Big guy, weightloss slowing a bit, looking for advice/tips/guidance.
Roothlus
Posts: 8 Member
Hello there. I've been using MFP to log my meals for 55 days now, just to keep an eye on my calories. I know there are many other things this can be used for but it's all above my head, as i know nothing of nutrition really.
So I started at 385 on 1/14/17 and am currently 333. The weight came off fairly quickly the first month, and now the last few weeks have been much slower although i eat roughly the same and exercise a bit more than i did at first. (still need to improve my gym visits)
I've only started accessing the community on here the last week or so, and there is so much to take in. My main concern is that i may be hurting my weightloss by not eating enough. Is that even possible? I did not track anything prior to this diet, but i would hazard a guess that i was eating/drinking north of 4000c a day easy on average.
I haven't wanted to set a strict line on myself, because i was afraid i would cross it and then be in the mindset of "I already ate too much so why not more".... Instead, i just told myself i'd try to stick to around 1000c per day and if it was a few hundred over or under that was ok because i'd still be way under what a guy my size should be eating.
So for the past 55 days I've done pretty well at averaging around my 1000c. I had 2 "free"days where i did a polar plunge and allowed myself pizza and beer haha, but other than that i've done ok. The first week was hard for sure, but since then, i don't really get hungry much, and often i have to force myself to eat dinner just because i know its bad to skip meals.
As to the questions.. Am i hurting myself by not eating more calories each day, even if i'm not hungry? Are there specific supplements/vitamins i need to be taking? (just started taking Multivitamins). Do i need to vary my meals and/or change up my calorie intake often to "surprise my body/metabolism? (i eat mostly the same foods daily)
Any advice is appreciated.
(high 2 days "cheat" polar plunge weekend)
(started dieting 1/14 but didnt' weight myself first 3 weeks, thats why big drop at start)
(sample day, yikes that pickle sodium!)
(sample day, pretty standard)
So I started at 385 on 1/14/17 and am currently 333. The weight came off fairly quickly the first month, and now the last few weeks have been much slower although i eat roughly the same and exercise a bit more than i did at first. (still need to improve my gym visits)
I've only started accessing the community on here the last week or so, and there is so much to take in. My main concern is that i may be hurting my weightloss by not eating enough. Is that even possible? I did not track anything prior to this diet, but i would hazard a guess that i was eating/drinking north of 4000c a day easy on average.
I haven't wanted to set a strict line on myself, because i was afraid i would cross it and then be in the mindset of "I already ate too much so why not more".... Instead, i just told myself i'd try to stick to around 1000c per day and if it was a few hundred over or under that was ok because i'd still be way under what a guy my size should be eating.
So for the past 55 days I've done pretty well at averaging around my 1000c. I had 2 "free"days where i did a polar plunge and allowed myself pizza and beer haha, but other than that i've done ok. The first week was hard for sure, but since then, i don't really get hungry much, and often i have to force myself to eat dinner just because i know its bad to skip meals.
As to the questions.. Am i hurting myself by not eating more calories each day, even if i'm not hungry? Are there specific supplements/vitamins i need to be taking? (just started taking Multivitamins). Do i need to vary my meals and/or change up my calorie intake often to "surprise my body/metabolism? (i eat mostly the same foods daily)
Any advice is appreciated.
(high 2 days "cheat" polar plunge weekend)
(started dieting 1/14 but didnt' weight myself first 3 weeks, thats why big drop at start)
(sample day, yikes that pickle sodium!)
(sample day, pretty standard)
1
Replies
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Omg, those calories are so low!
I'm going to friend you. My suggestion is to double your calorie intake.
Slow down my friend, it'll come off as long as you're in a deficit.
Edit: Check out my diary. I'm eating nearly twice what you're eating.
I don't know why your loss has slowed, but I do know you're not eating enough.6 -
You absolutely are undereating, less than half of your goal. This is not a good thing. It won't hurt your weightloss, but it will do a number to your body and health.
It's also common to lose more at the beginning because of water weight dropping, but that is short-lived. How much are you losing a week now?4 -
You should be consuming about 1500 at least. When you eat lower than 1200 it puts your body into starvation mode and saves calories. Put your goals into mfp and see what they say and do that for a while. Weight loss isn't linear and will slow. Big jumps at the beginning because you're changing your body and then you have to keep working harder and harder. Eat more, try to keep it health and keeping working out. Muscle weighs more than fat but it also burns more calories. Good luck!2
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Idontcareyoupick wrote: »You should be consuming about 1500 at least. When you eat lower than 1200 it puts your body into starvation mode and saves calories. Put your goals into mfp and see what they say and do that for a while. Weight loss isn't linear and will slow. Big jumps at the beginning because you're changing your body and then you have to keep working harder and harder. Eat more, try to keep it health and keeping working out. Muscle weighs more than fat but it also burns more calories. Good luck!
