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Calorie, deficit, TDEE, & MFP questions (16:8 newbie)

My TDEE is 2,762 and “Cutting” is listed as 2,262. I downloaded MyFitnessPal as well and it suggested 1,800 calories based on my desire to lose 2 lbs a week. How do I know what to go by please? As I said, I’m a newbie to 16:8 and want to make sure I’m not eating too little.

Also, the impression I got from the materials here is that I should go as low-carb as possible for lunch and if I want to include unrefined carbs to do so at or after dinner. My lunches have mostly been chicken breast, avocado, cheese, celery, and turkey pepperoni. Dinners have been as healthy and low-carb as possible and I’m typically having a banana, oatmeal, cashews, and/or peanut butter after to remain full before my longest fast and to also hit my daily calories. What should I adjust if anything please?

Thanks for taking the time to read and I appreciate any and all feedback.

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Answer

MyFitnessPal is a better target based on your goal. It takes 3500 calories to burn one pound of fat. To lose 1lb of fat per week, your weekly deficit should be 3500 or 500/day, and to lose 2lb the weekly deficit should be 7000 or 1000/day. These are idealized numbers since some lean mass is typically lost when trying to lose weight as well. This can be minimized by lifting weights and getting sufficient protein. Good luck!

Answer

How much weight do you want to drop? Are you at a really high BMI or are you already pretty normal and just want to cut, (you mention cutting).

1800 for 2lbs a week seems reasonable. I mean just try it and see what happens. It’s pretty hard to eat “too little”. If the weight loss is going too fast just up how much you eat.

To be honest I would just do a bigger window and not count calories at all. You seem to have healthy choices so do a 20:4 window and eat as much as your body tells you during that time.

That’s the beauty of IF. I haven’t counted a single calorie or measured a single piece of food and weight just slowly keeps on melting away.

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