Am I ruining my metabolism?

masonwalsh
masonwalsh Posts: 5 Member
edited September 22 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, My name is Mason. I am about 6'3" and 270lbs. I started 3 or 4 days ago, and it hasn't been very difficult so far. I'm actually saving myself about 700 calories a day. Myfitnesspal gave me a goal of 1900 calories a day. And I have been eating around 1100. I am wondering if this hurts my metabolism, and will hurt me in the long run. It tells me that at 1900 calories a day, I will be 254 in 5 months, but I assume that if I don't eat all 1900, I will lose weight faster. Should I eat 1900 or keep doing what I'm doing?

Replies

  • mrmarius
    mrmarius Posts: 1,802 Member
    eat the 1900
  • maffu00
    maffu00 Posts: 17
    I would say you should consume at least 1200 calories a day, to avoid the dreaded starvation mode. Loosing more than 3-4 lbs a week can be very unhealthy, and can lead to many problems down the road, like loose skin for example. At first you will probably lose quite a bit, but it will, most likely, slow down. When this occurs, just change up your workout routine and keep your body guessin'.
  • I'm hardly an expert and I expect other will offer their advice but I would aim to eat the number of calories MyFP is telling you to, or close to it.
    1100 calories is way to low and your risk going into starvation mode and stopping the weight loss.
    Also I want to point out that MyFP by default (If you chose to loose 1lb per week) already sets you up to under eat by 500 calories. So when it says you should eat 1900 that means if you were to eat 2400 your weight would stay the same but at 1900 your going to loose 1lb per week on average.
  • stella77
    stella77 Posts: 282
    I would say you should consume at least 1200 calories a day, to avoid the dreaded starvation mode. Loosing more than 3-4 lbs a week can be very unhealthy, and can lead to many problems down the road, like loose skin for example. At first you will probably lose quite a bit, but it will, most likely, slow down. When this occurs, just change up your workout routine and keep your body guessin'.

    Agree!
  • 1200 is the healthy minimum. I don't think you can ruin your metabolism in 3 or 4 days but this isn't a good long term strategy. Remember you didn't just wake up this weight. It took time to put it on it's gonna take time to get it off. Do you exercise? That will burn calories and increase your metabolism. 1900 is a good number you don't have to restrict yourself so much .You will have a better chance at making a lifestyle change apposed to just being on a diet. Because when your on a diet you eventually get off the diet and end up right back where you started.

    P. S. Are you sure it says 5 months and not 5 weeks?
  • 1200 is the healthy minimum. I don't think you can ruin your metabolism in 3 or 4 days but this isn't a good long term strategy. Remember you didn't just wake up this weight. It took time to put it on it's gonna take time to get it off. Do you exercise? That will burn calories and increase your metabolism. 1900 is a good number you don't have to restrict yourself so much you have a better chance at making a lifestyle change apposed to just being on a diet. Because when your on a diet you eventually get off the diet and end up right back where you started.

    P. S. Are you sure it says 5 months and not 5 weeks?
  • soze
    soze Posts: 604 Member
    That is way too low. This is a long journey. Eat the 1900. 1100 may help you lose weight fast but you cannot maintain that.
  • Sara1978
    Sara1978 Posts: 213 Member
    Eat the 1900.

    1200 is acceptable for a woman, but according to your profile, you're 18 years old and male-- and 6'3"! You need a lot more calories than the ladies need. :) You may find you need even more than 1900 to be honest... if you find yourself losing very slowly or getting headaches/dizziness, you should check your BMR using the calculator on the tools tab. Your BMR is often higher than the calories MFP gives, and sometimes you need to eat a little more in order to feel healthy.
  • clioandboy
    clioandboy Posts: 963 Member
    1200 cals is the minimum.... But for me @5'1" and female..... Not for you eat the 1900 and know there are people out there that envy you your cals :)
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    Hello, My name is Mason. I am about 6'3" and 270lbs. I started 3 or 4 days ago, and it hasn't been very difficult so far. I'm actually saving myself about 700 calories a day. Myfitnesspal gave me a goal of 1900 calories a day. And I have been eating around 1100. I am wondering if this hurts my metabolism, and will hurt me in the long run. It tells me that at 1900 calories a day, I will be 254 in 5 months, but I assume that if I don't eat all 1900, I will lose weight faster. Should I eat 1900 or keep doing what I'm doing?

    Ruining your metabolism? No, you're putting a gun to its head and slowly squeezing the trigger...

    I read that you are 18. Based on your height and assuming you are not doing ANY exercise per week your maintenance level of calories will be about 2800. If you are doing some sort of exercise it will be higher, well into 3000.

    1100 calories per day is way, way too low. Luckily you haven't been doing it for long enough to do any damage.

    I think 1900 is even too low straight off the bat but it is something you can work up to once your weight is lower. Try 2300 and cut your calories by 150 every two weeks until you get to a steady rate of loss of 2lbs a week. I f you are exercising remember to account for that and eat back those calories.

    Also, start lifting weights to preserve muscle.

