310lb male, should I be eating more than 1200cal?

jollynathaniel
jollynathaniel Posts: 1 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
So basically I've gone from 330 to 310. I've cut out sweets and soda and eating around 1200 cal per day. I've been reading lots of articles that say I should be eating more. Wouldn't I lose more weight by staying at 1200 cal?

Replies

  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    edited August 2017
    Enter your stats into MFP and go by what calorie target it gives you-this already has your needed deficit built in, (at your current weight you can select the 2lb a week loss option, and then adjust this down as you get further along).
  • reyoflightphoto
    reyoflightphoto Posts: 76 Member
    MFP is often wrong about the numbers they give you. Mainly because everyone is different. Here's the thing. The best thing to do is to figure out what maintenance is for you. You can use MFP to give you a starting point in figuring this out. You can even do what they suggest for losing 2lbs a week. If you are actually losing 2 pounds per week following what they say, you will know they are right. You will also know that adding 1000 calories per day to that number is your maintenance. BTW, you cannot base is on 1 week of measurements alone. Do it steadily for one month and then go on weekly average. Trendweight.com is very helpful for this if you don't want to crunch the numbers yourself. They really spell it out for you. They give you reports like this:
    https://trendweight.com/u/d3de78258b8b42/
    Yes, you will lose more than 2 pounds is you eat less, but you will also be less healthy and have a lot of hanging skin to deal with, leaving you somewhat disappointed. It's best to stick with 2lbs a week. Look at it this way. You can lose 100lbs in a year at that rate. And that is fantastic! And 100lbs lighter with skin that is not hanging everywhere will be something to really feel good about. At that point you will find your weight loss to slow down and will then need to lower your intake. You may even need to before that point. But what you should focus on is adjusting as needed based on your weekly weight loss. Trendweight.com really helps guide you in this. Check it out. It's free! It was written by a computer nerd who needed a program for himself and he decided to share it.
    If you have a Fitbit Aria it makes it even easier. Well worth the money in my opinion.
  • tgcakef
    tgcakef Posts: 111 Member
    edited August 2017
    Adding: I'm 271 lbs, 5'8", female, and lose about 2 lbs a week at 1,500 calories/day.
  • evilfairies
    evilfairies Posts: 98 Member
    I don't think that's healthy or sustainable. I lost a significant amount of weight a few years ago, starting at 320 and eating around 1800 calories (I allowed myself to eat more calories if I burned more than 250 during exercise). That allowed me to lose anywhere between 1-5 lbs per week.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    You could easily be eating twice that and losing. Reconsider your intake, that's just too little. Even most women don't have to eat that low, let alone a large man.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    OliveGirl128 wrote: »
    Enter your stats into MFP and go by what calorie target it gives you-this already has your needed deficit built in, (at your current weight you can select the 2lb a week loss option, and then adjust this down as you get further along).

    This is the correct answer.

    How many calories you eat is specific to you due to your age and height.

    It is also correct that if you are eating 1200 calories you are depleting essential muscle tissue with your rapid weight loss.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,422 Member
    edited August 2017
    jollynathaniel wrote: »
    So basically I've gone from 330 to 310. I've cut out sweets and soda and eating around 1200 cal per day. I've been reading lots of articles that say I should be eating more. Wouldn't I lose more weight by staying at 1200 cal?

    You lose weight by taking in less Calories than the amount of calories that you expend through daily living and activity.

    The less you eat and the more active you are, the faster you will lose.
    At least initially and for the short term.

    But is that your optimum path to the biggest and healthiest long term weight loss?
    My personal opinion is that no.

    Your healthiest and most sustainable path involves deficits that do not exceed 25% of your caloric requirements while you're obese, falling down to 20% when you become overweight.

    Follow the net calories that MFP gives you for 2lbs a week for now.
    Over time, adjust that rate of loss downwards to keep things sustainable and moving in the right direction.
    Use a trending weight web site or app to evaluate your progress.

    You are involved in both weight loss and a process of self discovery and re-education.
    It takes time.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    Yes
  • Debbie_Ferr
    Debbie_Ferr Posts: 582 Member
    edited August 2017
    You need enough calorie consumption that you can absorb the necessary nutrients from the food you eat.
    So your body can function properly.

    So please don't under eat.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    Wow, that is far too low OP.

