how much of a calorie deficit should i have per day?

farhan007 · June 1st, 2007, 08:18 PM

I am 5' 8" at 140Ib.... My resting metabolic rate is around 1700 according to all the online calculators. I know muscle mass plays a role in resting metabolic rate, so those calculators are not entirely accurate. I would say i burn around 3500 calories per day. I run 3 to 4 miles a day, play basketball for an hour and do light resistance training throughout the day.

I am currently eating around 1700 calories per day. That means i have a deficit of around 1800 calories per day. My goal currently is to be more cut around the abdominals. My body fat percentage is around 13%. At 140 i am already light so I do not want to reduce my weight significantly.

So should I be eating more?

**Insex** · June 3rd, 2007, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farhan007

So should I be eating more?

Yes.

Your Caloric deficit is more than your Caloric intake. A Caloric deficit of 1800 is unhealthy for your body and will lead to serious problems in the future. Quit starving yourself and start feeding your body so your muscles can grow.

iheartsweat · June 3rd, 2007, 07:53 AM

Yes sir, I was the same as you about 2 weeks back. 5' 10", 150 lbs had a "flabby four pack" I was eating way less though like around 1600, everyday, with too much weight training and exercise in general. I got on here and people told me to eat more, so I did and I instantly saw results.

Now I eat like a horse and am leaner that I think I ever have been, I even dropped 4 pounds. No joke about eating like a horse I probaly eat around 3000 calories a day now and am still dropping BF, just pair your calorie intake up with your BMR, maybe a little lower. I wouldn't advise going right to 3000 cal because I swim strenuously and run intervals everyday, plus weights every other day. Ease into where you want to be. Im now at around 11% bodyfat and can almost see my last pair of abs.

EAT, ENJOY IT!
Its the most amazing feeling waking up at 3 in the morning and being able to grab a piece of chicken out of the fridge, chomp down and hit the bed again without worrying about it, because you know your body woke you up for something (can't pee? better eat!). I'm guessing you're still kinda young like me and thats not an opportunity you can really enjoy, without add pounds, after college.

Just make healthy choices, stay away from anything that comes in a box, eat whole grains, lots of veggies too. When you go grocery shopping try to make your basket look like the food pyramid. I think the one piece of advice that really helped me out was to reduce your carbs throughout the day. Breads and fruit early in the day, meats and veggies latter.

**pliny_2001** · June 3rd, 2007, 09:31 AM

If you think you burn 3500cal/day, and think you eat 1700cal/day, and then say that you do physical work daily - I can assure you that either one, but more probably both, of the numbers that you're looking at are wrong. So there's not much anyone can tell you until you recalculate and give numbers that are vaguely realistic.

And if you want a "more cut" mid-section, you'll have to lose bodyfat. Whether or not you lose weight in doing so will depend on if you add muscle while you lose the fat.