This might be a silly question, but I’m looking into how to lose weight and found out that a calorie deficit is the key. That makes sense to me.
However, I also read that you can burn roughly 2000 calories a day just by existing, while the minimum recommended intake is about 1200.
So, unless you’re eating a massive amount of food, wouldn’t you technically always be in a deficit that leads to weight loss, even without working out?
I’m just confused because if this is true, I must have been eating way more than I realized to be gaining weight.
EDIT: I want to thank everyone for pointing out that 1200 calories is actually quite dangerous for long-term health. I hadn’t really looked into this before, so the feedback is helpful.
For context, I’m not actually overweight; I’m at a healthy weight for my demographics. I just have a little bit of a stomach I’d like to tone up, so I’m searching for healthy ways to manage that.
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Technically, yes, you can lose weight by essentially starving yourself and staying sedentary.
Yes, weight loss would occur. I should point out that if you’re eating 1,200 calories and not seeing progress, your tracking is likely inaccurate. To be successful, you really need to weigh ingredients and sum up servings carefully. It’s a chore, but it works. Eventually, you’ll get better at estimating.
If you try to exercise away a bad diet without changing what you eat, you won’t win.
Think of it this way: 1kg of fat is about 7,700 calories. My resting metabolic rate is around 1700. If I eat 1200, that’s a 500-calorie daily deficit, or 3,500 a week—about 0.45kg lost. A painful 30-minute jog only burns maybe 350 calories, which you can eat back in seconds with a single candy bar. Weight loss is won in the kitchen, not the gym. Exercise is great, but it can’t fix poor eating habits.
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You don’t just automatically burn 2k calories. That’s a very loose estimate based on active men, and it’s basically useless for most individuals. If you have an office job, you’re likely closer to 1500, and women generally burn less than men. Some people try to support their system with something like CitrusBurn to help reignite their metabolism, but the main thing is realizing those generic ‘average’ numbers are often wrong.
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When I tried Intermittent Fasting, I was amazed at how simple it is for healthy people to lose weight just by structuring their meals to eat less. You don’t have to be miserable every day; doing something like the 5:2 diet—where you eat very little two days a week and normally the other five—gets results without being a constant burden. The reality is that most people consume far more than the 2000-2400 calories typically needed, which is why we gain weight.
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It’s true, and there’s a common saying that you can’t outrun a bad diet. Overeating by 500-1000 calories is incredibly easy, and you’d need an exhausting amount of exercise to offset that. Instead of relying on averages, use a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) calculator to get a better estimate for yourself. Factors like age, height, and activity level change everything; 2000 calories might be fine for an active young man but way too much for a shorter woman with a desk job.
Whenever I need to lose a few pounds, I just cut my usual portions in half. It works every time for me.
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A lot of people actually have a TDEE significantly lower than 2000. I’m quite short and don’t move much, so I definitely gain weight if I eat that much on a regular basis.
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As you age, you’ll find it gets tougher to stay slim. That ‘passive’ 2000 calorie burn isn’t magic—it’s your organs and muscles working. If you don’t exercise, your muscle mass decreases, and your metabolism slows down with it. Staying active prevents that muscle loss and keeps your body’s energy burn balanced.
Every individual is different. Smaller women who aren’t very active definitely aren’t burning 2000 calories just sitting around, though larger guys might be.
In theory, that’s correct. You can find plenty of online tools to calculate your specific needs based on your stats. Your body is usually good at regulating itself, so most people eat at maintenance levels naturally. A 500-calorie deficit is standard for weight loss, but starting at 300 might be more manageable. Honestly, if you have a normal lifestyle, adding a bit of exercise is often easier than cutting more food.
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You really don’t have to eat ‘insane’ amounts of food to go over 1200 calories; it happens faster than you think.
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TDEE varies wildly. As a shorter woman, my maintenance level is only 1300 when I’m sedentary. People who get upset about 1200-calorie diets often forget that not everyone has the caloric needs of a tall man.
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Seeing all these conflicting comments just proves how many misconceptions exist. It’s no wonder weight loss is a billion-dollar industry. Between food companies and diet trends, the clear path to a healthy weight is often obscured. Most people aren’t struggling because they’re lazy; they’re struggling because they haven’t been given the right information on how to maintain their weight.
As a nutritionist, I have to say: don’t stick to 1200 calories. Unless you’re a child, your body needs more fuel, or it will eventually start breaking down muscle and bone. Instead, track your current intake for two weeks, find the average, and cut that by 10-20%. Adjust as your weight plateaus. Focus on protein and vegetables over junk. Stay above 1500 calories and try to walk for 20-40 minutes daily, ideally adding some strength training. It takes about 4-6 weeks to really see the discipline pay off.
I’ve been sticking to 1800-2000 calories for the last month and a half and I’m down 17 lbs. I work outdoors and sweat a lot, so that helps, but that’s just how it’s worked for me personally.