Male Calories Capped at 1,500?
maliciouspenguin
Posts: 37 Member
So I've progressively lost weight, and my calorie 'allowance' hasn't changed from 1,500 for a while; I checked another calculator and it said it should be 1,350 for me - is there a cap on male allowance?
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Replies
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Yes there is a cap for male (1500) and female (1200) users.
Unless you are short, sedentary or very light, eating below 1500 isn't necessary for weight loss.
As you get closer to goal you should consider reducing your rate of loss, not increasing it. 2lbs per week is only really suitable if you're obese.
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yep as mentioned above.
because eating less could lead to not getting enough nutrition/nutrients for the average short male/female2 -
The bigger question at hand should be, is 1500 calories even enough for your current goals.
What are yours stats? What is your workout routine? What are your goals in terms of approximate weight and look?12 -
I can't imagine trying to live on 1500 and I'm a little old lady, retired.
I hope you'll listen to what these nice people will tell you.
How much weight are you needing to lose to be in a healthy BMI?
How are you calculating your current calorie intake? Do you make all your own meals? Are you using a digital food scale? It's possible you're eating more than 1500 anyway.
1500 is not a lot of food. I have a hard time hitting my nutrition goals at 1500. I'll bet you do too - whether you know it or not.9 -
I thought the cap was 1200 for men? You can still log the day at 1200 as a man.17
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Spadesheart wrote: »I thought the cap was 1200 for men? You can still log the day at 1200 as a man.
You can log your day at 1200 for a man, and 1000 for a woman, but it won't let you set goals of lower than 1200 for women and 1500 for men.
To the OP: The truth is that 1200 and 1500 are often too low for most women and men, respectively. Many would benefit from more calories. I am not sure of your stats, but with exercise, I have lost consistently on 2300 calories a day.9 -
I set it at sedentary, with me eating back approximately half the calories gained from steps. My daily expenditure is around 2200-2300, I'm 6'3, 207lbs and only walk for exercise.1
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maliciouspenguin wrote: »I set it at sedentary, with me eating back approximately half the calories gained from steps. My daily expenditure is around 2200-2300, I'm 6'3, 207lbs and only walk for exercise.
How much walking do you do? Are you house bound most of the day? What are your average steps a day?
Your total daily energy expenditure at less than 2300 sounds very low for your height and weight.2 -
Around 2-3 miles per day at a minimum, usually 4-5. It's based on my smart watch2
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So what are your goals? I am smaller than you and i more aggressively cut around 1800 calories. I have a desk job, lift 4 days a week and play tennis 1 or 2 if i am lucky.1
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maliciouspenguin wrote: »So I've progressively lost weight, and my calorie 'allowance' hasn't changed from 1,500 for a while; I checked another calculator and it said it should be 1,350 for me - is there a cap on male allowance?
I personally think that you shouldn't go any lower than 1500, and you should increase your cardio. Are you doing any resistance training? I've lost a significant amount of weight several times, and when I used to eat to little, I basically lost all my muscle mass and ended up "skinny fat" with no definition.3 -
maliciouspenguin wrote: »I set it at sedentary, with me eating back approximately half the calories gained from steps. My daily expenditure is around 2200-2300, I'm 6'3, 207lbs and only walk for exercise.
How much walking do you do? Are you house bound most of the day? What are your average steps a day?
Your total daily energy expenditure at less than 2300 sounds very low for your height and weight.
At your height you should be targeting no more than 1 pound a week (500 a day deficit). Trying to target 2 pounds a week is too aggressive and you are likely to shed a fair bit of muscle along with fat.9 -
At your weight, you probably aren’t trying to lose much more weight. MFP suggests you slow down your weight loss as you get closer to goal. This can help you start learning maintenance while still losing. Are you updating your weight and goal weight on MFP? My guess is no, and that if you do, without telling it that you want to lose 2 lbs/week just to see what happens, your daily calorie goal may actually go up.0
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Pedantic: it's not a cap, it's a floor.
At your height and weight, 1350 would be crazy low, and 2 lb/week is likely too ambitious -- you don't want to lose unnecessary muscle. I also suspect you are underestimating your TDEE.18 -
maliciouspenguin wrote: »So I've progressively lost weight, and my calorie 'allowance' hasn't changed from 1,500 for a while; I checked another calculator and it said it should be 1,350 for me - is there a cap on male allowance?
So, how much weight have you lost over what period of time eating only 1500, which seems crazy low for a 6'3" man?4 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »maliciouspenguin wrote: »So I've progressively lost weight, and my calorie 'allowance' hasn't changed from 1,500 for a while; I checked another calculator and it said it should be 1,350 for me - is there a cap on male allowance?
So, how much weight have you lost over what period of time eating only 1500, which seems crazy low for a 6'3" man?
Agreed; something doesn't add up. I'm a woman, a foot shorter, almost 100 pounds lighter and I'd gnaw my arm off if I ate 1500 calories per day.8 -
Maxematics wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »maliciouspenguin wrote: »So I've progressively lost weight, and my calorie 'allowance' hasn't changed from 1,500 for a while; I checked another calculator and it said it should be 1,350 for me - is there a cap on male allowance?
