6'4 230lbs Eating 1000-1400 calories a day.

Options
CadenDavid
CadenDavid Posts: 34 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm down 95lbs so far.... I've been obsessing over losing this weight by Christmas but i keep plateauing. And it's agrivating.. I was losing .526 pounds a day for 40 days but I suddenly hit a plateau.. But I can't get my mind set on eating more... I feel like I'd be failing and end up gaining the weight back... HELP.

Replies

  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    Options
    0.5LB PER DAY is not healthy. You could support those losses for a time when you were at your biggest but very rapidly fell into undereating to maintain large losses. You're a tall male, you need much much more than 1500 per day, even to lose. The tiniest of tiny sedentary females can do 1000 calories a day, tall men cannot.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    edited November 2016
    Options
    How long has it been since you've lost weight?

    More importantly: why so few calories? I'm a 5'6" female and I eat 1800.
  • bigmuney
    bigmuney Posts: 284 Member
    Options
    Eat 2000 min
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Options
    Eat more.

    In the past week you have had a couple of threads related to body image issues. It's not uncommon to have such issues after a big loss. One thing that can help is changing your focus from weight loss to overall fitness. Part of that is eating a healthy level of calories.

  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    edited November 2016
    Options
    Add at least another thousand calories to your goal for your height!! You are undereating by a dangerous amount. You need to take at least 3 weeks off of dieting (or more) and eat at maintenance calories to let your metabolism recover. You might gain a couple pounds but don't freak out.

    Find your maintenance calories/TDEE here:

    http://www.iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
  • steffenson
    steffenson Posts: 312 Member
    edited November 2016
    Options
    5 years ago I was 6'3" 203lb and wanted to lose some body fat. I thought eating 1,600 calories per day (plus eating back exercise calories) I would lose 1 pound a week. I dropped a few pounds then plateaued so I dropped to 1,400 cal a day and the same thing happened. I then dropped to 1,200 calories per day (after eating back exercise calories) and once again dropped a few pounds then plateaued. At this point I was ravenously hungry at all times, constantly fatigued/no energy, would get dizzy if I stood up quickly and rather unpleasant to be around. Luckily I realized I was eating too little, recalculated my calorie needs using the TDEE method and dramatically upped my calorie intake.
    In the intervening years I at one point dropped to 8% body fat but have found maintaining between 12-14% body fat a lot easier and more enjoyable.
    Today I have a bit more muscle but am basicly the same weight (204.4lb) and am testing what the max amount of calories I can eat per day is and still maintain my weight - for the last 3 weeks that has been an average of 3,700 calories per day!
    Moral of this long story - don't be afraid to eat a lot more calories!
    I have been there and I have done that so take it from me and enjoy the pleasure of eating more.
  • aimeemusic
    aimeemusic Posts: 73 Member
    Options
    Eat more cut yourself some slack

    Try to stick to meats, low carbs and natural fats. Water water water! Eat slower and until you are full. Exercise 2-4 times a week and try to get moving more normally. But have rice or a potato without fear!

    I've done what you are doing and I did gainned it all back because I could not maintain it for ever.

    Doing round 2 now and I'm down 25 in 9 months. With a new plan.

    I eat more than ever and feel more energy to exercise. If crave something, have it and get out of your system. After eating well, your body will want to go back to eating well. I feel strong and in control of my body and mind for the first time.

    Smile more and don't lose hope. Congrats on what you achieved! I hope you great success!
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    Options
    CadenDavid wrote: »
    I'm down 95lbs so far.... I've been obsessing over losing this weight by Christmas but i keep plateauing. And it's agrivating.. I was losing .526 pounds a day for 40 days but I suddenly hit a plateau.. But I can't get my mind set on eating more... I feel like I'd be failing and end up gaining the weight back... HELP.

    If your doctor finds out you're losing weight that fast and eating so little they may label you with an eating disorder. If you're worried about gaining weight then eat mostly protein for your extra calories (not because carbs/fat are bad, but because it'll help your muscle mass, and your body will burn calories just digesting it), but you should be eating around 2000 calories a day even at a deficit. I can see maybe 1800 if you really want to push it but nothing below that. Are you exercising too? If you don't level out your calories to a normal deficit you'll probably lose the weight but you'll end up sick or worse, and you'll likely gain the weight back afterward anyway. Eating more will, in the short term, likely gain you a little weight, but it'll taper back off. I'd increase to 1800+ immediately, put the scale away for a couple of weeks, and then start back in exercising but stay at that calorie level plus half your exercise calories. Just my opinion. Crash diets generally don't work long term.

Categories