Help On Changing Meal Plan... Advice
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Well, the science part is getting in the way somewhat. Like no matter what calculator I input my data in, it says I should be eating over 1800 calories. I thought a deficit would be the way to go, so I am around 1600 calories a day. That works pretty well for me. At least it has so far. Now, that I am almost 25 pounds lighter, I was thinking around 1400-1450 calories a day would be fine. I don't get a ton of activity in except walking at my job. Is this too much of a calorie restriction for a guy that is 5 feet 9 inches and weights 232 pounds? I know a lot of people aren't calorie counters, but it seems to be working for me.
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collegefbfan wrote: »Well, the science part is getting in the way somewhat. Like no matter what calculator I input my data in, it says I should be eating over 1800 calories. I thought a deficit would be the way to go, so I am around 1600 calories a day. That works pretty well for me. At least it has so far. Now, that I am almost 25 pounds lighter, I was thinking around 1400-1450 calories a day would be fine. I don't get a ton of activity in except walking at my job. Is this too much of a calorie restriction for a guy that is 5 feet 9 inches and weights 232 pounds? I know a lot of people aren't calorie counters, but it seems to be working for me.
Thanks.
The general consensus is that a male shouldn't go under 1500 calories to ensure you get adequate nutrition.
Is the calculator giving you 1800 as a deficit number or is that your TDEE?
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
Linked is a TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calculator. While an estimate, it might give you a different number.
Edit: I just ran your numbers on the sedentary setting and it gave your BMR as 2102. Your TDEE is 2522. If you're eating at 1600 calories, you are under eating. That is a HUGE deficit.1 -
Mate, I'm a 5'2" tall, under 200lb female and I eat around 1600 calories a day, under 20g carbs and lose consistently. If you're eating the same as me I doubt you need to cut back.
I know calorie intake is a very personal thing and a lot depends on how your own body metabolises carbs etc - I am very insulin sensitive (I have reactive hypoglycaemia) and for me cutting carbs is the only way to lose weight but calories don't seem to matter so much. I do see other women taller and both heavier and lighter than me restricting more as it seems calories do make more of a difference to them. The trouble with calorie restriction is there is only so far you can go. If I get near my goal weight and find I need to restrict a little I can do that (I have reached it before and that wasn't the case but bodies change). I think it can be good not to restrict too much too early.
Also and this is just my opinion as a long time dieter - before low carb, I gained on every low calorie eating plan I tried. Except one. For 6 months I did a 400 calorie medical diet consisting of 3 milkshakes a day, nothing else. I lost a few stone on that starvation diet, although no faster than I now lose on low carb.
I also suspect I completely destroyed my metabolism on that diet. Google the biggest loser and weight gain - a study of past contestants showed that the extreme high exercise and low calories they kept to messed up their metabolic rates and left it nearly impossible for them to keep the weight off. Almost all regained.
For me just one of the great things about low carb is that I'm able to heal my metabolism. I get to eat a good, healthy amount, enough to maintain my muscle health (and nail health, hair health, everything else that can suffer on extremely low cal diets) and I also lose weight. Just a pound or two pounds a week - a good, healthy pace. I wouldn't swap that for super low calories - any short term weight drop wouldn't be worth it to me in the long run.
It's very much your mileage may vary, that's just how it works for me personally.2 -
Also just to add, I think you're doing great and I understand the desire to see ever more impressive results - what dieter doesnt!0
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Well, thanks for the replies. What if 1600 calories keeps me full? I might snack on keto things here or there and that might end up being a total of 1700 calories.
My meals on the regular, mainly are:
Breakfast (6:15)
3/4 scoop protein powder
4 tbsp. heavy cream
1 tbsp. Brain Octane
8 oz almond milk
Breakfast 2 (7:50)
0.5 oz pecans
Lunch (12:00)
Salad greens
3-4 oz of meat like pork chop, chicken, beef, etc.
1 tbsp. butter
0.5 oz pecans
Supper (6:30)
4-8 oz of meat salmon, tuna, pork chop, steak, chicken, etc.
Vegetable like cauliflower, asparagus, bok choy, squash, salad greens
1 tbsp. butter
Snack (if I have one)
Fat bomb
I thought this plan was good. Not everyday, but this is most days. This keeps me full.
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If 1600 keeps you full, that's fine but in the event you have days that you are SUPER hungry (it happens), you don't need to sweat going over because you have a lot of wiggle room.
