How do I eat that much!!!
Blaked22
Posts: 18 Member
Hey guys,
I am trying to keep shedding the pounds and live a healthier life style.
So, I go on this website that calculates macronutriets for yu and enter my information. (http://macronutrientcalculator.com/)
It says to LOSE 2 pounds a week I need to eat 2655 calories a day!!
This seems absurd to me.
I am just at 300 pounds, 6'1 and moderately active. I probably walked a few miles a day. Some days I walk 5-6 miles, just depends on the day.
I am broke just like any other college student and don't even have enough food to eat that much per day...
Yesterday I just loaded up on protein shakes throughout the day. I have about 4-5, and have a salad with a few boiled eggs mixed in.
Is what I'm doing unhealthy? Even when I have food, just eating 2000 takes work (my appetite isn't what it used to be)
Any advice is appreciated.
I am trying to keep shedding the pounds and live a healthier life style.
So, I go on this website that calculates macronutriets for yu and enter my information. (http://macronutrientcalculator.com/)
It says to LOSE 2 pounds a week I need to eat 2655 calories a day!!
This seems absurd to me.
I am just at 300 pounds, 6'1 and moderately active. I probably walked a few miles a day. Some days I walk 5-6 miles, just depends on the day.
I am broke just like any other college student and don't even have enough food to eat that much per day...
Yesterday I just loaded up on protein shakes throughout the day. I have about 4-5, and have a salad with a few boiled eggs mixed in.
Is what I'm doing unhealthy? Even when I have food, just eating 2000 takes work (my appetite isn't what it used to be)
Any advice is appreciated.
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Replies
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What did you set as your "lifestyle" setting? You might want to switch it to "lightly active".
Plus, 2600 calories is not that hard. I feel like I've done that quite a few times over the holidays and MFP tells me to eat 1200 to lose 2 pounds a week.0 -
Methinks there is an error somewhere.0
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This is going to sounds snarky but it isn't meant to be. What did you eat to get to 300lbs? You can eat the same foods but less. If you don't want to do that (have other nutritional goals) then think about adding in things like full fat dairy, meat, and nuts into your diet. Protein shakes and salads are not super calorie dense.0
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I just used that calculator to see what I would get....it gave me 300 more calories per day than MFP gives with the same info put in and the same weight loss goal. It's higher than any calculator I've ever tried. Maybe it's a little off?0
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How did you become over weight then?0
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Most likely you can keep eating less than you consumed before (when you were still maintaining 300lbs or gaining up to it). So don't worry about reaching 2600+ calories. But, I think someone who's 6'1'' and 300lbs probably does need a bit more nutrition than someone shorter and lighter... Definitely don't eat too little, either!0
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You did not get to 300 pounds eating 2000 calories a day as a 22 year old male who is 6'1". I am only 5'10", 230 pound and 49 years old and I lose weight at about 2 pounds a week eating 2100 calories a day. At your weight, height and age 2600 seems like a reasonable calorie amount to establish a deficit. It would take about 3700 calories to maintain your weight at a lightly active activity level. If you were still gaining weight before you started here, you were eating more than that.
Loading up on protein shakes sounds like a way to lack in various nutrients (vitamins and minerals). Why don't you eat what you normally would eat, but with smaller portions? You don't have to eat some magical diet food. Any food will work as long as you log it carefully and stay at your calorie goals. Frankly I would suggest you use the goal setter here on Myfitnesspal and follow that calorie goal including eating the extra calories that are added to that goal from any exercise you do. It works.0 -
Yeah, I have it at lightly active.What did you set as your "lifestyle" setting? You might want to switch it to "lightly active".
Plus, 2600 calories is not that hard. I feel like I've done that quite a few times over the holidays and MFP tells me to eat 1200 to lose 2 pounds a week.
Seems like the general opinion is that the calculator is not exact.soapsandropes wrote: »This is going to sounds snarky but it isn't meant to be. What did you eat to get to 300lbs? You can eat the same foods but less. If you don't want to do that (have other nutritional goals) then think about adding in things like full fat dairy, meat, and nuts into your diet. Protein shakes and salads are not super calorie dense.
How did I get fat?
When I turned 21 I started brewing beer, drinking beer, collecting beer, thinking about beer...etc. I pretty much stopped drinking alcohol this summer (except for occasion) and have lost a a bunch of weight from just stopping that habit and mostly drinking water.
Also, my worst enemy was dairy queen... But I don't eat fast food very often any more either.
