Don't Judge but 30/M going from 1200 to 1500 - Nervous

EccentricDad

First off, please be gentle with your responses. I am a highly sensitive person (HSP) and I don't like aggressive criticism.

Since July 23rd I've been at a 1200 calorie deficiency. Actually, I haven't hit 1200 calories since my diet started in April (but I started tracking my food in July). This has been pretty successful though since I lost 64 lbs and have dropped my body fat from 23% to 18% and my BMI from 28ish to 23ish. But now that I am in the "healthy" range for my height, I have been thinking about increasing my caloric intake and changing my macros (again). My biggest concern though is that I'm going to pack the lbs back.

For those curious to run my numbers, I am 30 years old, male, 5'8", and last weighed in at 155.8. My activity level is SEDENTARY because I am a stay at home dad and a homemaker. There really isn't time to do any exercises around the house because I am also the house maid, the cook, and the butler. Again don't judge, this is the lifestyle I chose after losing my job so if you don't like it STFU and keep your "man card" talk to yourself.

So when you run my numbers, you'll see that I have a daily rate of around 2050 calories burned and a BMR of 1,639 calories/day. By eating 1500, I'll still be at a deficient of 500 calories (which I see is recommended) but I'm still concerned that I will A) put on weight, Cost the family more money because of my increased strain on the family, C) Be forced to eat grains to fill calories (I'm Gluten Intolerant) , and D) Going to stop losing weight even though the deficiency is still there.

My goal is to be at 135 lbs, which puts me in the middle of the "healthy bmi" range. And when I get there, I was going to have egg white protein incorporated in my diet and start lifting heavy crap around the house (can't afford a $10/month gym membership; we are poor).

I dunno, 300 calories doesn't seem like a whole lot, but it's going to create an extra meal in my daily caloric intake and money is already tight trying to eat as it is. And I know some of you are going to say "A man that was at 1200 in the first place, that's stupid" but keep your ego out of this. I need someone to tell me what to expect when I increase my caloric intake and tell me how my body is going to respond to the extra food. Also, when I should I implement the increase? Make a 4th meal (like I plan) or increase my caloric intake each meal?

AESprouse

no advice but bump

EccentricDad

bump

EccentricDad

bump

magerum

I ate 1200 calories a day for 7 months. Dropped 140 lbs during that time. Then I started adjusting up a couple / few hundred calories at a time every 3-4 weeks. What will more than likely happen is you will immediately see a couple pound gain. I mean immediately, first week more than likely. Dont let that stop you, it will be all water. After another seek or so it will be gone and chances are more weight too.

You will probably find you're still loosing and you will have to adjust again. Maybe even a few more times. Just remember to give each adjustment at least 2 weeks and dont freak out over the initial gains. They are temporary I promise.

Im up ti 3350 ish a day and not gaining anything significant. I've also dropped cardio from 7 days to 3.

Good luck you'll be fine!

EccentricDad

I ate 1200 calories a day for 7 months. Dropped 140 lbs during that time. Then I started adjusting up a couple / few hundred calories at a time every 3-4 weeks. What will more than likely happen is you will immediately see a couple pound gain. I mean immediately, first week more than likely. Dont let that stop you, it will be all water. After another seek or so it will be gone and chances are more weight too.

You will probably find you're still loosing and you will have to adjust again. Maybe even a few more times. Just remember to give each adjustment at least 2 weeks and dont freak out over the initial gains. They are temporary I promise.

Im up ti 3350 ish a day and not gaining anything significant. I've also dropped cardio from 7 days to 3.

Good luck you'll be fine!

Thank you for your reply. I was worried no one would reply.
I did the whole IPOARM and decided to go along with the charade and from the looks of things my goal should be to weigh 145 since I am medium frame. So since I'm at 155 lbs. It only makes sense to slow down weight loss. I'm still concerned though about the 4 things above but thank you for the FYI.

Any other advice or replies would be appreciated though so anyone else have a tender comment to leave please leave it

wahmx3

I have to question your weight goal.... 135 or even 145 that I read in a later reply... that sounds awfully low. I am female in my 40's, 5'4",weigh 145 and a size 10. A man of your height and that weight seems like you should be fine where you are. I am all for being healthy not skinny.

sweebum

I will just say this. I had a 2 week diet break. I went from 1300 a day to 2200-2400 a day. I gained 4 lbs.

