Calories, too little for my height and weight?

jarablue

Is eating 1500 calories a day too little for a 6'1 282 pound guy? Right now the weight is coming off at a decent pace and I know it will get tougher in the months ahead. I just want to make sure at 1500 I am not wrecking havoc with my metabolism. I am even thinking of shaving that 1500 down to 1400 or even 1300. It seems that MFP puts me at 1840 but I think that is too many for me. I am seeing pretty good results right now but would love to hear what everyone thinks. Thanks!

ultrahoon

I'd advise against going lower without running it by your doctor. 1500 is the minimum MFP will give to a male, based on needing somewhere close to that many calories purely to meet nutritional needs.

jemhh

It is certainly unnecessarily low. You could lose steadily at a much higher level. What's your goal--healthy weight loss or losing as quickly as possible?

vespiquenn

You are eating too little for your height and weight. It may not affect you now or very soon after, but eating too little can affect other body functions over a longer period of time. Best case scenario is that you will become skinny fat because your body will lose more lean body mass than it needs to. If you insist eating that little, you really need to be in contact with a doctor to ensure you are being tested and watched for complications.

jarablue

Well, my end goal is 180-185 pounds. My temporary goal is 280. I am trying to hit mini goals along the way to try and keep my motivation going. The next goal I'd like to hit is 260 then probably 20 every step down to 180. Does that seem rational? Or should I be more aggressive?

vespiquenn,

Would eating 1500 be ok then? If that is the minimum, I would like to try and stay there. I am looking into strength training also to try and keep me from losing muscle mass. Right now it's just been diet and walking every day.

jemhh

Your weight goals are fine. Those are just mini goals, which are normal. It's your daily calorie goal that's stupidly low.

jarablue

Well I thought that MFP putting me at 1800 and then me choosing 1500 wouldn't be so bad. I mean I don't mind eating 300 extra calories at all. Believe me I don't. Just now thinking to fill those 300 extra with protein? Thanks for the help everyone. I really appreciate it!

20yearsyounger

jarablue wrote: »

Well, my end goal is 180-185 pounds. My temporary goal is 280. I am trying to hit mini goals along the way to try and keep my motivation going. The next goal I'd like to hit is 260 then probably 20 every step down to 180. Does that seem rational? Or should I be more aggressive?

vespiquenn,

Would eating 1500 be ok then? If that is the minimum, I would like to try and stay there. I am looking into strength training also to try and keep me from losing muscle mass. Right now it's just been diet and walking every day.

1500 seems low for a 180lb, 6,1 guy. Why do it at 280? Enjoy the extra 300 calories.

jarablue

I was mistaken about diet and fitness in general. I always thought you really needed to kill yourself to lose weight. Reading online and here and the trove of info available now, it makes losing weight a bit more sustainable. At least not being under the impression that you need to eat 800 calories a day.

Thanks again. 1800 is what I'll stay at.

tara_means_star

jarablue wrote: »

I was mistaken about diet and fitness in general. I always thought you really needed to kill yourself to lose weight. Reading online and here and the trove of info available now, it makes losing weight a bit more sustainable. At least not being under the impression that you need to eat 800 calories a day.

Thanks again. 1800 is what I'll stay at.

Good. I mean, I'm a girl, I weigh 100 pounds less than you, and I'm 6 inches shorter and I'm losing steadily eating more than 1500...

middlehaitch

Eat what MFP recommends. That is a safe amount. Going lower, 1500 or less, will drop the weight faster, but leave your body lacking adequate nutrition.

If you are thinking of lifting at 1500 cals, don't. I an a 5'1 103lb, 62 yr old woman and I need 1400 minimum to sustain an active lifestyle while lifting weights.

Re assess your goals to lose weight with minimal muscle, hair, and nail loss.
Eat enough to fuel your lifestyle plus your exercise.
Eat enough so you won't get tired, grouchy and burn out after 3-6 months.

This should be a lifestyle choice, not a quick fix. Give your body the respect it deserves.

Cheers, h.

vespiquenn

jarablue wrote: »

Well, my end goal is 180-185 pounds. My temporary goal is 280. I am trying to hit mini goals along the way to try and keep my motivation going. The next goal I'd like to hit is 260 then probably 20 every step down to 180. Does that seem rational? Or should I be more aggressive?

vespiquenn,

Would eating 1500 be ok then? If that is the minimum, I would like to try and stay there. I am looking into strength training also to try and keep me from losing muscle mass. Right now it's just been diet and walking every day.

..no, it really isn't okay. I'm not really sure how you got that from my comment. Follow what MFP told you with 1800. Other than clear impatience, I can't fathom why you willingly would deprive yourself and risk health issues down the road, especially if you are not eating back exercise calories (assumption; I apologize if I'm incorrect here). Slow and steady wins the race. Just make sure you are getting adequate protein or your body will canablize lean muscle more than necessary, and begin a progressive heavy lifting program. So if you want to use those 300 cals towards protein, it would be to your benefit. But make sure you eat back at least 50% exercise calories that MFP gives you.

