Need help with weight!! Please respond

helpme8319

Hi, I am a male 30 years old 348.5pounds , and I started my weight lose goal on oct 20th I use to drink a lot of sodas and sweet tea and was not active! I would go to all you can eat buffet 4-5 times a week.

Now since I have stared I have gave up all sodas, and sweet tea! I have stated to walk 35-40mins aday 5 days a week, and Also do a lot of juggling with my arms and hand for 25-30mins aday. I am also eating low calories food no junk or fast food. and I am eating fruit and vegs.

So I am confussed!!!!! I have been told to lose weight I should eat 2,989 aday and on onther web sites it says I should eat 3,154 calories a day. but I am eating 1,000-1,300 a day and doing workouts. but on myfitnesspal it says I only burn 364 calories aday to me this in not no where near enough to lose weight!!, Is it???

I am eating below my calorie defect and walking and moving more! so will I lose weight?

I feel if I eat 1,800-2,500 calories aday and only burn 364 a day then I will not lose! I need all the help I can get. I did lose 10pounds in the firs week but I think it was water more than fat! and I hope I am doing the right think. as my work will not let me workout all day only 1 hour in the morning before work.

please email me back.

doylenic

If you try to cut to much to soon you will make yourself ill. Due to your current weight your body will need a certain amount to function.

I go to yhe gym and the guys say that any thing less ygan 1500 net may put you into starvation mode and you can become ill. I know I find it hard to take in and want to eat 1200 as thats what I thimk I should. Dont get me wrong my goal is 1290 but I exercise to get more.


Hope this helps x

helpme8319

thanks, I am even thinking about joining the YMCA to learn the right way to workout to burn the most fat and get the most ot of my work out to lose weight. as I am Green and know nothing.

LizL217

It's important to remember that you are burning calories all day just by existing and performing normal bodily functions like breathing. MyFitnessPal includes these calories in estimating your calorie target, which is why when you exercise it says that you "earned" an additional XXX # of calories from exercise. You could not exercise at all and still lose weight if you are eating fewer calories than your "maintenance" level.

The mistake that some newbies make is to cut out too much too fast, thinking that even though MyFitnessPal gives them a certain number of calories they're allowed to have, they might as well eat as little as possible and exercise as much as possible to lose weight even faster. Great plan, right? Not really. For one, eating too little and exercising too much can put strain on your body and make it harder to get proper nutrition to perform those normal bodily functions like breathing. For another, if you change your lifestyle too drastically, it will be harder to make it a sustainable habit. Make small changes to start, get accustomed to them, then make more small changes.

Your plan of speaking to a trainer at the gym is a good one, and I would suggest perhaps also speaking to a nutritionist to come up with a good plan for how to change your eating habits to a healthy, sustainable, nutritious meal plan.

Good luck!

dancephysics

Additionally, find an online calculator to determine your BMR (basal metabolic rate). This is the amount of calories your body burns just by existing and going through its basic bodily functions. This is what your body would burn if you were in a coma. You should never eat below your BMR. If you do eat below your BMR for a sustained period, you are getting fewer calories than your body needs just to function, so it will stop functioning.

briandahawaiian

Definitely eat more! I'm 385lbs and take in about 2000 cals a day and also I try to eat back most of my workout calories. You should also think about adding some strength training to your workouts!! I do three days weight training with 15 mins cardio to wrap it up, and three days cardio, and one day rest. Rinse and repeat!! The strength training will ensure that you don't lose too much muscle while you are burning fat (if that makes sense). You want the fat to go not the muscle!! Add me, so we can keep track of each other!!!

CallMeCupcakeDammit

If you were given a higher calorie goal, why would you cut it so drastically? Figure out your TDEE and subtract 20% and NET that. That should get you losing. You have to make sure you're getting enough to meet your nutrient needs.

loneaffliction

Everything that has been said so far is absolutely correct. It sounds like you're on the right track to making better choices, but you definitely need to fuel your body more. You can calculate your TDEE and BMR here: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/. Using the "sedentary" setting, you would also eat back your exercise calories, though MFP generally overestimates these, so be careful with just how much you eat back. I usually shoot for about half.

