Maintaining my weight is driving me crazy.

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khalidenriquez
khalidenriquez Posts: 11
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi! I'm new here! (Yay) But I have been using the MyFitnessPal app for months now and lost 20 kgs. I'm 5'6", 58 kgs., and 19 years old. I'm a guy, btw.

Moving on, I'm trying to maintain my weight but I'm not sure how. After updating my progress in the app, MyFitnessPal tells me to eat at least 2,100 calories per day. Do I really have to eat 2,100 calories to maintain my weight? My BMR is 1,400 calories per day. Should I follow the app or my BMR? I'm so confused.
ETA: I'm also afraid to eat more than 2,100 bc I think I'll get fat. But most of the time, I eat fish and a lot of fruits.

P.S. My body is fine, I'm thin, but my face seems bloated? A little bit especially in the sides (near my ears).

Another question, is eating Oreo bad? Haha!
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Replies

  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    You should gradually increase your calories until you're no longer losing. It may be hard to tell at first because increasing calories (and carbs, especially) will make you retain a little water at first. So go slowly to minimize that. I'd probably add 100 calories per week.

    As for getting that many calories, add fat. If you were eating anything "diet" (low sugar or low fat) you can go back to the regular versions to add calories. Use full fat dairy. Eat nuts, legumes, avocado, olives, cheese, etc. These foods will give you more calories without adding a lot more volume. Another thing you can do is to eat more often.

    At first it seems like a lot of food but you'll adjust and it won't see like much at all.

    eta: also you're a 19 year old male so you'll likely need more than 2100. I need about that usually to maintain and I'm 5'4" 125 lb woman.
  • Spiderkeys
    Spiderkeys Posts: 338 Member
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    2,100 isn't much if you plan on maintaining your current weight for the rest of your life, I was shocked when MFP, only gave me 2,200, but doesn't hurt to occassionally go over here and there, some days Ill eat 2,500 and some days only 2,000, Im ok with this, as long as I don't eat 2,500 everyday.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Also, no. Eating Oreos isn't bad, provided you're hitting your calorie, macro, and micronutrient goals. Personally I prefer ice cream. :wink:
  • mchlsmit
    mchlsmit Posts: 13 Member
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    Find an online calculator that will tell you your TDEE and go from there.
  • stephanieluvspb
    stephanieluvspb Posts: 997 Member
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    Oreo's are actually the opposite of bad.....they are awesome!! :love:
  • yankeedownsouth
    yankeedownsouth Posts: 717 Member
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    Also, no. Eating Oreos isn't bad, provided you're hitting your calorie, macro, and micronutrient goals. Personally I prefer ice cream. :wink:

    Oreos with ice cream is even better!!!

    2100 seems pretty low. I tend to maintain around that and I'm a girl and old!
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    You should gradually increase your calories until you're no longer losing. It may be hard to tell at first because increasing calories (and carbs, especially) will make you retain a little water at first. So go slowly to minimize that. I'd probably add 100 calories per week.

    As for getting that many calories, add fat. If you were eating anything "diet" (low sugar or low fat) you can go back to the regular versions to add calories. Use full fat dairy. Eat nuts, legumes, avocado, olives, cheese, etc. These foods will give you more calories without adding a lot more volume. Another thing you can do is to eat more often.

    At first it seems like a lot of food but you'll adjust and it won't see like much at all.

    eta: also you're a 19 year old male so you'll likely need more than 2100. I need about that usually to maintain and I'm 5'4" 125 lb woman.

    He's your size so it sounds like he's in the ballpark. It's also his base calories (no exercise) so I think it's just about right. Low 2000s for a 125lb male as a base rate is reasonable.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    You should gradually increase your calories until you're no longer losing. It may be hard to tell at first because increasing calories (and carbs, especially) will make you retain a little water at first. So go slowly to minimize that. I'd probably add 100 calories per week.

    As for getting that many calories, add fat. If you were eating anything "diet" (low sugar or low fat) you can go back to the regular versions to add calories. Use full fat dairy. Eat nuts, legumes, avocado, olives, cheese, etc. These foods will give you more calories without adding a lot more volume. Another thing you can do is to eat more often.

    At first it seems like a lot of food but you'll adjust and it won't see like much at all.

    eta: also you're a 19 year old male so you'll likely need more than 2100. I need about that usually to maintain and I'm 5'4" 125 lb woman.

    He's your size so it sounds like he's in the ballpark. It's also his base calories (no exercise) so I think it's just about right. Low 2000s for a 125lb male as a base rate is reasonable.

    I missed his weight-- it does seem like a reasonable starting place in that case.
  • waxon81
    waxon81 Posts: 198 Member
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    Try 2100 for a few weeks, at the end of that period you should know exactly how accurate it was and by how much you will need to adjust if needs be
  • icrushit
    icrushit Posts: 773 Member
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    Hmm.. 1400 seems very low for your BMR, are you sure that's right ? I'm 35 & 5'10, and my BMR is something like 1950, give or take.