1. Starvation mode doesn't work in that way
2. Even at his weight he won't be gaining muscle on 1000 calories8 -
It looks like you lost >16 lbs in the past month?
Up your calorie intake to recommended before you hurt yourself.
Also, you may be gaining water weight from your salt levels. That happened to me when I ate pickles and sunflower seeds one week. It flushed out the next week for a big catchup loss.3 -
18 pounds in five weeks is fine at your size, if not still a little quick. At most you should be aiming for 1% of your weight per week.0 -
From my experience the initial weight loss is always faster. I think you definitly need to eat more calories and gradually drop back as you continue to keep losing. A couple of pounds a week is reasonable, it takes time for your body to just physically lose the weight.
What type of exercise are you doing? Depending on the exercise nutrition will be very important. Try to keep the carbs lower too, I'm still trying to find my happy balance with carbs and exercise but I felt that if I ate too much carbs my body held onto the fat more and the progress felt delayed.
One more thing, if you are really not that hungry, that's awesome! I would suggest to keep the meals small then, like you have been, and incorporate the extra calories with healthy snacks throughout the day to keep your energy levels from spiking. Like some fruit, veggies (not my personal favorite snack), 2% cottage cheese, 2%milk string cheese, or to-go nut bars (I like 150 cal goodness know squares or 150 calorie almond nut bars). I love food (sort of my problem in the first place!) so I had to learn as I went with what was nutritionous but what I also enjoyed eating.
I'm just speaking from my own personal journey, I've lost about 80lbs and am jumping back on MFP after a little break with maintaining to get back to lose the last 40lbs.
Keep looking at your weight graph for inspiration, it show continuous progress which is awesome! It might seem slow but if you continue to watch your calories, in another 55 days when you look back at the graph you will be happy with the slow and steady results.
(And I agree...that sodium content in the pickle is crazy!)1 -
That's way too low, I was there before. It works until it stops then you get frustrated eat normally and it all rushes back. You need to go on one of those weight loss calculators put in your stats and set a deficit of like 500-800 calories. You'll probably be closer to 2500 calories. I use to be 350 and did a lot of yo-yoing so I know. Don't go super low on calories. When you hit a wall you will have nowhere to go. I got the most consistent results from limiting my carbs and cooking more of my food. Those frozen meals are not good for you. Up your veggies, meats, good fats(coconut,olive,avocado) and limit bread/rice/pasta/juice/soda. Cut out potatoes completely and try sweet potatoes instead. Look into paleo diet and later on keto.3
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Your calories are way way too low.
The reason that your weight loss has slowed down (from insanely fast to just plain fast) is that you've lost weight. In losing those 50 pounds, your body is burning several hundred calories less than it was before.
But you're still undereating.
Also, you will have lost a lot of water weight at the beginning - which is "easy" weight and doesn't correspond to fat loss.
But you're still undereating.
Please increase your calories to a reasonable level (likely over 2000 calories/day) and adjust your expectations as to how fast you can safely lose weight. To put this in context, my husband weighs more than 100 pounds less than you and has lost 30 pounds in 6 months eating about 3,000 calories/day.5 -
What you are eating is totally fine unless your doctor wants you to watch sodium. That is a bit high. Like everyone else said how much you are eating is way too low. I'm 5'3" and 220 lbs and lose eating a lot more than you do. That red line on the calorie chart, that is how much you should be eating. You are likely not consuming enough micro or macro nutrients on 1000 calories a day which is bad for your health.2
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If you're actually consuming 1000cals/day you're definitely under-eating. I would suggest upping your cals slowly until your weight loss balances out to about 1-2lbs/week on average. This will give you a change to adjust slowly to eating more and also deal with any under-logging issues. Under-eating can issues such as vitamin deficiencies, hair loss, loss of libido, lack of energy etc.0
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I did that too. Your weight loss will slow because it happens. You won't continuously lose 50lbs a month, sadly. I lose 21lbs in 6 weeks (3.5lbs per week) and I started much thinner. Now I am 35lbs lighter and losing at a rate of about 1 to 1.5lbs per week. You should eat a bit more, however. My goal on here in my diary *says* 1012 calories but my goal is actually 1200. I did it for the same reason you did - because I have a mindset that always wants to go over my goal, so this way I can go over and still be within a good range. I go over pretty much everyday though. You should raise your goal because you seem to be meeting it and not exceeding it. Try at least 1200, but for someone your size I'd recommend 1400-1500 at the minimum.1
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SusanMFindlay wrote: »Your calories are way way too low.
