Newbie - 1300 calories a day?

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falcie155
falcie155 Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey!

I'm a newbie here, I've been kind of loosely dieting these past few months, and have managed to lose just about under a stone - but now christmas is gone I want to stick to it a bit more stringently - problem is there's so much stuff on the internet, that all contradicts each other that I wanted to ask someones help about my plans for dieting and if they're alright?

I'm 20 y/o, and male - I weight 10st 8/9lbs and my BMI is 25.3. I want to get down to the middle of the 'heathy weight' range according to the NHS BMI calculator which for my age and height (5'4") which is about 8.5 stone. So my plan is to restrict my diet to about 1200-1350 calories a day. My TDEE is 2000 cal because I'm a uni student who gets little time to exercise due to being the library.

But I just wanted to ask someone if that figure (1200-1350 calories) is too low, and that it would impact my ability to lose weight because of it. I want to keep off the weight I've lost and keep losing more (hopefully another stone by the end of February), but I want to make sure I do it in a healthy way.

Any help would be great! Thanks :)

Replies

  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    No, 1300 calories is not appropriate for any 20 y/o man who is barely overweight; it's way too low and will result in you regaining whatever you lose.

    Check this thread out for a comprehensive explanation of how to set your goals:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
  • falcie155
    falcie155 Posts: 6
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    No, 1300 calories is not appropriate for any 20 y/o man who is barely overweight; it's way too low and will result in you regaining whatever you lose.

    Check this thread out for a comprehensive explanation of how to set your goals:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    Thanks, that's good to know. Using that thread and the scooby workshop and it recommends ~1570

    ScreenShot2014-01-01at182655_zpsb935aef7.png

    does that seem right? its not that much more, or do people thank that would be fine?
    thanks! :)
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    I agree, 1300 calories for a male is too low.

    I'm a 5'2 female and eat 1300 calories base. If I exercise I'm closer to 1600-1700.
  • falcie155
    falcie155 Posts: 6
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    I agree, 1300 calories for a male is too low.

    I'm a 5'2 female and eat 1300 calories base. If I exercise I'm closer to 1600-1700.

    Okay great, so does 1500 sound reasonable - also, you should eat back all the calories you burn exercising? So If I'm consuming these fifteen hundred calories a day, and then do an hour of high impact cardio which burns like 500 calories, I should make sure for the day I consume 2000 calories right?

    Thanks :)
    Also congrat on your weight loss you too - you must be dedicated!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Follow scooby, just make sure to stick to 20% or less deficit.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
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    2000 sounds reasonable. Try it for a month.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    If you're going to be using the TDEE method as posted above (the scooby calculator), you need to include your exercise in there. Once you've included that, you eat the number it gives you everyday.

    I'm following MFP's guidelines, which is based on 1 lbs/week loss. For me at my height and weight, that is 1300 calories. I have a heart rate monitor that gives me an estimate of my calorie burn when I exercise. So like today, for example, I burned 356 calories. So my day looks like 1300+356=1656 calories to consume. Tomorrow is a different day. If I burn 250 calories, it'll be 1300+250=1550. So my daily caloric goal changes daily based on the work I put in. When you do theTDEE method, you'd just eat that one number given to you everyday.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    You're 5ft4 and you want to be 8 and a half stone???
  • Purplevelvetww
    Purplevelvetww Posts: 14
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    Well, I'm concerned about a couple of things. Yes 1300 does seem waaay too low, and I'm not sure why you've set your goal at the centre of the BMI healthy range as the numbers are averages rather than personal. It's more important to know if you're comfortable. Iit would seem like a good time to check whether you need to make any changes to your fitness routine, as this will play an important role in how you make the judgement. Also, once you have a better idea of your personal maintenance intake, you only need to shave or add a little, if you lose any extra slowly, you will reduce the risk of piling weight back on. Hope that helps x x
  • Wifey7891
    Wifey7891 Posts: 91
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    if you restrict calories too much #1 you will go into starvation mode and wont lose fat and #2 when you plateau you wont be able to cut calories much more than that. start with 100-200 calories below TDEE.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,300 Member
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    If you are using sites recommendations make sure you activity level is correct for you. The probability is you will be spending some time walking to and from lectures and about your campus, this adds to your normal level of activity, and adds to the basic calories you will need. Just a thought.
  • GradatimFerociter
    GradatimFerociter Posts: 296 Member
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    You will lose weight on anything below your maintenance in theory. You are broadly a perfectly healthy weight so there is no reason for you to rush anything. If I were you I would choose a modest deficit (< 500) and at least do some plyometrics or something which can be done in your uni room. At the end of the day though you should just do what makes you happy.
  • falcie155
    falcie155 Posts: 6
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    If you're going to be using the TDEE method as posted above (the scooby calculator), you need to include your exercise in there. Once you've included that, you eat the number it gives you everyday.

