is 2500 cal too low for a 400 lb man?

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jardane1
jardane1 Posts: 58 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am currently only consuming 2500 calories a day, i have a snack every hour and drink over 32 oz of water a day. I try to exercise every day and on average i walk about a half hour a day at a normal walking pace.

I have lost 16 lb in six weeks and i feel like my weight loss is slowing down and i don't want it to.

Is any part of my weight loss plan wrong?

Replies

  • jlclabo
    jlclabo Posts: 588 Member
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    depending on your level of exercise(calories burnt) you may be under eating. i would highly suggest upping your water intake by double at minimum..... have you seen a dietician concerning your current intake?
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Weight loss always slows down after the first few weeks.
    Stick to your plan and be patient.
    Your body is working with you.
  • 2Dozen
    2Dozen Posts: 66 Member
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    Nope
  • lukewind
    lukewind Posts: 177 Member
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    I am in the exact same boat as you. I started at 538lbs. I am now just over 400 and I eat about 2500-2700 calories a day and I can lose about 4lbs a week. I have noticed that since I started eating less then I did when I lost my first 100+ lbs that I tend to have more plateaus, but I also have more weeks where I have large drops in weight.

    Give it two weeks and if you are not seeing a loss then up your daily intake by 250 calories until you see the results you want, just remember to be patient and don't weight yourself everyday, bodies like ours hold onto a lot of water sometimes.

    Please friend me as I would love to help out as we are in the same boat and could help motivate one another.
  • lukewind
    lukewind Posts: 177 Member
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    Also like others have said you are gonna have a large weight loss in your first month, but a lot of that is all the built up water weight leaving your body. If you exercise and stay at your current calorie limit you should lose somewhere around 10-12 pounds a month. This might seem slow compared to how fast you lost to begin with but after the first month its all fat you are losing and 10 pounds of fat in nothing to sneeze at, plus losing it a little slower helps keep it off it the long run since you spend more time eating healthier and can spend more time getting used to it.
  • jardane1
    jardane1 Posts: 58 Member
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    I am 8 weeks in and i have lost 16lb so far
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I am 8 weeks in and i have lost 16lb so far
    16 weeks is nothing to laugh at but are you sure you are tracking accurately?

    I would expect that a man at your size in 8 weeks you would have lost much more than 16 lbs.

    Also, 2500 calories sounds very reasonable.

    ^^agreed.

    How much have you lost in the last 4 weeks and have you changed your activity level?
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    I am currently only consuming 2500 calories a day, i have a snack every hour and drink over 32 oz of water a day. I try to exercise every day and on average i walk about a half hour a day at a normal walking pace.

    I have lost 16 lb in six weeks and i feel like my weight loss is slowing down and i don't want it to.

    Is any part of my weight loss plan wrong?
    Is it 6 weeks or 8? If 8, that means about 2 lbs/week, which implies a deficit of about 1000 calories a day, which implies you burn about 3500. I put male, age 28, 6', 400 lbs, sedentary in this below and it estimated a TDEE of 3400. So it sounds reasonable to me. Though you didn't get those initial high weight losses from water weight. Maybe you're just not one to retain water. Or it was 6 weeks.

    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
  • beautifulwarrior18
    beautifulwarrior18 Posts: 914 Member
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    I would say with the amount of weight you need to lose to eat between 2500 and 3000. At that rate, you'll lose a minimum of 2 lbs per week. Your weight loss is going to slow as you get smaller. That is just something you'll have to deal with.

    edit for *typo
  • jardane1
    jardane1 Posts: 58 Member
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    Week four i gained 4 lb and week five i gained 1lb back mostly because i had a higher calorie limit and my water consumption was down but i adjusted and started losing again. If i would have lost instead of gained i would be at 25lb lost.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Week four i gained 4 lb and week five i gained 1lb back mostly because i had a higher calorie limit and my water consumption was down but i adjusted and started losing again. If i would have lost instead of gained i would be at 25lb lost.

    I would keep a track of your trend. Losing 2lb a week is perfectly ok at your size - in fact, about 1% of body weight a week is usually fine until you start getting relatively lean. Look at longer term trends to take account of water weight fluctuations. Remember, starting to exercise or changing up your exercise can lead to water retention. However, if you have gained weight over the last 4 weeks, you look to not be at a deficit. Check your logging accuracy. Try to use a digital food scale when you can.
  • jardane1
    jardane1 Posts: 58 Member
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    I am using the my fitness pal app to track everything, the weeks i went up i did eat a little but more than i should have and estimated too low on what the calorie content of foods where, i am doing better now.

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