Is this healthy or not?

lvl27haunter

Hello, my name is jordan and i am 25 and trying to get down to 180-200lbs currently at 249lbs

I just got hired at a production plant and the work is ruthless. Non stop sweat, carrying and building pallets up with 50lbs bags of corn dust, 300 lb trash cans full of waste dust we have to carry with 1 other person all the way outside and tump over our head. Well that's enough background on that.

I just started a diet on the 3rd of January and have been eating about 1500 calories a day. Typical meals
-small breakfast (2 egg whites and a half piece of cheese on white bread, a apple or orange and a glass of milk),
-small lunch (usually a sandwich of either turkey or ham with a slice of cheese and mustard on while bread, a cup of veggies and a small dipping cup of Italian dressing with an apple on the side.)
-bigger dinner (salmon, large chicken salad, skinless chicken breast or thighs, ground turkey with tortilla chips as nachos, main courses like that, a side of white rice or salad, various amounts of veggies, potatoes, and usually a yogurt for something sweet.

I only drink water, tea, milk, or fresh juices.

I have lost 10 lbs in 5 days. Idk how much water weight was in me but I am just curious if I'm on the right track or if I need to change anything. I would love to keep losing this kind of weigh that fast but don't want to not get enough of something I'm missing and faint at work or something. I'm very strong and have an iron willso I never give up at work and I'm not giving up on this weight loss goal.

Thanks in advance for any tips

RodaRose

You need to eat more.

LaurenAOK

RodaRose wrote: »

You need to eat more.

This. 1500 is the absolute minimum for men and since you have a demanding physical job you need a lot more than that. Unless you are under supervision of a doctor, eat more. Set MFP to lose 2lbs a week maximum, input your activity level (which should be high due to your job), and eat the calories it tells you to.

RodaRose

How much protein and fat are you eating?

missomgitsica

If your job is that physically demanding, you could probably eat quite a bit more, so I'd take advantage of that.

MKEgal

No, that is not healthy.
With only 50-60 lb to lose, dropping 10 in 1 week is scary fast.

Here are some things you should read.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819925/the-basics-dont-complicate-it/p1

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/872212/youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1


This is a blog post I did about goal setting, including weight, calories, and macros.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-setting-goals-667045

The last link in the first part is to a calculator from the Baylor College of Medicine.
Put in your age, height, weight, and activity level, and it will show you how many calories you need to maintain
that weight, as well as how many servings of the various food groups you should have.
Cut maybe 300-500 from that.
Or you could put in your healthy goal weight (puts your BMI between 18.5 & 24.9) and eat that amount, which
should take you slowly & gradually to that weight.
Either way, at first you shouldn't lose more than 2 lb a week, and as you get closer to a healthy weight that will
slow, so that even 0.5 lb a week is doing great.
If you stall, cut 100 cal & wait a couple weeks to see what happens. Repeat until weight loss restarts.

michaelar_ae

You need to eat more. And as a side note, I wouldn't drink milk or juice. Milk... Well I'm sure you know the debate. And juice, it's just empty calories.

MKEgal

OK, I just put what you've told us into that calculator,
and guessed at an average height of 5'8" (which at 180 makes your BMI 27.4,
which is above the healthy range; if you're taller the BMI would be lower).
It says that if you're INACTIVE you'd need 2247 cal/day to maintain 180 lb.

So go put your stats into it yourself, increase your cal/day to a healthy amount,
so you're not starving yourself, and you're losing no more than 2 lb a week.
You'll feel better, as well as being less likely to pass out at work, which could
be hazardous to everyone's health.

Carlos_421

What they said.
Your activity level at work calls for a much higher calorie level.

Yi5hedr3

1500 is not the minimum for men, 1200 is, 1000 for women. Never mind what MFP says. Sounds like you are doing great. Keep it up!

lvl27haunter

MKEgal wrote: »

OK, I just put what you've told us into that calculator,
and guessed at an average height of 5'8" (which at 180 makes your BMI 27.4,
which is above the healthy range; if you're taller the BMI would be lower).
It says that if you're INACTIVE you'd need 2247 cal/day to maintain 180 lb.

So go put your stats into it yourself, increase your cal/day to a healthy amount,
so you're not starving yourself, and you're losing no more than 2 lb a week.
You'll feel better, as well as being less likely to pass out at work, which could
be hazardous to everyone's health.