So, how much weight have you lost over what period of time eating only 1500, which seems crazy low for a 6'3" man?
Agreed; something doesn't add up. I'm a woman, a foot shorter, almost 100 pounds lighter and I'd gnaw my arm off if I ate 1500 calories per day.
He also eats back half his exercise calories, so it's more than 15002 -
Maxematics wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »maliciouspenguin wrote: »So I've progressively lost weight, and my calorie 'allowance' hasn't changed from 1,500 for a while; I checked another calculator and it said it should be 1,350 for me - is there a cap on male allowance?
So, how much weight have you lost over what period of time eating only 1500, which seems crazy low for a 6'3" man?
Agreed; something doesn't add up. I'm a woman, a foot shorter, almost 100 pounds lighter and I'd gnaw my arm off if I ate 1500 calories per day.
He also eats back half his exercise calories, so it's more than 1500
Even his TDEE of 2200 to 2300 is pretty low. I have the same TDEE, sometimes more.7 -
Maxematics wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »maliciouspenguin wrote: »So I've progressively lost weight, and my calorie 'allowance' hasn't changed from 1,500 for a while; I checked another calculator and it said it should be 1,350 for me - is there a cap on male allowance?
So, how much weight have you lost over what period of time eating only 1500, which seems crazy low for a 6'3" man?
Agreed; something doesn't add up. I'm a woman, a foot shorter, almost 100 pounds lighter and I'd gnaw my arm off if I ate 1500 calories per day.
He also eats back half his exercise calories, so it's more than 1500
So, the more exercise he does, the worse his deficit gets.
Regardless, I still think results (weight loss over what period while consuming net 1500 cals) is an important piece of missing information. Probably to be followed by whether or not OP is weighing his food.5 -
Maxematics wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »maliciouspenguin wrote: »So I've progressively lost weight, and my calorie 'allowance' hasn't changed from 1,500 for a while; I checked another calculator and it said it should be 1,350 for me - is there a cap on male allowance?
So, how much weight have you lost over what period of time eating only 1500, which seems crazy low for a 6'3" man?
Agreed; something doesn't add up. I'm a woman, a foot shorter, almost 100 pounds lighter and I'd gnaw my arm off if I ate 1500 calories per day.
Your body gets used to it and adapts fairly quickly.
I'm going to get woo'd here, but- I've averaged Probably around 1400-1600 cal a day since December. I'm 6' 2.5". I weight train 4 days a week with one to two intense high resistance cardio day as well thats usually 65 minutes, to a (projected) burn of near 1300 calories. I do not eat back any of my exercise calories. I would say my counting is accurate to within 15%.
I have lost 53 pounds from 255 to 202 in this stretch and have most definitely built muscle. My arms, quads, traps, and chest muscles are all noticeably larger, and it's not just weight loss revealing muscle. My arms and legs I have measuered growth. The strength gains are probably greater than whatever muscle gains I've had, but that's still a victory. I started untrained, got in adequate protein (0.8 grams per pound at goal weight), and had a fairly high body fat to begin with which is why I think this was possible.
You look super lean, which I imagine makes trying to lose weight at any significant rate difficult on your body, as your energy stores just can't handle that kind of deficit. The energy has to come from somewhere, and if you don't have fat, it's probably just going to make you ravenously hungry to avoid metabolising things it shouldn't. If you got fat on you, it is completely possible to do it all with discipline. Honestly, I think I have maybe another 10 pounds where it's even possible before my body says a hard no. However until then, it is very possible, as I've been doing it for half a year.8 -
I'm not sure why that would be woo worthy spadesheart.
But does seem very low amount for someone of your height (and male?) and you should be eating back some excercise calories.
In response to Maxematics, 1500 calories is not silly low for many women - I lost on 1460 (net) and didnt need to gnaw my arm off
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paperpudding wrote: »I'm not sure why that would be woo worthy spadesheart.
But does seem very low amount for someone of your height (and male?) and you should be eating back some excercise calories.
In response to Maxematics, 1500 calories is not silly low for many women - I lost on 1460 (net) and didnt need to gnaw my arm off
I got woo'd 13 times earlier in this thread for simply saying I thought the limit was 1200 for men, not endorsing it, just saying I thought it was. People have oddly emotional responses here sometimes haha3 -
Meh, I get woo'ed for all sorts of innocuous comments - ranging from I lost weight without going low carb (in a thread which asked that very question, and once for simply saying I do not like cucumber, in a thread about what vegetables we like or some such
In neither case was I endorsing or disputing carb levels or cucumbers for anyone else
best to ignore the occasional woo
- although reading back your post did seem to be suggesting people could log the day as 12oo as a man - which yes, they could, but you came across, perhaps unintentionally, as suggesting doing so. 3 -
paperpudding wrote: »Meh, I get woo'ed for all sorts of innocuous comments - ranging from I lost weight without going low carb (in a thread which asked that very question, and once for simply saying I do not like cucumber, in a thread about what vegetables we like or some such
In neither case was I endorsing or disputing carb levels or cucumbers for anyone else
best to ignore the occasional woo - although reading back your post did seem to be suggesting people could log the day as 12oo as a man - which yes, they could, but you came across, perhaps unintentionally, as suggesting doing so.
