What kind of deficit's are y'all running?

[scared_salad1]

Common advice says when trying to lose weight, a safe pace is 1-2lbs a week, which equates to 500-1000 cal deficit.

However I do see some people on GLPs saying they are only eating 1k-1200 cals a day, which for me would be an insane deficit. Just curious what other people are running.

 

[littledragon25]

I lose 2.1lbs on average a week, according to shotsy.

I'm eating between 1200-1400 calories a day on average. I prioritise getting enough protein (95-125g) and fibre (20-25g). I also drink 2-4 litres of water daily.

I'm 189lb woman who does an average amount of walking for exercise and slacks big time on resistance training.

 

[nevets]

I use MFP and aim for 2lbs a week. I'm pretty conscious about trying to keep muscle mass while losing weight, so MFP says 2400 but I usually get around 1600-2000 on zepbound

 

[loveisinthearies]

I’m 5’4” 221 lbs and my deficit should be about 1500 cals. But I’m probably clocking 1,000-1,200 daily average.

It’s not ideal, and I’m worried about potentially having to lower my cals from this point in the future.

 

[ProfPep]

Down 20lbs in 60 days so must be 1,100-1200 kcal daily deficit. Only exercising about 500kcal a day down from 1000/day pre reta, due to lack of motivation. Almost to GW (85kg, 6'3").

 

[Mastodon]

I do 1-1.2k ish daily

 

[scared_salad1]

For those that are saying 1k+ deficits....did you start that high or work your way up as weight loss slowed?

 

[Mastodon]

For those that are saying 1k+ deficits....did you start that high or work your way up as weight loss slowed?

I started high naturally and tested out even higher with reta. I seem to find a balance with sustainable for a few months and fast enough

1300 calories a day was too low
1500-1700 seems to be a sweet spot

You gotta test it out with long-term mindset. If you're new to the game, choose moderation

 

[ProfPep]

For those that are saying 1k+ deficits....did you start that high or work your way up as weight loss slowed?

By definition, if weight loss is slowing then the calorie deficit has gotten smaller. It's just harder to measure changes in metabolism than calories in or Watts produced during exercies.

 

[EchoPale]

One of the things I added into my own little spreadsheet tracker was a basic BMR calc as that starting line for how much you can eat in a day and still maintain deficit gets tighter with every pound you part company with. For myself it’s been the difference of 650 calories a day less after losing 106lb so far

 

[Morbius]

I am down an average of 1.14 lbs/week over 31 weeks thanks to reta.

I don't count calories, I've learned I am unable to do so without driving myself crazy. That's why GLP-1 meds are so great, my appetite is just magically correct.

 

[nevets]

I am down an average of 1.14 lbs/week over 31 weeks thanks to reta.

I don't count calories, I've learned I am unable to do so without driving myself crazy. That's why GLP-1 meds are so great, my appetite is just magically correct.

I was just thinking this is probably how “normal” people feel without GLP-1s. I’ve been tracking macros for the last 10 years so now it’s just habit

 

[dickybob]

I am down an average of 1.14 lbs/week over 31 weeks thanks to reta.

I don't count calories, I've learned I am unable to do so without driving myself crazy. That's why GLP-1 meds are so great, my appetite is just magically correct.

I with you. I was so tired of counting calories - but it wasn't working for me anymore.

 

[loveisinthearies]

I hate counting calories. I’m barely eating though so I feel the need to make sure I’m at least getting 1,000 cals and 80ish grams of protein.

 

[BooneDonk]

I am down an average of 1.14 lbs/week over 31 weeks thanks to reta.

I don't count calories, I've learned I am unable to do so without driving myself crazy. That's why GLP-1 meds are so great, my appetite is just magically correct.

Same. Try to avoid terrible foods, but one cookie won’t hurt 😉.

Typical day for me is 600cal before evening meal. Coffee w/half and half and 2 protein drinks. (42gram Fairlife shakes) Sensible dinner of lean protein source, some green veggie, maybe a roll with it? Chaser of brown liquor with gout pills… maybe 1,500-1,900cal?

It’s working, down 50lbs in 17 weeks. 2.94lbs per week. Currently at 303, have another 60lbs to go. 6’ 45yo male.

