calorie limit for a 445 lb man for weight loss

jardane1

Here is the only amendment I would make.

Only eat back 50% of your exercise calories.

2 reasons:
1) The burns MFP gives you are proven bunk.
2) Keep some in reserve for a rainy day.

I see great things for you, my friend!

That actually does make a lot of sense, i always feel i did not burn the calories it says i did. I will do this from now on but i will only count calories that i burn when actually walking/bike riding for exercise and not my daily activity.

osothefinn

i biked 20 minutes to the beach to watch fireworks and then 20 minutes back and that was roughly 1200 burned according to MFP app.

I seriously question the accuracy of these numbers. Log them if you want, but I wouldn't eat back 100% of these calories. Not even if you are 100% certain you were traveling at the RPM, speed and incline depicted in the description. The MFP calculator can't possibly know the pressure of your tires, resistance of the road surface, what gear you were in, etc. Without a HRM, I would never 100% trust what MFP said I burned in an activity.

Yeah, my HR strap tells me I burn 1200 cals at 370 pounds in a 50 minute workout class, when my average HR is like 145, and I still think that number is high, so I'm pretty sure 1200 cals for a 40 minute bike ride is out of whack, which is why I either don't eat them back or if I do eat like half.

jardane1

To say i will die because i am losing weight is a little offensive, to assume my health is poor because i am heavy is also a little offensive.

I didn't mean to offend. If your health is important to you, I urge you to monitor your BP, cholesterol, and have your heart and lungs checked by someone holding a stethoscope. Losing weight is tough on the body. I'm not implying you're unhealthy right now. I lost 100 lbs. I know what it's like to be obese and people assume you're unhealthy. I don't mean it as an insult. Not every doctor is a douchecanoe. And not everyone who urges you to get your health a check up is telling you you're unhealthy.

Again, I'm sorry you got offended. Please consider our advice well-grounded in what's best overall.

It's ok really, i just hate people assuming things about me because of my size. It's really annoying how big and stupid get linked in peoples minds just like fat and ugly. I am a large handsome man deal with it world!

PapaChanoli

I don't know if this will help, but I'm 6'5", 306 pounds, (after losing my first nine pounds) and my BMR is about 3000 calories per day too. I started with a goal to lose 95 pounds. I have been exercising every other day, so averaging somewhere around 3 1/2 times per week with weight training and cardio. I'm only tracking the cardio calories spent and I haven't started weighing my food yet, but when I have to estimate my food quantities I always estimate high and I don't eat back my calories so that I have a safety net in my margin for error.

I was eating a weekly average of 1500 to 1600 calories per day and that appeared to be too little. I wasn't dropping weight. The periods where I've eaten 1800 to 2000 cals per day, have had the weight coming off. I'm averaging 3 pounds per week so far. I don't really want to lose any faster than that, but this early in my weight loss I believe that is an appropriate, safe and healthy amount.

We're two different people, but I'm willing to bet that as long as you're eating foods that aren't super high in calories per ounce of food, you can eat a diet of at least 2000 per day, lose weight at a rate that you'll be happy with and not walk around starving all day. It's working for me. I had to get a feel for what takes the hunger away and what doesn't, but that's not rocket science.

I'm not obsessive about macronutrients, but I'm generally eating a lot less simple
carbs, or white carbs as some folks here call them. I'm generally steering away from sugary stuff. My diet has been very high in fats on some days and high in carbs on others. I find the high fat days more satisfying.

Feel free to add me if you want to keep in touch. This type of diet works, and if you read the sexy pants link supplied above and some of the other links it points to, you will start to get a feel for what works for you.

It sure does feel good to start moving in a positive direction. Hang in there.

parkscs

I agree with reducing calories, i am going to try 2500 for a month and see where it gets me.

I just honestly don't see the reason to pay so much money to go to a doctor to have him tell me i am overweight and try to put me on drugs i can't afford. All my free money is going to my wedding in september so i really don't have a single extra cent to spend on seeing a doctor.

