I said, TDEE is maintenance. BMR is merely how many calories you use if you just stayed in bed all day and didn't move. Please re-read what I wrote about TDEE. Go online, http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/


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## swell (Sep 8, 2014)

Is this rite? I guessed the bf% as I'm somewhere between 15-20

Looking at it as you've explained the 3214 isn't that far off


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

The picture you posted suggests 2817 kcal for fat loss?

Any calculator gives you a very rough starting point. You need to adjust your calorie intake according in you progress.


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## swell (Sep 8, 2014)

So if I adjust my meals or even portion size's to meet 2817 I should lose weight without cardio.

Although il still add a small bit after my work out


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

As you were gaining weight on 3200 calories I'd suggest dropping to 2600 and see how you get on.


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## swell (Sep 8, 2014)

Well 2lb is the difference in a 2 weeks so at the mo yes. Although it's small im still gaining rather than losing.


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## nWo (Mar 25, 2014)

If you're not losing weight you need to decrease your calories mate, simple as that really. Go with about 2900 for starters as recommended by IIFYM, then see how things go and adjust if needs be.


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## swell (Sep 8, 2014)

How long about? 4weeks see where I am and then adjust if needed?

Is dropping weight and dropping body fat the same?


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

swell said:


> Is dropping weight and dropping body fat the same?


Well no, but if you don't drop weight too fast, weight train and eat enough protein the vast majority will be fat.

You mentioned BMI above. Bear in mind this is an exceedingly crude tool as it doesn't take body composition into account. A big but ripped bodybuilder would be 'overweight' for example.


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## mannersjay (Aug 19, 2013)

unless you're doing somethin extreme, I'd weigh myself once every 2 weeks. You're going to check yourself in the mirror (who doesn't) but it's not easy to spet the little differences. If there's no loss at all, and you've been bang on the diet and training hard, re-assess.

Weight loss and fat loss is far from the same thing, which is why you get people on here moaning thet they're losing weight but not looking 'cut'. You can get down to 10 stone and still have a poor physique.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Just seen you photos in another thread. Whatever the BMI says you are not 'fat'. Obviously drop fat if you want to be leaner but I would pay absolutely no attention to the BMI ideal weight in your case.


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## swell (Sep 8, 2014)

well that's where my heads been getting fried as I'm

Not "fat". But need to shift "fat" if that makes sense??

For example I don't want to lose a stone and look exactly the same but a stone lighter, I want to decrease bf in order to look "tighter/leaner" them concentrate on building muscle cleanly.


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## mannersjay (Aug 19, 2013)

You'll have to tweak and play about with macros and stuff to discover what works best for you. But yes, it's not easy and I know what you mean. I'm sure any man that goes to the gym wants a (at least fairly) muscular physique, while looking as lean as possible. The body's preference will be to burn muscle before fat, which makes it harder. So you have to keep lifting heavy, to let your body know it needs that muscle, and feed it adequately. 1.5 grams per lb of body weight in protein is decent. Don't shirk on the fat, which is a mistake I've admittedly made. Lost weight, but looked no better. I eat 80 grams of fat a day which is a nice amount for me.


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## swell (Sep 8, 2014)

Il have a play about tonight with the meals il leave the macros as recommended by the iifym for a few weeks see where I am, il keep fat and protein up as you say. I find I look at other peoples progress and diets and they're all flying in it, I never seem to move


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## Kabz r34 (Aug 15, 2013)

Tbh I was about the same weight as you when I started 40 days ago and I'm only on 1800 cals a day, so some how I'm sure your cals will be to high to lose weight. I've lost no muscle that I can see and lost a stone also. But I'm more like 30% bf so I don't know if that's the diffrence in your high cals


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## swell (Sep 8, 2014)

Kabs are your smaller version of how you was or are you more defined? I'm going to give a go from tomorrow cutting down to 2600 with 40mins of steady state cardio 3x a week and see how I am in months time. If nothing's changed il drop it by 300 again,


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## saxondale (Nov 11, 2012)

swell said:


> 29.
> 
> 5'10
> 
> ...


and I`m not convinced you need the oats and eggs either lol


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## swell (Sep 8, 2014)

Don't know mate that's what I was told, high fat on low carb days.


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## saxondale (Nov 11, 2012)

@banzai get in here


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## Kabz r34 (Aug 15, 2013)

swell said:


> Kabs are your smaller version of how you was or are you more defined? I'm going to give a go from tomorrow cutting down to 2600 with 40mins of steady state cardio 3x a week and see how I am in months time. If nothing's changed il drop it by 300 again,


I'm like 30%bf mate and I've lost 1 stone I'm not defined at all at this stage but load of fat has gone from face and upper body area if that helps. Also my arms are more defined know.


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## swell (Sep 8, 2014)

I will get cracking from tomorrow. .

Il check in in a month and let you know how I'm doing.


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## swell (Sep 8, 2014)

Anyone have any tips on what to do here, Ive dropped the calls to 2300 today to see how I get on with less, my fear is I'm still not eating enough.

Today's menu looks like this. (Same most days, may swap oats with 4/5eggs some days).

7:30

30g Porridge oats

2 50g Turkey steaks

10:00

125g salmon

125g basmati rice

100g broccoli

13:30

125g salmon

125g basmati rice

100g broccoli

16:30

200g chicken breast

2 veg steam bags.

19:00

Quest protein bar,

Put all of this in to Myfitness pal and I've only totalled 1533 calls, leaving me with 837 call short of my total of 2300.

Should I make portions bigger or try any get another meal in?

My protein fat and carbs are

Carb 34%

Protein 38%

Fat 28%

Today I haven't trained so haven't taken in to account protein shake. Not that that make a big difference.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

The protein shake will be at least 100 kcal, count absolutely everything you eat and drink.

Your diet looks very low in fat to me. I'd be adding nuts and olive oil.

Ditch the Quest bar and have some proper food.

You really need to plan what you are going to eat ahead, not get to the end of a day and realise you are 800 kcal short!


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Are your rice weights cooked weights?


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

Going by your numbers I make that roughly 130g carbs, 145g protein and 48g fat? Not enough protein or fat. The protein shake will help of course.


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## Ultrasonic (Jul 13, 2004)

You may well be fine with more carbs BTW, it varies from person to person. I would decide what your target weights (not %) of protein, carbs and fats are and then adjust foods and portion sizes to fit.


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## swell (Sep 8, 2014)

Sorry Sonic, I didn't realise you had replied, I have almond butter I can take 100g of that to up the fat. The % above is what I've taken from MyFitnessPal,

Would you recommend upping my meal size or add another meal in the plan?


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## swell (Sep 8, 2014)

Rice is cooked weight it's the uncle bens rice 250g bags 2mins in the microwave.


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