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Help with cal daily intake
flatalex1234
Posts: 6 Member
Hello all
I've been trying to live a bit more healthy and have hit day 35. I started logging my food and gyming 5 days a week but have seen very little weight loss. I am a 6 3 male who is 21 and weights 100kg. My question was what should my daily intake be? I started with 1600 cal but after no progress I increased to 1700 after seeing that the reckoned intake was closer to 2000 for weight loss. My mate reckoned 1600 but I am unsure if that is correct as it is a fair bit lower.
Any advice would be appreciated
Cheers
I've been trying to live a bit more healthy and have hit day 35. I started logging my food and gyming 5 days a week but have seen very little weight loss. I am a 6 3 male who is 21 and weights 100kg. My question was what should my daily intake be? I started with 1600 cal but after no progress I increased to 1700 after seeing that the reckoned intake was closer to 2000 for weight loss. My mate reckoned 1600 but I am unsure if that is correct as it is a fair bit lower.
Any advice would be appreciated
Cheers
0
Replies
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I also seem to have started decreasing in weight after I increased my intake but I am unsure if that is related. It has also only been 10 days since the change0
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Weight loss happens over time. Pick a plan #, stick to it for 30 days. To really see results. Constantly changing things confuses the data. When you put your stats into Myfitnesspal what did it recommend?
But a question. Do you mean you're logging your food 5 days and eating whatever on the other 2, or did you mean you are daily logging your food and going to the gym 5x a week.
Last question: define 'very little weight loss'. How much have you lost? 1-2 pounds per week is reasonable. Its possible your expectations are unrealistic?5 -
When you entered your stats into MFP, what number were you given? How many calories you need is partly dependent on size and age, but also depends on your daily activity outside of exercise. MFP intends you to log your exercise separately and eat back some or all of those calories, depending on how accurate the measurement is of your burn.
Also, how are you measuring the food that you are eating? If you are just estimating amounts or using measuring cups, your numbers may be very different. Whenever people say they are eating x amount but not losing, often it turns out they aren't being accurate in their measurements.3 -
flatalex1234 wrote: »Hello all
I've been trying to live a bit more healthy and have hit day 35. I started logging my food and gyming 5 days a week but have seen very little weight loss. I am a 6 3 male who is 21 and weights 100kg. My question was what should my daily intake be? I started with 1600 cal but after no progress I increased to 1700 after seeing that the reckoned intake was closer to 2000 for weight loss. My mate reckoned 1600 but I am unsure if that is correct as it is a fair bit lower.
Any advice would be appreciated
Cheers
Sounds likes the exercise is new, which could mean that you are retaining water, which could mask fat loss on the scale.
I GAINED 7 pounds when I started lifting again. Took a few weeks to come off.
What's your goal weight? Set your weekly weight loss goal in MFP according to this. (Of course, feel free to convert to kg.)
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Hello all, thank you all so much for replaying. Here is some data
I have made my diary public so you can check it out here https://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/flatalex1234.
Sorry i cant remember what MFP recommend as i have just been doing what my mate tells me to do.nanastaci2020 wrote: »Weight loss happens over time. Pick a plan #, stick to it for 30 days. To really see results. Constantly changing things confuses the data. When you put your stats into Myfitnesspal what did it recommend?
haha i wish i was doing that but i am logging 7 days a week and hitting the gym at least 5 days a week.nanastaci2020 wrote: »
But a question. Do you mean you're logging your food 5 days and eating whatever on the other 2, or did you mean you are daily logging your food and going to the gym 5x a week.
Last question: define 'very little weight loss'. How much have you lost? 1-2 pounds per week is reasonable. Its possible your expectations are unrealistic?
As you can see from my weight ins i have lost around a 1kg in the last 30 days.
I dont get much exercise apart from the gym but this is how many steps i have been doing each day.spiriteagle99 wrote: »When you entered your stats into MFP, what number were you given? How many calories you need is partly dependent on size and age, but also depends on your daily activity outside of exercise. MFP intends you to log your exercise separately and eat back some or all of those calories, depending on how accurate the measurement is of your burn.