A couple woo's is disagreement, 10+ means you struck a nerve of some sort I think. People get really protective of their thought patterns and make irrational judgements. I don't take it personally, I just came back to this thread to see if there were any responses and was surprised that it was so heavily disliked.
Naa, I just thought that was the limit as you are allowed to log that low as a man haha. I have before, though I pretty much can't at all now as my protein goal is too high for it to be possible.4 -
No I don't think it means you have hit a nerve - I think it means your post didn't come across as just saying you thought it was the limit but suggesting men could log that in implied endorsement.
Maybe that isn't what you meant but it comes across that way - maybe think about how your post came across rather than focussing on everyone else's suppossed irrational thought processes.
Or not, if you are not prepared to consider that.12 -
Spadesheart wrote: »Maxematics wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »maliciouspenguin wrote: »So I've progressively lost weight, and my calorie 'allowance' hasn't changed from 1,500 for a while; I checked another calculator and it said it should be 1,350 for me - is there a cap on male allowance?
So, how much weight have you lost over what period of time eating only 1500, which seems crazy low for a 6'3" man?
Agreed; something doesn't add up. I'm a woman, a foot shorter, almost 100 pounds lighter and I'd gnaw my arm off if I ate 1500 calories per day.
Your body gets used to it and adapts fairly quickly.
I'm going to get woo'd here, but- I've averaged Probably around 1400-1600 cal a day since December. I'm 6' 2.5". I weight train 4 days a week with one to two intense high resistance cardio day as well thats usually 65 minutes, to a (projected) burn of near 1300 calories. I do not eat back any of my exercise calories. I would say my counting is accurate to within 15%.
I have lost 53 pounds from 255 to 202 in this stretch and have most definitely built muscle. My arms, quads, traps, and chest muscles are all noticeably larger, and it's not just weight loss revealing muscle. My arms and legs I have measuered growth. The strength gains are probably greater than whatever muscle gains I've had, but that's still a victory. I started untrained, got in adequate protein (0.8 grams per pound at goal weight), and had a fairly high body fat to begin with which is why I think this was possible.
You look super lean, which I imagine makes trying to lose weight at any significant rate difficult on your body, as your energy stores just can't handle that kind of deficit. The energy has to come from somewhere, and if you don't have fat, it's probably just going to make you ravenously hungry to avoid metabolising things it shouldn't. If you got fat on you, it is completely possible to do it all with discipline. Honestly, I think I have maybe another 10 pounds where it's even possible before my body says a hard no. However until then, it is very possible, as I've been doing it for half a year.
You're correct in your statement that being leaner makes it harder to sustain a steep deficit. I wasn't always this lean and had a substantial amount of body fat. I ate around 1400 calories gross, not net, for the first two and a half months of losing weight and went from 139 to 119 pounds during that time which usually isn't advisable. However, by that third month, I was definitely feeling the effects of such a steep deficit. I know it can be done but that doesn't necessarily mean it should be done.6 -
paperpudding wrote: »I'm not sure why that would be woo worthy spadesheart.
But does seem very low amount for someone of your height (and male?) and you should be eating back some excercise calories.
In response to Maxematics, 1500 calories is not silly low for many women - I lost on 1460 (net) and didnt need to gnaw my arm off
I said 1500 calories was pretty low for the OP who is a 6'3" man, not a woman; we seem to agree on that front based on your own response to the OP. I just happen to be a woman that 1500 calories is too low for and am aware that not one size fits all. Also, you're talking about 1460 net, not gross. The OP is eating 1500 calories plus half of his exercise calories which, depending on their CI accuracy, can be far less than 1500 net.3 -
corinasue1143 wrote: »At your weight, you probably aren’t trying to lose much more weight. MFP suggests you slow down your weight loss as you get closer to goal. This can help you start learning maintenance while still losing. Are you updating your weight and goal weight on MFP? My guess is no, and that if you do, without telling it that you want to lose 2 lbs/week just to see what happens, your daily calorie goal may actually go up.
I have been doing that throughout.0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »maliciouspenguin wrote: »So I've progressively lost weight, and my calorie 'allowance' hasn't changed from 1,500 for a while; I checked another calculator and it said it should be 1,350 for me - is there a cap on male allowance?
So, how much weight have you lost over what period of time eating only 1500, which seems crazy low for a 6'3" man?
Since really going for it, I've lost 1.5 stone so far this year.
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Maxematics wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »maliciouspenguin wrote: »So I've progressively lost weight, and my calorie 'allowance' hasn't changed from 1,500 for a while; I checked another calculator and it said it should be 1,350 for me - is there a cap on male allowance?
So, how much weight have you lost over what period of time eating only 1500, which seems crazy low for a 6'3" man?
Agreed; something doesn't add up. I'm a woman, a foot shorter, almost 100 pounds lighter and I'd gnaw my arm off if I ate 1500 calories per day.
I find it remarkably straightforward to eat under 1,800 a day, which is what I probably average..!
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