1500 calorie days

Options
13»

Replies

  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Options
    As people have stated 1500 seems to be very low and I agree, however being 295 @ 6'2" I actually am gaining weight at 2000 calories a day (gained 4 pounds last week). I highly doubt it is muscle due to the fact that I haven't been working out the last couple of weeks. I'm only doing 1500 calories to push myself over the plateau I am at.

    Entering the raw ingredients sounds like a good idea, I'd just need to start measuring food and weighing it before I start eating it. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

    Water weight gain maybe? Were you tracking your sodium? Increasing your calories after eating too few calories, or increasing your carbs after eating low carb, can cause a significant weight gain due to your body storing more glygogen (and water is stored with glycogen, which is what results in the weight gain) - a lot of people see a gain in scale weight following upping calories or carbs, and then freak out, thinking they're gaining fat. However it's not fat, and it's not a bad thing health wise either, and it's not going to keep on happening as the body can only store a certain amount of glycogen.

    Additionally, eating sodium can cause water weight gains.

    I don't know how someone who weighs 295 and is 6'2" can be in a calorie surplus eating 2000 cals/day, I don't think it's physically possible. I'm 5'1", 130lb and my maintenance calories are more than 1850 cals/day. You need to eat 3500 calories over and above your TDEE to gain one lb of fat. My TDEE is probably around 1950 cals/day. In order for me to gain four lbs of fat in one week, I'd have to eat 3950 calories a day for the whole of that week. That's almost double what you say you ate, and I'm a petite woman. That is why I'm so sure that the scale weight gain you saw could not possibly have been fat.

    Seriously, go to the road map thread, calculate how many calories you should eat to lose weight. When you start eating more, you have to allow your body to adjust to the new calories, you do see a gain on the scale but it's just water, then after your body's settled down, the weight starts going down.
  • DaniH826
    DaniH826 Posts: 1,335 Member
    Options
    As people have stated 1500 seems to be very low and I agree, however being 295 @ 6'2" I actually am gaining weight at 2000 calories a day (gained 4 pounds last week). I highly doubt it is muscle due to the fact that I haven't been working out the last couple of weeks. I'm only doing 1500 calories to push myself over the plateau I am at.

    Entering the raw ingredients sounds like a good idea, I'd just need to start measuring food and weighing it before I start eating it. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

    No way you gained 4 pounds in fat last week by eating only 2000 kcals per day. It was probably mostly water retention.

    Maybe focus on fat loss, rather than weight loss.

    My weight can fluctuate by about 5 pounds over the span of a given day, just FYI.

    Eat healthier, move more, and use the recipe builder for raw/unprocessed ingredients rather than mostly prepackaged items.

    Having said all that, if 1500/day works for you, then go for it. You know your body best.

Categories