300lbs to lose, just beginning with a couple questions.

Greetings! I just began my weight loss journey yesterday, with a goal of losing 300lbs. My weight on the scale yesterday morning before breakfast was 501 (which was very depressing, as I hadn't weighed myself in several years). I've done much research over the past week or so, and stocked up on some fruits and veggies that I like, or can at least choke down.

My first concern, is MFP says I should be eating 3090 calories a day. This seems insane to me for a weight loss goal, even at my weight. It has really surprised me just how much food I can eat when I'm eating healthy foods. I only managed to eat 687 calories yesterday, and was not hungry for more. Today so far I've managed 766, and that's including some salad dressing and some butter on my whole grain bread (I know I know, very bad). The only meal I haven't had today is dinner, and I only plan on a couple small pieces of cod.

My second concern...is I've been very tired since mid day yesterday. Today I actually had to take a nap, and I've still been sleepy all day. I realize it could be due to the lack of calories I'm consuming...but I'm honestly not hungry and I feel like I've ate a lot today.

Did anyone else have any similar issues when they began? Thanks in advance!

Replies

blankiefinder

That calorie count does not seem realistic. What exactly did you eat? Did you use a food scale? Weigh and log everything?

PixelPuff

First, do not undereat. The starvation myth is totally false [your body cannot store what isn't there], but starving yourself is not. If female, you need at least 1200 calories, 1400 for male [any less an MFP gives you angry red text when completing your entry saying to eat more].

Second, do you weigh your food? I would recommend weighing and logging every single thing. Just a tad bit of butter to heat up in the pan to cook with? Log dat *kitten*, yo. It's just one slice of an apple? Log dat *kitten*. Every. Single. Thing.

z_vette

I weighed and logged everything. Is there a way to share my logs? I'm new to this site.

hugheseva

z_vette wrote: »

Greetings! I just began my weight loss journey yesterday, with a goal of losing 300lbs. My weight on the scale yesterday morning before breakfast was 501 (which was very depressing, as I hadn't weighed myself in several years). I've done much research over the past week or so, and stocked up on some fruits and veggies that I like, or can at least choke down.

My first concern, is MFP says I should be eating 3090 calories a day. This seems insane to me for a weight loss goal, even at my weight. It has really surprised me just how much food I can eat when I'm eating healthy foods. I only managed to eat 687 calories yesterday, and was not hungry for more. Today so far I've managed 766, and that's including some salad dressing and some butter on my whole grain bread (I know I know, very bad). The only meal I haven't had today is dinner, and I only plan on a couple small pieces of cod.

My second concern...is I've been very tired since mid day yesterday. Today I actually had to take a nap, and I've still been sleepy all day. I realize it could be due to the lack of calories I'm consuming...but I'm honestly not hungry and I feel like I've ate a lot today.

Did anyone else have any similar issues when they began? Thanks in advance!

You need to eat enough calories otherwise you are risking to get sick. You still will lose the weight if you eat the recommended calories, considering your weight. Later on, you can drop down the calories, but it is very dangerous to suddenly under eat at the level you mention.
Good luck in your endeavor!

blankiefinder

home > settings > diary settings > Diary sharing: Public > save changes

z_vette

blankiefinder wrote: »

home > settings > diary settings > Diary sharing: Public > save changes

Updated, thank you!

I have been weighing and logging every single little thing.

debubbie

At your current weight, it takes more calories to maintain that weight than if you weighed less. You will notice as you lose weight and reset your goals (about every ten pounds for now and every five when you get closer to your goal) that the number of calories that you need to lose weight will get lower.

Also, remember that there isn't really good or bad foods just bad portion sizes. If you can make some of your favorite foods fit into your calorie goals each day then enjoy a small amount in moderation. I typically have a piece of dark chocolate with lunch and dinner.

Good luck!

Jozzmenia

I would really suggest baby steps, and stepping on the scale once per week but no more. Slow progress can be discouraging. Another thing I would suggest is starting your day off with a healthy smoothie. Throw in about a cup of fruit, some vanilla whey protein powder (I suggest trutein, got that advice from some people on here), unsweetened vanilla almond milk (about 4 ounces/half a cup), and a bunch of raw spinach, appx 2 cups. It's a great way for people like me and you who don't like vegetables to sneak them in and not really taste them.

