Diet Advice
MikeBurns89
Posts: 7 Member
Hello, I'm new to the app and wondered if I could get a bit of advice. I'm a 25 years old male, 142lbs and 5' 7". What I'm looking to achieve is to lose body fat and get muscle definition, I have started excercising 3 times a week (listed in my diary) and eating 1200 calories a day. I was given a daily goal of 1500 to lose 1lb a week but I usually only reach 1000 and have to eat a few pieces of fruit to get it upto 1200. I was hoping I could get some feedback on my diet diary (accessible to anyone).
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
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Replies
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First off... there is no way in hell that I am going to recommend a male to eat 1200 calories. The minimum RDA net calories for a male is 1500; and even that is too low for some males.
Put a loss in for 0.5lb loss per week... losing 1lb with 1500 calories doesn't sound right to me.
If you don't consume a sufficient amount of calories then your body will be deprived of essential micronutrients which are needed for health and function... you may feel satiated, but your body won't be meeting it's nutritional needs.
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Isn't 1200 calories a little low for a dude? Even for a woman it's bare minimum. Especially if you're getting regular exercise and only needing to lose 8 lbs. What you're doing is probably overkill.0
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In addition to upping your calories, you might want to think about increasing your protein, especially since you are trying to lose fat while maintaining muscle mass. You seem to be meeting the CDC requirements for overall health, but the general consensus is that protein needs are higher during weight loss efforts to discourage muscle loss.
I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be able to give you more accurate targets, but I would recommend at least 1500 calories a day and a minimum of 100 g of protein a day to preserve muscle mass.0 -
MakePeasNotWar wrote: »In addition to upping your calories, you might want to think about increasing your protein, especially since you are trying to lose fat while maintaining muscle mass. You seem to be meeting the CDC requirements for overall health, but the general consensus is that protein needs are higher during weight loss efforts to discourage muscle loss.
I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be able to give you more accurate targets, but I would recommend at least 1500 calories a day and a minimum of 100 g of protein a day to preserve muscle mass.- 0.6-0.8g of protein per lb of body mass
- 0.4-0.45g of fat per lb of body mass
- fill rest of calories with carbs
OP you are going to want to lift heavy weights while in a caloric deficit to preserve as much muscle mass as possible... if you've been sustaining this diet you are talking about, then there's a pretty big chance you've lost a little bit of muscle mass.
These programs are all very good;- New Rules of Lifting For Women
- Strong Curves
- ICF 5x5
- Stronglifts 5x5
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Thanks for the replies, I will try and consume more calories, what are your thoughts on the foods I am eating? (Today's entry). I have only just started dieting in the last week which is why I was seeking advice to put me in the right place. Appreciate the help, any more is welcome.0
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Your diary today shows 1,200 calories, are you increasing your calories starting tomorrow?
For the crisp bread, it says the serving is two slices, are you still weighing these out? Was the homemade chicken wrap made by you or were you using a generic MFP entry?
I would personally look for some ways to add in a little protein, I would be starving at 70G of protein daily.0 -
your calorie and protein goals make me sad!! I am a female and eating almost twice the protein you are in a day! And as others have said, your calories are waaay too low!0
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Your diary today shows 1,200 calories, are you increasing your calories starting tomorrow?
For the crisp bread, it says the serving is two slices, are you still weighing these out? Was the homemade chicken wrap made by you or were you using a generic MFP entry?
I would personally look for some ways to add in a little protein, I would be starving at 70G of protein daily.
Yes I will be increasing tomorrow.
No I'm not weighing them out but from what I have worked out the crisp bread calculations are correct. As for the chicken wrap, I have it made fresh at work (I do most my eating there) it is just a preset off the list of foods, the wrap I have is more around 250g. Any suggestions for extra protein?