I know it sounds odd but i get a little offended when the first thing i hear when i am working on losing weight is "you need to see a doctor" despite my weight i have never really had any medical issues with my size and i resent the fact that people assume i have. I may be heavy but i am also rather tall, broad shouldered and have a very large body frame so my weight has not been as big of an encumbrance as you would expect.

I am not losing weight because i hate how i look, i am not losing it because i feel like i will die if i don't i am losing weight because i want to and mostly because i to want find clothing easier. I honestly like how I look, even if i am big and if i choose to stay the same it's my choice so is losing weight.

To say i will die because i am losing weight is a little offensive, to assume my health is poor because i am heavy is also a little offensive.

sorry for the rant.

The main reason would be if you have a medical condition that's causing your weight gain and that should be treated. If we're talking bad eating habits, fast food, big gulp sodas and so on (or frequent IPA consumption, which was my vice), eating less and moving more is all you need (i.e., a caloric deficit). If you take an honest self-assessment, you probably have a good idea as to whether it was your eating habits or whether there might be an underlying problem (e.g., eating habits stayed the same but you experienced a sudden, rapid weight gain). If you can see a doctor for a physical that's always a good idea, but otherwise I would just keep it simple and don't overthink this. Reduce the calories, stay active whenever you can and reassess in a couple of months.

jardane1

I agree with reducing calories, i am going to try 2500 for a month and see where it gets me.

I just honestly don't see the reason to pay so much money to go to a doctor to have him tell me i am overweight and try to put me on drugs i can't afford. All my free money is going to my wedding in september so i really don't have a single extra cent to spend on seeing a doctor.

I know it sounds odd but i get a little offended when the first thing i hear when i am working on losing weight is "you need to see a doctor" despite my weight i have never really had any medical issues with my size and i resent the fact that people assume i have. I may be heavy but i am also rather tall, broad shouldered and have a very large body frame so my weight has not been as big of an encumbrance as you would expect.

I am not losing weight because i hate how i look, i am not losing it because i feel like i will die if i don't i am losing weight because i want to and mostly because i to want find clothing easier. I honestly like how I look, even if i am big and if i choose to stay the same it's my choice so is losing weight.

To say i will die because i am losing weight is a little offensive, to assume my health is poor because i am heavy is also a little offensive.

sorry for the rant.

The main reason would be if you have a medical condition that's causing your weight gain and that should be treated. If we're talking bad eating habits, fast food, big gulp sodas and so on (or frequent IPA consumption, which was my vice), eating less and moving more is all you need (i.e., a caloric deficit). If you take an honest self-assessment, you probably have a good idea as to whether it was your eating habits or whether there might be an underlying problem (e.g., eating habits stayed the same but you experienced a sudden, rapid weight gain). If you can see a doctor for a physical that's always a good idea, but otherwise I would just keep it simple and don't overthink this. Reduce the calories, stay active whenever you can and reassess in a couple of months.

It was all bad eating and a addiction to mountain dew (i kicked it by the way) I ate whatever i felt like and used food as a reward for doing something good and as a way to console myself on a bad day.

Coolhandkid

I agree with reducing calories, i am going to try 2500 for a month and see where it gets me.

I just honestly don't see the reason to pay so much money to go to a doctor to have him tell me i am overweight and try to put me on drugs i can't afford. All my free money is going to my wedding in september so i really don't have a single extra cent to spend on seeing a doctor.

I know it sounds odd but i get a little offended when the first thing i hear when i am working on losing weight is "you need to see a doctor" despite my weight i have never really had any medical issues with my size and i resent the fact that people assume i have. I may be heavy but i am also rather tall, broad shouldered and have a very large body frame so my weight has not been as big of an encumbrance as you would expect.

I am not losing weight because i hate how i look, i am not losing it because i feel like i will die if i don't i am losing weight because i want to and mostly because i to want find clothing easier. I honestly like how I look, even if i am big and if i choose to stay the same it's my choice so is losing weight.

To say i will die because i am losing weight is a little offensive, to assume my health is poor because i am heavy is also a little offensive.

sorry for the rant.

