Can someone help me explain the science of “too much” calorie restriction?

What is the science behind your body not losing weight due to “too much” calorie restriction? For instance, my TDEE is just over 2,000 cals, but I thoroughly ensure I do not go over 1,500 cals per day; about 30% of the time I only hit around 1,000 calories due to being busy and forgetting to eat. And yes, it’s whole foods each day- lots of fruits and veggies, only space I could improve on is eating even more protein.

Despite this, I have pretty slow/minimal weight loss despite a 26 BMI, and numerous people in my life have suggested I’m eating too little. Google around a bit and sure enough- many sites advise that eating too little actually impairs weight loss.

So how does this actually work- if CICO is as accurate and magical as everyone preaches, shouldn’t someone lose weight faster if they eat as minimally as possible?

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How to best calculate my TDEE to lose weight?

I am 28F 5’5” SW: 174 lbs (highest weight being 180.6 lbs) CW: 155.6 lbs GW: 135 lbs. I have been working out consistently (5-6 times per week) since November 2022. I target a muscle group for weight lifting and 20-30 mins of cardio for 5 sessions per week and 1 session per week is dedicated solely to an hour of cardio. I’ve been eating about 1200-1400 calories per day (tracking in MFP and using a scale). Last month, I bought a standing desk and walking pad to increase my step count as I am quite sedentary other than my 1-2 hour workouts each day since I work from home. I am aiming for a minimum of 10k steps per day even on my off day for an “active rest day”. I have yet to hit a plateau and I want to try to prevent that, if possible. Originally, I calculated my deficit based off the sedentary activity level on the TDEE calculator but I am wondering if I should continue to base my calorie deficit on this number since I am more active. I also don’t want my body to be so adjusted to the 1200-1400 calories that I hit a stall in my weight loss. I know as I get closer to my goal weight, the harder it will be to shed those last pounds but I would like to at least hit 145 lbs by May, again if possible. If you had my goals, what approach(es) would you take?

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I’m just like irrational scared I’m going to die from being fat.

I mean obviously if I don’t change my dietary habits, it will probably lead to an early death so it’s not that irrational. But at 25 years of age I’m worried that I’ve done irreversible damage to my body, mainly my heart and arteries.

I’ve struggled with weight loss my entire life. I’ve lost hundreds of cumulative pounds from starting over again, and again. I’m just so tired of being in this cycle. It’s vicious. Prior to Covid I was 40 freaking pounds away from my goal weight. I felt sexy, I felt healthy, I could walk into any clothing store and leave with something, I felt alive! My blood pressure was freaking perfect 117/80, heart rate below 70, I was on fire.

As of the other day I am back to my heaviest being around 284. High blood pressure 134/93, high resting heart rate, on bp medication, heart palpitations, anxiety, probably some depression. Like it just sucks, and I can’t seem to take myself seriously enough to start, and maintain a healthy diet. The worst part is that I know what to do, and how to do it, I just can’t seem to keep it going.

I spend so much time worrying about a heart attack and doing nothing about it, I wonder if it’s going to take a heart attack or a real health scare to get my ass in gear.

Anyways. Thanks r/LoseIt for providing me a place to vent about my inadequate constitution.

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Self acceptance during weight loss

I’m currently at my heaviest adult weight and for the past 2 years, have been overweight for the first time in my life. I understand the reasons: too much emotional eating; losing my FIL to Covid; having fibroids and adenomyosis; and finally, getting a hysterectomy. It’s been a … lot. Also, I’m now in perimenopause (still have ovaries).

I understand that weight gain under these circumstances is not the end of the world and even understandable. Yet I feel really ashamed and embarrassed. I hate buying larger clothes. I am sad that I’m a much slower runner now — not that I was ever that fast!

I’m now doing CICO and hoping to get back to the high end of “normal” for my height. It’s slow going. But I hope I can get my emotions under control, too,and don’t know where to start.

Any thoughts? I’ve often heard that you can’t hate yourself thin and stay mentally healthy but I’m find it hard to find self acceptance.

Thanks for reading. This is a great community. ♥️

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People keep saying I’m under eating, but I’m satisfied, is there really something wrong with my calorie intake?

