Calorie / Nutrition Adjustment advice needed

mrnedburns
mrnedburns Posts: 34 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello,

Apologies in advance for the rambling :)

I've reached a point in my fitness turnaround where I think I need to make a change and would like some advice. Here is a rundown of where I started and where I am now:

6'4" 30 year old man

4 months ago I tipped the scale over 285 lbs. I began a half hearted diet and lost about 5 lbs before going back to my regular habits. I was introduced to MyFitnessPal by a friend and tracked myself for two days. I found I was eating between 5500 - 7000 calories per day, a lot of it due to Coca Cola and chips / french fries and non stop snacking.

I configured MFP for extreme weight loss (2lbs / week) and began running 3 times a week and playing basketball 3 hours a week. 90 days and 49 lbs later I'm at my sophomore of high school weight of 227lbs. That's the good news. The bad news is that I'm definitely not solid muscle like I was back then (rugby player).

Where I stand now is this:

I weigh a weight I am comfortable with health wise
I can run 3-4 miles without any trouble

but

I still have some belly and side fat I'd like to get rid of
I'd like to gain back the upper body strength I had 12 years ago

This makes me think I should begin some weight training so I found some dumbbell exercises I can do in my basement pretty easily. I don't know what to do calorie wise though. I would very much like to continue losing fat while building muscle. How should I do this? The calorie level of 1890 recommended by MFP is clearly suited to losing at least 2 lbs per week. If I continue at that level will it conflict with the muscle development goal?

What have others done in this situation to only drop the fat that is left and build muscle instead? How many calories should I shoot for? Should I adjust my nutrition from the general balance given by MFP? I'm a non-meat eater and get my protein from Milk, Eggs, and legumes. I have some protein bars (29g / 180cal) but haven't eaten any yet.

Whatever I do, I don't want to regain any of the fat I've worked so hard to get rid of, and I don't want to waste time lifting weights for months if it's not going to do anything.

Thanks for any advice given!

Replies

  • crystalflame
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
    If you're comfortable around that weight and want to focus on muscle, shrink your deficit so you're losing a half pound a week. The weight will come off slowly, but serious weight training will cause changes in body composition so you lose the fat while keeping the muscle. Start using a measuring tape and taking progress photos instead of stepping on the scale. Also, look into following a weight training program so you have some structure; it will probably get you results faster.
  • mrnedburns
    mrnedburns Posts: 34 Member
    Thanks for the reply!

    I just punched that in and it looks like about 750 more calories per day. That seems like a lot these days :) I found a sewing tape measure and will start using that too. I've found a dumbbell workout program to try. I'll give it and the new calorie count a try for a few months and see how it goes.

    Thanks!
  • mrnedburns
    mrnedburns Posts: 34 Member
    I started a dumbbell program based on this: http://www.building-muscle101.com/dumbbell-workout-routine.html

    I made my own tracking page and have been working through it, MWF. I'm also sticking with basketball Wednesday and Sunday, and hope to run on Tuesday's and Thursdays. Saturday I'll do nothing (other than yardwork / household stuff). This means...

    Sunday: 2 hours of basketball.
    Monday: Chest, Quadriceps, Biceps, Back, Abdominals
    Tuesday: Running (~2 miles)
    Wednesday: 1 hour of basketball, Shoulders, Mid Back, Hamstrings / Rear, Abdominals
    Thursday: Running (2 - 4 miles)
    Friday: Mid Lower Back, Chest, Legs, Biceps, Triceps, Abdominals
    Saturday: Mow the grass, play with the toddler, etc.

    This seems do-able to me. One thing I did not expect was the incredible soreness from the lunges on Friday. I had to skip mowing Saturday and basketball Sunday. They must be highly effective exercises because my legs were sore all over!

    More pain coming tonight ! :)

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