What's the lowest calories you ever did for getting ripped?

[Evil_Frisky]

I always considered maintenance calories to be the amount required to sustain your current body weight; therefore you would have to go below maintenance level to reduce your bodyweight or above to increase.

not if you are adding in Cardio and Weight training.. all of which burn cals

 

[Evil_Frisky]

But that does not usually take into account activity levels. If you are training smart, then by the effort of the workout, you would be below maintenance.

I should have read before I posted.. lol

^^^^

Yep what she said


Also its the "Quality" of food that you chose to diet on. A good carb rotation with clean Carbs, good fats and lean meat.

 

[Raina]

I've enver done any kind of contest diet or anything but if I'm under 13-1400 cals I'm a moody moody bitch. I just feel awful on less than that.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

Actually it does because it is very specific to you.

Define and explain further.

If you are talking about a textbook formula based on age, weight and "estimated" activity level - then BULLSHIT. This formula rarely takes into account BF% and fat weight. Not to mention individual hormone levels and basic genetics.

If you are talking about a type stress test - done in a doctors office, hooked up to machines - then that is a little more accurate. I find this HIGHLY unlikely the average person gets this done.

 

[cobra108]

I'm talking about you recording the calories of everything that goes into your mouth for 14 days. Weigh yourself at day 1 and day 14 if you're the same weight then average out the calories and that is your maintenance. If you want to lose weight then you have to drop below that number. The number is yours and your alone.

 

[cobra108]

I a person has been eating 5000 calories a day for the last 6 months and has not gained or lost weight then he drops to 4500 calories and sticks with it he will lose 2lbs a week without adding any exercise. then when his body gets used to the 4500 he would drop it to 4000 and start losing 2lbs a week again...I think most people on this board know this rule.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

I'm talking about you recording the calories of everything that goes into your mouth for 14 days. Weigh yourself at day 1 and day 14 if you're the same weight then average out the calories and that is your maintenance. If you want to lose weight then you have to drop below that number. The number is yours and your alone.

But still **highly** inaccurate.

Daily metabolism can change based on changing activity levels, water intake, food choices, meal timing, sleep patterns, stress levels, medications, fluxuating hormone levels, weight changes, fat gain/loss, muscle gain/loss, supplementation.

Maybe within those 14 days you were under extreme stress, so your metabolism increased. Then, you use this "average" for maintenance and then find that you are gaining - because now your body stabilized. It is impossible to give a set number that will always work. You need to stick with a range and inc/dec based on losses/gains on a regular basis.

For example, to cut fat, it is best to go with 10-12xBW for caloric intake. This is a RANGE to play with. Take a 100lb female (for ease of numbers). Her cutting caloric intake would be 1000-1200 calories per day. So she would start at about 1200 and stick with it for a few weeks. If nothing happens, then drop is a couple calories (like 30-50) and monitor that for a few weeks. Repeat as necessary.

But eventually, it will have to stop. You simply cannot keep dropping calories below maintenance. AT this logic, eventually you will be eating nothing. If you consistently keep plateauing with diet - then you midify training methods and food choices. Calories should not be drastically reduced on a consistent basis.

The "rule" you state is simply NOT a rule. There is no reason why you need to drastically go below maintenance to lose fat. And there is no reason why you have to keep reducing calories over and over and over due to plateaus. It is all about diet and training. Diet meaning food choices - not necessarily caloric intake.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

I'm talking about you recording the calories of everything that goes into your mouth for 14 days. Weigh yourself at day 1 and day 14 if you're the same weight then average out the calories and that is your maintenance. If you want to lose weight then you have to drop below that number. The number is yours and your alone.

That is also assuming you maintain the same activity level. What if you do NOT change the caloric intake, but increase the activity level?

VOILA, you are below maintenance, and do not have to eat less.

 

[cobra108]

Daisy if that is what works for you that's great. I just use what works for me and my clients for the last 20 years so we'll just have to agree to disagree. My original query was a poll, it was not me looking for advice.

BTW, I never said you would end up at zero calories, infact we never go below 12-1400 for female and 1500 for male.

Our system is so simple its ridiculous and the only people it does not work for are people who have no discipline. Anyway I’m not here to debate and I apologize if I came off that way. For us, it works 100% of the time.

 

[Sassy69]

I a person has been eating 5000 calories a day for the last 6 months and has not gained or lost weight then he drops to 4500 calories and sticks with it he will lose 2lbs a week without adding any exercise. then when his body gets used to the 4500 he would drop it to 4000 and start losing 2lbs a week again...I think most people on this board know this rule.

Equivalently I can maintain at around 1700 cals, but if I dropped 500 cals I would be a depleted, miserable bitch. Within that same 1700 cals, if I employ carb rotation I can start the cutting process, even keeping my training & say minimal cardio cosntant. If I increase cardio I can get faster results.