Eating enough and exercising

Hi @marvinhayles!

I think roofing is one of the hardest jobs out there and you must be in very good shape to do it every day. You are basically an athlete. My hat's off to you. I think 1500kcals per day is too low (it's my setting to lose weight, and I'm a shrimpy desk jockey). My fear if you go to low is that you will endanger yourself at your job!

I recommend going into the MFP settings, type in your height/weight, set for 1lb per week loss, and use "moderately active" at first. If you are starving all the time, you could bump up to "very active." Figuring out what you really need comes from watching your weight.

You can also play around with this online calculator to get your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), which is the number you need. You will notice that each pound you want to lose per week translates to a 500kcal deficit per day below TDEE. Note that MFP seems to use the "Mifflin St Jeor" formula. Add additional calories (conservatively) for workouts.

Also: While cutting calories and working hard, you should drink water (with electrolytes, ideally) and eat regular snacks every few hours. Best is to stash away something truly healthy, like an apple or banana (or any fruit). Second best might be a little baggie of dried fruit and nuts (portioned out carefully), third best might be a bar of some sort. Since you keep your body moving, a bit more (high-quality) carb is warranted at mealtime (meaning, I don't recommend low carb for people doing actual work).

Always drink water in the heat, of course. You may need extra electrolytes while cutting as well, but only drink Gatorade in a pinch. Check out Nuun tabs or other non-sweet electrolyte powder for your water.

Don't go too high on protein because it's a bad energy source-- above about .5g per pound of bodyweight is unnecessary, and just steals from fats and carbs which are better fuel. Going low on carbs can make you lose weight more quickly, but it's difficult (and probably unnecessary) if you're active. Fats should be high quality (olive oil, nuts, cheese, bit of butter, avocado, etc.). Carbs should be "complex," whole wheat breads and cereals, whole fruits, dried fruits.

I'm sitting hear feeling jealous of your job, because it will get you into incredible shape if you pair it with the proper nutrition! Best of luck!

marvinhayles wrote: »

Moderate the middle one I think the app reckons I should be eating 1870 but if I eat that I don't really lose anything

Keep in mind that the numbers are all just estimates. What you estimate at 1500 cals per day may or may not be 1500 cals per day. The proof is in the pudding (where did that phrase come from, BTW???) - if you're losing at a reasonable rate and you feel reasonably good, then you're in a good spot.

marvinhayles wrote: »

I understand what your saying I calculated that I need to eat 2660 calories a day just to lay down for my size but the thing is until the past couple of years when I started exercising watching my weight an working hard I would yoyo really really bad like 2 stone fluctuations over a couple of months an I would not eat all day then eat 2-3-4000 calories at night my body's confused my metabolism is shot I really need to go severe to kick my body into action otherwise nothing happens I've also been really really poor in the past an barely eaten so my body has learned how to stay fat on hardly any calories so it's very confused the poor thing an this low calorie low carb diet is the only way I seem to lose weight

First of all, some punctuation would be a huge help in reading/understanding your post.

I doubt your metablolism is shot. I'm betting it's all about habits and mentality, not anything physical. Based on what I think you just said, I'd focus the next month or so on trying to find some consistency. I'd worry less about calorie intake and more about being consistent, making good decisions, and forming some better habits.

That said, your most recent post seems to be very opposed to your original post. You've gone from "I feel pretty good and I'm doing ok, just want to double check that I'm on the right path." to "My metabolism is shot, I have binging tendencies, and I yoyo frequently... HALP!!!"

Which is it?

marvinhayles wrote: »

Moderate the middle one I think the app reckons I should be eating 1870 but if I eat that I don't really lose anything

When you say you don't lose anything......how long a period is this?

There are things that will mess with the scale. Sore muscles - water weight. Higher sodium - water weight. Weight loss won't be linear. If the period without weight loss is just a couple of weeks, I wouldn't trust it.

Everything is estimates BUT I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that your metabolism is outside norms. A better bet would be that your logging is not entirely accurate and that you were eating more than you thought. A digital food scale is best for solids. A measuring cup for liquids. Double check your database selections because many of them are wrong.

You should be able to lose weight at 1870 calories.....if not (and your logging is accurate) see a doctor.

jjpptt2 wrote: »

The proof is in the pudding (where did that phrase come from, BTW???)

It's a modern phrasing of an old proverb "The proof of the pudding is in the eating".