Newbie - Is this right?
jbean1990
Posts: 69 Member
Hey 
I'm quite a fitness noice, a 26 year old male, and 6 foot 1/ 13 stone 4lbs. About 6 weeks ago I was 15 stone 2lbs and went on quite a strict diet using MFP, then had a crash 3 week and went off. I'm now averaging about 600 - 700 calories per day, is this enough? I've read a few things about how a low calorie diet can stop weightloss or lose muscle. I now run about 4-5k 5 days per week, but still want to lose more so I'm under 13 stone. I'm just concerned if I start eating more I'll lose my fitness/stamina/running or put a load of weight on?
I'm quite a fitness noice, a 26 year old male, and 6 foot 1/ 13 stone 4lbs. About 6 weeks ago I was 15 stone 2lbs and went on quite a strict diet using MFP, then had a crash 3 week and went off. I'm now averaging about 600 - 700 calories per day, is this enough? I've read a few things about how a low calorie diet can stop weightloss or lose muscle. I now run about 4-5k 5 days per week, but still want to lose more so I'm under 13 stone. I'm just concerned if I start eating more I'll lose my fitness/stamina/running or put a load of weight on? 0
Replies
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Nope. You should be eating a minimum of 1500 calories, if not the goal given to you. Eating more will actually help your fitness as well as you're properly fueling your body.2
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The minimum for a sedentary male is 1500 calories...600-700 calories per day isn't even close to enough...exercise on top of that isn't doing you any favors either. Fitness requires fuel...calories are fuel. Fit people eat and train.
I'm 42 going on 43 and 5'10" and I can lose about 1 Lb per week eating around 2300 calories per day on average.2 -
*kitten* man - get some food in you! you're doing yourself some serious harm and won't stick to it. Lifestyle not diet2
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I know long term it isn't possible, and it's easier to stick to if I boost it. Just worried I'll ruin what I've done so far, I'm joining a running club so will be exercising more too. I struggle to find snacks to eat, any recommendations? (I hate fruit and am a fussy eater!)
Do you think of still lose weight on a 1500 diet then?0 -
I had to make sure I read this right before I responded..
You realize that the less you eat the less you will be able to exercise and therefore you will lose fitness/stamina because you will not be able to run therefore you lose it all that way including your muscle mass.
Up the calories, to a reasonable deficit to lose slower and keep your muscle mass while losing weight and you will still be able to exercise and stay active.. the way you are doing it is the complete opposite of the right way to do it.0 -
I know long term it isn't possible, and it's easier to stick to if I boost it. Just worried I'll ruin what I've done so far, I'm joining a running club so will be exercising more too. I struggle to find snacks to eat, any recommendations? (I hate fruit and am a fussy eater!)
Do you think of still lose weight on a 1500 diet then?
Yes, but at your size you should be eating more. I'm a 5'6" female and I can lose a pound a week on 2000 calories.1 -
That's one way to lose. You'll probably crash and burn, pass out somewhere, become foggy or unable to concentrate, become sick more easily, lose your hair and sex drive, and trash your muscles (heart is a muscle), and hamper your exercise performance. Up your calories, fuel your workouts.5
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Cardio literally melts fat away - you may be putting your body into shock whereby it stores fat because it doesnt know where the next calories are coming from. Calorific deficit will always make you lose weight. Best advice you can have is take it slow and before you start hitting any kind of excersise hard - learn everything you can about your own body and nutrition, how it works, then plan it all out.
Good snacks to have will vary on your needs - always check the calorie intake on protein bars, keep things as natural as possible. Ive always found that listening to my body - it tells me what i want. If i want fries really bad... its asking me for some carbs, if i want meat really bad... protein... etc etc
I eat 2250 calories a day whilst I'm cutting weight - when i do my MMA training on those days i can hit almost 3000 calories... I'm still losing weight.
Nutrition is the key10 -
You see this is the thing, I've not felt any different exercise wise. I'm a teacher on my feet all day and felt no ill effects so far, although from what you say I imagine it'll get harder? Would upping the calories mean I keep muscle mass? As I assume that is what's going Now from what you've said?
Just another Q, sorry! Is there such thing as a 'bad' calorie? Say I ate 100KCAL of potatoes, or 100 of a biscuit, weight wise would it be the same?0 -
You see this is the thing, I've not felt any different exercise wise. I'm a teacher on my feet all day and felt no ill effects so far, although from what you say I imagine it'll get harder? Would upping the calories mean I keep muscle mass? As I assume that is what's going Now from what you've said?
Just another Q, sorry! Is there such thing as a 'bad' calorie? Say I ate 100KCAL of potatoes, or 100 of a biscuit, weight wise would it be the same?