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MikeBurns89 wrote: »Hello, I'm new to the app and wondered if I could get a bit of advice. I'm a 25 years old male, 142lbs and 5' 7". What I'm looking to achieve is to lose body fat and get muscle definition, I have started excercising 3 times a week (listed in my diary) and eating 1200 calories a day. I was given a daily goal of 1500 to lose 1lb a week but I usually only reach 1000 and have to eat a few pieces of fruit to get it upto 1200. I was hoping I could get some feedback on my diet diary (accessible to anyone).
Thanks in advance.
Not looked at your diary but it sounds shocking if you're actually eating so little.
Eat at least at maintenance and lift some heavy *kitten*0 -
Beef Jerky
Greek Yogurt
Cheese
Protein bars
Peanut butter
cottage cheese
^usually the go-to things that I much on for quick protein.
If the chicken wrap was one of the generic MFP entries it may not be accurate to what you are eating.
Also: here is a list of some calorie dense foods that will help you raise your calorie intake.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p10 -
Great thanks for the info, should I still be wary of how much sugar is in my diet? And is lifting weights essential to what I am trying to achieve? I'm only currently doing cardio (no gym membership) I primarily just want to lose body fat to start with.0
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MikeBurns89 wrote: »Great thanks for the info, should I still be wary of how much sugar is in my diet?
Not at this point. Just focus on getting in adequate amounts of calories in... you only really need to track your sugar if you're pre-diabetic or whatever.0 -
MikeBurns89 wrote: »Great thanks for the info, should I still be wary of how much sugar is in my diet?
I don't track my sugar. I swapped it with fiber. Since sugar is a carb and I'm already tracking carbs I see it as doing double the work.
Unless you have a medical condition requiring the tracking of sugar, I wouldn't worry too much about it.
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TavistockToad wrote: »MikeBurns89 wrote: »Hello, I'm new to the app and wondered if I could get a bit of advice. I'm a 25 years old male, 142lbs and 5' 7". What I'm looking to achieve is to lose body fat and get muscle definition, I have started excercising 3 times a week (listed in my diary) and eating 1200 calories a day. I was given a daily goal of 1500 to lose 1lb a week but I usually only reach 1000 and have to eat a few pieces of fruit to get it upto 1200. I was hoping I could get some feedback on my diet diary (accessible to anyone).
Thanks in advance.
Not looked at your diary but it sounds shocking if you're actually eating so little.
Eat at least at maintenance and lift some heavy *kitten*
This. I would suggest that you focus on building muscle, especially considering that you just started exercising. If you'd already been lifting and were just wanting to lose fat to show your muscle gains I might think otherwise but I think you'd be better off building at this point.0 -
Ok I'm surprised, I was led to believe that cutting out sugar was the key to Fat loss?0
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MikeBurns89 wrote: »Ok I'm surprised, I was led to believe that cutting out sugar was the key to Fat loss?
You were led wrong.
The key to weight loss is to cut your calories so you are in a calorie deficit. You have to burn more calories than you take in essentially.0 -
MikeBurns89 wrote: »Ok I'm surprised, I was led to believe that cutting out sugar was the key to Fat loss?
No... not true. Plenty of people eat sugar and are not overweight.
Also, the body can make glucose out of non-glucose molecules such as protein... food for thought, no pun intended
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I have just updated my food diary for today, is that any better? Bare in mind that the chicken wrap is not accurate, it's more than 150g.0
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OK, your TDEE is about 2185 calories. That is how much a male of your age, height and weight who exercises 3 times a week should be eating, to maintain your current body weight. Please, stop trying to lose weight. You do not need to lose weight, and its frankly debatable in my opinion as to whether you should even be focused on losing any body fat at this point. Go and chat with some of the body builders on this site about their sport. And have a sandwich. You're scaring me.0
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MikeBurns89 wrote: »I have just updated my food diary for today, is that any better? Bare in mind that the chicken wrap is not accurate, it's more than 150g.
I don't think 1,400 calories is enough calories.
what is your:
Age
Height
Weight
How much to lose
Activity level0 -
MikeBurns89 wrote: »I have just updated my food diary for today, is that any better? Bare in mind that the chicken wrap is not accurate, it's more than 150g.