@moonlights was making a very good point in that slow and steady is key, as you don't want to lose muscle because it is very difficult to get back.0 -
Is there a way to know if you are losing muscle? I know I do what this belly gone... NOW!!!0
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collegefbfan wrote: »Is there a way to know if you are losing muscle? I know I do what this belly gone... NOW!!!
When you lose weight, you lose a mix of fat, water, and muscle. Fat and water being gone is great...but muscle being gone is not.
Keep an adequate protein intake and resistance training to maintain the muscle mass you have now.
To gauge whether or not you're losing muscle, you would have to get your bodyfat tested. There are a variety of methods with varying degrees of accuracy/reliability, but I believe the most accurate ones are the DEXA scan and the Bodpod which both cost money.0 -
It always comes down to "but I'm full". And the responses will ensue that "no one should ever force feed themselves or eat beyond their hunger". I can't say that I totally DISagree with that in your case because while your calorie intake is low for a 42 year old male, 5'9" @ 233 pounds, the deficit is not extreme. 1400-1450 is bordering on extreme IMO.
If you have no medical issues that interfere with your ability to lose weight, you need to trust the numbers on those BMR/TDEE calculators. Yes, they are built on AVERAGES. Chances are, they apply to you. Speaking for ME, they apply to me. I am a very average 60 yr old female, 5'6", who lost 63 pounds, am currently at maintenance weight and sedentary with the exception of a little planned exercise daily that does not burn many calories. I do not have any health conditions/diseases/disorders that interfere with weight loss/maintenance. The numbers apply. They are averages.
How do I know they apply to me? Easy. Since May of 2013, I have counted calories, somewhat monitored/applied burned calories, consistently lost my excess weight and have maintained for 2+ years all the time being guided by the numbers given to me by MFP and other calculators.
Are any of these calculators EXACT for me. No. They're averages.
I also believe in the energy balance equation of CICO. I CLEARLY understand it may not apply to everyone (equally) because EACH of us comes with our own "Closed System". Closed system being a compilation of all things about our individual health. I do not now have or have ever had: PCOS, Insulin Resistance, Pre-Diabetes, T2D, T1D, thyroid malfunctions, bypass surgeries, etc. To my knowledge, my "systems" operate properly and the "Calculators" apply with very little "tweaking". They all tend to provide similar estimates given proper/same data, as you saw with your "1800". My maintenance number is 1500. PTL for keto which keeps me feeling satiated on so "few" calories.
You will not continue to lose as quickly as you have in the past. I urge you to NOT drop your calories any more than they are now BECAUSE (you have said yourself) the calculators indicate you should be eating about 1800 calories to lose. Not 1600 and certainly not 1450-1400. I urge you to continue to use the calculators, be guided by the calculators, monitor your calories, maintain a reasonable activity level, tweak as needed as you go along. Use them until they quit working for you. Unless you have or acquire and medical issue, the calculators will most likely provide good guidance long term if you use them properly via entering accurate information.
STOP rushing weight loss if that is what you are doing. Lose the excess weight while protecting the good health you have. Evolve into the person who has accomplished (a hard thing to do) his weight loss and learned along the way, the best way to maintain (an even harder thing to do) for YOU, in your own personal Closed System, specific only to you.
Sorry so long.1 -
I started keto a year ago and have lost a little over 30 lbs. Now I'm maintaining. I've kind of eaten the same calorie range from start to finish. I just follow my hunger signals. So my days range from between 1000 to 1600 (I'm a 4'11 female). Maybe one or two days I've gone above 1600 but rarely. My weight loss has not been consistent from week to week. I've gone several stretches with no loss for weeks or just bouncing up and down the same 1-2 pounds. I figured I wasted years yo-yoing the same 5-10 lbs. so there was no reason to rush things since they were moving in the right direction.2
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »If you think you are eating out of habit or otherwise when not actually hungry then you should work on that for sure. But, as far as weight loss, what you've been doing is working so there's absolutely no reason to think that it has suddenly stopped. It just doesn't work like that. Looking at the scale as validation that "it's working" will eventually be disappointing to everyone because at some point the body always slows down on weight loss to do some maintenance or whatever... but it just stops at some point. That doesn't mean fat loss stops though.