Second I would suggest reminding yourself to eat every 2-3 hours, even if not hungry, to rev up metabolism. Pick up some healthy snacks, that you can tolerate, even quest bars, veggies, etc. That number might SEEM high, but probably not compared to what you've been eating to get to that weight, and the number goes down as you lose. I wouldn't eat less than 2500 until you get down at least 50 pounds.

You also need to get moving. Start out by going for a walk, even if it's a block, and add a little more each day.

Learn to accept water. You're not going to love it any time soon, but you need a ton of it. Get a gallon and refill each day. Try to drink the whole thing and more. My thing is to drink water with every meal otherwise I wouldn't get nearly enough. Forget about pop and juice at least for a while.

Try to figure out your bad habits and post on here for tips to overcome them. For example, if you eat out all the time people can advise on what to order until you're able to cut back on eating out. Not everyone will be positive. Maybe you're someone who needs tough love, maybe positive enforcement works better for you. Figure out what works and tune the rest out. But there's a lot of good people with good advice on here who can help along your journey. Keep posting, and keep logging.

Last tip is don't try to do too much too fast. People on this site will talk about eating clean, nut butters, organic, not using seasoning, subbing kale for bread, etc. and I have found that trying to do all that at once just makes me want to quit. Try one healthy change a week, like "this week I'm going to add 2 servings of vegetables a day", "this week I'm going to stop eating desserts", "this week I'm giving up fried foods", etc. and continually add better habits to get healthier. It's not going to happen overnight but will happen as long as you never quit!

I'm no doctor, and you need to consult one. I'm also not the fittest person in the world. I've gone from 266 to 244 since March, and these are some things that have worked for me. You have to find what works for YOU. Good luck!

blankiefinder

It's great that you are using a food scale, but you really aren't eating much. It would be unusual that you could go from eating 4000-5000 calories a day to under 1000 and not be hungry, and it would not be sustainable or advisable in the long term.

However, at your weight, you could probably have a larger deficit than MFP would recommend. This is where you need to work hand in hand with your doctor to set a calorie goal.

z_vette

Thanks for all the great advice!

I already only drink water. For the past 2 years, I've only had 1 can of soda per day (some days none), and strictly water after that. Cutting out that one can per day is not a big deal for me.

I'm used to eating two meals a day, but very large meals. I rarely ever ate 3 meals a day. I would often have sugary snacks between meals too, however.

I've been trying to eat every 2-3 hours, and I must admit it's already challenging for me. Not that I'm hungry between meals, but just eating that often is a challenge. I'm gonna have to start setting an alarm lol.

It just seems like the salads and fruits I'm eating fill me up and don't leave me hungry. It seems like such a large amount I can eat with very little calories.

zyxst

Idk if you have medical problems where you have to eliminate foods or keep certain macros at certain levels, but aside from a medical issue, there's not really a reason to stop eating what you were eating before. Unless you're the type of person who can change everything about your eating habits in one swoop, you can have foods you enjoy just not as much as you'd like. You can have pasta, bread, desserts, chocolate, alcohol, potatoes, full fat items (dairy, dressings, cheese) etc.

I started at 320# and just went with basic portion control of my meals and snacks. I tried eating only "healthy" foods and lasted a day before I went ham on whatever I could find. I also tried eating 1200 calories, which lasted 3 days, again I went ham on all the foods. I learned that what works best for me is to eat what I like and use portion control. I have a serving/portion of something instead of the whole package. I also learned that I didn't have to eat so little to lose weight. The game is to eat as much as you can while still having a calorie deficit. No sense in being miserable, sleepy, and hangry while losing weight.

zyxst

And to add, you don't have to eat every 2-3 hours. If you're more comfy eating 2 big meals, eat that. It's different for everyone, so you've got to find your own path. Me, I have a small breakfast, a big lunch and supper, and a small snack at night.

