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

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  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    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, B) 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.













    In regard to the question about gluten... You must know that millet, brown rice, raw buckwheat groats, and amaranth are gluten free, right? Even steel cut oats are okay for some but not all cuz they are often processed in the same facility as wheat.

    Yeah, I'm aware but I still don't trust them. Grains have phytic acid in it and are anti-nutrients; so by restricting my calories and needing every little bit of nutrition from everything I eat, I don't want any grains stealing my nutritional values from me. Corn is a grain too but my kids love it so I'm forced to eat that too. The truth is though, grains really aren't necessary for us as humans. As a matter of fact, we don't even have the digestive system to digest them entirely like cows do. I get my fiber from veggies and fruit so the only other benefit to eating grains would be the iron; something I take a supplement for. So I guess you could say I don't really need grains... But soon I do plan on baking with rice, tapioca, and soy flour; so that will probably be how I get my complex carbs in the near future. But thank you for your suggestions.

    I went gluten free to get rid of intestinal damage, and since quinoa gave me a gluten like response, I'm beginning to think I should avoid all things marketed as grains.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    When I'm in 'losing mode', 1200 is my target as well. I'm 5'8, 43 and currently a hair under 150 - shooting for 140. I made it down to 145 and went on the suggested calorie intake that MFP calculated. I immediately shot back up to over 150.

    Then I went on vacation and went back to damn near 160. 1200 works great for me and I eat back EVERY SINGLE CALORIE from activity, let me tell you. I rarely actually hit 1200, but am probably coming in at around 1400 average.

    It's hard to really track it day to day because I'm training for 1/2 Ironman and will burn 2500 to 3200 calories on Saturday alone. In order to not f----g DIE from that workout, I have to fuel up on Thursday and Friday (2000 net on Thurs, 3000 on Friday), then I eat more normally on Saturday.

    My motto is: Find what works for you - screw "common knowledge".

    Best advice I ever got: Find what works for you and do more of it - find out what doesn't and stop doing it.

    Someone my size!!! And the fact you hit 140 proves it's possible. I just have to figure out how to do it myself. But I think I'll stick with the plan I've already said before. We'll try 1500 for now and see where it goes. If I gain though, you damn well know I'll be back at 1200 or less! Thanks for your reply!
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    you can add 100 cal snack packs of nuts and then since u love PB have a PB sandwich 2 slices of bread and PB would put you over 300 plus do u like milk a glass of milk would make u hit almost 500 cals so its not that hard to eat more like adding a whole other meal nor expensive as a pack of bread n PB would cost u what $6?

    i also recently started to add 100 cals to my diet I was at 1200 for 6mths lost 30 lbs. one week i bumped up 100 and now i am at 1400 and bumping up to 1500 next week. i was also scared to gain weight but we have to remember that 2000 cals is the standard and eating at 1500 is still at a deficit!

    Bumping is scary, but it sounds like it's the best thing to do at this point in my health control. Thanks for your reply.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    Oh, and don't eat bananas.

    Those things are NASTY!! :laugh:

    No way, I love bananas! I am severely low in my potassium so I have to take whatever I can get! Plus, bananas are great tasting with turkey sausage IMO.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    And I hope that my post didn't come off as snarky.

    No it was fine. I know talking to a HSP is very difficult since we are like talking to eggshells, but we are the sweetest people you'll ever meet :)
  • tjradd73
    tjradd73 Posts: 3,495 Member
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    you WILL gain at first...as people have said...but unless you wanna eat 1200cals for the rest of your life...you have to retrain your body and increase your BMR...the longer you stay at 1200 the worse it is gonna be to eat normal ever again!! If I weigh 130 and can maintain that at 1800cals/day...you certainly will be able to eat more then 1200 as well!! I used to gain eating over that too...but after many months of trial and error, and gains and losses...I finally have increased my BMR and can eat fairly normal compared to where I was a year ago!!
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    Hey, your comment about sweat reminds me... Before I started working out with my personal trainer and got in shape for the first time in my life (honestly, I almost have a six pack! ...like bizarro-land for me and my wife, I'm tellin' ya!) -- I almost NEVER sweated. I thought that's just the way I was.

    Turns out, after I got back in shape and had a healthy metabolism, I sweat a lot. It's kind of embarrassing, because I will start sweating with very little effort when it's warmer (like this time of year).

    So you know you're getting there when you sweat!! :)

    I want to sweat, trust me I do, but it just doesn't happen. I am so out of shape that when I try to run, I don't go far and I lose my breath before I sweat. So I need to get my breathing and pace under control and I think I might take up jogging when I find the time. Bike riding didn't make me sweat either and that really is a disappointment because I could bike for hours, but jogging not so much. I have a penguin walk, so running with toes straight for maximum stride is hard for me. I'm trying to correct that too... Thanks again for your input and looking beyond your skepticism.
  • Nan_
    Nan_ Posts: 83 Member
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    When the kids were born I told my husband "You go to work during the day, and that's your job. I stay home with the kids all day and that's MY job. When you come home from work, we share."

