Do I need to be concerned about consuming more calories?

hskorija

I recently subscribed to myfitnesspal at the suggestion of my wife. I am an activated Army reservist deployed in Southwest Asia. For the last four months I have been eating a well balanced diet, don't snack on junk food and have been exercising vigorously on a daily basis. (3 - 4 mile run a day @ 8.5 minute mile pace) I just turned 50 and am in pretty good health. I feel really great and at present have lost over 40 lbs. I am 5'11 and weight approx. 196 lbs. My goal weight is 185. I feel full when I finish meals and generally choose protein food options that are low in fat supplemented by lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Here is the issue...according to the my fitness pal calculator I don't consume enough calories and typically receive warning messages about not consuming a sufficient amount of calories. Until recently I have taken my training / nutrition guidance from the Army and publications like Runner's World.

Is this something I should be concerned about given the uniqueness of my situation. If so, should I consider protein supplements (i.e. whey protein) as a part of my daily regimen to get up to the appropriate calorie count? Your feedback is appreciated.

Thanks.

Hank

gemiwing

Hi Hank,

First off- thank you. Second off- if you could make your diary public, you will get more helpful responses to your query.

You might have some issues getting enough calories in a classic Asian diet- especially when paired with a fat-fearing American outlook on food. Seeing your diary would be helpful.

hskorija

I Think I just made my diary public. Thanks for the recommendation.

gemiwing

Thanks, Hank.

Looks easy enough to fix- add some healthy fats to your diet. Get some pecans or walnuts. For 1/4 a cup you'll add over 200 cals. Add some cheese somewhere. Also- eat breakfast if you can. If you're not a breakfast person then grab a protein shake and a mouthfull of peanut butter before you head out in the mornings. Drizzle some olive oil on your veggies or hide some fatty tuna in your rice (not canned tuna- but fatty tuna).

You're doing 700 cal burns- you have to keep fueling that. Fueling=food.

armaretta

Your plan of action depends entirely on what your end goal is. You likely feel freakin' awesome, even with the lower cals, because you dropped so much weight. It's really awesome right now, but it might catch up with you later if you continue to work out vigorously. You might suppress your metabolism a little too much if you have too high of a deficit.

To minimize lean body mass loss, you should make sure you are getting adequate protein, and I'd look into incorporating strength training as well. Even men can fall victim to being "skinny fat."

You sound healthy and active at this point, so I'd think about incorporating a multi-vitamin and also increasing cals.

I'm much smaller and probably about as active as you are, but I eat more than you, so don't be afraid to eat some more!

also, invest in a food scale if you haven' t already.