18yo male, need advice on caloric intake

GetDemGains

Hi everyone. I'm very new to all this, so bear with me.

I've been doing the Power 90 (not X) Cardio/Circuit for 56 days now.
But it wasn't until today that I've really taken a deep look at the calories I've been having on a day-to-day basis.
I think there is an issue.

I'm 18 years old. Male. 5'11. I weigh 175lbs. My workout regimen, like I said before, is P90 for now. When I'm done, hopefully I'll move on to P90x.

The issue is that on most calculators and on my myfitnesspal app, I've seen resoundingly that I should be meeting 2,100~ a day doing what I'm doing (I have one break day each week). My current goal is 165lbs by mid-may.

After really calculating the foods I usually eat, I don't even come up to 1,100 calories daily which I feel is really weird. I've got the specific brands I eat, serving sizes I have, and still I'm apparently missing half the calories I should be having. And the strange thing is that I feel full enough after most meals.


Long story short, my questions are

1.) Do I need more calories or am I in a good place?

2.) Is my excercise routine alright?

3.) Any other general tips you may have.


If you would be interested in seeing my usual meal plan more comprehensively, let me know and I'd be glad to post it.

Simply put, for now the usual has been:

Breakfast is Honey Bunches of Oats w/ Almonds or Strawbery Special K with 1~ cup of Lactaid milk.

Lunch is usually an almond bar; Oskri Apricot at the time being.

For Snacks I'll have a Pre-workout supplement, brand varies but usually no more than 200 calories.

Dinner varies, but tonight I had 3 pieces of Chicken breast with about 2 1/2 cups of broccoli.

Again, all help is appreciated and since I'm new to this all I would benefit from pointers. I feel like it's been okay so far, but if it would be better for me to consume more calories, I can give it a shot.

Thanks

misskate1987

You are not eating anywhere near enough. At all.

If you're feeling 'full' try adding some higher calorie snack type foods - nuts, avocado, cheese, whatever your heart desires. Just eat more.

Graelwyn75

You are eating far too little for your gender, age and size. I am a 5'10 female, weigh 30Ibs less than you and with exercise, lose on 1800-2000 a day. What does that tell you? Not to be harsh, but do you want to end up a skinny mess, or have some muscle definition? No point doing a workout programme like that if you are starving yourself of the nutrients your body needs for health. . Where is your proper lunch ? Where is all the protein you need ? Suggest you swap that breakfast for some eggs and yoghurt, get in a proper lunch including some more lean meat and vegetables and add some snacks in between if you can, like cottage cheese, greek yoghurt, protein pancakes, nuts and seeds, nut butters.

kjoy_

it would be helpful if you would make your diary public temporarily so we can see what you're eating. but netting 1,100 would be low even for a petite woman.

NathanTesselaar117

This is pretty much the same as I was doing when I started training, but my workout was P90X and a 3km run in the morning, and my calorie intake was around the same, i didnt notice any gains in muscle but i did notice fat loss but real slowly, I suggest running atleast three times a week to mix it and put a few sprints in there to spike your heart rate. and try add another meal in there either after or before a workout

chrisdavey

I would estimate that you should be closer to 1800 calories gross.

Do that for 2 weeks. Record weight and measurement changes and then adjust if necessary.

Also, I'd recommend some heavy resistance training to preserve LBM. I've done P90x in the past also and it's great for muscular endurance but not so much for strength and LBM retention.

Sarauk2sf

Adding to the eat more bit - sounds like you will be low in fats on that (and protein). You need fats.

GetDemGains

Wow lol, I've really been neglecting myself.
I guess the weight loss has been somewhat slow now that I think about it.

Well, like I said before the diet now is just a little over 1k calories. Honestly, I haven't been trying to starve myself or anything.
As a matter of fact I've wondered all the time if I eat too much for someone on a diet.

Would 1,800 calories be a good goal, then? What kinds of things could I do? The only issue is that lunch isn't very flexible, but I can up the caloric intake on anything else with some suggestions.

I guess I could add a fruit or yogurt to the breakfast - clementines, kiwis, apples?
Lunch - I could do a sandwich? Honey Turkey, Swiss Cheese, whole wheat bread.
For snacks I could incorporate more fruits, too.