But you will.. your body can only sustain at low calories for so long before short term side effects start happening and if you continue down this path they can become longer term health/medical problems.
Upping the calories to a min in which your are losing at a slower rate as possible will help preserve your muscle mass and consume ample protein during this process.
Eat what ever you want to eat within the amount of calories MFP gives you to lose weight (i.e .5 pounds a week).1 -
You do not want to lose as fast as possible. You want to lose it slower as possible to preserve muscle mass and also be able to fuel your body so you can be active and run as you described in your OP...
How many total pounds do you need to lose?
Why this hurry up approach to your weight loss?0 -
You see this is the thing, I've not felt any different exercise wise. I'm a teacher on my feet all day and felt no ill effects so far, although from what you say I imagine it'll get harder? Would upping the calories mean I keep muscle mass? As I assume that is what's going Now from what you've said?
Just another Q, sorry! Is there such thing as a 'bad' calorie? Say I ate 100KCAL of potatoes, or 100 of a biscuit, weight wise would it be the same?
You may feel fine, until you don't. At that point, the damage is done. It can take a long time to recover from being undernourished (which is exactly what you are doing). Personally, I need about 1500 calories per day to hit all my macros (proteins, fats, carbs) and micros (vitamins, minerals). It could be done in less.
When you lose weight, some of it will come from fat stores and some from muscle. This happens regardless. However, your body has a limit on how much of that can come from fat. So when you have a steep deficit, you lose a greater ratio from muscle than you would at a lower deficit.
As for calories, you will see this gets argued around here ad nauseum. The calorie count itself is where the weightloss/gain happens. So purely from a weight perspective 100 calories=100 calories. From a nutritional perspective, they won't be equal. Balance in my diet includes a variety of nutrient rich foods, with occasional fun foods. You will need to find what works for you and your lifestyle and preferences.0 -
Ideally I'd like be under 13 stone, in the middle of the BMI scale which would be 12 stone 5lbs.
Also 3 years ago I was a 34 waist, I went up to 38 and am now at 36, ideally I want to get back to 34 ready for the new school year in September when I buy work clothes.
The rush is just how I am, I know it's not perfect but I like to do things ASAP.1 -
So any tips for reducing waist line are appreciated too! thanks! 0
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Ideally I'd like be under 13 stone, in the middle of the BMI scale which would be 12 stone 5lbs.
Also 3 years ago I was a 34 waist, I went up to 38 and am now at 36, ideally I want to get back to 34 ready for the new school year in September when I buy work clothes.
The rush is just how I am, I know it's not perfect but I like to do things ASAP.
Didn't the OP say you were 12 stone 2 pounds or was this in another time frame? And you did it restricting calories?
Well rushing it is unhealthy, you lose viable muscle mass, and your hormones will tank, your immune system will tank and you will start feeling unwell therefore you will not be able at keep up with the running as you describe. You will be back peddling to correct unhealthy results from doing it this in a manner that is not sustainable and better for your over all health.. Better habits are not formed for long term results doing it this way either.
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So any tips for reducing waist line are appreciated too! thanks!
Calorie deficit is how you lose fat/weight around the waist line.
Recommendation, ample protein and start a structured strength training program, sooner the better. Cardio is fine too, but just know you need to fuel all this type of activity, use your calories to work for you and not against you.
Find balance for all, weight loss and exercise and things will start happening if you choose to not do this rapid and in an unsustaining method as your described.0 -
Ideally I'd like be under 13 stone, in the middle of the BMI scale which would be 12 stone 5lbs.
Also 3 years ago I was a 34 waist, I went up to 38 and am now at 36, ideally I want to get back to 34 ready for the new school year in September when I buy work clothes.
The rush is just how I am, I know it's not perfect but I like to do things ASAP.
Didn't the OP say you were 12 stone 2 pounds or was this in another time frame? And you did it restricting calories?
Well rushing it is unhealthy, you lose viable muscle mass, and your hormones will tank, your immune system will tank and you will start feeling unwell therefore you will not be able at keep up with the running as you describe. You will be back peddling to correct unhealthy results from doing it this in a manner that is not sustainable and better for your over all health.. Better habits are not formed for long term results doing it this way either.
I'm 13 stone 4 or 5 ATM, but was 15 2 at my heaviest0 -
So you only have a stone to lose at most. Losing quickly is the worst thing you can do now because you don't have as much fat to lose, and a lot of it will end up burning muscle.
Set your goal to lose half a pound a week. Eat that much plus a portion of your exercise calories. You probably will see a gain at first as your glycogen stores fill up from moving from lower calories to higher, but that will be temporary.2 -
Ask yourself if you want to lose weight and be healthy and fit or if you want to do a crash diet and harm your health. If you want to be healthy lose weight slower, eat atleast 1500 net, eat a variety of foods and no food is bad you just need a balance between nutritionally dense foods and calorie dense food.
