300 lbs looking for advice on diet

dpandolfo0928

So I'm about a month into eating clean, watching calories and working out. My daily goal is around 2200 to 2500 calories a day. I workout 4 to 5 days a week and have a cheat day once a week. Will my body go into starvation mode with that low of calories? Can I build muscle and lose weight?

estherdragonbat

Short answer? Starvation mode doesn't exist. But too aggressive a deficit can and will impact your health, your energy, your nutrition, your satiety, and likely other things. How much are you eating on your cheat day? How many calories did MFP give you as a target?

Note: If you have a daily goal of 2500, eat 2200 6 days a week, and 4300 on your cheat day, it all balances out (i.e. you're going to average 2500) and there's no problem whatsoever. If your cheat day puts your weekly average at maintenance or over, you will stall or gain.

zeejane03

What does MFP give you for calories, with a 2lb a week loss deficit? Follow that and then eat back some of your exercise calories as well.

Clean eating is a completely subjective and arbitrary term and means nothing in terms of weight loss. Eat whatever foods you like eating, just fit them into your calorie targets.

Starvation mode is not a thing.

You cannot build muscle while in a calorie deficit, however you'll want to preserve what you have as much as possible by hitting an adequate protein intake, not losing to much weight to fast etc.

fastfoodietofitcutie

How did you do the first month?

PAV8888

zeejane03 wrote: »

You cannot build muscle while in a calorie deficit, however you'll want to preserve what you have as much as possible by hitting an adequate protein intake, not losing to much weight to fast etc.

Actually an over fat beginner exerciser is definitely in a position to have actual muscle building take place even in a caloric deficit.

https://sci-fit.net/bulking-deficit-gaining/

cheryldumais

PAV8888 wrote: »

zeejane03 wrote: »

You cannot build muscle while in a calorie deficit, however you'll want to preserve what you have as much as possible by hitting an adequate protein intake, not losing to much weight to fast etc.

Actually an over fat beginner exerciser is definitely in a position to have actual muscle building take place even in a caloric deficit.

https://sci-fit.net/bulking-deficit-gaining/

Thank you for sharing this!

zeejane03

PAV8888 wrote: »

zeejane03 wrote: »

You cannot build muscle while in a calorie deficit, however you'll want to preserve what you have as much as possible by hitting an adequate protein intake, not losing to much weight to fast etc.

Actually an over fat beginner exerciser is definitely in a position to have actual muscle building take place even in a caloric deficit.

https://sci-fit.net/bulking-deficit-gaining/

Thanks for correcting me, good to know!

kellyjellybellyjelly

dpandolfo0928 wrote: »

So I'm about a month into eating clean, watching calories and working out. My daily goal is around 2200 to 2500 calories a day. I workout 4 to 5 days a week and have a cheat day once a week. Will my body go into starvation mode with that low of calories? Can I build muscle and lose weight?

@dpandolfo0928 instead of having a cheat day once a week why don't you incorporate your favorite foods in your overall diet?

Since you're at a higher weight & probably have more wiggle room with your calories it could work for now, but once you lose weight & have a smaller deficit to play around with a cheat day could easily blow your weeks worth of effort in one day or even one meal.

Also it's imperative to eat in a way that will work while in maintenance. Depending on how clean your definition of eating is will that be the way you eat once you hit maintenance? If not then find a way that will be sustainable not only in maintenance, but life.