Your TDEE is how many calories your body would use if you were just lying in bed all day, normal bodily functions, like breathing and digestion. You should always try to eat at at least your BMR. MFP is designed to already calculate a caloric deficit, meaning eating fewer calories than you burn through exercise and normal bodily functions, so your goal should already be relatively close. Since you have so much to lose, you should probably set your goal around TDEE - 20% (or TDEE x 0.8) if you hope to lose about 2 pounds per week.

Don't be afraid to eat more. Eating at your TDEE is "maintenance," how many calories you would consume if you wanted to maintain your current weight. Consider how many you were probably consuming on average daily to come to the point where you are. You're looking for an appropriate deficit, but don't think that reducing your calories very low will speed the process, as others suggested. Remember, your primary goal is probably to become healthier, and it looks like you're already doing a good job at working towards that.

Here are some other links you may want to read through to set you on your way:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/841305-corn-used-my-man-parts-as-a-speedbag

ETA: Also, don't stress how many pounds you lose day to day. Weigh in about once a week and monitor your progress in the long run. If you're consistent with eating at a deficit, you'll see the number start to trend downward. Keep a reasonable goal in mind, like 2 pounds per week. I set small goals for myself to make sure I'm on the right track. It takes time, but it's totally worth it.

Gnaterlie

I agree with Brian. You may want to lose weight fast but if you want to keep if off forever you are just hurting yourself in the long run. I eat 1800 to 2000 calories a day but I don't eat back my workout calories. As you lose weight your caloric intake will need to adjust to your new body and workout habits. I started working out at home with walking (I can walk for hours on end now) but I moved up to circuit training and interval biking, supposedly it's the best way to keep your body burning fat. At least this week.

helpme8319

Thanks for all of your commits , So if I understand this, If It says I burn 4,550 calories aday by doing nothing, then if I eat 1,900-2,00 a day and still walk 35-40mins 5 days a week does this mean I will lose weight? I just can't see that! as I am only burning 340 calories through workouts and that's no where more burned calories then I am taking in! I read in order to lose weight you have to burn more than you eat, well if I eat 1,500-1,800 let's say a day and only burn 340 from workouts then I am not burning enough!! Right????

I am just so confessed! and need the best help.

Inshape13

What are some more of your stats such as height and age and then I can post what the TDEE calculator states and what it all means for you?

erickirb

Thanks for all of your commits , So if I understand this, If It says I burn 4,550 calories aday by doing nothing, then if I eat 1,900-2,00 a day and still walk 35-40mins 5 days a week does this mean I will lose weight? I just can't see that! as I am only burning 340 calories through workouts and that's no where more burned calories then I am taking in! I read in order to lose weight you have to burn more than you eat, well if I eat 1,500-1,800 let's say a day and only burn 340 from workouts then I am not burning enough!! Right????

I am just so confessed! and need the best help.

All this means is you have to eat less than 4,550 to lose doing the exercise you planned on. To lose 1 lb/week you would eat 4050/day, to lose 2lbs/week you would eat 3550/week, as for every 500 cals you eat below 4,550/day you should expect to lose 1lb/week.

jeffpettis

Thanks for all of your commits , So if I understand this, If It says I burn 4,550 calories aday by doing nothing, then if I eat 1,900-2,00 a day and still walk 35-40mins 5 days a week does this mean I will lose weight? I just can't see that! as I am only burning 340 calories through workouts and that's no where more burned calories then I am taking in! I read in order to lose weight you have to burn more than you eat, well if I eat 1,500-1,800 let's say a day and only burn 340 from workouts then I am not burning enough!! Right????

I am just so confessed! and need the best help.

It sounds like you have it in your head that you must exercise to lose weight. You can lose weight just as easily with your diet alone and never do a minute of exercise. I'm not saying you shouldn't exercise, what I am saying is don't put so much emphasis on exercise. Get your diet in order first. Your diet is going to dictate your weight loss, exercise is just a tool to "help" achieve it.

helpme8319

Sure I am 30 years old 6' 3'' and as of today My scale says I am down to 346.8 pounds, I have just started to walk 35 mins aday for 5 day a week before I was not active at all.

best chris

Lleldiranne

Your body burns calories just sitting there, even sleeping. That is included in the "eat less than you burn." So the calorie goal you have been given by MFP will be fewer calories than that, before exercise. Exercise just increases your burn, and is good for you in many other ways. Take the small steps like you have been (cutting out the sugary drinks and walking more is a great start! ) rather than trying to change everything at once. The point is not to suffer to lose weight, but do it in a way that you think "hey, this isn't bad, I can keep doing this!"

lavieboheme1229

So you are getting bombarded with a lot of information and a lot of technical terms, and no one is really wrong at all. But I hope to clarify this for you in one simple post.