smadaris91

Hi Z_vette!!
I added u as a friend. I have 120lbs to lose. I have PCOS (Cysts on my ovaries unregular periods insulin resistant which is a fancy term that means all the sugar i eat stays in my body mainly my belly) I have lost 8lbs in 10days.
I have a 1770 calorie goal each day. I do a low carb. Try keeping my carbs under 50grams a day. That means no bread pasta cereals grains (not even whole wheat) etc. Some yummy things that dont have carbs string cheese, butter, broccoli, etc. Do research look success stories, low carb recipes i LOVE www.butterisnotacarb.com
You Should check it out. Its a few ingredients and some yummy dishes are like bacon cheesy broccoli bake!! Yummy!!!! And they are so simple to cook the lady that runs it has a MFP account also. So u can add her!
I also do HIIT (high intensity interval training) i walk 2 mins sprint 1min. You can adjust to your pace and ability. I work out 4days on 1day off.
I still have a lot of weight lose i have only lost 8lbs which isn't much but I'm seeing results so it motivates me!!!! Add me as a friend

blankiefinder

You don't need to eat every 2-3 hours unless there is a medical reason.

You also don't need to do low carb.

You need to eat in a calorie deficit, and exercise as you can for health and fitness.

Kida_Adeylne

Fats are important and not evil - they assist in brain function and keeping satiated - they are just generally higher calorie and need to be eaten in moderation (compared to how you previously consumed them). You need to incorporate things that you might not label as 'healthy' (butter/oil, small treats, meats etc) and higher calorie foods too otherwise you're going to crash and burn from lack of calories.
You probably don't need to eat 3000 calories a day - you can go for a larger deficit at your weight without dying, but you do need to keep yourself running. I would talk to your doctor, as I am no medical specialist, but I don't see a reason for you to go lower than 2000 calories a day. I eat nearly that much and I'm 140lb.

ElJefeChief

Medically supervised inpatient weight loss programs for the super obese I don't think would offer less than 1000 calories per day

PAV8888

Welcome OP! You have a long journey ahead; but if you look at the success threads I am sure you will see that it CAN be done!

Many people have open logs. You can look at them for "logging" inspiration.

It is better to pretty much weight everything to the gram as opposed to using tablespoons. This applies to even butter or salad dressing.

It IS sometimes challenging to find the right entries in MFP. Even the green verified entries are sometimes wrong.

Do your best and over-time you will find yourself double checking packages and correcting them, researching things online, and looking up entries in the USDA database while slowly figuring out which entries are best to use.

Logging an omelette should look along these lines
Large egg (50g)
Onions -raw- (60g)
Pam spray 4 seconds
Butter 8g
Heinz Improved Tomato Ketchup UK 16g

I am borrowing ndj1979's advice from another post; maybe with a couple of tweaks for you!

Enter your stats into MFP and set for two pound per week loss
Unless you move around more than the equivalent of about 3500 to 5000 steps a day set yourself as sedentary.
Eat up to the number that MFP gives you.
At your current weight your body can probably accommodate a faster level of weight loss than someone with just 10lbs to lose. and it can probably accommodate a weight loss faster than MFP will suggest.
This doesn't mean that you HAVE to lose faster than 2lbs a week; but, it also doesn't mean that you HAVE to eat 3,000 Cal if you are OK with 2,500 on a particular day.
Mainly because of how long you will have to do this, I would probably not aim for less than 2,500 Cal a day for a while, not unless your doctor is after you to speed things up even more!

Find a form of exercise that you like and do it. Especially in the beginning I would be extremely careful with this. It is NOT necessary to exercise for weight loss and your risk of injury given your current weight is very high.

Water based activity and walking may be your best bets, at least for a while. Lifting weights will probably come into play down the road too!

Try not to demonize food: it is just something that gives you nutrients and energy. Having said that, whether you choose a chocolate bar, a steak, a piece of fruit, or a protein powder based drink does depend on your goals for the day and on what else you've eaten already.

In general, choosing food that makes you feel fuller longer is a great strategy to avoid spending a good part of the day feeling hungry!

Any macro recommendation based on your current weight will be off. However in general and for a while I would try to eat some extra protein (assuming you don't have any kidney problems!). At least 150g, if not 200g a day of protein (which is like only 800Cal, so you can easily fit that in your eating) to ensure that you are protecting your muscle mass and are mainly losing fat!