I returned to a deficit, and lost twice that in the first week.

You will gain a bit, quite simply, more food=more weight. But it's water and glycogen. It will balance out.

Edited to add: You'll likely lose faster at 1500.

ToughTulip

Don't worry, you wont gain fat back while in a calorie deficit still Law of thermodynamics!

As for the grains, if you are gluten intolerant then don't eat them! Do you like peanut butter? 3 tablespoons of that and you are up 300 calories

Italiano7

I JUST STARTED INCREASING MY CALORIES FROM 1280 TO 1400 AND I LOST 2 POUNDS:) I WORK OUT 3X A WEEK AND SO FAR SO GOOD. I AM GOING TO INCREASE THEM ANOTHER 100 IN A WEEK OR SO. ILL LET YOU KNOW IF THIS WORKS. I WAS NERVOUS TOO. BUT REMEMBER YOUR BODY NEEDS THE ENERGY FROM THE FOOD TO KEEP YOUR METABOLISM GOING. I KEEP THAT IN MY HEAD AND IT HELPS. IT WILL WORK FOR YOU JUST BE PATIENT. ALSO I WOULDNT WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT NOT BIENG BLE TO WORK OUT. YOU MEN ARE LUCKY YOUR BODY BURNS CALORIES MUCH QUICKER THAN WE DO:( SO I HAVE TO GO THE EXTRA MILE. GOOD LUCK

trulycrazed

I have absolutely no advice, just wanted to throw out a giant thumbs up for being a stay at home dad! It's an amazing gift to give your kid(s) =D

kmhenry84

Maid, butler and cook? doesn't sound sedentary to me!!

Just an FYI... women can tell you.. nothing sexier than a man who can hold his own around the house! Its frustrating to work hard to keep a house clean a man comes in and 5 minutes later its messy again !!

So to any man who tries to give you grief about it... You're making your woman happy.. are they making theirs happy??

LANIECE1

I think you will be fine at 1500 calories a day, after you finish around the house go for a 30min to hr jog, or borrow some insanity DVDs from a friend, take the kids for a walk at the park or throughout the neighborhood.

Dandawa

On side note.from one stay at home mom, maid, cook ect as well as real estate agent why can u not find time to workout. i have three sometimes i m hitting it at 11 pm.n simetimes 6 am. sometimes when my husband takes kids to park i think we can all find time if we really want to.
ps my hpuse not as spotless as i wish but im healthier
good job weigjtloss
n i also wonder.why u need to lose more i vote pictures

WestCoastPhoenix

That goal weight...unless you are a seriously small framed guy....is extremely low. The lowest I have been is 157lbs and I am 5'9"(5'8.5" to be exact). That weight was too low for me...160lbs was good to be lean and now that I am lifting weights I am more so around 170lbs on average and still appear lean. Also, the lowest I ate to lose weight was 1650 calories...1200 is ridiculous for you, in my opinion. I do exercise myself, but otherwise I am quite sedentary...I am a software developer...not a lot of movement involved there. I guess take all this information for whatever it is worth to you.

EccentricDad

I have to question your weight goal.... 135 or even 145 that I read in a later reply... that sounds awfully low. I am female in my 40's, 5'4",weigh 145 and a size 10. A man of your height and that weight seems like you should be fine where you are. I am all for being healthy not skinny.

Technically, I could stop where I am at and start weight training, but I want to be in the middle of the Body Mass Index scale of "healthy" instead of on the far side close to "overweight" so this is a personal choice of mine.

Elleinnz

One thing to remember - you are in control.... If you start gaining weight, you can always drop down your calories again.....So don't be scared :-)

Do this bit by bit - maybe up 150 calories for a couple of weeks - and then up 150 calories again....

You might pick up a bit of weight when you first increase your calories, so please do not knee jerk - you need
to give this 3 to 4 weeks to see how your body responds....

The easiest way to increase your calories is to increase your fat intake - in a healthy way off course ..... Start adding some olive oil, nuts, nut butters like peanut butter.....if the budget allows some olives, salmon, avocado is good options..... Eggs, Full fat diary instead of low fat is also good options....

Good luck - and remember - you are in control, but also give your body time to adjust

WestCoastPhoenix

Also...BMI is a terrible indicator for goal weight.