So the struggle for me I guess is not to eat all the calories, but to get the necessary nutrients I am suppose to have to safely lose the weight.0 -
Hey guys,
I am trying to keep shedding the pounds and live a healthier life style.
So, I go on this website that calculates macronutriets for yu and enter my information. (http://macronutrientcalculator.com/)
It says to LOSE 2 pounds a week I need to eat 2655 calories a day!!
This seems absurd to me.
I am just at 300 pounds, 6'1 and moderately active. I probably walked a few miles a day. Some days I walk 5-6 miles, just depends on the day.
I am broke just like any other college student and don't even have enough food to eat that much per day...
Yesterday I just loaded up on protein shakes throughout the day. I have about 4-5, and have a salad with a few boiled eggs mixed in.
Is what I'm doing unhealthy? Even when I have food, just eating 2000 takes work (my appetite isn't what it used to be)
Any advice is appreciated.
You need to lose more than 100 lbs to reach the upper healthy weight for your height, with your currently BMI placing you are morbidly obese. You did not get at this weight by eating less than 2000 calories. If you think you cannot reach 2000 calories without struggling, something is really off in your calorie counting. Unless you are losing weight really fast right now.0 -
I just used that calculator to see what I would get....it gave me 300 more calories per day than MFP gives with the same info put in and the same weight loss goal. It's higher than any calculator I've ever tried. Maybe it's a little off?
Ditto. Except, I got an almost 400 calorie increase! Of course, I generally work out every morning and increase my calorie burn to the point that I almost never use up the calorie allotment. (Well, yesterday I really ate up the calories - cop pulled me over and gave me a ticket for failure to use my turn signal for a lane change! (guess I should be glad he didn't shoot me). He was following me, I knew it, and I did use my turn signal but... it's broke; works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. The 'funny' part is - HE didn't use his turn signal for that same lane change!!) Oh yeh. I am SO going to fight that one in court! But I went home from work so angry last night that, after dinner, I sat and tried to eat every leftover holiday cookie in the house!0 -
So, can someone help me?
How many calories- fat/protein/carbs should I aim for each day?0 -
Try this one instead: http://www.iifym.com/iifym-calculator/0
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So, can someone help me?
How many calories- fat/protein/carbs should I aim for each day?
Why not use the MFP goal? Try lightly active as your activity setting, and add back in some calories for exercise other than walking (as that's in your activity setting).
Good protein goal is .65-.85 g per lb of healthy body weight (you can use a goal weight). The MFP default for fat and carbs are a decent place to start and adjust depending on how you feel.0 -
ReeseG4350 wrote: »I just used that calculator to see what I would get....it gave me 300 more calories per day than MFP gives with the same info put in and the same weight loss goal. It's higher than any calculator I've ever tried. Maybe it's a little off?
Ditto. Except, I got an almost 400 calorie increase! Of course, I generally work out every morning and increase my calorie burn to the point that I almost never use up the calorie allotment. (Well, yesterday I really ate up the calories - cop pulled me over and gave me a ticket for failure to use my turn signal for a lane change! (guess I should be glad he didn't shoot me). He was following me, I knew it, and I did use my turn signal but... it's broke; works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. The 'funny' part is - HE didn't use his turn signal for that same lane change!!) Oh yeh. I am SO going to fight that one in court! But I went home from work so angry last night that, after dinner, I sat and tried to eat every leftover holiday cookie in the house!
Then you didn't signal. Good luck in court with that...
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Dude maintaing your weight would be more expensive than losing weight so money isn't an excuse not to lose weight. If you really couldn't afford to eat 2600 calories you would lose weight just out of sheer brokeness (is that a word?) You are in college so obviously you can afford to eat otherwise you'd drop out of college because food takes priority over college in the hierarchy of needs. 2600 is a lot though and you could probably go lower actually without any real detriment. You could lose closer to 3lbs a week which is 1% many people recommend.0
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I just used that calculator to see what I would get....it gave me 300 more calories per day than MFP gives with the same info put in and the same weight loss goal. It's higher than any calculator I've ever tried. Maybe it's a little off?
it gives me the same as pretty much any other TDEE calculator...you're going to get a different number than MFP because MFP is not a TDEE calculator, it's a NEAT calculator.0 -
You need to lose more than 100 lbs to reach the upper healthy weight for your height, with your currently BMI placing you are morbidly obese. You did not get at this weight by eating less than 2000 calories. If you think you cannot reach 2000 calories without struggling, something is really off in your calorie counting. Unless you are losing weight really fast right now.