Of course eating mostly high quality nutrient dense food is wonderful; but, if you've hit your macros and have enough calories left, the occasional treat is perfectly ok to have too! And if all your budget allows is beans and rice... hey that can be made to work too ;-)

Meal timings, etc, are really much less important that just consistently eating less calories than you're burning over the course of the day or the week!

Take care, and good luck!

NPetrakis

Firstly, losing that much weight should include advice from your physician and any dietician they recommend. Thats well into the danger zone.

IMO otherwise follow the MFP guidelines for the daily calories. Starving yourself will just lower your metabolism and encourage storage of fat when the fast ends. Its the most common trap in dieting. The body is always on defense, and that means storing fuel. It has to be convinced it is doesn't need to do that, that means eating with a slight caloric deficit and drinking WATER. About 1oz per 2lb/day, if you can't do that gradually work up to it.

Avoid sugars and starches, breads/pasta/processed foods etc. Meaning eat only what was alive. Real meats, produce, minimally processed dairy. Follow a menu. IF you're have satiety problems, consider a higher fat lower carb ratio with moderate protein. 70-20-10% fat protein carb. It's called a Keto diet and requires some discipline to pull off until it becomes a lifestyle. The ratios can be set in food area of MFP. I recommend doing research before attempting it, and include your doctor in your decisions!

zyxst

NPetrakis wrote: »

Avoid sugars and starches, breads/pasta/processed foods etc. Meaning eat only what was alive. Real meats, produce, minimally processed dairy. Follow a menu. IF you're have satiety problems, consider a higher fat lower carb ratio with moderate protein. 70-20-10% fat protein carb. It's called a Keto diet and requires some discipline to pull off until it becomes a lifestyle. The ratios can be set in food area of MFP. I recommend doing research before attempting it, and include your doctor in your decisions!

Why make it more difficult than it has to be? Why should OP eat keto? Because you eat it or you believe it the best? Why avoid sugars and starches?

OP, here's something I asked myself when I was deep in the pile of what diet to follow: Can I eat this way for the rest of my life? If you're indecisive or say no, then find a WOE (way of eating) that will work for you. It can be as simple as eating less of what you currently eat. It may be something different (keto, IF, paleo, low carb, etc.).

Just because someone on here, myself included, tells you need or have to eat a certain way, doesn't make them right or that it will work for you.

wrealmusic

Its all about experimenting. but breaking up your meals into smaller portion sized meals, along with keeping an eye on your macros, can help speed up your metabolism. to make up some of your calorie deficit you may also add some healthy smoothies between your meals. just try to keep the macros in range of what MFP suggested. Of course seek the advice of a nutritionist if need be. getting your eating habits to change, and slowly increasing your physical activity is key in increasing your metabolism. take it slow. this healthy lifestyle is not a race, but a way of life. take it day by day. much success to you on your journey. We are all in this together.

Snip8241

In this Community section "Getting Started" you will see at the top a thread called" Helpful Posts". There is a tremendous amount of info here to help guide you. You will have to read and research to find your path and these threads are always there to refer back to when the need comes up.

It's good to ask for help because the folks here can give you suggestions for what works for them. Understand however that there are so many things that work for folks that it can be confusing.

Remember. Diet = Weight loss
Exercise = Fitness

It is not necessary for these to take place at the same time. Work on your diet first, then add exercise to increase your caloric deficit.

Much good luck to you! This is a great site to interact with folks and find support and encouragement.

heroldkelly

First of all, congratulations for joining MFP and for putting yourself out there for us to help! I know it can be a scary thought, and I only have about 100 pounds to lose to get to where you want to be. There have been a lot of great comments here, but I just want to reiterate that MFP uses very accurate calculations to determine your calorie goal for each day. I, too, have found that when I eat lots of fruits and veggies, I get full faster and don't use up my calories as easily. A great example I saw from the other day was that it takes me 2.5 cups of grapes to equal one peanut butter cookie. Think of how much more filling that is! I, too, would be concerned with your drastic drop to so few calories. Your body needs that energy to function, and it takes much more time to convert the fat stores into usable energy than it does to convert food, so that is probably why you are so tired. You can find some healthy items such as granola or energy bars that will help you out, but I also would begin looking at the nutrient intake you are getting. If you see that you are lacking in one nutrient or another, maybe you can add something in to the diet to help with that. All of this takes time, and the most important for each of us is to do our diet in a way that is safe and attainable. Feel free to ask more questions if you need, and good luck!