WestCoastPhoenix

I have to question your weight goal.... 135 or even 145 that I read in a later reply... that sounds awfully low. I am female in my 40's, 5'4",weigh 145 and a size 10. A man of your height and that weight seems like you should be fine where you are. I am all for being healthy not skinny.

Technically, I could stop where I am at and start weight training, but I want to be in the middle of the Body Mass Index scale of "healthy" instead of on the far side close to "overweight" so this is a personal choice of mine.

According to BMI I am overweight by 10lbs...do I appear this way to you?

MB_Positif

You might want to try upping the calories by 100 at a time. Add the next 100 after a few days at 1300 and so on.

I highly recommend checking out yard sales and craigslist for some inexpensive weights. Also, my friend keeps telling me about a website www.freecycle.com or something like that where people give stuff away. Another thing to consider, if there is a YMCA near you, you can get an income based membership for our entire family for very little money per month if you fall below a certain level. It would be great for you and the kids to get out of the house if that is a possibility for you! If not...the world is your playground. Look into bodyweight exercises, you can do pull ups on the monkey bars, etc.!

I hope you don't consider this to be too judgy, but I am 5'2 and weigh 135 right now. I think that if you started lifting you would lean out some more due to building muscle. I've only lost like 4 pounds since January, but I went down 3 sizes because of lifting!

Elleinnz

I have to question your weight goal.... 135 or even 145 that I read in a later reply... that sounds awfully low. I am female in my 40's, 5'4",weigh 145 and a size 10. A man of your height and that weight seems like you should be fine where you are. I am all for being healthy not skinny.

Technically, I could stop where I am at and start weight training, but I want to be in the middle of the Body Mass Index scale of "healthy" instead of on the far side close to "overweight" so this is a personal choice of mine.

BMI is a load of crock for most people - even my GP say that...... You will know looking at your body what is right - when you get into the healthy range the scale and BMI charts are not always the best indicator.....

I also question if any stay at home parent is truly sedentary - my guess is not at all based on what I see in my friends and family caring for their little ones the whole day - just saying - it is hard work!

EccentricDad

I will just say this. I had a 2 week diet break. I went from 1300 a day to 2200-2400 a day. I gained 4 lbs.

I returned to a deficit, and lost twice that in the first week.

You will gain a bit, quite simply, more food=more weight. But it's water and glycogen. It will balance out.

Edited to add: You'll likely lose faster at 1500.

Interesting that happened for you. I did read that people sometimes need a metabolism jump start. I'm still at a loss though eating at low caloric intake, but I am mathematically realizing that I am nearing my plateau and I want to be ready.

Thank you for the 1500 cal encouragement. I'm still at a defish, but I just want to make sure.

vanessairene

Don't worry, you wont gain fat back while in a calorie deficit still Law of thermodynamics!

As for the grains, if you are gluten intolerant then don't eat them! Do you like peanut butter? 3 tablespoons of that and you are up 300 calories

This. Just make sure what you are adding back is good stuff.

Plus, there are some budget friendly ways to get in a few more calories that are healthy... I can find full fat greek yogurts on sale at buck a pop when I look.. that gets you half way.. add a TBS of a nut butter and your golden. Maybe a protein shake mix? They are expensive up front but a container of that lasts me FOREVER...

Eggs are 70 cals each and are pretty cheap... 3 hard boiled eggs as a snack gets you to 210. I also will wait for chicken to go on a great sale, cook it all off and then pack it up and freeze it, defrost and reheat... 3 oz of boneless skinless is about 150 cals.

If you're gluten intolerant, can you do brown rice or quinoa? That's easy to find in bulk for not too much. I can be cooked up and kept in the fridge.

Oh and stay at home parents of any gender rock... it's no picnic, male or female. Good on you.

EccentricDad

Don't worry, you wont gain fat back while in a calorie deficit still Law of thermodynamics!

As for the grains, if you are gluten intolerant then don't eat them! Do you like peanut butter? 3 tablespoons of that and you are up 300 calories

Love Peanut Butter! Krema makes this awesome peanut only PB and I eat that on apples. But PB isn't a full protein so I'm trying to find a new carb to go with it that completes it (that isn't celery).

Thanks for the reassurance. I'm still weary about it though.