    Good luck.
  • timtrojan
    timtrojan Posts: 1 Member
    Mason,
    Don't worry if you are under. Just do the best you can. The big thing is entering in what you eat every day. Then at the end of 1 whole week you can look at it and go from there........
    Tim:smile:
  • taletreader
    taletreader Posts: 377 Member
    Let me come down in the middle here. At your level of starting weight, a 1000 cal deficit a day, or *maybe*even* a *little* more could be sustainable. If 1900 is what you get for a 1 lb / week loss (500 cal/day deficit) then I'd say you're ok to go for 1400 to accelerate. Once you get closer to your goal weight, you'll have to reduce the deficit, and loss will be slower, but yes, very overweight people CAN, for a while, loose quite quickly while eating comfortably enough.

    However, there is a level of deficit where your metabolism will slow down to the point that you're better off eating slightly more but keeping the engines fired up. Exercise will help (eat back a few of those extra calories, but be conservative estimating). Also, note that too big a deficit will increase loss of muscle mass, which you want to avoid.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    Never mind your metabolism for a minute...are your workouts suffering? Are you tired? Have headaches? Mental confusion? Feeling queasy occasionally? Have you stopped feeling any hunger pangs? If so, you are not eating enough. Adequate nutrition should be your primary focus, not how little you can eat. If you deprive yourself of enough food, then you will have great difficulty transitioning to maintenence when you're reached your goals. Your chances of regaining the weight you lost are high. So don't rush it. Eat what MFP tells you to. It works for all these members, it will work for you as well.
  • jooliedi
    jooliedi Posts: 7 Member
    When I was doing the Curves diet they recommended 1200 CALS FOR 1 WEEK followed by 2 weeks at 1600 cals then 1 week at 2400 cals which is coincidently very close to my recommended cals and bms. But they stressed that this was for women NOT men. Men should consume more calories.

    Putting this in perspective if you take your recommended daily calories and multiplied by 75%(this would be 1425 in your case) this would be what you should eat for one week then your recommended cals for week 2 and 3 and then your BMS for the last week.

    BUT you also have to factor in your lifestyle as a teenager. Most teens are more active than they realize. Whether it's walking to school, between classes up and down stairs, sports, PE class, walking the mall, whatever.... that activity will factor into your recommended target as well.

    What it all comes down to is the quality of what you eat not the quantity. Healthy proteins, fruits and veggies, whole grains.... and staying active.

    Set goals that don't center around food. For exampke set a goal of walking a 5k this summer or a turkey trot on Thanksgiving. The more tangible it is the easier it will be to stay focussed.
  • Eat the 1900 calories! Please! Our bodies need fuel to stay healthy. At 1900 calories you will lose weight, about a pound a week. It's the healthy way to manage your weight. I know it stinks to see the scale go down slowly, but it also stays down there as 1900 calories is doable for the long haul. At 1100 you'll probably quit the whole thing before you know it as you'll feel deprived.
  • This is a fantastic thread. Just reading everyones opinions is so helpful.

    Thanks all.
  • masonwalsh
    masonwalsh Posts: 5 Member
    Thank you everyone! You've been very helpful. I think I'll try to get closer to my recommended.. And to answer some of the questions I am in an independent weights class in high school. So I work out 5 days a week ( started tuesday but it's going to be routine this semester) The reason my calories are so low is because I've been trying to only eat natural foods. I had a very bad habit of eating nasty junk food ( because that is what my dad buys) so I decided to quit all junk food. I'm hoping to allow my self some junk(un-natural) food about once or twice a week so I don't crave it too much. I also try to make sure I get carbs everyday since depriving yourself of carbs will cause extreme weight gain after you eat them again. So I have bread or something. But I'm worried I will get back onto junk food. My body according to this site burns 2300 calories just at rest all day. So I'm just trying to figure out how to do this, without hurting myself in the long run. Thank you for all your answers, and if you have anymore advice I will gladly accept it.
  • bates
    bates Posts: 122
    Hey man, I started here at 6'5 @ 270, and at 2000. Now I'm 6'5 @ 240, eating 2400 still at a deficit. Don't cut too much too fast, because once you stall at such a low deficit, where do you go from there?
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    Thank you everyone! You've been very helpful. I think I'll try to get closer to my recommended.. And to answer some of the questions I am in an independent weights class in high school. So I work out 5 days a week ( started tuesday but it's going to be routine this semester) The reason my calories are so low is because I've been trying to only eat natural foods. I had a very bad habit of eating nasty junk food ( because that is what my dad buys) so I decided to quit all junk food. I'm hoping to allow my self some junk(un-natural) food about once or twice a week so I don't crave it too much. I also try to make sure I get carbs everyday since depriving yourself of carbs will cause extreme weight gain after you eat them again. So I have bread or something. But I'm worried I will get back onto junk food. My body according to this site burns 2300 calories just at rest all day. So I'm just trying to figure out how to do this, without hurting myself in the long run. Thank you for all your answers, and if you have anymore advice I will gladly accept it.

    You should try getting in some higher calorie healthy food - lots of protein, healthy carbs like quinoa, barley, oatmeal, and even potatoes/yams/etc. are good in moderation. Also, avocados, nuts and olive oil have healthy fat in them. Don't be afraid to eat regular dairy (rather than low/non-fat).
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