Is 1600 calories enough for me...?

wkelleyconstruction

I am 47 y/o male, 5'9", and 282 lbs. I have been on a reduced calorie diet for a week now. I have been eating 1600 calories or less a day and I do not feel hungry. I have lost 15 lbs this past week. I also build custom pool cues in my shop at my residence, so I can work at my leisure.
My question is. ......should I be eating more calories or is 1600 okay?

Tedebearduff

Should meet with your doctor and ask them! You'll get allot of opinions on here and not 1 person knows your medical history, blood pressure or a lick about you.

Congrats on the weight loss so far, some people will say that's to much to fast, these people have probably never been that big. I lost 30lbs in the first couple of weeks when I first started but I was allot heavier then you are now.

Best of luck brother!

blondierunner2015

Did your doctor put you on 1600 calories? I was thinking men need around 1900, but it depends on your activity level and what types of food you are eating. 15 pounds in a week is quite a bit. Most people don't lose that in a month. How are you feeling? Any dizziness or fatigue? Remember too, that the first 10 pounds or so are water and weight loss will slow down to 1-2 pounds on average per week. Most important is that you feel good and drinking lots of water. You might want to have bloodwork done to make sure your levels are all good and get checked every now and then. I personally would love to lose 15 pounds in a week, so congrats! Just pay attention to how you feel and make sure your food is full of nutrition.

TeaBea

wkelleyconstruction wrote: »

I am 47 y/o male, 5'9", and 282 lbs. I have been on a reduced calorie diet for a week now. I have been eating 1600 calories or less a day and I do not feel hungry. I have lost 15 lbs this past week. I also build custom pool cues in my shop at my residence, so I can work at my leisure.
My question is. ......should I be eating more calories or is 1600 okay?

Your TDEE (maintenance) is 2855 for sedentary. To lose 2 pounds a week you could average 1855 calories a day. If you're above sedentary, you could eat more still.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Keep in mind as you get closer to goal, weight loss will become slower.

Pound per week goals
75+ lbs set to lose 2 lb range
Between 40 - 75 lbs set to lose 1.5 lb range
Between 25-40 lbs set to lose 1 lb range
Between 15-25 lbs set to lose 1 -.50 lb range
Less than 15 lbs set to lose 0.5 lbs range

Francl27

Those 15 lbs are probably mostly water weight.

But it seems way too little to me. Whatever MFP tells you, eat that, but remember that if you exercise, you have to eat back at least half of the calories too...

I completely disagree with asking your doctor though, most doctors are notorious for giving horrible nutrition advice - they take one course in nutrition and that's pretty much it...

Tedebearduff

Francl27 wrote: »

Those 15 lbs are probably mostly water weight.

But it seems way too little to me. Whatever MFP tells you, eat that, but remember that if you exercise, you have to eat back at least half of the calories too...

I completely disagree with asking your doctor though, most doctors are notorious for giving horrible nutrition advice - they take one course in nutrition and that's pretty much it...

Totally agree you're definitely more qualified to give advice!

wkelleyconstruction

I am eating more stamed or grilled vegetables, some meats, lots of salads and measuring every thing. I am eating four meals a day with a total of 1600 calories or less and I am not hungry at the end of the day. I saw a dietician last week and she wanted me to have 2200 calories a day. I was concerned about my nutritional standings at 1600 calories.

mistress8956

Imo since you have already talked to a dietician I would try to follow that advice and stick ( give or take) to what was recommended. You don't want to add in 'junk food' just for the sake of getting those calories. Maybe try adding in a healthy snack or two

elaineamj

For me, I discounted the data from my first 2 weeks of sharp water weight loss. Paid attention to my trending weight for the next 3 weeks. After the 3 weeks, I upped my calories since I was losing faster than planned.

I was satiated on what I had been eating, but was starting to feel rather frustrated at how strict I had to be. It was fine for a few weeks or whatever, but it was starting to get to me mentally. Plus, DH commented that I was acting more scattered than normal. I also felt sleepier than normal. Anyway, long story short, I upped my calories and am actually losing even faster (most likely because I am overestimating rather than underestimating now). I'll probably up my calories again My frustration is gone, I feel like I can eat so many different things, and its rather awesome not to feel guilty over eating an ice cream here and there.

I figure my best measure of success is myself and my own scale since the calculators are still only an estimate. So I use trendweight (there are others like libra and happyscale) to track and am making adjustments to my calorie intake every 3 weeks or so. My #1 priority is sustainability so I want to go slow and steady.

Wishing you the best!