How to practically maintain a moderate caloric deficitc that requires a high caloric intake without

Sheltone506009

Hey there, this is a major concern I’ve been having for a while. I’m not sure if i’m really addressing this topic the right way, but this is my first post here so here goes.

I’m gonna tell you a little about myself here.

I’m 20 years old, male, 5’7, Weigh round 177-182 pounds depends on the day and I’ve lost round 83 pounds in the last 4 5 months using the ketogenic diet, tons of cardio, fasting, and adopting a very active lifestyle and having far Far better eating habits.

That being said apart of this very active life style of mine is my current job which requires me to be on my feet all day long for hours on end. With this in mind and in addition to my routine workouts I find myself at the end of the day burning a considerable amount of calories.

As of recently I’ve gotten a Fitbit, It’s a Charge 3 which I’ve had now for about a month. Going by the calculations that the Fitbit has been giving me I’ve been burning around 4000-5000+ calories on my work days.

Here I log what I eat and I’m consuming on those day’s round 2700 calories to kinda find a median of sorts.

My calories are consistent of maintaining that “1 gram protein per pound per of body weight” idea which often I’ve heard about being thrown around and mentioned from weight lifters. ((Which i’m starting to begin.))

The rest of the calories typically composing of fats generally consumed from macadamaia nuts, cooking oils, and specific cooked meats to maintain a ketogenic state which has helped me immensely throughout my weight loss journey.

My macros here on My Fitness Pal consist of 70% Fat, 27% Protein, 2% Carbohydrates.

I eat several meals spread out throughout a day. 6 to 7 individual meals divided within 3 hours and maintain a caloric deficit upwards of 2000+ calories on a work day.

My question Is this. Is this too high of a deficit? I feel daily like I’m eating a ton! I’m honestly afraid to eat more in fear of gaining weight in fat.

Again I’m trying to maintain 1 gram of protein per body weight to maintain my muscle mass while attempting to maintain the ketogenic state. Doing this I’m consistently measuring out and prepping my meals with a scales and My Fitness Pal daily.

I’ve been weighing myself in the mornings and my weight has somewhat fluctuated from 177 to upwards of 184 pounds and now has somewhat waned and stayed between 180 and 179 pounds.

What does this mean?!

Am I eating too much, not enough, or am I at a maintenance limbo all of a sudden? Not really sure.

My goal is to continue to lose weight and plenty of it! This is in the attempt to “cut” and keep as much of a lean body mass as I possibly can and burn fat along the way but in doing so I’m eating more than I’ve ever imagined yet while doing so I’m at an upward of a 2000 calorie deficit while doing so.

When beginning my weight loss in the past weighing round 260ish pounds I’ve been eating at very high caloric deficit consuming maybe 1400~1800 calories making a general ball park estimate here while following the ketogenic program and was burning round the same as I do now.

That being said that’s kinda been my general caloric intake and it has remind consistent until recently. Now for the past couple of weeks I’ve gradually been consuming more calories about round 2100~ 2200 for bout a week or two and now round 2700 due to weight lifting and adjusting due to my Fitbit.

I feel like I’m eating like a big boy.

Honestly when it comes down to it I feel like my metabolism is trying to adjust but I wonder if I am actually doing the right thing here. Its a adjustment for me mentally too now and I’m not 100% sure yet if I feel that I’m doing the proper thing.

My goal now is to maintain and if at all possible gain as much muscle as I can and continue to lose weight and in doing so brings me back to the original question.

If I’m at a too high of a caloric deficit. ((Which is likely)) How do I close that gap and maintain a proper one practically without getting a sense that I’m over eating and fear of adding on unwanted pounds on the scale.

My solution has I’ve come up with is as follows. “Supplements maybe?” “Just packing on the food and going for it?” Or maybe More meals?” “Or Getting off Keto all together.”

This has left me kinda confused and wondering what to do next. So here I turn. If you read this all thank you for sticking round this long. Any ideas. 😅

neugebauer52

Great subject to discuss! Congratulations to a huge weight loss, well done! For me this is a typical example how different every single human body works. Once I have signed on with MFP and eventually actually trusted their advise (thank you!) I realized that I had to start to listen to my body, since it tells me what it needs and what not. Initially I started with low carbs, since bread and starch are my worst trigger food. By now I get all my carbs from vegetables, some fruit and milk products. (Started with 10% / 45 % / 45 % and after 18 months - and a very cold winter - my body requires about 1/3 each.) I do a regular calorie / weight loss calculation - my last one, after 550 days with MFP and a weight loss of 42 kg, I noticed the following: My food / beverage calories recorded don't match up with my weight loss, I tend to underestimate the calories by around 15 %. As much as I am moving my body with all that huge, extra weight: there is no way I burn as much as MFP / charts / gym machines / my neighbour / etc. etc. suggest: my body burns every single calorie slowly and by now I only record half of the exercise done as calories burned. With those 2 adjustments I get to within 3 % of reality. Initially my weight dropped off a little bit quicker, by now it has slowed down and I also realize that a fair amount of weight loss changes my metabolism, and MFP calculations are taking care of that.

cupcakesandproteinshakes

I think the advice is simple. If you are losing too fast then up your calories. How you do this is up to you. There are plenty of snack type foods you can eat on the go. Pb sandwiches work well. Nothing wrong with including a few treats like chocolate.

I’m not sure if you are doing keto still. If you are I don’t have any advice as I’ve never done it but I guess adding lots of oil to food will up yr calories.

cupcakesandproteinshakes

Sorry I reread and see you are keto still. Apologies.

steveko89

Regardless of what any device or calculator tells you, your data is going to give you the best feedback to answer your questions, provided it's accurate.

Are you weighing yourself consistently/accurately? Are you weighing/logging your food accurately and completely? If yes to both than just follow what the scale tells you, as another poster mentioned. This sort of iterative feedback control approach has served me and many others well.

FWIW, as many get to and/or closer to goal they decide to focus on improving body composition more than just losing weight. I cannot speak to personal experience but I've read things to suggest keto isn't nearly as advantageous for gaining muscle as it is for losing fat. It sounds like you're already prioritizing protein but trading in some fat for carbs will probably be helpful for energy levels if you pick up resistance training.

Overall, I don't think you're eating at too large of a deficit but your own data will be the best indicator for that. Since day-to-day scale weight fluctuates I'd recommend using a trending app to trend daily weights and smooth out fluctuations. Set an intake level and be consistent with it for a few weeks, see what the scale trend is doing and adjust accordingly. Pertaining to some specific things you mentioned, nearly all supplements are overrated/unnecessary unless you have some medically documented deficiency.