Can anyone advise ?

Thetimehascomeforchange

Newbie here.

I have an allowance of 1600 Calories a day, and am finding it very easy to stay around the 1000 mark prior to any exercise.

Is this a good thing?

IE - If i can get by on 1000 should I, or is it better to run at the 1600 level.

To complicate matters more I am currently doing light exercise every other day (which will escalate as I bed in to this), which means I am down to circa 750 bi-daily, (soon to be daily).

I want to lose as quickly as possible, but also don't want to shed it and the put it back on.

If I can burn what I eat away is this good and should this be something I aim for or should I supplement my food intake after exercise to get back to 1600 calories ?

Hope this makes some sense.

Thanks in Advance

Craig

Tapilo

Hi there,

In the beginning of the year i ate around 1200 cals a day and lost successfully weight. But you have to pay attention to your protein! Eat a hell lot of it, because I did not and I lost muscles, kept my weight and today I have more body fat than before.
I think if you are satisfied that it is alight but you should check if you eat the right things

Thetimehascomeforchange

Brilliant

Thank you that makes sense.

Protein it shall be.

Regards

Craig

laurenthecarts

If you eat the 1200 minimum then you will lose weight quickly however you're also going to stop losing pretty sharpish when your body adjusts to that intake. (Lower than 1200 and your going to go into 'starvation mode' where you'll store instead of lose!) The best way to go about it is to eat the advised calories and then recalculate it every 5 or so pounds, this will reduce it gradually and will prevent you from hitting the wall where your loss slows. It's okay to be below every now and again, but as a rule I think you should try and stick to it!
(It may sound like a lot but chances are it's nowhere near as much as you used to eat, I was shocked when I started logging and controlling portion sizes!)

I've lost nearly 2 stone in three months by generally sticking to the recommended calories, so it does work and weight comes off quickly this way!

(Also a point to add, My fitness isn't the most accurate calorie calculator, there are others that take into calculation your body fat percentage - you can find them online, which will give you the most accurate reading)

Good luck! Hope this was useful!

Thetimehascomeforchange

Thank You Lauren, this really helps

Craig

SezxyStef

As a man you need...not should...need to eat those 1600 calories and the exercise calories.

I lose 1lb a week at 1600 calories ...and I am a 41 woman...

at 1k calories you are losing weight and that weight =fat+muscle and you don't want that.

You will find it almost impossible to get in all your nutrients as well, you will begin to feel lethargic and tired...you won't have the energy to exercise.

Your protien levels are really low...you need protien to feel fuller longer and help repair muscle from exercise.

You could easily get in more calories...avocados, beer, peanut butter, wine, pizza etc.

ETA: there is no "starvation mode", your body will not hold onto fat or magically create it from food you eat on a VLCD...

aneary1980

I would eat some more.

Maybe have bigger breakfast eggs are good for protein.

Have avocado on your rivita at lunch or some meat etc.

Nuts are a great snack to increase your cals.

Be careful eating exercise cals back you do need to but they are normally over esitimated so maybe only eat 50% - 75% of them back.

Marlena0708

I don't think you're eating enough - I had a glance at your diary and you're only eating half of your protein macro. That is simply not enough. And 1000-1200 calories is simply not enough calories to properly fuel your body. It might be okay for a relatively petite woman, but not you. I know you want to lose weight (as most of us here do), but you also need to meet your body's basic requirements and shed fat in a healthy way. At 1000 calories or less you are going to be losing quite a bit of muscle mass along with fat and no one wants that.

I would do a serious evaluation of your diet (especially the protein macro) and plan your meals to hit that macro and your 1600 cal allotment. Your body will thank you.

And don't worry about so-called "starvation mode". Your body will continue to burn fat and muscle for fuel to keep itself alive. Until there is no more fuel, then you die. It's like the gasoline in your car - when your low fuel light comes on you car does not say, "Uh oh, we're running out of gas; better stop burning fuel now." No, it just keeps right on burning the fuel it needs until the tank is dry.