Need some help please

stockbreak
stockbreak Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Guys,

This is my first time posting here and I send you all lots of love and positive wishes in whatever your goals are!

I started my weight loss journey in the beginning of May at 289 lbs, Im a 6ft tall male, 36 yo, soooo was pretty big and out of shape. I started to exercise everyday and eat low calorie, and the weight has been flying off (too fast Im afraid) Im 236 now....and have basically been eating 1000 1200 calories a day which I see is WAY too low for me my problem is I do not hav the appetite to eat more and am now terrified that if I eat more I will put everything back on. I exercise 7 days a week, some days just light cardio somedays more intense.....and throw in some weights once in a while. I felt great up until about a week ago and I am feeling fatigued and sometimes a lilttle loopy. Any advice on how to get to a healthy place without sabotaging my efforts and not having to eat more? Thank you and sorry if this sounds stupid to the more advanced users here....My mentality going in was calories in vs calories out and I was just abusing that theory and I dont want to risk my health. I am on a beta blocker for minor palps and bp...which reads normal was just at doctors the other day.

Replies

  • jheye
    jheye Posts: 36 Member
    If you are feeling tired you do need to start eating more, but you don't have to make a dramatic change. On low carb diets the general advice for increasing carbs after an initial period of rapid weight loss is to add small amounts each week until you stop losing weight, then back off just a little to resume weight loss at a regular, but slower rate. Even if you are not doing a low carb diet, the same general plan should work for you- every 5-7 days increase your daily caloric intake until you get to a more reasonable calorie level. Be sure that you are getting plenty of protein- I don't know how a man your age could possibly be getting enough at such a low calorie level, and you will lose muscle, not fat, if you don't get adequate protein. Once your protein is in place, you can add in good quality carbs & fats to get to you desired calorie intake.
  • stockbreak
    stockbreak Posts: 4 Member
    Thank you jheye...I am going to start increasing the calories as the reason I am posting Is I do feel tired....was a total powerhouse till about a week or so ago and now not so much lol....but I will heed ur advice, thank you
  • Lady_Bane
    Lady_Bane Posts: 720 Member
    Low carb diets are bullshii...carbs=energy. And they are yummy! Go by calories and fat content...not carbs/protein/whateverelse.
  • stockbreak
    stockbreak Posts: 4 Member
    I am doing calories....just think they were too low for me
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    eat more food. when i first started MFP i was 224 pounds and eating 2000 calories and still losing. you as a male who's taller than me and larger than me can surely eat more than i was eating and still lose weight. if i was barely able to function after a few days of eating 1200 calories, i have no idea how you've been able to do it this long.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    eat more food. when i first started MFP i was 224 pounds and eating 2000 calories and still losing. you as a male who's taller than me and larger than me can surely eat more than i was eating and still lose weight. if i was barely able to function after a few days of eating 1200 calories, i have no idea how you've been able to do it this long.
    ^This
    Find out your TDEE (Research it if you don't know what it is) - this is how much you burn daily
    Find out your BMR (research it if you don't know what it is) - this is how much you'd burn after I knocked you over the head with a baseball bat
    Eat between those 2 numbers.

    I did 1200, thought I was fine, started to eat more (net about 1700) and realized that I feel a ton better now, and lost all my weight. plus plus!
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    You need to up your calorie intake without a doubt. I don't know how you've existed on 1000-1200 calories for as long as you have and it's no surprise that you're tired and have no energy. I'm a bit taller, 14 years older and 3 pounds lighter than you and I eat 2300-2400 calories/day (with occasional 3000+ calorie days). I lift weights 2-3x/wk and do moderate cardio 2-3x/wk. I've lost 30 pounds in the last 5 months.

    Read the first post in this thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    Do the calculations Dan recommends and establish a reasonable level of caloric intake for yourself (hint: 1000-1200/day for a man your size isn't reasonable). Gradually work your way up to it, increasing your caloric intake by, say, 200-300 calories per week, then stick with it for a month to let things level out and see what happens. I have my macros (carbs/protein/fat) set to 40%/30%/30% because I don't feel the default MFP setup provides enough protein, but that part is up to you. You may plateau or even gain a bit, but stick with it for a month - you can always adjust upward or downward from there and at least you won't be walking around on the verge of passing out every day.

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