Also, how are you measuring the food that you are eating? If you are just estimating amounts or using measuring cups, your numbers may be very different. Whenever people say they are eating x amount but not losing, often it turns out they aren't being accurate in their measurements.
I have not been logging my exercise as i dont really know how to cal what i have burnt while lifting. I am measuring my food with a scale in grams.kshama2001 wrote: »
Sounds likes the exercise is new, which could mean that you are retaining water, which could mask fat loss on the scale.
I GAINED 7 pounds when I started lifting again. Took a few weeks to come off.
What's your goal weight? Set your weekly weight loss goal in MFP according to this. (Of course, feel free to convert to kg.)
I am hoping it is just water weight
my goal is 90kg but my aim atm is 95. I did set it to 1kg a week but i havent been hitting near that at all.
I just wanted to say thank you again, please let me know if i missed anything or if you need to know something else
Cheers
Alex
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Bump0
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I would just continue for a month or two. You've lost 1kg on the scale, but I'm sure you've lost more fat considering you've started going to the gym 5 days a week, which is very likely causing water retention.
I'm thinking you could probably eat more too, aiming for 1kg (2.2lbs) lost per week is very agressive since you only have 10kg to lose. So definitely don't eat any less. I'd even consider eating a bit more, an aggressive calorie deficit can cause water retention and can also lead to loss of muscle mass.
You're eating less than I did to lose weight and I'm only a 5ft5 woman who started out weighing less than you
As a side note: are you weighing your food? I see 'medium eggs', '1 banana', cups of rice... So you might be eating a bit more (or less) than you think, if you're not weighing your foods.5 -
I would just continue for a month or two. You've lost 1kg on the scale, but I'm sure you've lost more fat considering you've started going to the gym 5 days a week, which is very likely causing water retention.
I'm thinking you could probably eat more too, aiming for 1kg (2.2lbs) lost per week is very agressive since you only have 10kg to lose. So definitely don't eat any less. I'd even consider eating a bit more, an aggressive calorie deficit can cause water retention and can also lead to loss of muscle mass.
You're eating less than I did to lose weight and I'm only a 5ft5 woman who started out weighing less than you
As a side note: are you weighing your food? I see 'medium eggs', '1 banana', cups of rice... So you might be eating a bit more (or less) than you think, if you're not weighing your foods.
Hi, thank you for messageing. Apart from eggs and fruit all my food is weighted with a scale in grams. Dam water retention, it would be nice if it would not
I was thinking of increasing to 2000 cals, so i might do that know that i know 1700 is a bit low 1 -
How are you determining your calorie intake and the amount of food you are eating? Are you using a food scale?
The most common reason for a someone who weighs 100 kg to only lose 1 kg in a month of eating about 1600 calories is that they are eating more calories than they think they are.
There are other possibilities, like your calorie deficit has created stress and stress hormones have caused you to retain added water, but "eating more than they think they are" is the most common reason.3 -
Increasing your calories won't make you lose weight faster.
Start weighing everything. Even if a package says that a serving is x grams, weigh it. (I see a lot of 300 g. for vegetables and 100 g. rice, etc. Being the same every single time is unlikely.) They are allowed to be off by about 10%, IIRC, so if you aren't losing as expected, it can help to actually weigh everything.
PS. Don't you get bored eating the same thing over and over? You can add variety if you want. That much repetition makes it hard to continue over the long term and it may make you hate chicken and veggies if that's all you're eating most days.3 -
Thank you all for the feedback.
Yes i am using a scale in grams. I'm gonna be more exact with my weighing this week but if it turns out there is not much of a differece, how do i find out if it is because of stress?lynn_glenmont wrote: »How are you determining your calorie intake and the amount of food you are eating? Are you using a food scale?
The most common reason for a someone who weighs 100 kg to only lose 1 kg in a month of eating about 1600 calories is that they are eating more calories than they think they are.
There are other possibilities, like your calorie deficit has created stress and stress hormones have caused you to retain added water, but "eating more than they think they are" is the most common reason.
While i do weigh all the main things i eat it is true i dont weigh things like the tomato sauce i put on my dinner. I do weigh rice, veg, chicken etc i just aim for the target and go below it if i made to much, so i am off by about 10 grams. I will try entering everything exact weight this week coming and see if there is much of a difference.spiriteagle99 wrote: »Increasing your calories won't make you lose weight faster.