    I weigh 123lb atm and I lose on 1600 calories a day.

    He/she who eats the most and still loses wins!
  • StevLL
    StevLL Posts: 921 Member
    edited August 2017
    It's not a good idea to eat too little. I have been floating in the 1400 - 1600 range and the weight has been melting off, but I just started adding back in more protein and pushing it up to about 1800-2000 and I should still lose about 2 lbs a week. I am not exercising that much, but I am, moving more and this go around started at 341. I thought as I hit the 50 lb mark the weight loss would slow down, but it seems to be speeding up and I think what a lot of folks don't realize is we start moving more in general, hence the need for more fuel/cals. You might actually find you lose a bit more on a higher intake. Good luck.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited August 2017
    At your weight, with appropriate guidance, 1200 is just fine, and you can stay there for a while.

    BUT...it will be a lot better for you to choose a level that you can stay with for a long time, than to choose one that seems great right now but may not be sustainable. Because the next 100 pounds are going to take 12-24 months....
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited August 2017
    This content has been removed.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    How fast are you losing? How many pounds total and per week excluding the first couple? (It may not be long enough for this to be meaningful.) What is MFP telling you to eat to lose 2 lb/week?

    At 300+, you can aim for 3 lb/week (or a deficit of 1500), but I'd suggest making sure you have a diet you can be happy with longer term, as Mr. Knight says. I'd bet you lose around 3 or so lb/week even at 1500 or 1800. (When I started MFP I was around 200 (I'm only 5'3) and losing about 2.5-3 on 1200.)
  • qweck3
    qweck3 Posts: 346 Member
    I'll go a different way and say don't starve yourself and micromanage your intake to the point that you hate what you are doing. One main thing I've learned is it really isn't about a quick fix but rather changing your relationship with food for long term success. I eat what my body needs and it dictates to me vs me dictating to it. Some days my body only needs 1300 calories and other days it needs 3000. I started at 281 less than 150 days ago and am into the 240's at this point. Everyone is different so you need to find what your body likes.

    My suggestions based on what worked for me:
    • Eat when you are hungry but eat your calories in a smart way most of the time. 450 calories worth of a chicken fajita is a lot of food and filling vs barely a cup of Macaroni and Cheese that sends you looking for more food 20 minutes later. I tend to use things like Cauliflower rice vs normal rice because I can eat the who bag and only have consumed 120 calories vs eating less than a half a cup of white/brown rice for the same 120 calories.
    • Water, fiber and good carbs are your friend. Get to know them well and you will have success.
    • Cheat days are a joke. Eat in moderation. I eat out a decent amount each week but it fits perfectly in my max allotment of 3000 calories on a high end eating day. For instance, a Medium Fry + A Buttermilk Chicken Sandwhich + Zero calorie drink is around 900 calories at Mcdonalds. A Subway breakfast egg white footlong wheat flat bread is 700 calories if you load up the veggies with the egg white and hold the cheese and go light on the mayo. Options are out there. A lot of time its not the meal itself that is horrible calorie wise but rather the junk and condiments we add to it.
    • Find a workout you enjoy and stick to it. I do a 25 minute HIIT/Strength based workout with a trainer 3 times per week. Every now and then I'll go for a run but that is few and far between. The key here is doing something that you enjoy so you look forward to it or at least that awesome feeling after the workout.
    • Plan as much as possible. What are you doing for breakfast for the week? Lunch? Dinner? Snacks?
    • Stay out of the middle aisles of the grocery most of the time. Lots of junk in there. Again eat your calories in a smart way. I love Potato chips but the calories suck at 150 calories for 15 chips and who eats 15 chips only? I can eat myself stupid of strawberries for the same calorie count.
    • Don't be a prisoner to the scale. Use it as a nice accountability tool but don't weight yourself every hour. I weight myself out of bed after a bathroom stop and thats it. If I weight myself after dinner I'm probably 10 pounds heavier than my morning weight. A better way is to take a tight piece of clothes and try it on at the same day each week to see progress.

    Best of luck on your journey.
  • VeronicaA76
    VeronicaA76 Posts: 1,116 Member
    Doubtful. Now, if you are very sedentary and/or wheelchair bound, maybe. I can't see it, but I'm not an RD or MD either. I would go by the MFP recommendation though.
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