Nutrition advice needed

ljones27uk

Hi all,

Ive been on my MFP journey for about 6 months now and have loved every second of it. Ive lost weight regularly through tracking my calories and exercising regularly. Ive gone from a total non-runner to being able to run 10+ miles with some ease (albeit slowly :-)
Ive lost about 3 stone and am about the weight I want to be.. maybe just a further 3lbs, (which would take me to 3 stone total).
Recently however my wife has been saying I look gaunt, some friends asked if I was ill, and colleagues are telling me not to lose any more.... I cant work out if I look bad, or they are just saying these things because I look so different to when I was 'fuller'.

fyi - I am 5'8, 11stone 5.. so a BMI of around 24. ( i know BMI is not perfect, but I think it sets a bit of context, its not like I have a BMI of 15 for example)

I was wondering if anyone could cast an eye over my food diary, which should also show my exercise regime and comment on if you think I'm missing something nutritionally. Whilst Im keen to keep my weight down, I also want to be really healthy and set a good example for my kids.. If I really am looking gaunt then I need to fix it.

Ive been doing mainly cardio recently, but am about to begin weight training so any views on if my current diet fits with that as well would be appreciated.

btw - worth looking at the last 2-3 weeks to get a good feel for my normal eating habits.

Thank you in advance

from an increasingly stressed out MFPer.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

You are getting pretty light for a man (160ish pounds if I did my math right?), but if your pictures are up to date I don't think you look gaunt. I do think that people are probably used to seeing you a certain way and it might take them awhile to adjust.

As for your diary- your calories are pretty low for a guy and are on par with what I eat as a 125 lb woman (I went back about 2 weeks). Your protein is kinda low and I didn't see very much in the way of veggies. Instead of focusing on losing more weight I would recommend that you lift and eat more protein. You could eat at maintenance if you'd like to stay about the same weight and you could make some small newbie gains, or you could eat at a surplus and build a more substantial amount of muscle.

corgicake

Protein is supposed to be figured as your weight times something based on your activity... don't pay the standard macros any mind. Shift back up to maintenance or maybe enough calories to gain and start weight training. If you clip over the so-called "overweight" threshold that's okay - the formula is known not to work well for active people anyway.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

It's 1 gram of protein per pound of lean mass. Or, since you're lean, you could do .8 grams per pound of body weight if you don't know your lean mass.

richjones1968

First of all don't worry too much about the gaunt comments - I tried running my way to weight loss a few years ago and got down from 13st 7 to 12st 2 (5ft 10) and a BMI around 22 - and I got all the same comments; I was pushing it too far, I was making myself ill etc. I think that this comes from 2 things:
- The comparison to how people are used to seeing you
- Also as you are losing weight I think you do become more gaunt but when you reach your goal and rebalance your calorie intake you regain tautness in the flesh and this shows particularly around the face and neck.
- Drink plenty of water

Just a quick comment on your food diary, I`m not a nutritionist but there seems to be a lack of vegetables and just one small piece of fruit each day (don't look at my diary for the last few days, I`ve had proper man flu and eaten rubbish). Try upping the fruit, veg and maybe some nuts.
Because of a foot injury I`ve been doing more weights and apart from a protein shake (which I generally have because the gym includes it in membership) I`ve managed without any special change in diet. Plenty of fish, chicken and an occasional steak should be more than adequate unless you intend to lift to an extreme level.

snowflake954

I agree that you need fruit and veggies and nuts would be a good add. You are eating too little for a man---go to maintenance and lift a couple times a week. From your pics you don't look gaunt to me. I'm no expert, but this is my impression. Also congratulations on your loss! You've done a great job, now keep in a healthy range. Make some slow changes. Best.

ljones27uk

thanks everyone, seems like Ive got a bit of work on my diet.. Its funny as I dont really feel hungry beyond 1500-1600 cals a day any more. (considering I used to eat 3000+ most days, this is saying something).. Im going to take on board everything people have said here and disregard the 'gaunt' comment from the wife.. I think Im just different now and she sees how much effort and time Ive put into eating less and exercising more, so I think feels I should ease up. Last night I ran 10 miles and because I got lost on my run I was running very late for a meeting, so I missed dinner. I know this is really bad, but is a very rare exception (in fact first time its happened), but I think it probably worried the wife.. I intend to make up for lost calorie intake this evening! :-)
Thanks again.. comments are really helping me.