You were probably eating at least 3,500-5,000 calories a day to carry the weight you did. So we know that is too much. I'm 6' and weight 175, and I burn approximately 2,200 calories a day just by being alive and going to work, where I sit on my *kitten* all day.

So it's fair to say, someone at your weight should be able to eat approximately 2,000-2,500 calories a day BEFORE exercise, and you would still lose a significant amount of weight. In all honesty, if you cut out the drinks, kept track of portions, and just started walking, you will probably lose 30-40 pounds alone.

Think about it, it takes a significant amount of energy to move your body around at the weight it's at. The same way it takes a lot more effort to move something that weight 1,000 pounds versus 10 pounds (extreme example, I know).

If you still aren't getting it, you should talk to your doctor. Honestly, you should probably talk to a doctor anyways to make sure what you are doing is healthy and appropriate.

I hope this helps. 1 step at a time.

mumblemagic

If you were given a higher calorie goal, why would you cut it so drastically? Figure out your TDEE and subtract 20% and NET that. That should get you losing. You have to make sure you're getting enough to meet your nutrient needs.

^This

Also, don't forget that just pumping your blood around your body uses calories, at your Basal Metabolic Rate. So you're not just burning 300 calories on days you excercise, you are burning 300 plus your BMR

I'm 5 ft 8, about 180 pounds. My BMR is about 1650, so my Total Daily Energy Expenditure at sedentary (1.2 * BMR) is about 1900. To lose weight, you just have to eat less than your TDEE. Some people suggest subtract 20%, which leaves me at about 1580, some suggest subtract 500 cal, which leaves me at about 1400. I've gone for the middle ground of 1500, and aim to net 1200 - 1500 most days so I don't have to worry about going over when I go out with friends. I say net, because it's best to eat back some or all of your excercise calories.

At nearly twice my weight, your TDEE should be about twice mine! If I've read your post correctly, yours is about 4000. So you will still lose weight eating 3500 calories plus anything you burn through excercise.

BTW - you don't have to do excercise to lose weight, you just have to eat less than your TDEE. It's easier and good for you if you do excercise from a fitness point of view, but as someone else said, "It's easy to out-eat a good fitness plan, but it's really hard to out-lazy a good diet"

PS - the Sexypants thread is really helpful

wilsoje74

Hi, I am a male 30 years old 348.5pounds , and I started my weight lose goal on oct 20th I use to drink a lot of sodas and sweet tea and was not active! I would go to all you can eat buffet 4-5 times a week.

Now since I have stared I have gave up all sodas, and sweet tea! I have stated to walk 35-40mins aday 5 days a week, and Also do a lot of juggling with my arms and hand for 25-30mins aday. I am also eating low calories food no junk or fast food. and I am eating fruit and vegs.

So I am confussed!!!!! I have been told to lose weight I should eat 2,989 aday and on onther web sites it says I should eat 3,154 calories a day. but I am eating 1,000-1,300 a day and doing workouts. but on myfitnesspal it says I only burn 364 calories aday to me this in not no where near enough to lose weight!!, Is it???

I am eating below my calorie defect and walking and moving more! so will I lose weight?

I feel if I eat 1,800-2,500 calories aday and only burn 364 a day then I will not lose! I need all the help I can get. I did lose 10pounds in the firs week but I think it was water more than fat! and I hope I am doing the right think. as my work will not let me workout all day only 1 hour in the morning before work.

please email me back.

You are burning cals just being alive.

crwalling

I cannot advise you regarding your caloric intake; however, one of the tricks I learned many years ago about loosing weight was to think of it as a fire:

"If you build a fire and don't keep adding logs, the fire will go out. You want the fire to burn so you need to fuel the fire by adding logs, otherwise it will go out"

You need to fedd your body inorder for it to work efficiently, meaning you need to eat to keep your metabolism working and in-turn burning calories and then dropping weight.

Again - I am not dietitian, doctor or fitness guru - just sharing some words of wisdom which I hope will help you in your journey.