 

[m100568]

I did count calories. I was on a strict 1,200 cal / day diet. I lost 111lbs in 11 months. My BMI went from 39 to 21.2. The calorie deficit was 600 - 800 / day, depening upon the variables in the TDEE calculator (as you lose weight you need fewer calories). I'm now in maintenance and my biggest problem is I need to add more calories because I am still losing 1lb/month. I'm trying to find the right combination of calories and medicine. It is still a work in progress.

 

[Tbagger]

I try to get around 1800-2000 daily. My maintenance is around 2800 so I try to no go over a 1000 deficit. At first I was struggling to even get in 1200 but I haven't been titrating up as fast at my appetite has been adapting. Currently at 1mg EOD and have lost 80lbs. I still struggle with getting my fiber in because I hate the drinks, but I always make sure to hit my 200g protein goal to keep my lean mass up.

 

[randompersonrandom]

I'm on a weird deficit. My meals are usually around 300 calories, and I aim for three of them in a day. If I'm hungry in the evening, I eat a fourth one. I don't track drinks, but I also don't set myself up for failure by drinking things with sugar in them; but I do drink coffee all day with coffee mate creamer in it. I have no idea how many calories that's adding. Trying to track that is something I've historically failed to pay enough attention to do, and I seem to not want to very badly, so I don't.

I'm down twenty-five pounds since late July when I started, and it's slowing down. I'm upping my dose of tirzepatide a little (6mg instead of 5, but leaving my Survo dose at 0.3mg, cause I'm just using that for a little bit of fatigue combat) and my exercise. If I hit a serious stall, I'll rethink my methods.

 

[lusitanian]

Common advice says when trying to lose weight, a safe pace is 1-2lbs a week, which equates to 500-1000 cal deficit.

However I do see some people on GLPs saying they are only eating 1k-1200 cals a day, which for me would be an insane deficit. Just curious what other people are running.

I can tell you my experience. I hope this is allowed.

I started in June 2025, and the graph says it all. Some weeks I lost 4 or 5 lbs, and other weeks 1lb. Not sure why, but have been steady on this, and not even on high doses. I am still on 7.5mg tirz, and am thinking I am quite high, so may not go any higher for now. I have been thinking in dropping to 5mg beucase 5mg was my goldilocks zone. 🙂

I started with 220lbs and after 19 shots of tirz I am now on 163lb.

I keep track of most of all I eat, although some days i forget. I keep to 1500 cals a day, but higher % of protein.
I use free apps to track all this, and some days I can't reach 1k cals. Main reason, i have a very busy job, no time for lunch, I also have ADHD and forget to eat and drink (always have), and on top of that - no appetite, so I have been struggling to even find foods that would be low in quantity and size but would contaitn the exact nutrients, cals, protein, etc I need. It is very hard, and sometimes I think that all we people do is eat to even reach the basics. LOL

I also keep an excel database for weekly measurements, such as chest, waist, and so on.

I am quite anal with things, so I also keep all the details of each item i use, including batch numbers, where I got them from, etc., just in case I have a reaction, so far no issues. I don't research stuff unless I have personally been involved in product testing programmes. Sorry, but I don't trust vendors at all, and would not risk researching anything without knowing what is in it.

When I started my journey in June i did not know what I was doing (at all), but because the appettide supression skewed my spider senses, I nearly messed up my bloods. I nearly went into kidney and liver failure and close to pancreatitis, but since then I got on top of the game. This is not the GLPs or peptides, but my own stupidity. 🙂

My sleep at night is all over the place, but weirdly enough I dont feel tired in the day. The slowing of digestion has changed my metabolic processing of my ADHD medication, and I think that is also having some impact on sleep and energy levels. However, I can say that my libido is better than when I was 20, and for my age I am having more "glory mornings" that I did then (sorry if this is not allowed just let me know and I redact).

However, at the gym, I don't feel strong, and as I have been trying to increase weight load, I notice that the capacity to tolerate high loads is less, as I get dizzy spells, etc, but that may be because I am on calory deficit, maybe blood sugar drops, and not sleeping well. I will be buying a blood sugar reader to have on me.

Of course, I still don't know what I am doing, but I have taken upon paying a PT/nutritionist who can guide me on this and who also has loads of knowledge of GLPs and petitpdes and how they stack together.

I am on a journey, I am happy with it, but I say that finding this forum and some dedicated discord channels, has been eye opening, and life saving. The community here is fantastic!

I recommend reading, asking questions, investing some time learning, and doing things safely.