I'm a big dude as well. 6'6" and started at a number I'm still not comfortable copping to.

There are a ton of people here to support you. If you want to make changes we are here to help.

Carrying that much weight IS a serious health problem. My biggest motivation was starting a family and how my health and weight was impacting the people around me and how it was going to affect them in the future.

The reason people are asking you to see a Dr is that there are a number of imbalances that lead to weight gain. If you are seriously eating 2500 cal/day you should be SHEDDING pounds. If you are GAINING weight there is a strong likelihood of a medical reason being behind it.

yarwell

Two big guys called the Hairy Bikers have a cookery TV show in the UK, they became the Hairy Dieters for a while to address their excess weight. After various tests and interviews they were put on ~1400 calories a day by a University clinic.

WBB55

Two big guys called the Hairy Bikers have a cookery TV show in the UK, they became the Hairy Dieters for a while to address their excess weight. After various tests and interviews they were put on ~1400 calories a day by a University clinic.

And note from the photo, they had their RMR tested by medical professionals and were under direct supervision of medical specialists. I don't recommend John Doe off the street eat at 1300 kcal below their RMR unless they're under supervision of a weighloss monitoring medical team. Just my 2c.

lenarashminraj

I have been all over the board, i was at 2500 for a while and i was told i needed more so i then went to a recommended 3250 and that made me gain 2 lb in a week so i feel like i need to go back down.

I guess i am in fear of "starvation mode" and everything i have read says "never go below BMR ever!" and my BMR is roughly 3000.

I have to actively eat more then i would normally to meet the 3200 and that feels wrong. There is just so much conflicting information and i feel like most of the calculations people use is not scaleable to the 400 lb range.

Congrats on stepping into MFP ,
if you want to read more about BMR, follow this link :
http://www.happyhungryfit.com/2013/06/the-math-behind-weight-loss-and-why.html

90% of people, who try to reduce weight, consumes at-least 100cal less than BMR suggests. According to my BMR, and my activity level i should be eating 1750, but i eat 1400cal. Its all about our experiments with diet. i followed different numbers but felt really useful when i started to follow 1400 cal diet. I stopped writing walking calories too.

And trying to reduce 2lbs per week is to the extreme, so why dont you change your settings to 1lbs per week. When i did that i found a steady change every week. Instead of gaining back what you lost, a steady change will be better. "slow and steady wins the race"

Supertact

Eat 2500 calories a day. It's that simple.

You want to lose more than 2 lbs a week.

yarwell

"supervision" consisted of setting goals and going back a couple of weeks later - when the calories were reduced a bit further. They had heart rate, blood pressure and glucose etc measured along with body fat, but primarily to measure progress.

Interesting that the prescribed food intake was half the RMR, half of MFP just went into heart failure

Mykaelous

I would eat 2000-2500 calories. You're not going to die eating that many calories, and you will likely loose 2+ lb's per week which at your weight won't pose any health issues. You just need to make sure you can stick with it.

WBB55

"supervision" consisted of setting goals and going back a couple of weeks later - when the calories were reduced a bit further. They had heart rate, blood pressure and glucose etc measured along with body fat, but primarily to measure progress.

Interesting that the prescribed food intake was half the RMR, half of MFP just went into heart failure

This is all I was recommending the OP do. Exactly what you described. I feel like you're telling people they should NOT consider having these things monitored when losing 100+ lbs of weight. That's surely not the case, right?

Sharon_C

I am a large handsome man deal with it world!

You are awesome and you will get done what needs to get done! I like you :flowerforyou: And congratulations on the upcoming wedding. Keep us posted on your progress.

mnwalkingqueen

Your post just popped up on my main page. First I would ike to say congrats for taking the steps to get healthier. I am in the process of losing 100lbs. I would agree with only eating 50% of calories burned. I have been on yo-yo scale for a year now. I finally have stayed at a steady loss for the last month. My doctor encouraged me to lower the carbs and up protein mfp suggest and it has been working. I also use a fit bit and all I do is walk. I also tend to eat in moderation verse cut out any specific foods I know everyone would not agree with that but that's me. Plus my doctor agrees with that logic for me.
Good luck on your journey. I am big too but in good health I get a check up twice a year and never no problems ( one is free bio-metric screening at my job and I pay for one at the doctor).

jardane1

I agree with reducing calories, i am going to try 2500 for a month and see where it gets me.