    That's what we did. He would take the kids some evenings and it wasn't called babysitting, it was called parenting. That enabled me to workout or maybe just have a diet coke with a friend. Some evenings I stayed with the kids and he would go out to a ballgame with some friends, and of course many if not most evenings we both stayed home with the kids

    I'm just mentioning this because you mentioned it was hard for you to work out, and so thought I'd remind you that you have a partner to help you with the parenting! :wink:
  • CaseRat
    CaseRat Posts: 377 Member
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    Good on ya :) I net 2,100 a day and lose 1lb/week while I'm cutting. Nothing to be nervous about.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    and last but not least...if you include your family in your exercise routine...not only will you be able to fit it in daily...you might also help them break the barriers around themselves, and also teach them a healthier lifestyle at the same time

    My wife is an anti-sweater and she has social anxiety issues; so getting her to go outside is very difficult since she prefers the indoors. My kids are also not athletic either. Because of my HSP genes, I spawned two brainiacs instead of athletes, so though I would love to go on long walks with them, if my heart isn't racing and I'm not sweating, it would just be time spent away from cleaning the house and doing my other mandatory responsibilities. But again, thank you for your ideas, I will look them over again when my time opens up and I can try these new lifestyles.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    Totally confused here too. So I used the tool and it said I need to set my goal to 1200 (Based on sedentary and 6 x45 minute work outs a week) to lose the 1-2lbs a week.

    If my calorie food intake is 1300

    Do I log my daily exercise calorie count for example -300

    plus my sedentary estimate? -1500?

    That would bring my net to -500.

    Doesn't make sense that I need to eat additional 1700 to make net of 1200.00

    Am I doing something wrong?

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
    I hate to promote this because this is what caused this thread to start but please take a look. This thread is great for explaining what to do to maintain your current weight. If you want to lose weight, change the ideal weight to the weight you want where he says to put in your current weight.

    It's getting late and I have work to do, but if you want, I can run the numbers for you tomorrow?
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    First, I have to say my gut instinct is not to reply at all because this sounds like a trap. Based on your responses, you understand that your goal is based on inaccurate information and yet you are pursuing it anyway...

    Second, anyone in this day and age who thinks about criticizing you for being a SAHD is not worth your time and certainly gets not respect from me or most other people. So you can definitely ignore anyone like that.

    Third, I'm not a doctor, but I think you're not thinking straight... You are at the perfect weight to start working out at home (yes, you can make the time; it's just a matter of priorities). You don't need any special equipment really other than possibly a couple of barbells you can purchase anywhere (including Wal-Mart and sometimes even Goodwill).

    I understand about being poor, trust me. This is the first year my wife and I could even think about spending money on gym and personal trainer. My wife is a SAHM, so we are living on my income alone. Because our health was deteriorating (we are in our early 40's, and she was right at 300 lbs and I was over 200), we knew we needed to take action (literally!). So yes, we are spending the big bucks and it aint easy... but she has lost 70 lbs and I have lost over 30 lbs so far since the beginning of the year. My trainer said (in essence) I am at a good weight to start focusing on strength training now and less on weight loss. I am only 5'7" and weigh 176 -- so you can see where my concern for you comes from. I am not a large framed person. My current profile photo shows me at my heaviest (216 lbs). I look nothing like that now (except the hairline! :P).

    So don't worry about 1500 calories. I would even bump it up to 1600 or maybe more, try to get your heart rate up to around 140 or so for 30 minutes a day and do some core exercises and you will be a knockout in no time. You can find exercises all over the place on the internet now (including Men's Health online; they have some great stuff!).

    Good luck, and be healthy. :)

    I understand your skepticism and I respect it. There are very few people out there as naive as me that would openly admit it but we exist. The internet gives voice to introverts like me, and while most introverts use it to release anger and rage, I use it to constructively figure out my life and get good advice.

    I plan on going up to the 1500 after seeing all these comments, I just needed some support. Being highly sensitive brings a lot of fear with it; I can't help that I am naive and very easily tricked into believing things that aren't true (gullibility?) so I have to figure most things out on my own and then ask a board of professionals to set me straight.

    I will incorporate exercise as soon as time permits. Even bodyweight exercises (like suggested above) sound affordable to do; it's really just about time at this point. Tonight I am sacrificing 2 hours to this when I should be doing laundry, vacuuming, getting school supplies at a 24 hours supermarket, cooking meat for the morning, and getting the kids to bed (11pm here). So to be responsible for so much with no help makes life a bit difficult to find time alone.

    Thank you again for your advice though, I appreciate it.


    2 hours for exercise? Most of my workouts never exceed an hour, in fact if you are doing weight training, it is recommended to limit your workout time, because you need to eat something to replace your glycogen stores, and to help your body get the proteins to start repairing the muscle.