Looking at your log, it's hard to get any sense of how many calories you're actually eating. It's really inaccurate -- you're eating fried eggs, but you're not including any cooking oil. You aren't weighing anything. The chicken wrap entry is totally random -- you are using a generic entry and you know that you're putting in the wrong weight. There are days when you don't have anything at all logged.
It doesn't sound like you need to lose weight at all, but if you have specific goals you want to reach, improving your logging is going to be a crucial first step.0 -
MikeBurns89 wrote: »I have just updated my food diary for today, is that any better? Bare in mind that the chicken wrap is not accurate, it's more than 150g.
I don't think 1,400 calories is enough calories.
what is your:
Age
Height
Weight
How much to lose
Activity level
He mentioned all of this in his initial post....0 -
MikeBurns89 wrote: »I have just updated my food diary for today, is that any better? Bare in mind that the chicken wrap is not accurate, it's more than 150g.
Either find a more accurate entry or log the wrap as 1.67 servings.0 -
At a 22.2 BMI I have to wonder why you are trying to lose weight and so drastically (over 1lb/week). If you want to look better, first put on some muscle and then if you need to lose some weight to reduce your body fat %.0
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sheermomentum wrote: »MikeBurns89 wrote: »I have just updated my food diary for today, is that any better? Bare in mind that the chicken wrap is not accurate, it's more than 150g.
I don't think 1,400 calories is enough calories.
what is your:
Age
Height
Weight
How much to lose
Activity level
He mentioned all of this in his initial post....
So he did- It's been a long day.
Anyways.. OP- I get your TDEE at 2200 calories. To lose 1 pound a week I would shoot for at least 1,700 calories daily.
You may be around the right weight/ BF for a recomp instead of weight loss. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat#latest0 -
MikeBurns89 wrote: »I have just updated my food diary for today, is that any better? Bare in mind that the chicken wrap is not accurate, it's more than 150g.
I don't think 1,400 calories is enough calories.
what is your:
Age
Height
Weight
How much to lose
Activity level
25
5'7"
142lbs
I don't have a set amount I want to lose, I just want to get rid of a bit of excess fat around the stomach, I had visible ab definition a few years ago and simply want to get back to this.
I have a desk job so I do a 6km run 3 days a week on my lunch break.0 -
MikeBurns89 wrote: »MikeBurns89 wrote: »I have just updated my food diary for today, is that any better? Bare in mind that the chicken wrap is not accurate, it's more than 150g.
I don't think 1,400 calories is enough calories.
what is your:
Age
Height
Weight
How much to lose
Activity level
25
5'7"
142lbs
I don't have a set amount I want to lose, I just want to get rid of a bit of excess fat around the stomach, I had visible ab definition a few years ago and simply want to get back to this.
I have a desk job so I do a 6km run 3 days a week on my lunch break.
It sounds like you might want to look into something like body recomposition rather than straight weight loss: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p10 -
I'm pretty similar to all your stats.
24
5"6"
141 lbs (currently)
In 2 and 1/2 months I have lost 9 lbs and had a goal to lose 1lb a week. I have been eating 2100 calories throughout that time alongside the T25 programme and weight training on a 5 day split.
I have been eating 6 meals daily and hitting 150g protein at least with around 50/60g of fat daily. I was afraid that eating constantly was going to hinder the process of losing weight but it has helped. Really start to try and weigh everything you eat. (really have a serving like it says on the packet, I used to have loads of muslei until I realised how much 50g was.)
Like you I have a little belly fat and trying to get those abs to show. I'm coming to the end of a weight loss period now. (My 3 months in the jungle are coming to an end) after this I will be focusing on the stronglifts 5x5 workout and I believe that's where the recomposition will come in. Hopefully I will lose a bit more flab when I start lifting heavy, will have to up my calories here though.
Hope it helps as motivation or just something to compare to.0
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