The reason that your weight loss has slowed down (from insanely fast to just plain fast) is that you've lost weight. In losing those 50 pounds, your body is burning several hundred calories less than it was before.
But you're still undereating.
Also, you will have lost a lot of water weight at the beginning - which is "easy" weight and doesn't correspond to fat loss.
But you're still undereating.
Please increase your calories to a reasonable level (likely over 2000 calories/day) and adjust your expectations as to how fast you can safely lose weight. To put this in context, my husband weighs more than 100 pounds less than you and has lost 30 pounds in 6 months eating about 3,000 calories/day.
That's not typical though. 3000calories a day for most people under 300lbs they would gain weight. My BF is about 6' and in the 200s and he definitely can't lose eating 3000 lol0 -
Yes, you are hurting yourself by eating too little. But you are also jeopardizing your success by eating too little - undereating always leads to overeating. Eat the amount MFP gave you every day (+/- 50). You will still lose weight, but safely, effectively and comfortably.4
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You lost 53 pounds in 55 days. That isn't slow. That is warp speed. That is a deficit of about 3400 calories per day. You seriously need to eat more. I started out at 320 pounds eating about 1700 calories per day and the weight flew off. As I got lighter and learned more, I increased my calories and decreased my deficit. I am now 195 pounds and still steadily losing weight eating 2500 calories per day.
I fully understand the desire to lose the weight quickly and you can lose pounds pretty fast at your size, faster than most here recommend, but it isn't a race and there are no bonus points for a fast time. It is a marathon and your body is a machine that needs fuel to function properly. The more you lose and the lower your body fat gets, the more apparent this will become and you will feel the effects of under eating, not to mention the health risks of too extreme of a deficit. Time will pass and the weight will drop and you will get there before you know it. The key is to be healthy and fit when get there and, for that, your body needs nutrition.6 -
Yikes. You're a good looking guy. But if you continue losing weight this quickly, you will NOT look good or (more importantly) feel good. You're risking doing serious damage to yourself. MFP is telling you that you can lose weight safely and steadily at 2100 calories. Why not trust it?
Slow down.
Eat more.
Enjoy the journey.
And go easy on the sodium, eh? You're risking high blood pressure, heart failure, heart attacks, and strokes. Wouldn't it be nice to be alive to enjoy your svelter self?2 -
You lost 53 pounds in 55 days. That isn't slow. That is warp speed. That is a deficit of about 3400 calories per day. You seriously need to eat more. I started out at 320 pounds eating about 1700 calories per day and the weight flew off. As I got lighter and learned more, I increased my calories and decreased my deficit. I am now 195 pounds and still steadily losing weight eating 2500 calories per day.
I fully understand the desire to lose the weight quickly and you can lose pounds pretty fast at your size, faster than most here recommend, but it isn't a race and there are no bonus points for a fast time. It is a marathon and your body is a machine that needs fuel to function properly. The more you lose and the lower your body fat gets, the more apparent this will become and you will feel the effects of under eating, not to mention the health risks of too extreme of a deficit. Time will pass and the weight will drop and you will get there before you know it. The key is to be healthy and fit when get there and, for that, your body needs nutrition.
All the above.
Plus at this point you have learned absolutely NOTHING that will help you keep the weight off. NADA.
Unless you're really ready to look me straight in the eyes and tell me that the only food you will eat for the rest of your life is jimmy dean frozen breakfasts and subway subs.
One of the biggest thing you need time for is to create a new relationship between yourself, food, general movement/activity, moderate and more vigorous exercise. Figuring out what works for you and what doesn't takes TIME.
Lots of people do nothing but gain. A few of them lose weight. A few of the ones who lose weight maintain the weight loss.
The weight loss buys you the chance to maintain the loss. But you have to set things up for the win.
Remember when you said you know nothing about nutrition and its all above your head? If you want to win you have two options: buy the knowledge (hire someone), or acquire the knowledge.
