530lb 26yo M 6’2” Looking for Caloric Intake and Macros Advice

swagmasterTswag

Hi Everyone! New to the community but happy to follow along with everyone on their journeys as I work through my own.

A little TL;DR of my journey:

I started to really take my health seriously for the first time in College shortly after I met my girlfriend of nearly 5 years now. In 2019 went from 487 to just over 400 within a period of a year or so by working out 5 hours a week and meal prepping. Gained a bit back, but was able to stabilize right around 425 for about a year or so — then Covid hit.

Gyms closing, an increasing amount of disposable income, and a conveniently timed DashPass promotion on a credit card meant that between 2021 and 2022 I gained 100lbs and I’ve hovered between 520 and 550 for about 18 months now, and in the past few weeks I’ve taken things more seriously than I have in quite some time.

My questions:

Using TDEE activity level Sedentary (WFH Tech job) I’ve calculated my daily caloric intake in a 500cal daily deficit at 3,700 calories per day. As far as Macro split, I’ve selected the Moderate Carb option which puts my macro split at 277g Protein, 144g Fat, 324g Carbs.

For someone my size, where I’m likely more than 50% body fat, how accurate is this calculator without knowing my body fat percentage?

Should I be eating fewer daily calories? Adding in some gym time, a couple of hours a week, so I’m looking to shed pounds fairly quickly but also want to build muscle and don’t want to burn myself out by cutting too deeply or not eating enough to support my increasing activity level. According to my Fitbit I’m averaging 5500 calories burned per day (I know it’s not insanely accurate but it’s some data to work off of).

Should I be operating on a different macro split? I find sometimes that it’s easy to get my protein in and always easy to hit fats but very difficult to hit that level of carb intake. I also know while blood panels show I’m not diabetic, I am slightly insulin resistant so I wonder if working on a lower carb intake would be beneficial.

Thanks in advance!

lynn_glenmont

You need to start somewhere, and 3700 cals/day seems reasonable. Log, track your weight, and after you have a month of data, adjust as necessary.

I wouldn't obsess over the macro split, although there's no downside I can think of if you would prefer to get more of your calories from protein and fat than your current split allows (and by prefer, I encompass being able to tolerate/enjoy/adhere to the lower carb level, which it sounds like you would).

One final thought -- have you seen a doctor to assess your current fitness for your new exercise routine? If you're significantly increasing your exercise loads over a short period, that could be a health risk. Even outside of things like cardio issues (which is what I expect a doctor would assess), rapid increases in exercise can pose injury risks (for anyone, at any weight). Maybe I'm misreading your sentence about wanting to shed pounds quickly and build muscle, but for a lot of folks, that mind-set is accompanied by a gung-ho, b***s-to-the-wall, no-pain-no-gain approach to workouts.

Take care of yourself, and best of luck.

swagmasterTswag

Thanks @lynn_glenmont!

I’ve been working with my doctor for awhile. She’s aware of and okay with my workout regimen and measures my vitals and blood levels every few months. My workout regimen is not insanely strenuous or dangerous for me, mostly walking and light to moderate resistance training in the gym, but still burns significant calories because of my size, generally 1000-1200cal/hr.

Her primary contribution has been that she’s suggested several GLP-1 medications, which I’m open to but while being approved by my insurance, would still cost me around $1k a month, which I have, but would certainly rather buy a house than donate $12k/yr to big pharma. I know manufacturer savings cards are available that would bring the cost down but people seem to have a nightmare getting them to work.

lynn_glenmont

swagmasterTswag wrote: »

Thanks @lynn_glenmont!

I’ve been working with my doctor for awhile. She’s aware of and okay with my workout regimen and measures my vitals and blood levels every few months. My workout regimen is not insanely strenuous or dangerous for me, mostly walking and light to moderate resistance training in the gym, but still burns significant calories because of my size, generally 1000-1200cal/hr.

Her primary contribution has been that she’s suggested several GLP-1 medications, which I’m open to but while being approved by my insurance, would still cost me around $1k a month, which I have, but would certainly rather buy a house than donate $12k/yr to big pharma. I know manufacturer savings cards are available that would bring the cost down but people seem to have a nightmare getting them to work.

Sounds like you're taking a sensible approach. Congrats on having a doctor who's supporting your efforts. (From these boards, my take-away is that many doctors consider their job over after they point out that weight loss would be good for your health. My own doctor's advise on how to do that was limited to recommending Weight Watchers and, once, suggesting some kind of fad diet.)

I think the medication issue is best for a discussion between you and your doctor, although I'm going to violate that by suggesting you clarify with her (if not already clear to you) whether she wants you on the medication to address a specific health issue or just as a general support in your weight loss efforts --- just so you can factor that into your decision.

Siona_Danica

Hey , I recommend you to get a person fitness coach and assistant, You can get one for free online, you can Dm me if you don't find one i know some.

ITVGuy2000

Siona_Danica wrote: »

Hey , I recommend you to get a person fitness coach and assistant, You can get one for free online, you can Dm me if you don't find one i know some.

Free? Online? Please elaborate.

LifeChangz

Hi @swagmasterTswag ~ how's it going?

i read this after you posted but had to hop off and was pondering things.... never quite made it back online...

had a couple thoughts - do you get a voracious appetite going? if so - the new weight loss drugs help that or you could explore a 'low-carb' eating approach?

i would say that the main underlying physical struggle I experience is the voracious appetite.... and the weight loss medications, like the GLP-1 types appear to put that in check. However, I have read, the appetite comes back if you go off the drug... - and i don't like the idea of being dependant on drugs, alcohol or whatnot... like the new weight loss drugs, and prefer not to have surgeries - and upshot that boils down to figuring out how to eat, in ways that work for my body and for me emotionally... and practice that. Eat enough, stop at enough, eat less as stable & able. I have found the mfp calculator guestimates fairly match my anticipated weight loss rates when I'm tracking cals. I have activity set at sedentary - but I don't do vigorous activity so I don't adjust for exercise/don't eat back exercise cals.

do hope you find what works well for you - and look forward to hearing how it goes

springlering62

I’d recommend at least a few visits to a dietician.

Dieticians are degreed professionals. )Anyone can claim to be a “nutritionist”, including a MLM salesperson, poorly educated trainer, some influencer selling supplements, etc.)

Two of the last three gyms I used offered discounted dietician visits as a corollary benefit. I used the dietician at my current gym and went armed with a list of questions every time, so I didn’t waste my visit.

Your health plan may offer free or discounted visits. Mine offered phone visits, which I also did several times.

Local health centers or community centers may offer visits.

I found dietician visits to be very helpful just for the suggestions, setting me straight on a few diet myths, and being able to present my MFP diary for a quick review and reassurance.

Mine also encouraged slow change and building habits, same as is stressed all over these boards for success.

Speaking of which, get involved on the boards and find “friends” in a similar situation, or whose advice you respect. The boards have been beyond helpful- encouragement, “success story” motivation, and most of all, educating me in the “real life” of weight loss.

I’ve more than reaped the benefits of these boards.

The friends list is more a social thing, but it’s reassuring to read others writing about struggling to maintain, or offering suggestions. It’s also very motivating to look at my newsfeed every morning and see a scroll of workouts folks have completed. Makes me feel like getting off my bum when I might not particularly be feelin’ it that morning.

Sincerely wishing you much success. Losing a large amount of weight has been revolutionary, life changing, cue the unicorn wand sounds.