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calorie intake question

joshsr12345
joshsr12345 Posts: 7
edited February 20 in Food and Nutrition
I am a 23 old male 270 lb I have lost 32 lb so far but I have a question about how low my calories I need to be taking in for the best weight loss I was told I should be taking around 3000 calories which to Me seems ALOT its hard for me to eat anything close to that I feel like I'm overeating lol. I am active 20-30 mile bike rides every other day and on my non bike days I walk+ lift weights.

My weight loss has slowed down a lot to maybe 2 pounds every 3 or so weeks so I want to improve my diet

Replies

  • cajuntank
    cajuntank Posts: 924 Member
    Just based on the info I gleaned from your post and profile, your daily intake estimate should be around 2400-2500 calories. A healthy loss per week will be around .5%-1% of your bodyweight a week, so for now...2-3lbs a week is within normal range. Account for everything that you eat and try to hit your caloric goal for a few weeks to see whether you need to adjust up or further down. Good posts to read http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read to help dial in macronutrients.
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
    First off congrats on your lose so far.

    Second, 2lbs every 3wks is amazing!! We always lose faster at the very beginning because we are losing water weight then it tapers off. I understand you are only 23 and want results right now but you have to realize that faster is not better when it comes to weight lose. Loosing slowly helps your body adjust to the changes and helps with less loose skin that people get with extremely fast weight lose. You don't want to be on a "diet" you want to be making long term, sustainable healthy food changes that you will be able to live with long term. If you slash you food intake just to "get the weight off" it will just come back when you start to eat more normally.

    If you are that active 3000 calories doesn't sound out of range. Just do what you can. If you are eating healthily with fruit, veggies and protein then being below the 3000 isn't as big a deal but you need to be fueling your body so you don't want to be going too much lower. Go to http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and you can calculate your calorie goal based on your activity level. One way to get more calories is by using the full fat versions of foods like oils, yogurt, cheese, etc and by eating higher calorie foods like peanut butter and nuts as snacks.

    Good luck!
  • joshsr12345
    joshsr12345 Posts: 7
    Hey guys thanks for the responses sorry I'm just replying now. And thanks for the info I'll look into making sure I eat enough ;)


    Do you guys have any links to good material I can read and study to get better weight loss? Diet and such
  • cajuntank
    cajuntank Posts: 924 Member
    Hey guys thanks for the responses sorry I'm just replying now. And thanks for the info I'll look into making sure I eat enough ;)


    Do you guys have any links to good material I can read and study to get better weight loss? Diet and such

    The link I provided you in my previous post should give you a great jumping off reference to Google additional topic matter should you feel the need.
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