And good luck. Losing weight is a lot of trial and error. If you find you're losing too much on 1800 calories (recommendation is 1-2lbs after the big whoosh of quick weight loss in the beginning), you can bump it up another 100cals until it stabilizes.

Maxematics

As others have said, that's ridiculous and unnecessary. I'm 5'3" and 115 pounds and I still lose weight on 2000 calories per day. Granted I'm active but with your height and weight, you can easily lose on 1800+. Eat too little and you're losing your muscle mass instead of fat. It's not worth it just to see the number on the scale decrease at a faster pace. In the long run, after you look at your body composition, you'll wish you hadn't done it.

ultrahoon

jarablue wrote: »

I was mistaken about diet and fitness in general. I always thought you really needed to kill yourself to lose weight. Reading online and here and the trove of info available now, it makes losing weight a bit more sustainable. At least not being under the impression that you need to eat 800 calories a day.

Thanks again. 1800 is what I'll stay at.

Good man, best of luck! Sustainable is the key here, since we're all looking to solve our weight issues for good here. Keep yourself satisfied and let the science do the rest

LivingtheLeanDream

As others have already said, 1500 is low for your height. You will still lose weight eating 1800-2000 cals - I know I do and I'm only a wee poppet lol (5ft 2)

ModernRock

jarablue wrote: »

Is eating 1500 calories a day too little for a 6'1 282 pound guy? Right now the weight is coming off at a decent pace and I know it will get tougher in the months ahead. I just want to make sure at 1500 I am not wrecking havoc with my metabolism. I am even thinking of shaving that 1500 down to 1400 or even 1300. It seems that MFP puts me at 1840 but I think that is too many for me. I am seeing pretty good results right now but would love to hear what everyone thinks. Thanks!

Be patient. Stick to 1900-2000 for a month and even if you are borderline sedentary you will likely lose 1+ pound a week. You should eat even more if you are exercising a lot. You want to develop habits that will last a lifetime.

arditarose

Just make sure you're using a food scale first. Your 1500 could be 1800 anyway, if you're not.

Sued0nim

OP you've got this... Do what you said and eat the 1800 minimum

Walking is excellent exercise

Have you lifted before? Do you have a good beginners programme in mind...there are a few excellent and free programmes online ..pick one...do it as soon as you can to preserve that muscle

http://stronglifts.com/5x5/
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/jason-blaha-ice-cream-fitness-5x5-novice-workout
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-routines/4-week-guide-starting-strength

You don't need to go completely mad on protein...just set it to a minimum to reach daily ...rotein at 0.64g per lb bodyweight minimum and your fat at 0.35g per lb bodyweight ...eat a wide range of vegetables and dairy, lean meats and don't deprive yourself of foods you love if they fit in your calories

nordlead2005

If you want to lose fat at a healthy rate and maintain muscle then eat sufficient protein (0.64-0.82g/lb per day), do resistance training 2-3x/week, and aim to lose 0.5-1% of your body weight per week.

The 1% of your body weight per week will dictate the lowest amount you can eat. At your size, height, and age if you were completely sedentary you could eat as low as 1500 calories and lose almost 2.5lb/week. Not great, but not horrible. The net benefits would probably be positive. If you get in some cardio and resistance training and are lightly active, you'll probably have to eat 1800 calories or more per day to lose 2.5lb/week. With the added cardio and resistance training you'll see more health benefits. If you wanted to eat more, you could eat 2300 calories/day (or more, depending on activity) to lose 1.5lb/week

The other factor for the minimum you should eat is how you react. I went on a 2lb/week diet for 10 weeks and while I survived, maintained my muscles, and grew stronger, by the end I was grumpy so I upped my calories to 1.5lb/week. If you can't take a 2.5lb/week deficit without binging, cheating, quitting, etc... then it isn't worth it. Go with something easier to maintain. While it may not seem fast enough now, 20 weeks in you'll have lost a significant amount of weight and still be sustaining your changed lifestyle.

rankinsect

jarablue wrote: »

I was mistaken about diet and fitness in general. I always thought you really needed to kill yourself to lose weight. Reading online and here and the trove of info available now, it makes losing weight a bit more sustainable. At least not being under the impression that you need to eat 800 calories a day.

Thanks again. 1800 is what I'll stay at.

Killing yourself dieting leads to rapid weight loss, but since it's unsustainable, leads to failure and weight regain, too. The key to everything is sustaining the losses. Crash diets are easier at first, since you have a ton of initial willpower and motivation, but that wanes, and you need to be able to build habits and sustain yourself through the times when motivation isn't as high.

I'm 30 pounds lighter than you, 5 inches shorter than you, and I eat 1800/2200 depending on if it's my scheduled work-out days or not.