    I'm following MFP's guidelines, which is based on 1 lbs/week loss. For me at my height and weight, that is 1300 calories. I have a heart rate monitor that gives me an estimate of my calorie burn when I exercise. So like today, for example, I burned 356 calories. So my day looks like 1300+356=1656 calories to consume. Tomorrow is a different day. If I burn 250 calories, it'll be 1300+250=1550. So my daily caloric goal changes daily based on the work I put in. When you do theTDEE method, you'd just eat that one number given to you everyday.

    Thanks, that's great! I set my activity settings on the calculator at the lowest (because I do little exercise during the university terms, but in the holidays I tend to do an hour of cardio a day - so it's nice to know that I can just add that calorie burn directly to my calorie intake :)
    You're 5ft4 and you want to be 8 and a half stone???
    Well, I'm concerned about a couple of things. Yes 1300 does seem waaay too low, and I'm not sure why you've set your goal at the centre of the BMI healthy range as the numbers are averages rather than personal. It's more important to know if you're comfortable. Iit would seem like a good time to check whether you need to make any changes to your fitness routine, as this will play an important role in how you make the judgement. Also, once you have a better idea of your personal maintenance intake, you only need to shave or add a little, if you lose any extra slowly, you will reduce the risk of piling weight back on. Hope that helps x x

    Thanks for taking the time to help me out :) I just figured that somewhere in the middle of the 'healthy range' would be a good place to aim, but is that not a good idea? Perhaps 8.5 is too low an aim - is 9-9/5 healthier?

    According to the calculator the first last suggested I should be consuming 1500 a day actually, I just can't change the heading - which was specifically related to my own measurements and things - but if you don't agree with that it'd be great to get a second opinion!
  • falcie155
    falcie155 Posts: 6
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    if you restrict calories too much #1 you will go into starvation mode and wont lose fat and #2 when you plateau you wont be able to cut calories much more than that. start with 100-200 calories below TDEE.

    This whole 'starvation mode thing is exactly what I'm worried about! aha!
    If you are using sites recommendations make sure you activity level is correct for you. The probability is you will be spending some time walking to and from lectures and about your campus, this adds to your normal level of activity, and adds to the basic calories you will need. Just a thought.

    Thanks a good point!
    You will lose weight on anything below your maintenance in theory. You are broadly a perfectly healthy weight so there is no reason for you to rush anything. If I were you I would choose a modest deficit (< 500) and at least do some plyometrics or something which can be done in your uni room. At the end of the day though you should just do what makes you happy.

    Thanks! So does 1650 calories per day (not adjusted for any extra exercise) sound like a more healthy approach?

    Thanks guy! You're all mint!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    I agree, 1300 calories for a male is too low.

    I'm a 5'2 female and eat 1300 calories base. If I exercise I'm closer to 1600-1700.

