Processed food with very little calories vs calorie deficit

Reflextion

I recently started college and my roommate is about 6'1 and very skinny. He eats a muffin a day, some vitamin gummies and nothing else and doesn't go to the gym or anything so yeah... he's really skinny. I'm also 6'1 and i'm currently trying to lose weight by eating a calorie deficit so I eat around ~1000-1300 calories per day of fruits, chicken, vegetables, carbs, a well rounded diet if I do say so myself. I go to the gym everyday and do 45 minutes of cardio and sometimes I lift weights for 10-15 minutes. I'm losing weight but not really as quickly as I would like and i'm becoming sort of skinny-fat.

Basically my question is, will eating junk food that amounts to ~400-500 calories per day + exercise help me lose weight faster than eating a balanced diet of ~1000-1300 caloriers per day + exercise? I can probably live off of 1.5cups of cereal for each meal which probably will amount to ~600 calories per day if it helps me lose weight faster.

Liftng4Lis

Your roommate will eventually get sick, so disregard what they are doing. This is not a race. How fast is "Not as fast as I'd like"? You want something that is sustainable and learning healthy eating habits is going to help you accomplish that.

DjinnMarie

10-15 minutes of weight lifting is not nearly long enough if you are trying to increase LBM.

Will 600 calories a day make you lose weight faster? Yes. Is it worth it in the long run? No.

HeidiCooksSupper

Your roommate is likely to end up being hospitalized in short order if this is really all he consumes. He has an eating disorder. Do not use his behavior as a model. Learn what healthy eating is and do it.

Exercise and a healthy diet will serve you well. A 600-calorie diet of breakfast food will kill you.

_Zardoz_

I'm also 6'1 and i'm currently trying to lose weight by eating a calorie deficit so I eat around ~1000-1300 calories per day of fruits, chicken, vegetables, carbs, a well rounded diet if I do say so myself. I go to the gym everyday and do 45 minutes of cardio and sometimes I lift weights for 10-15 minutes. I'm losing weight but not really as quickly as I would like and i'm becoming sort of skinny-fat.

I'd stop worry about your roommate and worry about yourself. That is not enough to sisatain a 6ft 1 man. You will not be getting enough of the nutrients your body needs and you will also lose a lot of muscle mass. Eat some food please. I eat over 2000 calories and still lose weight. Have a look at the links

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?hl=guide+to+sexypants&page=1#posts-18361594

Lleldiranne

Male, 6'1", college age ... no way that 1000-1300 calories is enough to sustain you for very long. I don't know what your current weight is, but you should be eating more! You can still eat at a deficit and lose weight without starving yourself - and in the long run, you'll probably find that it works better (ie avoiding the skinny fat) than cutting back so much.

First, learn to properly measure your foods. You think you're eating 1300 calories, but are you really? Weigh solids, measure fluids.

You probably can lose weight on at least 1800-2000 calories a day. I'd start there and give it a month before deciding if you need to adjust.

I'd do 30 minutes of cardio max most days at the gym. Do a full-body lifting program 3 days a week with "heavy" weights (it can be done in 30 minutes, and those days you can cut the cardio back to 15 minutes without detriment). You want every chance to maintain your lean muscle mass, and lifting heavy is one of the best ways to do it.

As far as your room mate, ignore what he does or what he weighs. You don't see what he does most of the day (I'm assuming that you have different class schedules and stuff) and I would be shocked if he really subsists off of <800 a day. But really, what you should be doing is not about him ... just work on you and let him take care of him.

Ninkyou

It's a terrible idea to eat that little calories. Even your supposed 1000-1300 calories a day is a terrible idea. As a 6'1 college aged male, you should be eating WAY more.

Starving yourself isn't going to get you anywhere... except in the hospital.

IMO, you should really do some research on the nutritional needs of a person your age/height/weight. And stop comparing yourself to another person. I also doubt all he eats is a muffin. Are you there with him at all hours of the day to babysit his eating habits? Probably not.

Eat some food. It's not a race.

socalkay

I would venture a guess that 1000 - 1600 calories per day is not adequate for a 6'1" 18 year old male (nevermind 600). Please read these articles and calculate a reasonable caloric goal and deficit. You don't want to lose muscle mass and you want to feel good and able to study and enjoy activities.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?hl=guide+to+sexypants&page=1#posts-18361594

Mr_Knight

If you're getting through your workouts on 1000-ish calories a day, you're either not working very hard or eating a bunch more than you think.

ana3067

IF all he eats is a muffin and vitamins then he is eating in a deficit. Chances are he's eating more than this though otherwise he'd really not be able to function in university/life.

Calculate your TDEE, estimate your maintenance needs, eat that for a month while logging properly, and deduct 20% from it if it helps you maintain your weight.

MB_Positif

Lol, what?

gonzanab

I don't think you should compare yourself to your roommate or anyone for that matter. Eventually, it will catch up to him. You should be eating more than you are at the moment from what I read in your post. I am 5'5 and weigh around 125 lbs. I eat around 1500 calories myself.

You shouldn't get discouraged because you are eating the right stuff and you are working out. I do think you should be eating more than you are though.

If you keep eating cleanly, you'll see results!