Blaked, don't get too obsessed with BMI. It can put you in morbidly obese category just because you have more muscle bulk than the average dog.
Now, that being said, at 6' 1", depending on your body build, you probably are seriously overweight. And, as someone already pointed out, you did something to get to around one hundred pounds overweight. What was it? Lackadaisical habits? Absent-minded eating? Not exercising enough? Junk eating? There are a lot of things that contribute to obesity, and the weight doesn't come on overnight. It was a gradual process to gain the weight, it will need to be a gradual process to lose it... successfully.
Okay. You say that you, "...probably walked a few miles a day," and "Some days...walk 5-6 miles, just depends on the day."
How long does it take you to walk that five or six miles a day? An hour? ninety minutes? And, when you are not doing 5 or 6 miles a day, how many miles are you putting in? Is the path you walk level or up and down? (All of these things come into play when it comes to losing weight.)
Now, the reason the website recommends such an astronomical amount of calories (someone who works out vigorously could consume twice that in a day just to keep from losing weight, btw) is because of the combination of 1) Your gender; 2) Your height; 3) Your weight; and 4) Your average reported exercise/lifestyle.
It is entirely possible that this website is recommending a higher calorie consumption to keep you from losing weight too quickly and prevent you from getting ill or feeling deprived and just giving up.
The best guess estimate on how many calories to consume to achieve a certain weight loss, as well as the expected weight loss itself, depend almost solely on the amount of weight you need to lose - as a percentage of your total overall body weight. So someone 100# overweight losing 5% of excess weight per week might start out losing a target of 5# a week. But, when that weight drops off, say, by half, that same 5# of weight would represent 10% of weight. And, when you lose yet another fifty percent of your excess body weight and you only need to lose another... 25#? That same 5# would equate to a whopping 20% of your excess body weight.
In order to successfully take off excess body weight, you want to start thinking in terms of percentage rather than pounds.
Back to your original question, however. Are you doing something wrong? Possibly. But I doubt if it is the walking. More than likely, barring any metabolic health issues, it has more to do with the eating. Are you merely guesstimating how much you are eating? Do you weigh your food before prep?
You say you have "...a salad with a few boiled eggs thrown in." How many is 'a few'? Two? Three? Five???
A large egg can hit your calorie count for somewhere just under 100 calories. So, you dump three eggs into your salad and you are tipping over 250 calories and you haven't even added the lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, salad dressing, etc. Crouton? Three? Five? A 'handful'? You can add another hundred cals on those bread crumbs alone. And what about nuts, raisins or Craisins or any other toppings? And just how much dressing are you really putting on that salad, anyway?
Without even trying, you can hit a four digit calorie count on that one "innocent" salad!
And, on the flip side, if you eat nothing else in a day but that one salad, you might well be eating so little that you body has reverted back to its caveman coding. If you are not eating enough, your body may well feel it is in danger of 'starving' and has begun to store as much of those calories as it can for future deprivation. So, what happens? You are storing those calories in the form of fat! Your body stops burning the calories and... you gain weight! Weird, huh? But it is possible to not eat enough and it can cause you to gain weight!
FINALLY, something to which I have already alluded - a metabolic imbalance. Have you been tested for thyroid disorders or other healthcare issues which might affect your body weight? A slow metabolism can be 'tricked' into adjusting to a higher set point. But that's not always the case with things such as hypothyroidism. These systemic disorders can not only make it more difficult to lose weight once you have packed it on, it can also contribute to gaining the weight in the first place. I add this last point, not as a loophole excuse for obesity but to recommend that you get tested to eliminate this as a source of your overweight. If there is a thyroid or other metabolism issue, meds can help to control the underlying problem which will, in turn, help you to finally start losing the weight.
So: GET TESTED;
START MEASURING AND WEIGHING YOUR FOOD;
MEASURE YOUR EXERCISE AND BE CONSISTENT!!!
If you follow this schedule, I could almost guarantee that, within a year, you will have lost most, if not all, of your excess weight. (It's not easy to get in the habit but... it does get easier the more you do it!!)
Sorry to have run so long but I hope something in all of this helps.0 -
melonaulait wrote: »Most likely you can keep eating less than you consumed before (when you were still maintaining 300lbs or gaining up to it). So don't worry about reaching 2600+ calories. But, I think someone who's 6'1'' and 300lbs probably does need a bit more nutrition than someone shorter and lighter... Definitely don't eat too little, either!