If you want to acquire the knowledge you may want to start by reading the most helpful posts:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest
and continue to read the newsgroups.
While slowing down so that you have the time to do all that
There is NO REASON why you cannot eat 2K+ calories and lose weight at a more reasonable pace.
a pace that will allow you to learn what you can actually eat day in and day out for the rest of your life in a 2000-2500 Calorie budget -- which is more than likely the budget you will have to play with when you get to your goal weight.5 -
Darn, I can burn 2400 cals per day, based on losing 2lbs per week (in maintenance mode, so ain't happening), but you seriously need to up your calorie intake.0
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If you continue doing this, you will be 400# this time next year. In two months you lost what it took me three years to do. You should lose weight about the same rate you put it on. Is it slow, and maddening? Yup. Does it work? Yup.1
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First congrats on beginning your health journey and losing the initial weight. However your body is going to go into starvation mode if you continue to eat that few of calories per day. I am 5'4 and I eat more than 1000 calories a day. Any questions feel free to ask I have several individuals like you that I have helped lose the weight and keep it off without starving themselves0
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I'm not sure I can believe your are logging your food accurately, given that you are now losing at 2lbs per week. You shouldn't be trying to lose more than 1% of your weight per week and 2 lbs per week isn't bad for most people. It's probably going to take you a year and a half to get down to where you need to be. I realize that seems like a long time, but the alternatives are unhealthy.0
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You don't want to hear this but your eating about 1/3 of what you could be eating and still losing weight about the same speed at which you are now. why xeny your body food when you don't have to?
I hate logging my calories but what I did was log and weigh everything for about a month then I just went by eyeball. I've lost 70lbs since last May eating around 2500 calories a day. If I have a day over 3000 or a day around 2000 I don't stress. I've been fluctuating 5lbs or so for the last couple months. my clothes are getting bigger instead of shrinking so I'm heading in the right dirrection even though the scale doesn't move.
In looking at your diet logs I see a ton of prepackaged or fast food I used to log things I'd make as fast food options sometimes if I couldn't find the exact thing I wanted or build those calories but I can't tell you enough to make your food at home. Use the money that you save to buy better quality foods or your new clothes that you probably already need. I like to just make my lunch at the same time we are cooking dinner from the night before.
It seems simple but it really does work.1 -
Id agree with most of the replies.. Im 5 10, started at 280 odd.. and this year ive got back on it.. steadily losing 2lbs a week since jan. My calories allowance is 1280... and that is still on the low side. I bump it to 1400 or 1600 sometimes to keep my body guessing and am looking into carb cycling. I weigh EVERYTHING!
Eating healthy calories will be so much better for you than the same amount in processed food, and you need to up your allowance, i cant see as mfp would set you a limit that low..
And exercise.. its working doing at least an hour cardio (my knees are shot so cant do hiit) and some weights.. just started to feel up to a couple of classes and also doing intervals rowing now.. still happy to sit on my bum working the rest of the time... but its working! Take it slow and steady, adjust your calorie goal and squeeze some extra exercise in along with better foods... you'll be grateful in the end, coz youll hit your goal, and keep it off because youve not rushed it.
good luck1 -
In looking at your food list, you may want to add in some fresh produce. Salt will come into play as well as the low calories in hindering your progress. You're doing great BTW, don't discount what you've done, Kudos on the initial weight loss and just for being aware. Find a fruit that you love, bananas are a great go to, apples, oranges, berries, whatever you like, carrots and celery are great as well. I too eat the same things but a lot more fresh than packaged. See if that helps. Way to go! and carry on. You will get there.1
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Hi I just started my weight loss program today. Could someone give me a simple tips to achieve my goal nice and healthy. I weigh 188lbs / 85kg0
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The application of knowledge is power. If you want to educate yourself I've found that this website has high quality information with no fads, supplements, or other crazy "lose quick" schemes: http://scoobysworkshop.com/losing-weight-and-building-6-pack-abs/
It's obviously written from a bodybuilder's perspective, but the nutrition facts are the same for everyone regardless of end goal. The information on the website is basically the same as the information I'm getting from the nutritionist I've begun to work with. Drawing a rough conclusion after using both resources I would say that the bodybuilders' perspective is just a more focused application of both nutrition and exercise used together towards the specific goal of being beastly (in a good way). In the end both resources tell me that this isn't a "diet," it's a lifestyle change; get on board and do it or pay the price. You might want to go see a nutritionist yourself if you can if for no other reason than to learn how to read those blasted food labels and understand what you're really eating. Working with a medical professional is probably one of the most important decisions you can make these days. At the minimum it will keep you from hurting yourself out of ignorance.