Keep working, one day at a time, best of luck to you.

sheltap

Stay Positive my friend. I know its totally confusing on figuring out how many calories to eat and how many calories you have burn. I find that this site being fantastic and definately a great tool to use but the calories they give seem low. I would use other reputable sites and use the happy medium in between but definately you should be eating well over 1800 cals for your current weight.

And remember its 80% diet, there are tons of great recipies online so become that master chef!

TX_Rhon

Eat more!! Adopt a healthier lifestyle and be consistent! Trust he process MFP puts before you!

Oh and eat more than 1200 calories!!!!! Seriously!!!!!

SteveEldredge

Don't get hung up on the exercising. It will make little difference to your weight. Anyone who is serious about fitness e.g cyclists and runners will tell you that you can't exercise away a bad diet and the most important thing is to regulate what you eat. My advice to you is to eat what Myfitnesspal tells you. If it says 2900 calories per day then try and make sure you get that into you. If you eat too little you will get ill, especially if you are exercising, and your body will go into starvation mode which will badly affect your weight loss.
I started using the app about 10 days ago. My daily allowance is 1920 calories. One day last week I only took in 1000 calories and went for a 5k run. The next day I felt exhausted and nauseous.
Make sure you get enough calcium, iron etc, don't just focus on the carbs,protein and fat.

Chevy_Quest

I know there are a lot of conflicting opinions out there and the information may seem like a hurricane.

Here is my 2 cents.

2 years ago - I started out at about 200lbs (5'7" male)
I lost 25 lbs by eating 1000-1200 calories per day and I felt terrible. i couldn't even run 1 mile without feeling bad and I could only walk 2 miles.
I was always irritable and "hangry" too!
When I finally reached my goal weight about 175 I GAINED IT ALL BACK in 3 months by binging like a dog. But, I had less lean body mass and was worse off than when I started.

I now eat 2000 cals per day and eat back 1/2 to 3/4 of my exercise calories. I have been losing on an average of 1-2 lbs per month now and I feel great.

---

My vote - Read, Learn, Eat more - we are here to support you! :drinker:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/976981-welcome-to-mfp-don-t-worry-there-s-cliff-notes

suzismurf75

Just remember that eating even 500 calories less per day than your body needs to maintain your CURRENT weight, will result in a 1lb/week weight loss. Slow and steady wins the race. Take advantage of the opportunity to scale back your calories gradually. The more you lose, the less calories you get. ;-)

Good luck on this journey!!

goodnamegone

I don't feel qualified to give advice but I am so inspired by your motivation I wanted to congratulate you!! Keep going and thanks for keeping me inspired!

MinnieInMaine

Thanks for all of your commits , So if I understand this, If It says I burn 4,550 calories aday by doing nothing, then if I eat 1,900-2,00 a day and still walk 35-40mins 5 days a week does this mean I will lose weight? I just can't see that! as I am only burning 340 calories through workouts and that's no where more burned calories then I am taking in! I read in order to lose weight you have to burn more than you eat, well if I eat 1,500-1,800 let's say a day and only burn 340 from workouts then I am not burning enough!! Right????

I am just so confessed! and need the best help.

When "they" say you need to eat less than you burn, they're talking about the 4550, not the 340 you burn in the gym. I just ran your numbers and came up with a BMR of just under 3000 - that's the number of calories your body needs just to cover the basic functions, as if you were in a coma, like breathing, blood circulation, digestion, healing, etc. Your TDEE including exercise is 4550 and your sedentary TDEE is 3570. Knowing all of that, you could even eat up to 3000 calories per day and lose weight as that's providing a deficit of about 1500 from your active TDEE. 2000 should be the bear minimum that you eat per day but I would advise trying to get closer to the 3000.

FYI, as you lose and/or your activity level changes, these numbers will need to be adjusted.

The website I used is linked below:

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

S3r3knitty

Sure I am 30 years old 6' 3'' and as of today My scale says I am down to 346.8 pounds, I have just started to walk 35 mins aday for 5 day a week before I was not active at all.

best chris

I entered your values into a tdee calculator http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ and the values for sedentary lifestyle are

Your BMR is: 2714 Calories/Day
Your TDEE is: 3257 Calories/Day

The BMR is the calories your body burns to stay alive. TDEE is the amount calories your body burns in a 24 hour period comprising the BMR and everything else you do during the day. To loose wait you need to eat below your TDEE. I think -15% is the suggested deficit which would put you at 2680cal / day. Please consider that this are the numbers for sedentary lifestyle. If you have for example a physical job your tdee might even be higher. You can adjust this in the link above.

