Having trouble meeting my K/j / Calorie Goal

natso2001
natso2001 Posts: 7
in Getting Started
I'm a 20 year old male, about 5'11 and I'm aiming to lose about 10kg by November or December (a goal I think is totally achievable). I do around 40 - 50 minutes of cardio per day with some weights thrown in - and while I don't have an issue meeting my goal of 5983 Kj (1430 Calories) without exercise, when I exercise my net Kilojules is only something like 4400 (1052 Calories). I'm actually finding it very difficult to meet my net energy intake goal.

Can anyone tell me if this is a bad thing? Will it have an adverse effect on my weight loss? Any tips for how to meet my intake goal?

Replies

  • vorgas
    vorgas Posts: 741 Member
    If you don't give your body fuel, it can't perform, simple as that.

    [Lots of other stuff that many people will argue about...]

    Eat calorie dense foods. 2 Tablespoons of peanut butter is 200+ calories.
  • natso2001
    natso2001 Posts: 7
    Sure that makes sense.
    But I'm eating 3, large, filling meals a day. I'm struggling to comprehend why I should eat beyond fullness, beyond contentment.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    Can we back up a second? Why is an active 20-year-old male standing at 5'11" only eating 1430 calories per day? Your MFP goal should be set to lose 1/2 lb a week with so little to lose. Also, your protein macro is quite low, meaning that right now you're most likely losing lean body mass along with fat.
  • Mello_Rello
    Mello_Rello Posts: 421 Member
    Can we back up a second? Why is an active 20-year-old male standing at 5'11" only eating 1430 calories per day? Your MFP goal should be set to lose 1/2 lb a week with so little to lose. Also, your protein macro is quite low, meaning that right now you're most likely losing lean body mass along with fat.

    Yeah, same thing I was thinking. I'm a female, 5'8", and eat 1750 cals/day.

    But yes, do you know what your macros should be based on your physical activity and goals? I have a problem getting all my protein each days, but cant have much fat (39g?day), so I can't have many nuts or oils, so peanut butter is no good for me, though for you, peanut butter in a protein shake would be a great way to increase your cals and protein. Also, nuts, trail mix, granola bars made at home, could all help you boost your caloric intake.
  • natso2001
    natso2001 Posts: 7
    For a start I think 'active' is an overstatement. I'm a university student sitting down all day. The only exercise I get is that 40-50 minutes of cardio. As previously stated, I'm struggling to reach that 1430 calories. I'm eating large, wholesome meals, three times a day and that's usually enough for me. I already eat protein 2/3 meals a day. I guess I could up that if I ate it for breakfast too? Lol
  • Mello_Rello
    Mello_Rello Posts: 421 Member
    For a start I think 'active' is an overstatement. I'm a university student sitting down all day. The only exercise I get is that 40-50 minutes of cardio. As previously stated, I'm struggling to reach that 1430 calories. I'm eating large, wholesome meals, three times a day and that's usually enough for me. I already eat protein 2/3 meals a day. I guess I could up that if I ate it for breakfast too? Lol

    What about the weights? No point in doing cardio, getting slim, but not having a killer sculpted body.
  • natso2001
    natso2001 Posts: 7
    [/quote]

    Yeah, same thing I was thinking. I'm a female, 5'8", and eat 1750 cals/day.

    But yes, do you know what your macros should be based on your physical activity and goals? I have a problem getting all my protein each days, but cant have much fat (39g?day), so I can't have many nuts or oils, so peanut butter is no good for me, though for you, peanut butter in a protein shake would be a great way to increase your cals and protein. Also, nuts, trail mix, granola bars made at home, could all help you boost your caloric intake.
    [/quote]

    I just used the pre-set macros that MFP gave me for my goal. I've previously been to a nutritionist and inquired about my diet and they didn't have any problems with my calorie intake. It's great to get some feedback and ideas floating around however, so thanks for all your feedback :)
  • natso2001
    natso2001 Posts: 7
    For a start I think 'active' is an overstatement. I'm a university student sitting down all day. The only exercise I get is that 40-50 minutes of cardio. As previously stated, I'm struggling to reach that 1430 calories. I'm eating large, wholesome meals, three times a day and that's usually enough for me. I already eat protein 2/3 meals a day. I guess I could up that if I ate it for breakfast too? Lol

    What about the weights? No point in doing cardio, getting slim, but not having a killer sculpted body.

    I just do the best I can with weights off of Youtube. I can't afford gym membership at the moment so that's not really an option unfortunately
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    For a start I think 'active' is an overstatement. I'm a university student sitting down all day. The only exercise I get is that 40-50 minutes of cardio. As previously stated, I'm struggling to reach that 1430 calories. I'm eating large, wholesome meals, three times a day and that's usually enough for me. I already eat protein 2/3 meals a day. I guess I could up that if I ate it for breakfast too? Lol

    You're not sitting down all day, you're walking from one class to another and moving around. At the very least you are lightly active according to MFP settings. I looked at your diary and you are not eating 3 large meals - your dinners rarely hit 300 calories. I can clear that in snacks alone by lunch. You're not even netting 1200 most days.

    You need these:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

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

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