    Okay great, so does 1500 sound reasonable - also, you should eat back all the calories you burn exercising? So If I'm consuming these fifteen hundred calories a day, and then do an hour of high impact cardio which burns like 500 calories, I should make sure for the day I consume 2000 calories right?

    Thanks :)
    Also congrat on your weight loss you too - you must be dedicated!
    Using the MFP method, you eat your exercise calories back.

    Using the TDEE method as you quoted above, you do not eat them back. However, with only 30 pounds (?) to lose, you might want to set your weight loss goals to one pound a week. That's really not much weight to lose.
  • falcie155
    falcie155 Posts: 6
    Options
    I agree, 1300 calories for a male is too low.

    I'm a 5'2 female and eat 1300 calories base. If I exercise I'm closer to 1600-1700.

    Okay great, so does 1500 sound reasonable - also, you should eat back all the calories you burn exercising? So If I'm consuming these fifteen hundred calories a day, and then do an hour of high impact cardio which burns like 500 calories, I should make sure for the day I consume 2000 calories right?

    Thanks :)
    Also congrat on your weight loss you too - you must be dedicated!
    Using the MFP method, you eat your exercise calories back.

    Using the TDEE method as you quoted above, you do not eat them back. However, with only 30 pounds (?) to lose, you might want to set your weight loss goals to one pound a week. That's really not much weight to lose.

    ooh, thanks that's good to know about the exercise calories. Is there any particular health benefit in losing 1lb a week vs., say, 2lbs?

    Thanks! :)
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    if you restrict calories too much #1 you will go into starvation mode and wont lose fat and #2 when you plateau you wont be able to cut calories much more than that. start with 100-200 calories below TDEE.

    I agree with cutting 100-200 below TDEE.

    However, please keep in mind that it takes a long time and the loss of body mass and muscle to get to starvation mode. People with normal weight or who are overweight don't go into starvation mode with the restriction of calories.
  • brianhart103
    brianhart103 Posts: 4 Member
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    Well... For what it's worth, I'm going to contradict everybody on here, and say that a 1300 calorie daily target is not out of the question. I am 6' 4" or 6' 5" and started my journey back at 267lb (19.1 stone) aiming for 210 lb (15 stone) - the upper end of BMI's 'normal'. For the first two months, my daily target was 1300, and I did just fine - lost the weight rather easily, made my goal after a few more months, and have only gained back weight from packing on muscle, and that because I aimed to.

    With you being shorter and weighing less than me, if 1300 was manageable for me, I don't see any reason it wouldn't be for you. That being said, there are some caveats that I would mention:

    1. Don't keep the 1300 daily target for more than a month or two.

    2. When coming off the 1300 goal, you can avert the danger of gaining it all back (as many on here have mentioned), by gradually increasing the goal to normal proportions. (I think I hopped up to 1800, then 2200, before landing on my current goal of 2600.)

    3. While on the 1300 goal, don't worry about exercising. Your body won't have the energy it needs to do it, and you'll be losing enough without it anyway. (The first 45 pounds of my loss were due simply to dietary changes - probably 30 of that while I was on the 1300 goal and not exercising.)

    4. While on the 1300 goal, you can make it easier on yourself to keep the goal each day by being choosy about the foods you eat to make it. Foods classified as 'low glycemic' take longer to digest and leave you feeling full longer than those not classified as such. In the States, we have things called Clif bars - organic pseudo-energy bars that are around 250 calories a piece and would leave me satisfied for the next 3 hours. They are pretty good (there was only one flavor I didn't like), and I ate them almost exclusively while on the 1300 goal. With the help of stuff like this, I was actually never hungry while on the 1300 goal. Curbing the hunger will be the key to maintaining a goal of 1300, and you'll need these low-glycemic foods to do so.

    Again... for what it's worth.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    I am a female and 5ft5 and weigh 9st 10, I wouldn't want to be 8 and a half stone... I like having muscle, as a guy I am not sure why you would want to be under 10 stone even if you are slim framed. But each to their own!

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