I get the gym thing. Sometimes you just feel like a hamster, especially if you use machines. Pounding on a treadmill or stair-climber is a) boring b) probably not as valuable as it's cracked up to be. If you're going to do the gym thing do it with sound advice from a knowledgeable trainer to start with and. Physics is King in the gym and hinges and levers are his counselors. You don't want to learn you've been doing it the wrong way after you destroy a muscle, ligament, tendon, etc. Another tactic is to get a gym buddy and hold each other accountable.
Try googling up bodyweight training/calisthenics and decide whether or not that's more interesting to you. No gym necessary, your equipment is your body and it goes wherever you go. Naysayers shush, this stuff obviously works and has worked for a long time...just go through military boot camp, if you don't believe it. This guy has some good information: http://store.stewsmithptclub.com/bafipl.html.
Either way, stay away from fads and the "latest, greatest thing." You're technically a beginner. Most important thing is to BE A BEGINNER doing basic things for as long as it takes. You don't want to rush into massive gym routines and harsh exercise or nutrition regimens that will only cause you to quit, slack off, or injure yourself. I'll put it on you like the nutritionist put it on me...this is a lifestyle change, not a race to drop x number of pounds. Educate yourself in both nutrition and exercise. Figure out a way to make the change and enjoy doing it because you need to do it for the rest of your life.1 -
Verity1111 wrote: »SusanMFindlay wrote: »Your calories are way way too low.
The reason that your weight loss has slowed down (from insanely fast to just plain fast) is that you've lost weight. In losing those 50 pounds, your body is burning several hundred calories less than it was before.
But you're still undereating.
Also, you will have lost a lot of water weight at the beginning - which is "easy" weight and doesn't correspond to fat loss.
But you're still undereating.
Please increase your calories to a reasonable level (likely over 2000 calories/day) and adjust your expectations as to how fast you can safely lose weight. To put this in context, my husband weighs more than 100 pounds less than you and has lost 30 pounds in 6 months eating about 3,000 calories/day.
That's not typical though. 3000calories a day for most people under 300lbs they would gain weight. My BF is about 6' and in the 200s and he definitely can't lose eating 3000 lol
I wasn't suggesting that the OP copy the example. I was using the example to point out how insanely low his calorie intake is. Someone who weighs 245 at 6'1 and 49 years old (my husband's starting stats) has a BMR in the ballpark of 2,200 cals/day and burns 2,600 even when sedentary. Throw in a couple of young kids and a daily walk, and it's not that difficult to get the daily calorie burn up over 3,000.
Now, plug the OP's weight into that same calculator. (I didn't have height or age so left those the same.) BMR shoots up to 2733 calories/day and sedentary burn goes up to 3280 calories/day. So, yes, the OP could lose weight eating 3,000 calories/day. Throw in a little exercise and he could lose a lot of weight eating 3,000 calories/day. Until he gets lighter, of course, and would need to adjust the calories down.0 -
Thanks everyone for the replies. I'll check out the links provided and try to educate myself a bit more. Right now i know keep calories low and protein high. I still need to fill in all the other blanks in my mind haha.
I work alot during the week, going out the door at 6am and don't get back til almost 9pm, so i have a hard time prepping alot of meals, so i do frequent Subway, JimmyJohn's, and a few others. I figured as long as it's chicken/turkey with veggies and no cheese/sauces that it's fairly healthy. But i'm aware that these meals also come with alot of sodium generally. I'll try to work on cutting back on them and making something on my own at least a couple days a week.
I'm going to push myself up to the 1500c range for starters. I think the overall message here was that I'm averaging too low. I relalize that this is still low but i'll go with this and see how i feel and make a decision on where to go after a couple weeks at that level.
So, 1500c/day for now, and make more meals/snacks at home/go to the gym more.
Thanks again for all the help. I'm off to go research more now 1 -
Roothlus,
Like everyone mentioned, calories are definitely too low.
A lot of people do that. They will under eat, do a ton of cardio, and then they hit a plateu and have nothing to adjust and stop losing weight.
Even 1500 calories a day is still way too low for someone like you my friend. Especially days that you are going to the gym, those days they need to be a bit higher dependent on what you're doing.
[Edited by MFP Mods]0
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