New to the diet thing, am I doing it right?

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Vectris
Vectris Posts: 25 Member
edited January 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
So I'm hoping for insight, and hoping I'm on the right track to lose weight.
I'm 6'3" started at 295 lbs with 19% body fat calculated. I have cut my calories down to 1,200-1,600 a day roughly. Here's my breakdown:

Breakfast: homemade breakfast sandwich of english muffin, 1 fried egg no butter, slice of cheese, 2oz of turkey sausage, or 1.3oz of pork sausage, equals 360/370 cals. 60 oz of water.

2-2 1/2 hrs later snack #1 cup of yogurt 90 cals

Lunch: depends, usually 200-300 calories 2 hrs after snack

Snack #2 2hrs later 3oz of veggies 17-53 cals

2 1/2 hrs later Then a protein shake after workout

Dinner 400+ cals staying in limit.

I make sure i hit my protein and vitamin goals as much as possible, I do go over sodium but I drink water all day.
Not calculating fluxes for water weight I've lost 4 pounds in the past week, my work outs are mon weds friday weight training 20-30 mins, tues thurs sat 40 min-1 hr cardio walking.

I don't feel hungry, not irritable, not grumpy, (and thanks to ADD) have even more energy, don't feel sluggish.

Am I doing this right?
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Replies

  • ms_smartypants
    ms_smartypants Posts: 8,278 Member
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    I would say for a male you need more calories ..1200 is too low for a tall male .....don't be afraid to eat more ....what did MFP give you as far as calories when you put your info in? wishing you much success
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I can't imagine eating only 1,200 calories. And I'm a short girl. I would eat the paint on the walls. You should open your diary. How long have you been doing this? Are you using a food scale?
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    You are a male, so no! For men the minimum is 1500 calories per day. You will be looking at lots of muscle loss eating so little.

  • Vectris
    Vectris Posts: 25 Member
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    I can't imagine eating only 1,200 calories. And I'm a short girl. I would eat the paint on the walls. You should open your diary. How long have you been doing this? Are you using a food scale?

    Food scale and measuring cup has been my best friend, doing it for a week so far, though Sundays I allow more calories.
  • Vectris
    Vectris Posts: 25 Member
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    queenliz99 wrote: »
    You are a male, so no! For men the minimum is 1500 calories per day. You will be looking at lots of muscle loss eating so little.

    Even with consistent weight training?
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    Vectris wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    You are a male, so no! For men the minimum is 1500 calories per day. You will be looking at lots of muscle loss eating so little.

    Even with consistent weight training?

    Yep, even with consistant training.
  • Vectris
    Vectris Posts: 25 Member
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    I would say for a male you need more calories ..1200 is too low for a tall male .....don't be afraid to eat more ....what did MFP give you as far as calories when you put your info in? wishing you much success

    Fitbit calculated 1,625 daily for a 750 calorie deficit, 1,325 for 1000. So I input 1,600 to MFP, problem is I feel full by the end of the day. I'll post a pic of my last week totals. If I can
  • Vectris
    Vectris Posts: 25 Member
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    utek117hy3ow.png

    Totals for the past week
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    Vectris wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    You are a male, so no! For men the minimum is 1500 calories per day. You will be looking at lots of muscle loss eating so little.

    Even with consistent weight training?

    You are eating way too little - where did you get 1200 calories from?

    20-30 minutes of weight training 3 times a week is not likely to even come close to being enough to start maintaining any muscle in such a ridiculously huge deficit.
  • Vectris
    Vectris Posts: 25 Member
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    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Vectris wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    You are a male, so no! For men the minimum is 1500 calories per day. You will be looking at lots of muscle loss eating so little.

    Even with consistent weight training?

    Yep, even with consistant training.

    I put a photo up of my last week of totals, it ranges from 1200, to almost 1,600 as recommended by fitbit for a 750 cal deficit, for 1,000 cal deficit it says 1,335 a day. I just don't want a plateau effect, I happy with arms and legs its the (in my eyes) chubby looking stomach.
  • JaneyB311
    JaneyB311 Posts: 80 Member
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    I would definitely recommend more calories, espeically if you are weight training. I am a 5' 6" female and last week lost 3lb eating 1900 per day, and training 4 days per week a mixture of cardio and light strength/mobility training (a wrist injury means I can't lift heavy for a while).
  • Vectris
    Vectris Posts: 25 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Vectris wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    You are a male, so no! For men the minimum is 1500 calories per day. You will be looking at lots of muscle loss eating so little.

    Even with consistent weight training?

    You are eating way too little - where did you get 1200 calories from?

    20-30 minutes of weight training 3 times a week is not likely to even come close to being enough to start maintaining any muscle in such a ridiculously huge deficit.

    The 1,200 limit is about when I feel full. 1,325 was calculated by fitbit as "Hardest" producing a 1,000 deficit, 1,625 being a 750 cal deficit. So I have been aiming for an in between.

  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    edited January 2016
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    No, you're not doing it right. As a 6'3 male, you should be eating a looooot more. Like double.

    Figuring protein at .6 gr per lb (which is on the low side) is 177 grams (over 700 calories). Now add in fats at .3 gr per lb (again low estimate), that's 89 grams (nearly 800 calories). So to get numbers that are only close to the minimum recommendations, you would need 1500 calories... And we haven't even talked about carbs yet.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Agree, too deep of a deficit. And I don't have a big problem with a deep deficit.

    I'm 95 pounds lighter, 9 inches shorter, and likely older than you are. No way you should be eating in my neighborhood for calories, and I eat under the MFP recs most days.

    ETA: And I'm a girl too. A girl w/my weight loss set to 2 pounds a week and mostly eating under the recs.
  • Vectris
    Vectris Posts: 25 Member
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    Ok so I did the MFP goals and it said 2,330 daily to lose 2 pounds a week.
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
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    I'm a 5'6" female who is more than 100 pounds lighter than you and I eat more than you do... does that tell you anything? My husband is 5'7" and I make sure he NETS 1,500 calories per day or I'll harp at him endlessly like a wife does. He's still losing just fine (save for the holiday indulging that occurred).
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    Vectris wrote: »
    Ok so I did the MFP goals and it said 2,330 daily to lose 2 pounds a week.

    Lucky you. That is much more reasonable, don't you think?
  • ms_smartypants
    ms_smartypants Posts: 8,278 Member
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    Vectris wrote: »
    Ok so I did the MFP goals and it said 2,330 daily to lose 2 pounds a week.

    Thats more reasonable ....I would recommend eating that plus 50% of your exercise calories back since MFP doesn't include exercise calories and they also over estimate calorie burns ...Again wishing you much success
  • Vectris
    Vectris Posts: 25 Member
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    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Vectris wrote: »
    Ok so I did the MFP goals and it said 2,330 daily to lose 2 pounds a week.

    Lucky you. That is much more reasonable, don't you think?

    Sounds normal, like what I was eating before I started last week yet saw no real loss.