Would that be much better?
Thanks for bearing with me. Sorry but I'm just not fitness-saavy lol

Sarauk2sf

Some suggestions:

Greek yogurt with fruit for breakfast (get full fat to up your protein and fats)

Sammich is good for lunch

Snacks: beef jerky, eggs, fruits, nuts, seeds, cheese, milk

Dinner: add some potatoes and butters/oils/cheese

To put it into context, I am a 45 year old 150lb female with a desk job, and I lose on 1,800 calories.

GetDemGains

Okay. I can give that all a try tomorrow.

Boiled eggs, right?

Just out of curiousity though, why would weight loss be slower for someone taking in less calories than someone taking an appropriate amount?

I know I could look up the answer but I'd just like a simple response.

Regardless of answer though I will be changing the diet, of course.

chrisdavey

WEIGHT loss would most likely be quicker on a lower calorie intake (not FAT loss)

however

it is more likely than muscle will also be lost
it is more likely to have an adverse affect on your metabolism

these factors make it less likely for you to maintain your weight loss long term. (not to mention end up looking skinny fat)

AnvilHead

As Chris said, an unnecessarily huge deficit (especially with inadequate protein intake) makes it much more likely you'll lose muscle. It also screws up your hormones/metabolism and can cause downregulation (slowing of the metabolism).

Your username is "GetDemGains". You don't get dem gains by starving yourself eating like an anorexic 12-year old girl. You're an 18-year old male - your hormones and metabolism are in the peak zone for making gains, but you need to fuel your body and lift heavy if you want them. Eating 1100 calories a day isn't gonna cut it - as Chris said, the most likely result is "skinnyfat", which doesn't sound like the direction you want to head.

Read this thread, set your calories and macros accordingly and start lifting:

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

Sarauk2sf

Any style of egg is good...but eat the yolk as well as the whites.

haroon_awan

The others have given great advice so there is nothing helpful I can add except:

After really calculating the foods I usually eat, I don't even come up to 1,100 calories daily which I feel is really weird.

I just half a gallon of full fat milk for breakfast:
Calories 1,453
Carbs 107
Fat 82
Protein 73

I'm a 20 year old male, so don't bs about you can't eat 1100 calories ALL DAY.

Zosimah

I feel you. I'm a 6'0 36 year old guy I spent about 5 years eating 1000-1200 calories a day. Didn't really set me up for much success in the healthy weight/fat/lifestyle arena. When I first joined up here I made a post with my stats kinda like you did. Another user pointed out that she was a woman in her 40s who ate a lot more than me and was still losing weight. That statement is what really kicked me in the butt that I needed a serious examination of my eating habits.

Working with my MD, a couple meetings with a registered dietician, and tracking my food to "force myself to reach up to my goals" I've started eating a healthy amount of food. I'm not gonna lie, it wasn't easy. I had conditioned myself both physically and mentally to exist with very little fuel. I am actually have energy to get out and do things now! My body isn't freaking out if I expend energy - because it's there to be spent.

I did put on a couple of pounds as I started eating more, but that and more is coming off now that my body starts to accept that more food is coming so there's no need to store everything. I'm weighing less often and focusing on routine measurements to track progress.

I still don't have a healthy relationship with food and I feel emotionally bad when I eat. I get past it by thinking though the "science" and logic of what I'm doing and am working on the mental aspects.

I know it isn't intuitive, but at the point you've told us you are at, eating more will most likely help you lose weight.

Also, reading this thread helped me make sense of all the new terminology I was hearing here. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

GetDemGains

Yeah, what struck me is that I've felt like I was eating enough until now when I started to get into the theory of weight loss and muscle gain. Not to mention the fact that I'm 56 days into my regimen (and I definitely work my body to a good limit) but it wasn't until now that I finally may have realized why the weight loss has felt slow. I mean, weight loss is slow, but I knew something was up.

Up until now, I would just guess I had 1800 and call it a day
Not in terms of calories of course but fullness. That was how I would measure how healthy my
dieting was. Obviously I should have put more thought into that. I just want to stress that I was not under eating intentionally, as it may seem. I didn't feel like I wasn't making the cut.

Anyway, I appreciate all the advice! Today's my break day so I'll be doing some shopping for what I really need. Any other suggestions are welcome too.