Thanks a lot. I'm 5' 10". I'll back a bigger lunch

lvl27haunter

I think I'm going to take today off work to let my body heal because its in a great deal of stress. It's pretty crazy going from not working out ever to maximum body stress

lvl27haunter

Thank you to everyone that took time to help me here!

ChrisM8971

michaelar_ae wrote: »

You need to eat more. And as a side note, I wouldn't drink milk or juice. Milk... Well I'm sure you know the debate. And juice, it's just empty calories.

Agreed that you need to increase your calories, I am 5' 10" have a sedentary job and started off losing 2 lbs per week eating more than you are.

As to the juice, you have the spare calories to drink it if you enjoy it and no its not empty calories, not only do the calories provide you with energy but the USDA figures for 1 cup (249 g) of Orange Juice shows it also gives you 177% of your Vit C RDA, 18% of your Thiamin RDA, 18% of your Folate RDA, 14% of your Potassium RDA and many other vitamins and minerals. All of which are an important part of overall nutrition

rileysowner

With your job your activity level would likely be very active. For you height and age that would mean something like 2900 to 3200 calories a day to maintain. Take 20% off that which is considered a large deficit, and you should likely be eating between 2320 and 2560 a day or possibly more since I have a bad cold and may have entered your information incorrectly.

My personal suggestion would be use the goal calculator here and set your activity level appropriately and a weight loss goal of no more that 1.5 pound per week. That will likely give you a lot more calories than you currently have and be a much healthier way to go about things.

jemhh

michaelar_ae wrote: »

You need to eat more. And as a side note, I wouldn't drink milk or juice. Milk... Well I'm sure you know the debate. And juice, it's just empty calories.

What is the milk debate? It's a great source of protein. It tastes good. It's easily available.

OP, I'll echo the advice to eat more. 1500 is too extreme. You likely could eat somewhere around 2100-2250 and lose great right now considering your activity level. Drink whatever you want as long as you budget the calories for it.

WendyLaubach

And yet--how do you actually feel? Do you feel hungry or weak?

lvl27haunter

WendyLaubach wrote: »

And yet--how do you actually feel? Do you feel hungry or weak?

Well my arms and back are pretty dead from everything at this job, other than that I feel OK.

lvl27haunter

rileysowner wrote: »

With your job your activity level would likely be very active. For you height and age that would mean something like 2900 to 3200 calories a day to maintain. Take 20% off that which is considered a large deficit, and you should likely be eating between 2320 and 2560 a day or possibly more since I have a bad cold and may have entered your information incorrectly.

My personal suggestion would be use the goal calculator here and set your activity level appropriately and a weight loss goal of no more that 1.5 pound per week. That will likely give you a lot more calories than you currently have and be a much healthier way to go about things.

Thanks so much I'll be taking everyone's advice and eat more to maintain a strong body for work. This app is really helping me with all it has, especially the community!

lvl27haunter

ChrisM8971 wrote: »

michaelar_ae wrote: »

You need to eat more. And as a side note, I wouldn't drink milk or juice. Milk... Well I'm sure you know the debate. And juice, it's just empty calories.

Agreed that you need to increase your calories, I am 5' 10" have a sedentary job and started off losing 2 lbs per week eating more than you are.

As to the juice, you have the spare calories to drink it if you enjoy it and no its not empty calories, not only do the calories provide you with energy but the USDA figures for 1 cup (249 g) of Orange Juice shows it also gives you 177% of your Vit C RDA, 18% of your Thiamin RDA, 18% of your Folate RDA, 14% of your Potassium RDA and many other vitamins and minerals. All of which are an important part of overall nutrition

OK thanks a lot for this information! Now I don't feel bad about a morning glass of juice lol

WillyJoy

Hey @lvl27haunter. Nice work to adjust your lifestyle. If you're looking to lose weight and be healthier you'll need to avoid and eliminate anything "white", starchy, and high carbohydrates. So absolutely no white bread, rice, chips. Google the glycemic index and start substituting those high carb foods that lower your blood sugar and make you craze bad foods (potatoes, nachos, rice) for slow digesting healthier alternatives (sweet potatoes, fresh veggies, original oatmeal, not instant)

Best of luck!