    In any event, you do realise BMR is the amount of calories your body would need if you were in a coma ? I'm sure you're more active than that, and a good rough benchmark I've seen is to multiply your BMR by 1.2 if you're sedentary, by 1.4 if you're lightly active, and so on.

    Anyway, up your calories slowly would be my suggestion, by perhaps 100 every week, so 1500 every day, then 1600 every day the following week, and so on, until you hit the point where you'r weight is remaining stable. Also by doing it this way, you will be giving your metabolism time to increase, ala reverse dieting theory out there.
  • khalidenriquez
    khalidenriquez Posts: 11
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    Thanks for the replies, guys! Right now, I'm trying to eat as much as 1,500 calories per day. I don't know why but I can't seem to exceed 1,500 a day and reach what MyFitnessPal has suggested to me (2k calories per day).

    Another concern of mine is that I'm also afraid to eat a lot bc my face gets bloated fast. I don't want that to happen.
  • DYELB
    DYELB Posts: 7,407 Member
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    Thanks for the replies, guys! Right now, I'm trying to eat as much as 1,500 calories per day. I don't know why but I can't seem to exceed 1,500 a day and reach what MyFitnessPal has suggested to me (2k calories per day).

    Another concern of mine is that I'm also afraid to eat a lot bc my face gets bloated fast. I don't want that to happen.

    You're 19. Eat, drink, and get laid. That's really all you should be worrying about.
  • llposton
    llposton Posts: 2
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    OMG, I would not worry about calorie intake to remain at that weight I weigh more than you at 65KG at 5'5 !!! Gutted :( I hate when males weigh less than me.. xD
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    Thanks for the replies, guys! Right now, I'm trying to eat as much as 1,500 calories per day. I don't know why but I can't seem to exceed 1,500 a day and reach what MyFitnessPal has suggested to me (2k calories per day).

    Another concern of mine is that I'm also afraid to eat a lot bc my face gets bloated fast. I don't want that to happen.

    You're 19. Eat, drink, and get laid. That's really all you should be worrying about.

    I have one of my own and that's what he does too...doesn't worry about the food unless there isn't any.

    @llposton I hear you...*grumbles*
  • witsend79
    witsend79 Posts: 19 Member
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    At 19 your body is still maturing- your face will fill out, it's absolutely natural and absolutely not fat. Please don't fight that, you'll make yourself really stressed and ill if you do.

    I married a man who has always been slim. He's got twin brothers who were always very slim. All 3 of them hit about 20 and their bodies widened. They didn't get fat, they developed their adult bodies with more muscle. It's attractive, go with it ;)
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    You're 19, you don't get to maintain weight because your body is still growing.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    As the mother of two sons who bracket the OP's age, I'm not super happy about the quality of comments the OP gets v what older guys get. Just sayin'. Maybe I'm an old fart. Okay, I AM an old fart. But I still don't like it. It's condescending.

    It's easy to get your calories up by eating calorie dense food that's healthy. Drink whole milk - tons of calories and lots of calcium because you may still be growing. Beans. Nuts. Rice. Avocados. Figs. And there are always oreos. Or milkshakes or smoothies (which taste a lot better to me than oreos).

    Good advice about slowly upping your calories.

    You might think about starting to build some muscle. Lifting and running will both strengthen bones as well as muscle. This is the time in your life to do it. Worry LESS about your weight (if you look at the body charts, you'll see other people are right and that your whole body is going to change and you WILL gain weight as it changes from teen to adult.). Worry more about looking in the mirror or using a tape measure, imo.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    BMR is maintenance in a coma, the minute you wake up move, exercise, walk, sit, you burn more than BMR so if you want to maintain you need to eat maintenance or you will continue to lose. That said you may find your maintenance is closer to 1800 or as high as 2400 it will take some trial and error to pin it down.. I would add though at your weight and height you are near underweight. In my profile pick I am 5'6" 140, now at 148.

    Oreo s are not bad, provided you are meeting all of your vitamins, minerals and protein with the remainder of your diet.
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,406 Member
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    Thanks for the replies, guys! Right now, I'm trying to eat as much as 1,500 calories per day. I don't know why but I can't seem to exceed 1,500 a day and reach what MyFitnessPal has suggested to me (2k calories per day).

    Another concern of mine is that I'm also afraid to eat a lot bc my face gets bloated fast. I don't want that to happen.

    You're 19. Eat, drink, and get laid. That's really all you should be worrying about.

    ^ and this is the problem with america. Lets drop the "dont give a **** about your weight" mentality. Child obesity is an issue, incase you missed the memo.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Thanks for the replies, guys! Right now, I'm trying to eat as much as 1,500 calories per day. I don't know why but I can't seem to exceed 1,500 a day and reach what MyFitnessPal has suggested to me (2k calories per day).

    Another concern of mine is that I'm also afraid to eat a lot bc my face gets bloated fast. I don't want that to happen.

    You're 19. Eat, drink, and get laid. That's really all you should be worrying about.

    ^ and this is the problem with america. Lets drop the "dont give a **** about your weight" mentality. Child obesity is an issue, incase you missed the memo.

    but....is the OP obese? or even anywhere near obese?

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