Scared to gain weight, I don’t want to get fat but don’t know how many calories I should eat.

Jmoney711

I’m a male 20 years old 5 foot 10 inches tall 150 pounds. My activity is 15000 steps a day or more. On average I ate around 2000 calories, but that was for losing weight. My family said I shouldn’t loose anymore and my friends all comment how I look “really skinny” I don’t see it that way but I just want to maintain where I am at. Any suggestions on how much I should be eating?

PAV8888

How much were you eating and losing during the:

past 2 weeks
past 4 weeks
past 6 weeks
the four week period starting 2 weeks ago and ending 6 weeks ago
Were these time periods showing "normal" losses for you or were you doing something different?

Alternatively: set MFP to very active. Eat at least that number of Calories. Evaluate your weight trend as it changes starting 1+ week after the initial increase.

<On average I have to eat MORE than "very active calories" to maintain my weight when my activity is at 15,000 steps>

Jmoney711

Based on MFP when I set my goal to maintaining weight at 150 pounds with a “very active” setting it says I should consume 3000 calories.

Is that normal? It’s hard to consider myself very active. Is 15000 steps a day considered very active even if it’s low intensity?

Also for me weight trend the past few weeks I lost about 1 pound a week.

briscogun

If you lost an average of 1 lb per week then you would need to add 500 calories a day to maintain. Try doing that for a few weeks and see if your weight stabilizes, then make adjustments up or down as needed.

PAV8888

15K steps is at the upper limits of very active. It will exceed very active calories way more times than it will fall short of them. Assuming you track to the population norms. And that your intake is accurate-ish.

You are being slightly coy in terms of coming up with your hard and actual numbers.

Your exact deficits and weight level changes over months, not a single week, will give an indication as to whether there exists Adaptive Thermogenesis at play and the level of AT, if any, that we may be dealing with. Your actual intake and weight level changes will give closer to actual numbers. All this, of course, depends on the "quality" of your logging.

BUT, you're giving general numbers (I ate about 2000, I lost about a lb, I am only disclosing the last week), and "demanding" precision for an answer.

So, the answer remains: eat 3,000, evaluate your weight trend after 3-4 weeks if male 4-6 weeks if female. Adjust as and if needed.

You're angling to hear don't eat more than 2,500. This is called bargaining. And fear.

You're BMI 21.5 and 20 years old. There is no rational reason why you would be scared to increase your calories.

You're the one increasing them. You're the one regulating your intake and exercise output. You are not a passive observer.

If you are unable to act because of irrational fear, then you ought to be looking into getting some help, right?

There is a very good likelihood that when you increase your caloric intake you will also be increasing your unconscious (and autonomic) expenditure and that your most current losses (if at the tail end of a long duration or high deficit restriction) are under-representing the calories you would have to eat to balance.

There is a very good likelihood that when you increase your calories and eat more, due to volume of food and replenishment of energy stores you will show an immediate scale increase.

If you are not eating at the balancing point you will continue to lose fat reserves even if the scale doesn't immediately reflect it. By the time you see it reflected on the scale, a good amount of time will have gone by.

Why a good amount of time?

Because a small deficit or surplus (which is what we're talking about when discussing any points above the 2500 level you're angling for and the 3000 level that most estimations would have you at) will not show clearly for several weeks -- which also goes to point out that your level of concern is excessive.

Only you know whether your health risks are higher overshooting or undershooting your maintenance.

From an outside perspective, your level of concern, together with the indication of family concern, says that continuing at a deficit is a higher risk for you.

This is the internet and I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. It is not THAT difficult to enlist professional assistance these days, what with virtual visits and all!

Assuming you keep your activity constant, eat 3K. See where you're at in a few weeks. Adjust. If you find yourself unable to bring yourself to do so, by itself, this says that getting some help would be an incredibly good idea.

Jmoney711

Wow I really appreciate that response, and I will do so and eat at 3000 calories and continue my energy output while tracking for a couple weeks and see how it goes.

Skrib69

Adjust and review regularly!