I can eat HOW MANY calories???

ZeroTX

Hi All,

I'm new to this site, once again embarking on a weightloss journey that I pray will be successful. I'm now 36 years old and I feel that if I don't do this now, I won't be here in 20 or 30 years to talk about it. I'm 333lbs and I've been over 300lbs since age 15. I can wear the same pants/shirts now that I wore back then, although recently the fat has started to concentrate more in the center (which is very uncomfortable, BTW).

Anyway, I need to do this. This website has recommended that I eat over 2100 calories a day. For me, that's a normal non-weight-loss amount of food. If I calculate a typical day, even a heavy day is no more than 2500 calories for me. I feel that 1500 calories or fewer is better for me. If I eat 2100 calories, I'll maintain weight. Well, I've maintained 330-345lbs weight consistently for 20 years. That's not helping. My goal for my 6'1" self is 200lbs. I feel that I can feel very satisfied and not hungry at 1500 calories, if I simply choose foods wisely.

Thoughts on total calorie count daily?

-Michael

aj_rock

Try tracking your actual caloric daily intake for a while.. you might be consuming more than you think.

jamie1888

Yes, make sure to WEIGH your food; measuring cups and spoons can put you over your servings.

melaniecheeks

Hi Michael, and welcome to the wonderful world of MFP!

How have you been calculating your "normal" calorie intake? How do you think you've put on weight?

Why dont you take a few days or a week and use the MFP diary to set out your usual intake. If you make your diary public, we can give you some suggestions as to what to change (don't worry, we're very gentle )

You're male,and 6'1, so your calorie requirements are going to be higher than a 5 foot female.

GypsyRose25

Try tracking your actual caloric daily intake for a while.. you might be consuming more than you think.

This. Plus, making healthier caloric choices will make a difference. And once you start exercising you will want those calories as well.

christabeltoria

Hi Michael,

I suggest that you see your doctor and discover what kinds of exercise are safe for you, and start doing it! Also, I think you'll find the food diary here very very useful. For me it showed that although I thought I was eating a suitable number of calories, once I started to log every handful of a snack food, and every beverage that I was ingesting, it turned out to be quite a bit more than I thought. Give it a try using the guidelines at MFP for a few weeks. When I started it took about a month for the pounds to start coming off, but the inches came off IMMEDIATELY.

You won't be sorry you took this decision. And you'll discover a great group of people to support you here too!

funkyspunky871

Hi All,

I'm new to this site, once again embarking on a weightloss journey that I pray will be successful. I'm now 36 years old and I feel that if I don't do this now, I won't be here in 20 or 30 years to talk about it. I'm 333lbs and I've been over 300lbs since age 15. I can wear the same pants/shirts now that I wore back then, although recently the fat has started to concentrate more in the center (which is very uncomfortable, BTW).

Anyway, I need to do this. This website has recommended that I eat over 2100 calories a day. For me, that's a normal non-weight-loss amount of food. If I calculate a typical day, even a heavy day is no more than 2500 calories for me. I feel that 1500 calories or fewer is better for me. If I eat 2100 calories, I'll maintain weight. Well, I've maintained 330-345lbs weight consistently for 20 years. That's not helping. My goal for my 6'1" self is 200lbs. I feel that I can feel very satisfied and not hungry at 1500 calories, if I simply choose foods wisely.

Thoughts on total calorie count daily?

-Michael

Sorry, but if you were eating 2500 calories a day, you most likely wouldn't be over 300 pounds. Follow MFP's recommendations. They WILL work. Guaranteed.

start_on_monday

Try tracking your actual caloric daily intake for a while.. you might be consuming more than you think.

I agree, I would try MFP's suggested calories for a week, eating healthy and I am sure you will lose at the end of the week.

MaureenCreates

I think 1500 would be extremely low for you, considering your weight, gender, and height.
I mean, my goal is 1390 for 1/2lbs weight loss and I'm a 5'4" female.

Bambina2011

Welcome! You do not have to eat the total amount of calories suggested everyday. It is a guideline for you. You certainly do not want to go over. When you log your calories it well tell you if you are not eating enough. Remember you have to eat a certain amount of calories to lose weight. It is great to consistenly come in under goal and burn the same amount or more through exercise. Hope this helps.

willimh

You want to make sure you are eating enough to fuel the body. Track everything you put in your mouth and that will be the tell all on whether you are eating over or eating under. Welcome and good luck. We are all here for you, to encourage you and to answer any questions for you. You will have some down day but, get back up asap.

joejccva71

Try tracking your actual caloric daily intake for a while.. you might be consuming more than you think.

^This.

Track what you are eating for about 2-3 weeks and weigh yourself once a week on the same day on an empty stomach in the morning. Track it.

This will give you what your maintenance is. Just have to be patient with it and give it more than a 1-2 week period. Some people say give it 4 weeks.

ZeroTX

Hi Michael, and welcome to the wonderful world of MFP!

How have you been calculating your "normal" calorie intake? How do you think you've put on weight?

I've been overweight since the age of 6.... I reflect on what I eat/ate and what others eat/ate and I do not think I over ate that much as a child. I think it's a combination of somewhat bad (but not unusual or particularly bad) food choices + a slow metabolism. My father is over 300lbs, formerly over 460lbs. 300lbs is post-weightloss surgery, done in the 1980's... his stomach is tiny. He eats an average amount of food for an adult male... I cannot eat an average amount of food.