I weigh the same today as I did a year ago but I wear a full size smaller clothes and it's very obvious I've lost a lot of fat in photos. I tried doing different things to "break the stall" too and nothing changed on the scale. At one point I was actually 8 pounds less than right now, but I'm still the same size as I was then. That was just a few months ago. I put on about 8 pounds from my lowest ever weight but I've not gotten bigger anywhere. If I let that scale number decide that what I'm doing isn't working, I would've been so discouraged and given up eventually, but since I was also interested in keto for other reasons, and kept eating right, I got to learn that the scale is a big fat lying, liar pants!
Work on being aware of real hunger signals and keep doing what you've been doing and you'll keep losing fat even if the scale doesn't seem to be cooperating.
I love your attitude. I need to copy and paste this quote somewhere on my computer and read it once a week. I am so close to goal but can't make it. But reading your post will help keep me on point. I have a hard time distinguishing between hunger and habit, especially now that I have recently retired. Working kept my mind focused on other matters.1 -
@kpk54 I am a little mixed up. In your intro you stated that deficit is not extreme, but the 1400 to 1500 calories is extreme. Not sure what this means? Was there a typo in there? Just curious, not bashing.0
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@collegefbfan What I was trying to indicate was that if you are a HEALTHY individual void of the medical issues making weight loss difficult: if the calculators estimate you should eat about 1800 calories for weight loss, then 1600 isn't too far off so not "extreme". However if you drop down to 1400, well that IMO is getting a little extreme and completely unnecessary.
Completely unnecessary, is the real point. Possibly unhealthy. Perhaps you have read some of the follow up studies of the folks on The Biggest Loser? Their extreme rapid weight loss has crashed their metabolism. They clearly have to eat hundreds of calories LESS than what should be their maintenance just to maintain. Forget about losing. Maintenance is not even happening. There are some great studies out there on the grehlin (hunger) hormone.
You're doing so well. I would really hate to see you or anyone do damage to their body by engaging in unnecessary, very low calorie intake. It just isn't worth it. A healthy body needs fuel to function for everything from hair and nail growth to heart. Calorie reduction is stress to the body. The body needs time to adapt.
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Thanks. To all of you. Ok give me your best advice on this next part. Only 1.5 pounds to go in the contest at work. I weigh in on Friday. I haven't cheated a bit, but I am not on track to losing that 1.5 pounds. I am not far off either. Is there anything I can do Wednesday and Thursday to get that 1.5 pounds down? After the contest is over, I will stop obsessing so much. I am winning by 10 pounds. I feel like just starving myself for two days. That should do it... lol.. but I might not be able to take it.0
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collegefbfan wrote: »Thanks. To all of you. Ok give me your best advice on this next part. Only 1.5 pounds to go in the contest at work. I weigh in on Friday. I haven't cheated a bit, but I am not on track to losing that 1.5 pounds. I am not far off either. Is there anything I can do Wednesday and Thursday to get that 1.5 pounds down? After the contest is over, I will stop obsessing so much. I am winning by 10 pounds. I feel like just starving myself for two days. That should do it... lol.. but I might not be able to take it.
Don't starve for two days. Not a good plan.
Did you ever try the 24 hour fast?
For example, stop eating at 3pm one day and fast until 3pm the following day. That way you can sleep through much of the fasting.
Did you try that last time? You can always do that. Should be no health risk for a healthy person.0 -
Also, I think you're obsessing too much on the breakdowns and calories.
Maybe an Eat Stop Eat method would be more relaxed way to go forward for you.
You eat maintenance calories on eating days and fast for anywhere from 16-24 hours like once or twice a week. With most of it being while you sleep.
Check out Brad Pilon. Eat. Stop. Eat.1 -
Cool. I might do that. Surely look that up in a few.0
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I don't think it's obsessing. Just an inquiring mind... by a guy who mentioned he likes to have breakfast, has some flexibility for lunch and enjoys dinner with his wife in the evening. Sounds like a nice routine that is working. At least I think it was @collegefbfan who mentioned that routine in another thread.0
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Yes that was me. I just meant the obsessing as far as the work contest goes. Also, it seems like this woe has some factors that other woe's don't or ones I am not familiar with. Just getting used to. A little frustration with stalls or even weight gain. I know fluctuations happen, but weighing 231 in the morning and then 236 in the evening sucks... lol. That is without eating a crazy amount of food. Just a rant.0
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I hear ya. Good luck in the competition!0