Capt_Apollo

preparation is the key to success. spend one day a week doing a ton of food prep. yesterday i stuck two pounds of chicken breast in the slowcooker along with spices, corn, beans, and salsa to make a bunch of shredded chicken for lunches and dinners, and it's about 335 calories for a cup and a half of it. i made a big pot of rice as well... i should've grilled up some veggies, but i prefer them fresh.

z_vette

Thanks for all the great advice and encouragement! It means a lot to me.

I guess I should give some more background info, since I'm seeing a lot of "if you have medical issues", etc.

I'm a male in my late 20's. I don't have any health issues that I'm aware of, but I haven't seen a doctor in over a decade. I don't take any medications, I don't smoke, I ocassionaly (rarely) drink. I'm a self employed programmer & website owner/admin, so I work sitting at a computer all day.

Several of you have suggested I see a doctor and/or nutritionist. While I know that's good solid advice, I am very, VERY stubborn about doctors and will not do that.

I feel like I'm off to a good start. In 2 days, I've already managed to lose a few pounds! This is very motivational for me! I know I shouldn't be weighing myself daily, but it's difficult not to! I do plan on only logging weekly weigh ins, however.

cleback

blankiefinder wrote: »

It's great that you are using a food scale, but you really aren't eating much. It would be unusual that you could go from eating 4000-5000 calories a day to under 1000 and not be hungry, and it would not be sustainable or advisable in the long term.

However, at your weight, you could probably have a larger deficit than MFP would recommend. This is where you need to work hand in hand with your doctor to set a calorie goal.

^^This. Good luck on your journey, OP!

paris458

you arent eating any meat, if you arent a vegetarian you can add that to your diet to get more calories. also peanut butter with your fruit will help too.

z_vette

paris458 wrote: »

you arent eating any meat, if you arent a vegetarian you can add that to your diet to get more calories. also peanut butter with your fruit will help too.

I'm adding chicken to my diet today

. Possibly some occasional beef as well!

truelight_photo_craig

My advice to you would be to start with small lifestyle changes and build from your successes. Stay away from fad diets and gimmicky supplements that promise big results in a short period of time. Think sustainability. Small changes made over time become good habits that stick with us the rest of our lives. It's taken me 4 years to lose 110 pounds, but I am quite confident I won't ever go back to where I was. The thought of eating the way I used to is now repulsive to me.

Good luck on your journey to better health. Add me as a friend if you'd like encouragement and accountability along the way.

JustSomeEm

It's already been covered, but it's really important, so I'll be redundant: When you don't eat enough calories, you WILL get tired. If you continue to eat too little, you risk becoming sick. Starving yourself can cause a slew of health issues - things like your hair falling out, bones weakening, etc. Your body needs the nutrition you get from the calories you eat. If you're having trouble getting enough calories, try adding in things you enjoy (just measure your portions) or finding higher calorie snacks, like nuts/avacados/peanut butter/ice cream (yes, I really just typed ice cream). You definitely want to fuel your body with nutritious foods, but having 'treats' is important too. You're more likely to stick to your new way of eating if you allow yourself treats here and there.

Welcome to MFP and good luck!

msf74

The calorie level sounds reasonable given your current weight.

Eating more fruit, vegetables (particularly leafy green vegetables) and lean meat & fish (turkey, chicken, tuna, salmon etc) is always good.

However don't be afraid to fill your calories with other high density processed foods (like fast food if you like it) as long as it doesn't end up crowding out the items mentioned above. You need sufficient calories (essentially energy) to power you through the day.

I think your goal for the first 12 weeks here is to learn to eat to a specific calorie level, log accurately and see how your body responds to certain foods etc. There's no need to try and be a hero by going extreme.