I’ve been on a weight loss journey since January 17th, today is February 26th. I’m a 15 year old female that’s 175cm/ 5’7 feet. At the start I weighed about 73kg/160 pounds, today I weigh 66,7 kg/ 147 pounds. Meaning I lost just a tad more than 6 kgs. Since the beginning of the journey I cut off all processed foods and minimum amount of added sugars and that stuff. No cheat days, no nothing. I didn’t count calories at first but went solely based off of what I assumed what nutritious and food diet-friendly food. But apparently that was not a too good of a diet, and it lacked a lot of the important stuff. Like calories, healthy fats etc. And I was also eating under 1000 calories as well. Basically, I wasn’t educated at all (not saying I am properly educated now as well, just have a little more knowledge about it). I’ve also been regularly, like every other day, been doing 15-30 minute hiit workouts, and getting at least 6000 steps a day. I drink over 2 liters water a day, and get about 7-8 hours of sleep every night. My diet has improved, and I now track every single calorie I consume through always weighing and cooking my food myself. I’m consuming about 1100-1200 calories a day, with about 100g of protein (roughly 35% of all of the calories). I’m satisfied with my routine, but people keep saying I’m under eating. Last time I checked my bmr was about 2000, and I’m trying to sustain a calorie deficit of 800. I don’t have that many sugar cravings and don’t get too hungry in between my meals, and feel rather satisfied. I’m going to start working out at the gym soon as well. My plan was to get to at least 65kg and then start working out more consistently and do strength training, and slowly increase my calorie intake while still having a calorie deficit. Am I being dumb?

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190 days, 100 pounds Gone.

Where do I even begin? Before this weight loss journey I had a weightloss journey back in 2017 where I lost 100 pounds I went from 398 to 245. I was 17 years old in the process and this was very eye-opening to me in many different ways from the way people treated me to the way people talk to me .. a year and a half later I got pregnant and gained back more than half of half of the weight so I was back to 300s and honestly I felt horrendous. I felt horrible and I was always tired and I never had the energy to do anything. I made this decision myself to lose weight yet again because I wanted to be happy in my body again I chose to do this weight loss journey yet again, because I wanted to be happy and live a longer life for my daughter and husband. I am very well aware of the diets, of the exercises of everything that is thrown at obese people and honestly I always fall back. I always fell back. I always chose to eat. I never counted calories. I just I wanted to eat I feel comfortable eating and that is why I ended up so big, and I’m not ashamed because I’m well aware of my actions. In August 2022 I chose to start again I chose to do what was best for me and that is veganism. I chose to go Vegan , count calories, I chose to do fasting from 12 PM to 8 PM. I did not eat over 1500 cal the most ever ate during this weight loss process was 3000 and that was a good day but It did not make me fall back into the binge eater I was. It was honestly hard in the beginning. It was very hard and the fact that I was so big because of nobody else but myself, I had to lose this myself I have very high motivation for myself this time around I have motivation to do things differently I do view things in life differently from the way I eat food to the way I see any people eating. yes it’s wrong of me that I was obese, still am but still in the process of weightloss and yet I will be here trying to explain to people how to eat, but me opening my eyes and seeing that the way food is revolving around many people is scary because I am one of those many people. I chose to walk/jog, 1.5 to 2 miles daily. I lifted weights, and I did my legs I chose to strive for the best possible that I could. I also had a high water intake. I drink at least 100 ounces a day if more, if possible, that’s perfect but I try not to be under 100 ounces of water a day. I feel like my water intake has helped me in this process as well. Another Big helper is the fasting I don’t eat before 12 PM and after 8 p.m. hits. I’ll fast all those hours and it has helped me realize how much I over ate out of boredom And back to veganism I have been vegan on and off in 2017 I chose to be vegan for the weight loss and that’s what helped me the most so that’s why I brought it back into my life. I also have became disgusted with eating meat and other products as such so I felt like it was my really in my advantage for me to be able to be vegan and want to be vegan and continue to through this diet because of how I viewed, the other foods around me. That being said I am now Many months into this journey , as I say it opened my eyes to the way food is perceived by many it as well has opened my eyes to the way People perceive those who are overweight. All my life I have been called names and I bet there isn’t a fat name that you can call me that I have not been called because my family themselves have called me names that are just engorged in my brain but the same people that have called me names while being extra big are the same people that still make fun of me for losing 100 pounds, yes I was big and I had huge back fat, but now that I have not as much back fat and it’s not as big but it’s now saggy, there’s other things that people can talk negative about me on and that’s now having loose skin. I have been told that I look better FAT, and Big instead of having loose skin and just looking the way I do , I have been told that my legs look so skinny now and that what am I doing to myself but when I was bigger I would be begged to lose weight. It just hurts in many different ways. I wanted to add that in because no matter what you do to better yourself there will always be negative found within the process from anybody and everybody. Today I sit at 225 pounds and this is the smallest I have ever been since middle school since elementary even I’m not sure because I was way over 195 in elementary. Seeing 225 on the scale and me being satisfied and happy with the way I feel in the motivation I have daily , it is very emotional, I feel like I cry to myself with no tears falling down of the successful, motivational feelings I just get upon myself. I know that this is only the beginning and I do have another goal weight and I will hit that weight. In this process since August 2022 I have reached three of my goals I wanted to go from 325 to 300 from 300 to 250 from 250 to 245 because that was the lowest weight i ever hit . from 245 I want to hit 200 and I will that’ll be my next goal and I will hit 200 and after I hit 200, I have one more goal and that’s it. The process will be done, and I’ll be able to be satisfied within myself and sit daily appreciating the hard work, I’ve done to myself better myself to feel healthier , be healthier to do better and stay better. I chose to say all of this, because I want people to know that it is mind over matter, and no matter what you think. Mind over matter, will always fall in place with the weight loss, with the weight gain, with the way you eat with the way you think of food and how you portray food. When you have the mindset of food being a friend instead of an enemy you’re able to enjoy the food that you make for yourself instead of wanting more when your plate is empty. I’m not saying more is bad because you need to learn how to limit yourself and when you do, you should be able to get more with limitations, but that being said you should know that there’s always a limit and that limit is 100% OK that limit is normal, it’s normal and should always be normal. You don’t need to exceed you don’t need so much to be satisfied with in your hunger feelings. I feel like I have said enough and I just want to thank you all for those who are taking the time to read this and thank myself most of all I thank myself plenty. It’s only the beginning.325 - 225