Good luck0 -
Ideally I'd like be under 13 stone, in the middle of the BMI scale which would be 12 stone 5lbs.
Also 3 years ago I was a 34 waist, I went up to 38 and am now at 36, ideally I want to get back to 34 ready for the new school year in September when I buy work clothes.
The rush is just how I am, I know it's not perfect but I like to do things ASAP.
Didn't the OP say you were 12 stone 2 pounds or was this in another time frame? And you did it restricting calories?
Well rushing it is unhealthy, you lose viable muscle mass, and your hormones will tank, your immune system will tank and you will start feeling unwell therefore you will not be able at keep up with the running as you describe. You will be back peddling to correct unhealthy results from doing it this in a manner that is not sustainable and better for your over all health.. Better habits are not formed for long term results doing it this way either.
I'm 13 stone 4 or 5 ATM, but was 15 2 at my heaviest
With only this much to lose, set MFP to lost at .5 per week. Losing any faster will be assured that you lose viable muscle as discussed up thread.. also doing this faster in the final pounds, the less calories your body has to work with for normal functions will only compound the losing of those last few pounds. Balance your nutrition but be assured that you are getting ample protein as well.0 -
How often do you have 'cheat' meals? On Friday I had the first unhealthy thing in a long time when I had s hot dog and fries to celebrate some work stuff, I imagine it ots rare it won't effect weight loss due to the total calories for the week and the deficit already created?0
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How often do you have 'cheat' meals? On Friday I had the first unhealthy thing in a long time when I had s hot dog and fries to celebrate some work stuff, I imagine it ots rare it won't effect weight loss due to the total calories for the week and the deficit already created?
Never. I still have hot dogs regularly, including yesterday, although I only eat fries if I'm at a restaurant where I actually like them. They ended up being the only things I ate since I was at a baseball game (coneys with chili and cheese), but I was still within my calories. If I want something, I make it work with what I have.1 -
ALL food (with the exception perhaps being alcohol) has nutritional value, even if that is just calories to make sure you are fuelled enough. Don't moralise food especially when you're already hugely under eating.
You're tall, you're male, you're active. You can 100% eat a lot more than you already are and lose weight just fine.4 -
OP, how much have you been losing per week, on average?0
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There's absolutely nothing right about a grown man eating 600-700 calories per day. Nothing.
Here are three of the many wonderful things you have to look forward to if you continue with it:
1) Loss of a lot of muscle mass and ending up "skinny fat" when you've lost the weight.
2) Your workout performance going in the toilet and a general lack of energy.
3) Your health deteriorating from malnutrition.
[ETA:] On the flip side, I guess it's an awesome diet if your overall goal is to look like one of those third world kids in the "cure world hunger" commercials - squatting in the dirt with your bony arms and ribs showing, a protruding gut and flies crawling all over your face. That's an attainable goal on that kind of diet.
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How often do you have 'cheat' meals? On Friday I had the first unhealthy thing in a long time when I had s hot dog and fries to celebrate some work stuff, I imagine it ots rare it won't effect weight loss due to the total calories for the week and the deficit already created?
I eat A LOT of different calorie choices especially on the weekends (I personally do not eat hot dogs) but my calorie choices can include foods higher in sodium and higher carbs which results in water weight gain afterwards, if you adhered to a calorie deficit at the end of the week, it will affect nothing from you losing weight..
You stated you were averaging 600-700 calories per day, so this was the only meal you had for the day?
I think you are worrying way too much about calories and demonizing food choices for what ever reason you have decided to do so..3 -
How often do you have 'cheat' meals? On Friday I had the first unhealthy thing in a long time when I had s hot dog and fries to celebrate some work stuff, I imagine it ots rare it won't effect weight loss due to the total calories for the week and the deficit already created?
I eat A LOT of different calorie choices especially on the weekends (I personally do not eat hot dogs) but my calorie choices can include foods higher in sodium and higher carbs which results in water weight gain afterwards, if you adhered to a calorie deficit at the end of the week, it will affect nothing from you losing weight..
You stated you were averaging 600-700 calories per day, so this was the only meal you had for the day?
I think you are worrying way too much about calories and demonizing food choices for what ever reason you have decided to do so..
I didn't track that day, and really went all out and binged, which in retrospect proves what you are all saying!
I averaged about 120 for breakfast, 100 for lunch and 500 for dinner. I'm up to 740 today with some low fat/sugar gingerbread cookies in the oven to boost me up and going to have more snacks tonight to hit 1200, then move up to 1500 tomorrow
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