Need Help With My Caloric Intake For Weight Loss

ZeeLed · July 2020

Hey there.

I have been using MFP for the last 124 days and I've lost around 50 pounds in that time frame. I started out eating 1580 calories a day for a 2lb weight loss a week. At first things were great. I lost every week with no issue whatsoever. Around the middle of June I started to notice my weight loss slowing down. So I adjusted my goals in MFP and it brought my caloric intake down to 1560. Still nothing. I adjusted again and went down to 1540 and nothing came of that. I marked my lifestyle as Not Very Active and it brought me down to 1500 and I gained 3 pounds, which I'm positive is probably water retention, etc.

My question is, how many calories should I be eating to continue my weight loss? I am 5'9" and weigh 195. My goal weight is 165. I am doing HIIT programs in the mornings Mon-Fri and then I get 30 minutes to 60 minutes of walking/running a day. I always get at least 10,000 steps a day, but it's usually more. I weigh all of my foods, portion, and do my best to keep track of my Macros.

I am completely stumped on what else I can do. Did I start off eating too few calories? The 1580 I started with was my own input and not what MFP suggested. Right now MFP is saying that I should eat 1500 a day to lose 2lbs a week. Should I go down to 1400 or is that too low? Is 1200 too slow for a guy with my stats?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks,
Zee.

Lietchi · July 2020

Don't eat less, eat more. MFP will never give you a goal below 1500 by the way, it's the bare minimum for a man to ensure adequate nutrition.

And by the way, 50lbs in 124 days is almost 3lbs weight loss per week, too fast to be healthy, you've probably lost some muscle mass by doing that.

You only have 30lbs left to lose, that's not enough to allow a weight loss rate of 2lbs per week, you should choose a slower weight loss rate and put your activity level back to what it should be (count only your activity level NOT including exercise).
Then log your exercise separately and eat those calories.

ZeeLed · July 2020

Lietchi wrote: »

Don't eat less, eat more. MFP will never give you a goal below 1500 by the way, it's the bare minimum for a man to ensure adequate nutrition.

And by the way, 50lbs in 124 days is almost 3lbs weight loss per week, too fast to be healthy, you've probably lost some muscle mass by doing that.

You only have 30lbs left to lose, that's not enough to allow a weight loss rate of 2lbs per week, you should choose a slower weight loss rate and put your activity level back to what it should be (count only your activity level NOT including exercise).
Then log your exercise separately and eat those calories.

Thank you! I appreciate your help!

I adjusted my goals and set it to lose 1lb a week.

I am just worried that increasing my calories is going to lead to a weight gain. Or will it just speed up my metabolism and help with the weight loss at a healthier pace?

I apologize if I seem like I’m not understanding it. I’m still learning as I go.

TeaBea · July 2020

Increasing your calories won't speed up weight loss. Metabolism doesn't fluctuate that much.

You won't gain FAT if you increase calories, unless you are eating more than maintenance. If you eat 3,500 calories over maintenance you gain a pound. If you eat 3,500 calories less than maintenance you lose a pound.

Temporary fluctuations in water weight are just noise. You want to look for the long-term trend, not the day to day stuff.

https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

Lietchi · July 2020

ZeeLed wrote: »

Lietchi wrote: »

Don't eat less, eat more. MFP will never give you a goal below 1500 by the way, it's the bare minimum for a man to ensure adequate nutrition.

And by the way, 50lbs in 124 days is almost 3lbs weight loss per week, too fast to be healthy, you've probably lost some muscle mass by doing that.

You only have 30lbs left to lose, that's not enough to allow a weight loss rate of 2lbs per week, you should choose a slower weight loss rate and put your activity level back to what it should be (count only your activity level NOT including exercise).
Then log your exercise separately and eat those calories.

Thank you! I appreciate your help!

I adjusted my goals and set it to lose 1lb a week.

I am just worried that increasing my calories is going to lead to a weight gain. Or will it just speed up my metabolism and help with the weight loss at a healthier pace?

I apologize if I seem like I’m not understanding it. I’m still learning as I go.

Increasing your calorie intake might increase your weight a bit short-term, but it's not fat, it will be some increased water weight and food waste in your system. The trick is to look at your long-term weight trend.
You can increase your calories gradually to soften the effect.

Redordeadhead · July 2020

Lietchi wrote: »

Don't eat less, eat more. MFP will never give you a goal below 1500 by the way, it's the bare minimum for a man to ensure adequate nutrition.

And by the way, 50lbs in 124 days is almost 3lbs weight loss per week, too fast to be healthy, you've probably lost some muscle mass by doing that.

