Weigh 329 lbs eating 1,500 calories

Corptheater
Corptheater Posts: 9 Member
edited December 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

I am trying to understand metabolism information and its a little confusing to me. For the past week, and at least next 7 weeks, I am on a 1,500 calorie diet. I am using the premium myfitnesspal to track all my food and make sure I am getting the nutrients on this diet. So far, its been successful. I don't feel like I'm starving and I eat when I'm hungry. Normally, my meals are split up in about 6-8 small portioned meals that are prepared by me and counted on this app. I have lost a good amount of weight and its not water weight! I stay hydrated by drinking 64 oz a day. I also have energy. I swim or take brisk walks most days. What concerns me is I read articles about how your metabolism slows down as you reduce your calorie intake. But, 90% of them are talking about doing those low calorie diets or below 1,000 calorie diet which I am not doing. But, they always throw in there that if you lose more than 2 lbs a week it will cause issues with your metabolism because it requires you to starve yourself to achieve that over 7,000 calorie a week deficiency. But, again, I'm not starving. I feel full after most meals and I eat when I'm hungry. So, I'm looking for advice. Do you think I am messing up my metabolism by eating 1,500 calories, getting my needed nutrients, and still having energy even though I weigh over 300 lbs? Or, given my weight, is that not as much of a factor?
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Replies

  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    How much weight do you have to lose?
  • Corptheater
    Corptheater Posts: 9 Member
    Hey everyone! Thank you for the replies. :)

    Lets answer a few questions. :)

    Why the plan/how much weight: So, as of today, I am looking to lose 19.4 lbs by July 7th. I say as of today because I have already dropped a number of lbs and my most recent weigh in was today. That is 51 days away. Based on my calculation, to do so, I need to lose 2.6 lbs a week. Yes, this is over the recommended 2 lbs a week which I completely understand is not ideal but, there is a financial aspect to this that is driving me to do so. (I know, its not the purest of drives but it is a drive) Based on how quickly I have lost weight so far, I am expecting that I will lose more than 2.6 lbs during this week and next. After that, I can start adjusting my goals each week to the calorie deficit I need. It will all be based on sedentary lifestyle that way when I do workout I am shedding a few extra calories. Now, let me be clear, I will NOT drop below 1,500 calories if my weight lose slows down. If I see this is not working next week or the following or any week, I will start gradually increasing my calories back up to a more reasonable 500-750 daily calorie deficit.

    Nutrition: I meal prep and my meals are being tailored around making sure I am getting the correct amount of nutrients in my body. Has it gone perfectly? No. My protein is a bit too high and carbs are a bit too low. I'm doing stellar on vitamins, calcium, Omega 3's, fats, sugars, and fiber. Cholesterol is a bit high (but then again when you read all the articles that have been coming out recently this doesn't seem to matter much anymore), potassium needs some work and iron is about halfway to goal. But, I have already looked into and started purchasing items to meet those needs for this weeks meal prep.

    Feeling Full: This one confuses me. lol I don't know how I can feel full but still be starving. I don't say that be condescending, I just don't understand. lol

    The Future: Lets say everything goes perfect. I meet my goals and have achieved everything I want! lol Next step for me is start gradually moving back a more long term achievable goal because I still have weight to lose after this goal is meet. I will starting eating 150-200 more calories a day in 4-5 day increments until I get a calorie deficit of 500-750 calories a day. But not too fast that I start gaining weight back.

    All in all, I think I have the right mind set. I understand its aggressive but I also understand that I may need to back down if I see any health related issues. Hopefully, in 7 weeks, I can come back and say I did it but I won't be ashamed to say I tried and failed.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    It's fine to be a bit over protein and a bit under on carbs, in fact, many of us, myself included, tweak the MFP default macros to accomplish exactly that :)

    I wouldn't worry about micro-nutrients too much unless you have diagnosed deficiencies - much of the info in the MFP database is crowd-sourced and people may have left micros out. Also, potassium wasn't required to be on labels so you can guarantee those numbers are wrong.

    However, if you eat a lot of whole foods and use entries that MFP pulled from the USDA database, you will have correct micro info.

    Unfortunately, the "verified" green check marks in the MFP database are used for both user-created entries and admin-created entries that MFP pulled from the USDA database. To find admin entries for whole foods, I get the syntax from the USDA database and paste that into MFP.

    Note: any MFP entry that includes "USDA" was user entered.

    For packaged foods, I verify the label against what I find in MFP. (Alas, you cannot just use do a bar code scan and assume what you get is correct.)
  • Corptheater
    Corptheater Posts: 9 Member
    edited May 2019
    Hey apullum, I think might have missed a portion of number 1. There is a financial aspect that is causing this drive.

    I appreciate your input though!
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Hey apullum, I think might have missed a portion of number 1. There is a financial aspect that is causing this drive.

    I appreciate your input though!

    Does that mean that you joined something like Diet Bet?
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    edited May 2019
    Hi,

    I am trying to understand metabolism information and its a little confusing to me. For the past week, and at least next 7 weeks, I am on a 1,500 calorie diet. I am using the premium myfitnesspal to track all my food and make sure I am getting the nutrients on this diet. So far, its been successful. I don't feel like I'm starving and I eat when I'm hungry. Normally, my meals are split up in about 6-8 small portioned meals that are prepared by me and counted on this app. I have lost a good amount of weight and its not water weight! I stay hydrated by drinking 64 oz a day. I also have energy. I swim or take brisk walks most days. What concerns me is I read articles about how your metabolism slows down as you reduce your calorie intake. But, 90% of them are talking about doing those low calorie diets or below 1,000 calorie diet which I am not doing. But, they always throw in there that if you lose more than 2 lbs a week it will cause issues with your metabolism because it requires you to starve yourself to achieve that over 7,000 calorie a week deficiency. But, again, I'm not starving. I feel full after most meals and I eat when I'm hungry. So, I'm looking for advice. Do you think I am messing up my metabolism by eating 1,500 calories, getting my needed nutrients, and still having energy even though I weigh over 300 lbs? Or, given my weight, is that not as much of a factor?

