Weight loss? What am I doing?

Ryan4698

Hello everyone, i've recently started dieting and exercising again after a few months of going off my previous routine. With my previous routine I was going to the gym, lifting weights, and running, while watching all the food I ate. I weighed about 226.2 pounds before I went to visit my grandmother, and now i've skyrocketed up to 244 pounds again. Now, i'm on a diet again, and i'm lifting weights, and running, but on top of all that, I'm also doing drills and physical activity in full turn out gear (for my fire science class) as well as football practice (high school football (varsity) ) after school. I don't really know if i'm eating enough calories or how much I should be bringing in to lose weight? I was 246 pounds at the start of this morning, now i'm down to 244 by the end of the day. I want to keep the muscle I have, and lose the fat. Any tips? Thanks - Ryan

terbusha

What I do and what I recommend to people is to eat at a calorie level that allows you to drop 1-2 lbs/week. This assumes an average calorie burn from you getting in all of your workouts. This will be different for everyone, so you'll have to do some trial and error to figure it out. I'd start ~2500 cal/day. Hit this goal, along with your macros and getting in your workouts, for a week. If you lose 1-2 lbs, you're good to go. If you lose too much, increase your intake and repeat. If you don't lose enough, reduce your intake a bit and repeat. After a few weeks, you'll figure out what works for you in your situation.

Since you're so active on top of your exercise routine, you'll need to eat more than most people while losing weight. Also, get in a good amount of protein and continue to lift weights. That will help you to maintain your muscle mass as you cut weight.

Allan