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Went below 160 lbs for the first time since middle school

I've struggled with my weight for a long time. I grew up poor on food stamps, which unfortunately does not lead to healthy eating as many of the cheapest foods are among the worst for you in calories and nutrients. I averaged around 215 lbs in high school. In college I got my weight down to the upper 160's, but I was exercising all the time and ate like an Olympic athlete (easily ~3,000 calories a day). Because I lived across from the gym, I never taught myself healthy eating.

I worked night shift after college and slowly regained the weight. My first major job after that was extremely stressful, 5 directors in as many years, and my weight ballooned to 226 lbs (at one point I got back down to 194lbs, but regained it all because of the stress of that job). When I finally changed jobs at the end of March last year, I had fought back down to 206 lbs.

This morning my weight is 159.8 and I am so proud of myself. My target is 146 because it would be 80 pounds down overall from my peak weight and it is so close.

I've been keeping track of my weight for years in an Excel spreadsheet. It helped me understand that fluctuations of 2-3 pounds could be water weight and that to lose weight I needed to watch for gradual declines over the course of weeks. (I've even had two 5 pounds swings if I was dehydrated one day and had a buffet with a friend the next). Having metrics is key.

Calorie-wise, it is recommend that I eat about ~2400 calories a day. I've learned that I will gain 1 pound a week doing so. My job and lifestyle are simply too sedentary (assuming I do not exercise at all). 1800 calories is right for maintaining my weight. 1500 has been my target for losing weight. On occasion, I have gone as low as 1200 calories, but I do not recommend it and my understanding is that it is unhealthy to do so long-term.

Fiber has been great for reducing how many calories I eat. When I max out my daily fiber, I do not feel the hunger from lowering my overall calories. It has made all the difference in allowing me to maintain my calorie goals.

Personally, diet was the big part that I was missing. I did purchase gym equipment for my home several years ago, which I know puts me outside the norm. I have a weight rack (dumbbells), power bench, exercise bike, and treadmill. I do much more cardio than strength training to be honest. I try to go for at least 30 minutes a day (easy enough to read a comic book or watch a tv episode on the treadmill!). I've also taken up a bit of jogging. This alone has resulted in a steady 1 to 2 pound weight loss per week (a bit more if I exercise more as well, but I never wanted to burn myself out).

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