ETA: Don't give up!!!!
ETA: Don't get confused that numbers are slightly different than from above post. There is always a slight margin of error but it doesn't matter if you keep to the numbers from above or these in both cases it is correct: If you eat at 3000cal /day you will still loose weight because it is below your TDEE

helpme8319

Thanks for all of your helps and posts,

So If I understand this right and let me know if I am wrong.. If I eat 2,000 calories a day and walk 35-40mins each day 5 days a week I will still lose 1-2pounds a week???? I still just don't see it or understand. as again, I am only burning 340 from workouts and if I eat 2,000 then its more than I am burning!??????RIght??

Thanks again I will keep up on it.

QuietBloom

If you try to cut to much to soon you will make yourself ill. Due to your current weight your body will need a certain amount to function.

I go to yhe gym and the guys say that any thing less ygan 1500 net may put you into starvation mode and you can become ill. I know I find it hard to take in and want to eat 1200 as thats what I thimk I should. Dont get me wrong my goal is 1290 but I exercise to get more.


Hope this helps x

Ignore this. You will not go into starvation mode by netting less than 1500.

OP, it sounds to me like you are doing a great job so far. You have quite a ways to go, so starting off 1200 should be fine. After awhile though, you will want to adjust it up to slow down your weight loss in order to preserve as much muscle as you can. Use the MFP settings and enter in a 2 lb weight loss per week (the maximum that is considered safe). At this point I wouldn't worry about trying to eat back your exercise calories. As you get closer to your goal, you can start fine tuning. Don't forget to regularly weigh yourself and log it, so MFP can do the necessary recalculations.

Good luck!

kr1stadee

If you try to cut to much to soon you will make yourself ill. Due to your current weight your body will need a certain amount to function.

I go to yhe gym and the guys say that any thing less ygan 1500 net may put you into starvation mode and you can become ill. I know I find it hard to take in and want to eat 1200 as thats what I thimk I should. Dont get me wrong my goal is 1290 but I exercise to get more.


Hope this helps x

Ignore this. You will not go into starvation mode by netting less than 1500.

OP, it sounds to me like you are doing a great job so far. You have quite a ways to go, so starting off 1200 should be fine. After awhile though, you will want to adjust it up to slow down your weight loss in order to preserve as much muscle as you can. Use the MFP settings and enter in a 2 lb weight loss per week (the maximum that is considered safe). At this point I wouldn't worry about trying to eat back your exercise calories. As you get closer to your goal, you can start fine tuning. Don't forget to regularly weigh yourself and log it, so MFP can do the necessary recalculations.

Good luck!

^^ This. I know everyone means well by jumping in with the TDEE equations, but let the poor man establish himself with MFP first.

OP, when you set up your account, you told it that you wanted to lose X amount of pounds per week right? MFP is set up that you can lose weight by eating the recommended calories only. If you set it up that you want to lose 2 pounds per week, eat the amount that it gives you (not less!!). You WILL lose weight.

Keep up with the walking, but don't think of walking to lose weight, think of walking to become healthy.

It's not all that complicated, as long as you don't make it complicated. You can do this!! Eat the amount that MFP gives you for 4 weeks and see how much you are down. If it's very little, then change things up, but I suspect with just the change in behavior (giving up soda, counting calories), you'll lose quite a bit in the beginning.

Be sure to weigh and measure everything to be accurate! You got this!

Good luck!!!

leannerae40

Thanks for all of your commits , So if I understand this, If It says I burn 4,550 calories aday by doing nothing, then if I eat 1,900-2,00 a day and still walk 35-40mins 5 days a week does this mean I will lose weight? I just can't see that! as I am only burning 340 calories through workouts and that's no where more burned calories then I am taking in! I read in order to lose weight you have to burn more than you eat, well if I eat 1,500-1,800 let's say a day and only burn 340 from workouts then I am not burning enough!! Right????

I am just so confessed! and need the best help.

There is a lot of confusing information out there...I so get that. Know this...You can eat at 1900 to 2200 calories a day and lose weight, especially if you're working out. You should get the actual numbers though from a Nutritionist or a Doctor and you may want to look at having a body composition analysis done. That will give you a true, healthy goal weight based on YOU, not on a chart. Go get em! You've got this!