Exactly!0 -
If you are truly struggling to hit a reasonable calorie goal then it sounds to me like you just need to increase the calorie density of the foods that you are eating.
You could theoretically substitute one liquid calorie for another by swapping out juice and soda for the beer, but that probably isn't the best plan.
I can eat a lot of calories in potato chips in one sitting...no problem. The same calories in chicken and vegetables? No freaking way.
If you want to stick with more nutritious food, but you don't have the appetite to eat much larger portions, then add some healthy fats. Real butter, olive oil, coconut oil, avocados,and nuts add calories and can help you absorb nutrients without feeling stuffed.
So try adding some peanut butter to that protein shake, avocado and a good dressing to the salad, butter or half & half to your oatmeal, cook your steak or chicken in some butter...I could do this all day. I like fat. Just not too much at once.
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Ah, beer. Yeah, that will pack on the pounds quickly! When I stopped drinking beer and soda my weight dropped quickly with no other diet modifications.
End point is: eat 2k on the days when you can only eat 2k. Don't beat yourself up if you decide to have a few crafts the next night and go over 2600. Enjoy life and balance everything! The total at the end of the week is more important than the daily total. If you're in deficit you'll lose. The body has a way of balancing things in a healthy system, you may eat less one day and have more of an appetite the next. I'd keep an eye on protein and let the rest fall where it may.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »So, can someone help me?
How many calories- fat/protein/carbs should I aim for each day?
Why not use the MFP goal? Try lightly active as your activity setting, and add back in some calories for exercise other than walking (as that's in your activity setting).
Good protein goal is .65-.85 g per lb of healthy body weight (you can use a goal weight). The MFP default for fat and carbs are a decent place to start and adjust depending on how you feel.
Yup, I just use the MFP calculator. Simples.0 -
That is about what my calorie goal was to lose 2 pounds a week when I first started. I am very active 12-15k steps a day, and weighed in at 276 at the time. I've lost weight.
When I started in March, I thought that the goal MFP set for me was a lot. My Dr wanted me to eat 1200 and when I tried I could barely function. I was really miserable, hungry and my mind and body just could not keep up with my job and lifestyle. There was no way could do that for very long. I would have failed if I had thought I had to eat so little and tried to do so. Luckily someone told me about MFP. As it is I have lost over 30 pounds so far. Yes it's slower but I feel like I can keep going for as long as it takes.
One of the first hard lessons was realising that if I am losing weight eating well over 2k calories a day what I must have been eating before to be essentially in maintenance was WAYYY more than I had thought I was eating.0 -
Hey guys,
I am trying to keep shedding the pounds and live a healthier life style.
So, I go on this website that calculates macronutriets for yu and enter my information. (http://macronutrientcalculator.com/)
It says to LOSE 2 pounds a week I need to eat 2655 calories a day!!
This seems absurd to me.
I am just at 300 pounds, 6'1 and moderately active. I probably walked a few miles a day. Some days I walk 5-6 miles, just depends on the day.
I am broke just like any other college student and don't even have enough food to eat that much per day...
Yesterday I just loaded up on protein shakes throughout the day. I have about 4-5, and have a salad with a few boiled eggs mixed in.
Is what I'm doing unhealthy? Even when I have food, just eating 2000 takes work (my appetite isn't what it used to be)
Any advice is appreciated.
i think mfp does all the stuff that website does. i track my micros and macros here as well. how come you needed the other site? starting out mfp gave me 1590 cals. i'm much shorter than you though, so maybe your website is accurate. and i don't know your gender, but i believe guys get more cals. but you don't have to eat all the cals do you? under is fine. mfp gives a warning for under 1200. i guess whatever you eat is fine, so long as it keeps you feeling energetic, and you love it. eating stuff i love has been super important to my weight loss. i'm down 97lbs in a little under a year. if i pre-log meals i love that fit my cals, micros, and macros, it keeps me from craving yummy stuff because i am eating totaly yummy stuff. and if i do crave something else i can always change my pre-log, if it keeps me under. or i can have that delicious option tomorrow. i don't make any food off limits. i just keep it moderate, and make it fit my plan. for example with pizza, i limit it to a slice or two rather than 3 or 4. best of luck going forward.0 -
ReeseG4350 wrote: »You need to lose more than 100 lbs to reach the upper healthy weight for your height, with your currently BMI placing you are morbidly obese. You did not get at this weight by eating less than 2000 calories. If you think you cannot reach 2000 calories without struggling, something is really off in your calorie counting. Unless you are losing weight really fast right now.