I just honestly don't see the reason to pay so much money to go to a doctor to have him tell me i am overweight and try to put me on drugs i can't afford. All my free money is going to my wedding in september so i really don't have a single extra cent to spend on seeing a doctor.

I know it sounds odd but i get a little offended when the first thing i hear when i am working on losing weight is "you need to see a doctor" despite my weight i have never really had any medical issues with my size and i resent the fact that people assume i have. I may be heavy but i am also rather tall, broad shouldered and have a very large body frame so my weight has not been as big of an encumbrance as you would expect.

I am not losing weight because i hate how i look, i am not losing it because i feel like i will die if i don't i am losing weight because i want to and mostly because i to want find clothing easier. I honestly like how I look, even if i am big and if i choose to stay the same it's my choice so is losing weight.

To say i will die because i am losing weight is a little offensive, to assume my health is poor because i am heavy is also a little offensive.

sorry for the rant.

I'm a big dude as well. 6'6" and started at a number I'm still not comfortable copping to.

There are a ton of people here to support you. If you want to make changes we are here to help.

Carrying that much weight IS a serious health problem. My biggest motivation was starting a family and how my health and weight was impacting the people around me and how it was going to affect them in the future.

The reason people are asking you to see a Dr is that there are a number of imbalances that lead to weight gain. If you are seriously eating 2500 cal/day you should be SHEDDING pounds. If you are GAINING weight there is a strong likelihood of a medical reason being behind it.

Until today i was at a 3500 calorie intake so i am only today starting the 2500.

PapaChanoli

I agree with reducing calories, i am going to try 2500 for a month and see where it gets me.

I just honestly don't see the reason to pay so much money to go to a doctor to have him tell me i am overweight and try to put me on drugs i can't afford. All my free money is going to my wedding in september so i really don't have a single extra cent to spend on seeing a doctor.

I know it sounds odd but i get a little offended when the first thing i hear when i am working on losing weight is "you need to see a doctor" despite my weight i have never really had any medical issues with my size and i resent the fact that people assume i have. I may be heavy but i am also rather tall, broad shouldered and have a very large body frame so my weight has not been as big of an encumbrance as you would expect.

I am not losing weight because i hate how i look, i am not losing it because i feel like i will die if i don't i am losing weight because i want to and mostly because i to want find clothing easier. I honestly like how I look, even if i am big and if i choose to stay the same it's my choice so is losing weight.

To say i will die because i am losing weight is a little offensive, to assume my health is poor because i am heavy is also a little offensive.

sorry for the rant.

I'm a big dude as well. 6'6" and started at a number I'm still not comfortable copping to.

There are a ton of people here to support you. If you want to make changes we are here to help.

Carrying that much weight IS a serious health problem. My biggest motivation was starting a family and how my health and weight was impacting the people around me and how it was going to affect them in the future.

The reason people are asking you to see a Dr is that there are a number of imbalances that lead to weight gain. If you are seriously eating 2500 cal/day you should be SHEDDING pounds. If you are GAINING weight there is a strong likelihood of a medical reason being behind it.

Until today i was at a 3500 calorie intake so i am only today starting the 2500.

More power to you. I'm convinced you're going to do fine at 2500. Don't be concerned about knocking up to another 500 off of that on occasion. It won't hurt you at all.

Other BMR links have come in lower for me than what the MFP site says, so the 3500 might be high for you too. MFP put me at over 3000. When averaged the two sites I was at about 2700 BMR. You'll know by what your weight is a few weeks to a month from now, how much of a deficit you're running by how much weight comes off.

jardane1

If i don't see a result in a few weeks i might just lower it again.

Supertact

If i don't see a result in a few weeks i might just lower it again.

If you don't see a result in a few weeks at 2500 you're not logging accurately.