Start weighing everything. Even if a package says that a serving is x grams, weigh it. (I see a lot of 300 g. for vegetables and 100 g. rice, etc. Being the same every single time is unlikely.) They are allowed to be off by about 10%, IIRC, so if you aren't losing as expected, it can help to actually weigh everything.
PS. Don't you get bored eating the same thing over and over? You can add variety if you want. That much repetition makes it hard to continue over the long term and it may make you hate chicken and veggies if that's all you're eating most days.
I really dont mind eating the same thing everyday, i perfer not having to do any hands on cooking over it tasting better. I just throw the chicken in the air fryer and cook the rice and veg in my rice cooker, very easy. I do still change up my dinners though when i have a different meat which is enough for me not to get board.
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flatalex1234 wrote: »Thank you all for the feedback.
Yes i am using a scale in grams. I'm gonna be more exact with my weighing this week but if it turns out there is not much of a differece, how do i find out if it is because of stress?lynn_glenmont wrote: »How are you determining your calorie intake and the amount of food you are eating? Are you using a food scale?
The most common reason for a someone who weighs 100 kg to only lose 1 kg in a month of eating about 1600 calories is that they are eating more calories than they think they are.
There are other possibilities, like your calorie deficit has created stress and stress hormones have caused you to retain added water, but "eating more than they think they are" is the most common reason.
There is a limit to how much water you're going to add without causing noticeable health issues that will land in an emergency room, and it's unlikely to happen from stress hormones. So eventually, if you are losing fat but water retention has been masking it, there will come a point where the water retention can no longer mask the fat loss. -- or you will end up in an emergency room.
While i do weigh all the main things i eat it is true i dont weigh things like the tomato sauce i put on my dinner. I do weigh rice, veg, chicken etc i just aim for the target and go below it if i made to much, so i am off by about 10 grams. I will try entering everything exact weight this week coming and see if there is much of a difference.spiriteagle99 wrote: »Increasing your calories won't make you lose weight faster.
Start weighing everything. Even if a package says that a serving is x grams, weigh it. (I see a lot of 300 g. for vegetables and 100 g. rice, etc. Being the same every single time is unlikely.) They are allowed to be off by about 10%, IIRC, so if you aren't losing as expected, it can help to actually weigh everything.
PS. Don't you get bored eating the same thing over and over? You can add variety if you want. That much repetition makes it hard to continue over the long term and it may make you hate chicken and veggies if that's all you're eating most days.
Are you sure you're using the appropriate entries for the method that you're weighing? If you use a cooked entry for rice or pasta or oatmeal but weigh it dry, you'll be significantly undercounting calories. If you're using a raw, bone-in entry for chicken but weighing just the flesh after you've cooked it, you'll be significantly undercounting calories.0 -
A couple of things. Sub 4000 steps a day is firmly in sedentary territory. Weight lifting burns calories, of course, but less so than the equivalent time doing cardio.
You SHOULD log exercise, you SHOULD eat back exercise calories... but the right amount. Suffice it to say that MFP calories (or most external calculators) include the time you're alive in that exercise burn. And MFP assigns to you calories as a sedentary person for that same time slot too (so BMR * 1.25 as opposed to just BMR). This has to be deducted from the "gross" burn to arrive at the actual EXTRA beyond MFP sedentary that is what you should be eating back.
If your total intake regardless of exercise is below 2K (and you're not eating back weighlifting exercise calories) then please ignore the above for now, and maybe take it into consideration sometime in the future after you've perhaps sorted out any logging issues..
A quick take on what's happening with you is that you are probably achieving a good degree more loss than your 1kg indicates but some of it is masked by increases associated with your weight training and exercise.
That said I would continue as you are and re-evaluate a few weeks down the road.
You're in the middle of overweight territory so it is good you're reacting. But you're tall and young so you should be able to see some nice performance improvements with a good gym program. And you don't need extreme deficits in order to achieve meaningful results.
I would encourage you though to pick an established progressive program for the gym as opposed to just doing whatever routines your mates may randomly suggest: it is worth your while to look into this in order to optimize your results and minimize risks.2
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