EccentricDad

I JUST STARTED INCREASING MY CALORIES FROM 1280 TO 1400 AND I LOST 2 POUNDS:) I WORK OUT 3X A WEEK AND SO FAR SO GOOD. I AM GOING TO INCREASE THEM ANOTHER 100 IN A WEEK OR SO. ILL LET YOU KNOW IF THIS WORKS. I WAS NERVOUS TOO. BUT REMEMBER YOUR BODY NEEDS THE ENERGY FROM THE FOOD TO KEEP YOUR METABOLISM GOING. I KEEP THAT IN MY HEAD AND IT HELPS. IT WILL WORK FOR YOU JUST BE PATIENT. ALSO I WOULDNT WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT NOT BIENG BLE TO WORK OUT. YOU MEN ARE LUCKY YOUR BODY BURNS CALORIES MUCH QUICKER THAN WE DO:( SO I HAVE TO GO THE EXTRA MILE. GOOD LUCK

But you see, I don't work out. I can't. Even when summer vacation is over, I still have all this responsibility tying me to the house, so all I can do is do lunges and sit ups and squats while doing m day2day work. But thank you for your input anyways. I appreciate it.

EccentricDad

I have absolutely no advice, just wanted to throw out a giant thumbs up for being a stay at home dad! It's an amazing gift to give your kid(s) =D

Thank you.

ruby_red_rose

Hi Dustin,

I will try to address your concerns (I am not a professional, just speaking from my own experience)

A) put on weight - like some of the other posters said, you are likely to gain some water weight in the first week, but that should stop and you should start losing after a couple of weeks.
Cost the family more money because of my increased strain on the family - 300 calories is 3 tablespoons of peanut butter. You can get a 40 oz jar of peanut butter for around $6. If you eat 300 calories worth of peanut butter a day from that jar, the jar will last you 35 days. So there are calorie rich cheap foods that you can eat for the extra 300 calories without putting financial strain on your family.
C) Be forced to eat grains to fill calories (I'm Gluten Intolerant) - nope, you can always eat nuts, nut butter, other types of healthy fat, protein to eat 300 extra calories.
D) Going to stop losing weight even though the deficiency is still there - as long as you are still on a deficit you should continue to lose weight. If you don't then you can always cut back to 1200 calories again.

Best of luck. If you have further questions, feel free to private message me or add me as a friend.
Thanks,
Rose

EccentricDad

Maid, butler and cook? doesn't sound sedentary to me!!

Just an FYI... women can tell you.. nothing sexier than a man who can hold his own around the house! Its frustrating to work hard to keep a house clean a man comes in and 5 minutes later its messy again !!

So to any man who tries to give you grief about it... You're making your woman happy.. are they making theirs happy??

HA! Well I appreciate all that. Sad part is, she would rather be home and being the maid, butler, and cook; I just don't have a degree and I don't have people skills (due to the HSP) so she's just a better fit for working. As a matter of fact, I expect the "go back to work" nags to start soon; but I am such a bad-*kitten* homemaker, I can't believe she would give up this life for her and the kids. No one lifts a finger but me.

marz42

One thing to remember - you are in control.... If you start gaining weight, you can always drop down your calories again.....So don't be scared :-)

Do this bit by bit - maybe up 150 calories for a couple of weeks - and then up 150 calories again....

You might pick up a bit of weight when you first increase your calories, so please do not knee jerk - you need
to give this 3 to 4 weeks to see how your body responds....

The easiest way to increase your calories is to increase your fat intake - in a healthy way off course ..... Start adding some olive oil, nuts, nut butters like peanut butter.....if the budget allows some olives, salmon, avocado is good options..... Eggs, Full fat diary instead of low fat is also good options....

Good luck - and remember - you are in control, but also give your body time to adjust

Nuts is a good idea. Those little packets from Trader Joes with nuts and cranberry's (at least the variety I have) are 190 and it's just a little handful.

Growtinymusclesgrow

I am impressed...often I find that people looking for advice here wind up getting a bunch of crappy advice backed by nothing. You have been given really good advice here. Yes, BMI is a horrible indication of healthy weight.

econut2000

I have absolutely no advice, just wanted to throw out a giant thumbs up for being a stay at home dad! It's an amazing gift to give your kid(s) =D

^^THIS