I'm so confused

Hi,

--> I am no expert and I am just getting started too... just my take:

I am a 52 year old male 5'7" - 190 lbs. I estimate I am at 30% bodyfat now and I am trying to get down to 15%. I am trying to lose netting between 1700-2200 calories per day.

You might want to research BMR and TDEE


Here is a great post to get started with which is a permanent link on the forums

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

Also

Check out this calculator

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

I just figured out my BMR and TDEE. I actually do it on several different sites and take the average.

You should be eating somewhere between your BMR and TDEE to lose weight.

I would say at 195 pounds with your activity level, 1500 calories is awfully low. I'm older than you and about 30 pounds lighter and maintain at around 2800 with a bit less cardio than you are doing. When you say you count every calorie, does this mean you are weighing your food? We can be pretty bad at guessing sometimes, and your numbers might not be on the spot.

Taking in extra carbs tends to bump up your weight temporarily due to storage of glycogen. If you dropped out of keto, you may be experiencing this if your had some time between your last weigh-in while in keto. When you say you have slimmed down a tad, are you measuring yourself? If not, take a measuring tape to your arms, chest, waist, thighs, etc... and log your numbers periodically. You might not see results in the mirror, but changes could be happening. Shrinking waist is a sign of weight loss, increase in chest size a sign of muscle gain.

If you have never lifted before now, you may put on a very small amount of muscle starting out, but most of the visible muscle increases you see is probably your muscles retaining water/glycogen in response to the new stimulus. A lot of people will notice an increase in weight or a plateau in loss when starting lifting. That water retention goes away and they notice a reasonable drop in weight shortly thereafter.

There is such a thing as starvation mode. Your metabolism shuts down. Not long ago, I watched a show on this man they still found alive injured in a cave and couldn't get out. 30 days with not even a smidgen of food. Everyone was shocked he was still alive, his body by shutting down his metabolic rate is what kept him alive.

At male and only 27 years old you're not eating near enough, especially with the added exercise you're doing. You need protein, FAT, and carbs. Up your calories, and make your workouts count, and keep in mind that you're not supposed to work the same muscle group everyday. Your worked muscles need a day of rest so that they can rebuild.

Well, that's starvation. As in no eating.

Starvation mode is different, without most of the facts of starvation actually happening, those are myths when you are still eating.

But starvation mode, metabolic efficiency, adaptive thermogenesis, yes, does occur if the deficit is too great for too long, the amount and time being your genetic makeup and stress your body is under.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/heybales/view/reduced-metabolism-tdee-beyond-expected-from-weight-loss-616251

And your muscles can swell for all kinds of reasons besides actually gaining more fibers. Which ya, unless you got a whole lot of fat and reasonable deficit and tapped out what you got and new to lifting, you'll be talking 1 lb in 6 wks hopefully. Not real noticable like water retained with carbs, or for repair.

Never mind.

my husband does keto and is at about 20-24g/carb/day or less. i am at 10g/carb/day or less because i am trying to lose more than he is. he works-out with weights 4 days per week. he has dropped 20 lbs. i personally do not believe in starvation mode, but that's JMHO. we do get tiny amounts of carbs from leafy greens a few times a week or other healthy foods, but never go over our grams per day of carbs, whether or not they are COMPLEX is really irrelevant to me.
**ETA my husband doesn't count calories. he eats strict keto and only eats small portions at each meal. no alcohol.