    Many exercises you can do with your kids. They might even enjoy it. If they are little, take them to the playground, and while they are playing, do a couple of sets of pull ups on the monkey bars, dips on the park bench, and push-ups on the sidewalk or grass. Lunges around the perimeter of the playground, or jump squats work well, too.. Youtube has some tabata exercises that can be done outside, your kids may even want to try them with you.

    I don't mean to be short with my response but the answer is in this thread. I am getting tired and way behind responding instead of cleaning; but I want you to know that I did see your reply and the answer is some where else in the thread. Thank you again for your input, I will be trying to exercise when my situation improves.

    I think he misunderstood your comment about spending 2 hours to this. I understood that comment to be directed at spending time here in this forum, not exercising... right?

    3 hours but yes on the forums. I can access my diary from my phone but forums I have to be on my laptop. :/
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    a good place to start would be to look up maintenance calories to stay at current weight . You can search the net for a program (and i believe even mfp does have that feature ) and stick to it for a couple of week to see if anything changes. Good job on reaching your goal!!!

    Thank you for the kind words. Yeah I checked the below link and I know my maintainance, but I was still nervous to make an adjustment. I mean 300 calories up was just scary after being at 1200 for 5.5 months. Anyways, here's the link:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    If you log onto the lite n easy website they have a tool to work out how many calories you should be having

    http://www.liteneasy.com.au/nova/app_recommendmealplan.aspx

    I'll look into it! Thank you for the link!
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    you WILL gain at first...as people have said...but unless you wanna eat 1200cals for the rest of your life...you have to retrain your body and increase your BMR...the longer you stay at 1200 the worse it is gonna be to eat normal ever again!! If I weigh 130 and can maintain that at 1800cals/day...you certainly will be able to eat more then 1200 as well!! I used to gain eating over that too...but after many months of trial and error, and gains and losses...I finally have increased my BMR and can eat fairly normal compared to where I was a year ago!!

    Trial and Error seems to be the way to go. But thank you for your reply, change is just scary sometimes.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    Good on ya :) I net 2,100 a day and lose 1lb/week while I'm cutting. Nothing to be nervous about.

    I hope some day I an get to that point but I will probably post on here again when it does happen and it will be titled "Don't Judge but 31/M going from 1500 to 2100 - Nervous". But thank you for your encouragement. :)
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    YAY! The end of the thread!!! Thank you for your advice, input, and concerns. I've learned a lot tonight and I appreciate all of you, thank you very very much for your sensitivity to this too. Us HSP's are hard people to talk to but I appreciate the respect I got. :)

    Time to catch up on chores and get kids to bed. Maybe I'll sit down and evaluate my days so I can get some exercise in there and lay out my 100 calorie increments.

    Good night everyone!
  • hutchdav
    hutchdav Posts: 1 Member
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    I'm really glad the BMI conversation has occurred and you may be reassessing BMI's utility. My wife and I both looked at BMI with a strong degree of skepticism. It's not the super-easy calculation that made us balk, it's the description column defining "healthy" applied and is continued to be considered 'valid' after so much debunking. It doesn't take too much looking to find adjustments based on gender and age. If you have a few minutes and a tape measure, the tools at http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ will quickly show you where you fit in and can help dial in your weight goals. Adding in any degree of movement will help avoid injuries from daily life and help maintain muscle mass while burning fat.
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
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    I think I just burned 1200 calories just reading 6 pages of this thread. Kinda interesting. I have my thoughts as probably many others do. Hmmm. Well done on the weight loss, good job. Nothing more to add than that really. You seem pretty secure in what you want to achieve and have argued your points well. I do think your goal weight is very low for a man, but you seem set in that so I wish you luck if achieving that weight will make you happy :-) oh and another thing. Take a chill pill. The world won't end if you take 30 minutes off to have a break/exercise/do something un-house work related. The dishes and laundry will still be there after you take a break. Everyone needs a little time to themselves. Don't be quite so tough on yourself maybe.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    I'm really glad the BMI conversation has occurred and you may be reassessing BMI's utility. My wife and I both looked at BMI with a strong degree of skepticism. It's not the super-easy calculation that made us balk, it's the description column defining "healthy" applied and is continued to be considered 'valid' after so much debunking. It doesn't take too much looking to find adjustments based on gender and age. If you have a few minutes and a tape measure, the tools at http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ will quickly show you where you fit in and can help dial in your weight goals. Adding in any degree of movement will help avoid injuries from daily life and help maintain muscle mass while burning fat.

    Yeah, BMI isn't really the battle. It's the body fat % and the fat I can physically see/pinch. No one's skin is every truly flat or unpinchable, but there are some areas (the tough ones for apple shapes) that just MUST go. Thanks for your reply and I've seen the tools on fat2fitradio; they are actually the ones that told me 141-145 would be ideal for me. Thanks again.

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