I realize I eat poorly many times, but people who disregard metabolic differences between individual human beings are morons. No offense to morons.

pa_jorg

My favorite quote from the message boards is "it takes calories to burn calories". You need enough fuel to burn baby burn. Just start logging and exercising and in a short time it will make more sense.

Gigi_licious

I would go with the MFP recommendation or google and look around at different calculators and see what you come up with. I have around 135lbs to lose and I found myself soooooo hungry when staying within the recommended 1420 by MFP so I played with it a little and now I give myself a range. For me, personally, I have been doing better and losing weight since I have upped my calories. I try to stay within a certain range. So I went in there and saw I need X amt of calories to lose 1lb a week and X amount to lose 2lbs a week and I try to stay within that range. It's helped me. I do better with wiggle room. 1500 might be too low. I would start with the MFP recommendation, see how you feel, then play with it from there to find what works best for you.

Huskeryogi

This is what my favorite source recommends -

How much to eat -
Take your goal weight times 10. My goal weight is 160 so I average 1600 cal/day

How much you burn-
Add 9.5 to the about of hours of exercise you plan to get per week. For me this is 9.5+5 = 14.5. Multiply this number by your current weight. For me this comes out to 2595.5. So if I take 2595.5 - 1600 I have a daily deficit of almost 1000 calories.

My guess is that you are under estimating how much you eat a day. Most people do. Get a food scale and measuring cups to make sure you are adding everything up right.

End6ame

Hi All,

I'm new to this site, once again embarking on a weightloss journey that I pray will be successful. I'm now 36 years old and I feel that if I don't do this now, I won't be here in 20 or 30 years to talk about it. I'm 333lbs and I've been over 300lbs since age 15. I can wear the same pants/shirts now that I wore back then, although recently the fat has started to concentrate more in the center (which is very uncomfortable, BTW).

Anyway, I need to do this. This website has recommended that I eat over 2100 calories a day. For me, that's a normal non-weight-loss amount of food. If I calculate a typical day, even a heavy day is no more than 2500 calories for me. I feel that 1500 calories or fewer is better for me. If I eat 2100 calories, I'll maintain weight. Well, I've maintained 330-345lbs weight consistently for 20 years. That's not helping. My goal for my 6'1" self is 200lbs. I feel that I can feel very satisfied and not hungry at 1500 calories, if I simply choose foods wisely.

Thoughts on total calorie count daily?

-Michael

What is your BMR? You shouldn’t eat below your BMR and 1500 calories is well below your BMR. I am 5’11’’ and 218lbs and eat 2200 calories and am losing.

ZeroTX

Try tracking your actual caloric daily intake for a while.. you might be consuming more than you think.

^This.

Track what you are eating for about 2-3 weeks and weigh yourself once a week on the same day on an empty stomach in the morning. Track it.

This will give you what your maintenance is. Just have to be patient with it and give it more than a 1-2 week period. Some people say give it 4 weeks.

I have tracked before and I am doing it again here. I'm going to start with a 1500 calorie daily goal, with no more than 30% of my calories coming from carbohydrates. I also have a family history of adult-onset diabetes on both sides, including my brother, my father, my maternal grandmother, paternal uncles, etc. I'm not going Atkins, but I'm not going to eat rice or pasta on a regular basis, either.

candiigraham

Unfortunately, we ASSUME we are eating fewer calories when we are actually eating more;
For example, I would just pour a bowl of cereal and add milk to my liking. When I actually measured the cereal and the milk it was a lot less than what I was consuming. So, I was consuming 260 calories vs. 130 per serving I was suppose to. Our portion sizes are way out of control. Do MFP a week and then incorporate excercise. Once you start burning calories you will be glad you have those extra calories.

P.S. Make your diary public so that you can get lots of input. GL

MaureenCreates

I realize I eat poorly many times, but people who disregard metabolic differences between individual human beings are morons. No offense to morons.

Our genetics might effect our metabolisms to an extent, sure, but we can build them up and tear them doing depending on our lifestyles.
Both of my parents are overweight but the highest I've ever been was 137lbs.
You can't just blame genetics.

ZeroTX

This is what my favorite source recommends -

How much to eat -
Take your goal weight times 10. My goal weight is 160 so I average 1600 cal/day

How much you burn-
Add 9.5 to the about of hours of exercise you plan to get per week. For me this is 9.5+5 = 14.5. Multiply this number by your current weight. For me this comes out to 2595.5. So if I take 2595.5 - 1600 I have a daily deficit of almost 1000 calories.

My guess is that you are under estimating how much you eat a day. Most people do. Get a food scale and measuring cups to make sure you are adding everything up right.

I'll start measuring and counting better in terms of what I eat.

I have no time to exercise. I'm a principal of a school... I work 10 hours a day (sometimes 12-14) and my campus is 52 miles from my house, so I spend 2.5 hours a day in my car.... when I get home, I'd like to have a conversation with my wife or children now and then... I am barely even able to get 6hours of sleep. I'd rather increase my sleep discipline, because I tend to feel better and lose weight better when I'm getting 8 hours.