You only have 30lbs left to lose, that's not enough to allow a weight loss rate of 2lbs per week, you should choose a slower weight loss rate and put your activity level back to what it should be (count only your activity level NOT including exercise).
Then log your exercise separately and eat those calories.

This, plus note that a 20 calorie per day reduction is unlikely to make any noticable difference. You need a deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1lb, so 20 calories day us only an extra 140 per week, or 0.04lb.

Overall though, it looks like you are making great progress and that weight loss is just slowing down a bit, as is natural as you get closer to goal. Keep it up!

HeidiCooksSupper · July 2020

Yes, there are VLCDs (very low calorie diets) overseen by physicians -- but that's the thing, they are overseen by physicians. To stay on a VLCD for any period of time safely you must follow specific nutritional rules and take doctor ordered supplements.

If you are young and otherwise healthy, you are likely to survive an unsupervised too-low-calorie diet for a short period of time like a couple of months without permanent damage to your heart or your brain but why risk it? To lose 2 pounds this week rather than one, 8 pounds this month rather than 4? What's the hurry? If your goal is being healthy why do anything that would risk it?

ZeeLed · July 2020

Thank you all for the help! I looked up my TDEE and calculated everything based off of that and what MFP is suggesting. I am aiming for a 1lb a week weight loss now. I really appreciate all of your replies.

J72FIT · July 2020

At your height and activity level you should lose weight just fine at 2000 cals a day.

bmeadows380 · July 2020

ZeeLed wrote: »

Thank you all for the help! I looked up my TDEE and calculated everything based off of that and what MFP is suggesting. I am aiming for a 1lb a week weight loss now. I really appreciate all of your replies.

Definitely suggest also finding a trend app as well to help smooth out those daily spikes - they really do help keep your sanity, especially in situations where water weight is playing havoc with your weight. HappyScale for apple and I think its Libra(?) for Android.

Late summer heat and humidity I have found kill me with water weight gains and make my weight loss look like its at a stand still. I'm learning to have my little mini meltdown over it, then be sure I'm sticking with the program and wait the heat out. Water weight won't win forever, and autumn is coming, so I just keep reminding myself I'm doing what I'm supposed to and eventually the scale will catch up.

Jacq_qui · July 2020

ZeeLed wrote: »

I am just worried that increasing my calories is going to lead to a weight gain. Or will it just speed up my metabolism and help with the weight loss at a healthier pace?

If it makes you feel any better, I upped my cals a few weeks ago and was very nervous about it. I haven't gained any weight, I am still losing weight. (I've also switched to weighing daily as that takes away my anxiety about stepping on the scales once a week)

FitterFifteen · July 2020

Weight loss isn’t always linear, even when you’re consistent and remain at a deficit. You’ve done fantastically so far and have lost a great deal, congratulations!
A few weeks of maintaining isn’t out of the ordinary, if you stick to it, you will start to lose again. I wouldn’t cut down calories anymore to try and accelerate the process, particularly if you’re keeping active with your exercise as your muscles need fuel!

adusia992 · July 2020

ZeeLed wrote: »

Hey there.

I have been using MFP for the last 124 days and I've lost around 50 pounds in that time frame. I started out eating 1580 calories a day for a 2lb weight loss a week. At first things were great. I lost every week with no issue whatsoever. Around the middle of June I started to notice my weight loss slowing down. So I adjusted my goals in MFP and it brought my caloric intake down to 1560. Still nothing. I adjusted again and went down to 1540 and nothing came of that. I marked my lifestyle as Not Very Active and it brought me down to 1500 and I gained 3 pounds, which I'm positive is probably water retention, etc.

My question is, how many calories should I be eating to continue my weight loss? I am 5'9" and weigh 195. My goal weight is 165. I am doing HIIT programs in the mornings Mon-Fri and then I get 30 minutes to 60 minutes of walking/running a day. I always get at least 10,000 steps a day, but it's usually more. I weigh all of my foods, portion, and do my best to keep track of my Macros.

I am completely stumped on what else I can do. Did I start off eating too few calories? The 1580 I started with was my own input and not what MFP suggested. Right now MFP is saying that I should eat 1500 a day to lose 2lbs a week. Should I go down to 1400 or is that too low? Is 1200 too slow for a guy with my stats?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks,
Zee.

adusia992 · July 2020

So the general rule is to be in 3500 deficit a week to loose 1pound. You need to calculate how many calories you burn per day. Obviously if you excercise you will create more deficit. Hope that helps.

Need Help With My Caloric Intake For Weight Loss

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