Blaked, don't get too obsessed with BMI. It can put you in morbidly obese category just because you have more muscle bulk than the average dog.
.
The muscle bulk thing applies to maybe 10% or so of the population. Nothing in the OP's post indicated he lifts weights or has a very physically demanding job.
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totally get the beer weight gain thing. just use the mfp calc like others have said. and just eat foods you love, while still staying under in cals, micros, and macros. add some cals with fruits and veg if you think you might not be getting enough of these. green smoothies might be a good option if you like drinking your cals. condiments also add cals, as do simple extras. a bit of avocado on a sandwich can add 100 more cals. also remember the goal is not to meet you calorie goal each day, but to stay under.0
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I say eat what you're comfortable with and listen to your body. If you're not hungry enough to eat 2,600 calories a day, then don't force yourself too. Personally, I don't go by or trust the MFP calorie goal. It tells me I need to eat only 1,200 calories a day to lose 1.5 pounds a week which would be starving myself. I eat up to 2,000 to lose about a pound a week so I set my own goals. I wouldn't worry too much about the 2,600 number if I were you- just experiment and see how your body reacts to different calorie levels.
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Wow, I extremely appreciate all of the comments, thanks!
I want to say first off that even though I have been a member for a while, I am still new to MFP. I did not realize that MFP offered the same tools as the other website, it makes more sense to just stay on one website, so thanks for that!
I want to give more information on on my diet and exercise and if any of you have time to reply that would be great!
Currently I am 297 pounds[as of this morning]----I peeked at 317 this summer when I decided enough is enough.
Over the passed few months I have been making realistic and manageable changes. Such as, cutting out fast food, cutting out beer and junk food.(most of the time) 20 pounds over a few months is okay with me, I have set a long term goal to have 22% body fat by next January.
I am 297 pounds
Neck: 17 Inches
Waist: 46 inches
Hip: 43.5 inches
Height: 6'1
If I did my calculations correctly that puts me between 32%-36% body fat.
I played lacrosse through highschool and was in marching band, so I was very active. Once I got to college I started drinking and partying and stress eating. That is how I gained the weight.
I have done a significant amount of weight lifting/strength straining in high school and have been lifting inconsistently for the past few years.
What I have been doing:
I have an elliptical and bench press in the garage and here is how I use them:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday - 40 minutes elliptical, 20 minutes doing push-ups, sit ups and other stretching.. I switch it up, mountain climbers, burpies... just whatever I feel like doing.
Tues,Thurs[sometimes Sat] -- 20 minutes elliptical (or less if I feel lazy)
I mainly focus on strength training these days bench press, chest, shoulders, bicept,tricept.
After I'm done with that I do sit-ups
When I started this summer I could do about 4 push-ups, now I can almost do 30 in one go.
same with sit ups, could not even do 3... Now I can do about 25-30.
Okay, back to the original post:
I have been eating very light because I have been super broke and can barely afford rent at the moment, so that is why I have been struggling with the calorie goal. Because of this, I have been doing my best to supplement my empty fridge and cupboards with protein shakes and whatever else I have lying around.
I used to eat 2500 calories easy... drink a couple beers and go to dairy queen, easy.. that was probably 70% right there.
So I am trying to change my lifestyle, I don't expect it to happen overnight.
What is the safest amount of weight I should be trying to shed per week?
I have been eating between 1200-1500 calories a day for the passed few weeks just out of necessity and it has not been very difficult and I have felt more energetic.
Is that big of a deficit going to hurt me?
Any input on my diet / exercise would be much appreciated. [If it helps I might be able to figure out how to post a picture]
Thanks,
David0 -
Also, I have a fit bit and use it every day. I average between 10,000-12,000 steps a day. My car was stolen recently so I walk to school several times a day. (So generally throughout the day I walk between 2-4 miles)0
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Sucks about the car. Your profile says 22 so you are not too far time wise from being in shape. Do you have access to a gym?0
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Packerjohn wrote: »Sucks about the car. Your profile says 22 so you are not too far time wise from being in shape. Do you have access to a gym?
Yes, the gym at my school is very nice. I have just found it easier to work out at home because I can just walk downstairs and I'm there.0
This discussion has been closed.
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