    It's hard to actually measure your metabolism unless you go to a doctor who specializes and can run tests. Your body gives you a lot of clues though if you stay in tune.

    1500 is a relative number, it depends on your size, mainly your height. What is your estimated TDEE? That is the important number relative to your calorie intake.

    If you eat up to TDEE at least 1-2 days a week that helps keep your hormones stable and helps keep your metabolism running well.

    If you are exercising, both cardio and resistance training, you are helping your metabolism.

    If you are not eating too low based on your TDEE you are helping your metabolism.

    It's not always so much the meal timing, what matters most is the calories in a 24 hour period, extended out 60-90 days that give you results you can measure.

    Listen to how you feel, but at the same time know that hunger is tricky. Your body can adapt to too little food and also too much food. You can feel fine sometimes until you don't, and the more you do this the more you can head off problems at the pass before you "feel" a problem.

    I hope this makes sense. Best of luck to you!

    Roberta

  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member

    Side note - 1500 calories still sounds low. I lose at 1500-1600 daily and am 140 lbs at 5’1” tall with my activity level.

    This is important too. I can't tell from your posts what your stats are - other than your weight.

    1500 is minimum for men, so I am going to assume you are male.

    For point of reference, when I started to lose weight I was 240 lbs at 5'11" (54 yo at the time). With an activity level of light to moderate (about 10K steps per day), I lost 2 pounds per week for several weeks on a 2200 calorie per day intake.

    So while 1500 may work in the short term, I seriously doubt it will be so after the "deadline". So back to my original response: might be fine for the next 7 weeks, but be very careful what you do after that.
  • Corptheater
    Corptheater Posts: 9 Member
    edited May 2019
    Hey all! Thanks again for the information and more importantly for your concerns. :)

    So, based on what I am hearing I will start focusing on making adjustments to my calorie count. I do want to see how I am doing after next week, health wise, weight wise, and overall mindset wise. It is very possible I am eating too few calories and losing more weight than I need to. I tend to ignore the first week only because that when you lose the most weight no matter what. But, next week should give me more of an idea. If I notice I am rapidly losing weight at a rate that is more than needed, I will start working on moving the calorie count up.

    And again, 100% this is not a long term project. To be honest, I enjoy food too much make this long term. :) I will be returning to a diet where I will be happy to lose .5-1.5 lbs a week until I reach my goal weight.

    Also, I completely understand that this will not be steady decline.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    Also, if you are not eating back at least a portion of your exercise calories, or have deliberately chosen an inaccurate activity level, you are not using MFP the way it was intended. 1500 is already the bare minimum for men... if you are netting less than that due to activity, that puts you in unsafe territory, particularly if you aren't under a doctor's care.
  • amandacradduck
    amandacradduck Posts: 5 Member
    Not at all. I think you are doing exactly the right thing :) You are right on track. Keep it up and good luck! :)
  • Corptheater
    Corptheater Posts: 9 Member
    So, since I don't like it when people don't post the outcome after a discussion such as this, I figured I should say how it went.

    I ended up following my plan to the T and won! I felt fine during the entire process. I wasn't ever hungry, tired and I didn't experience any medical issues. This was a great experience but I think if I decide to do another one of these bets I will make sure to work harder to meet the goal at a steadier pace.

    Since I saw people posting about Dietbet a lot on here I want to make it clear I didn't use Dietbet. I don't like it when the time constraints are set for you. I used HealthyWage. I can choose the amount of weight I want to lose and how long I want the bet to last. Again, even with that, I still procrastinated. lol However, I did learn my lesson. :)
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I don't think anyone expected you to have "medical issues" for a short term burst like that. It is if you do it for a long time that is a problem. It may also be a problem if you have been pushing your weight loss to the outer limits for a long time and then tried to push harder.

    Congrats on winning I suppose. I can't be too cheery about an idea I don't like I am afraid.
  • Corptheater
    Corptheater Posts: 9 Member
    edited June 2019
    As I posted earlier, I have no plans of pushing this plan out any further.

    And..thanks...I suppose.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,460 Member
    Yes, congratulations on winning! More importantly, congratulations on losing a lot of weight that will hopefully make you healthier, happier, and more able to do more things, so happier again. Win, Win, Win, Win!
  • OooohToast
    OooohToast Posts: 257 Member
    Congrats on the weight loss OP !

    You've gone all out to get informed before you start which was good thinking.

    There is always a lot of judgement / side eye on these forums, especially if you arent doing what other people think you should.

    Ultimately, your life, your choices ! Again, well done !
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    OooohToast wrote: »
    Congrats on the weight loss OP !

    You've gone all out to get informed before you start which was good thinking.

    There is always a lot of judgement / side eye on these forums, especially if you arent doing what other people think you should.

    Ultimately, your life, your choices ! Again, well done !

    We see a lot of people come through here and while the OP may have been well-suited for the challenge others may think it is a good idea but employ water fasts and whose knows what else to win.
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