My Diet

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CLund92
CLund92 Posts: 7
in Food and Nutrition
Hey I just had a general question. I'm a 280lb, 19 years old and 6'1. I was curious if me eating 1200-1300 calories was doing harm on my body. I exercise everyday, mild cardio for about 30 minutes and strength training every other day. My body doesn't feel at a lack of energy at all, as a matter of fact I'm quite vibrant and feel great. I need to lose 4-5 inches off my waist so that I may join the U.S Army.

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  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
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    Since you are working out, I would think you need to consume more calories. Are you losing weight at what you are doing now?
  • CLund92
    CLund92 Posts: 7
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    Well I've dropped down from 320 in August.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    I wouldn't recommend it for a great length of time. I took a look at your diary and it looks like your calorie goal is set at 1800+ per day. How much weight are you set to lose per week? If you are set to lose weight, then MFP has already calculated the appropriate deficit for your weight loss. Going to the extreme of 1200-1400 per day might work for a short time, but eventually you'll get sluggish. I tried it for a while over the summer and I didn't really lose any quicker than I was before and after a month or so I started to feel cranky, exhausted and even a bit stupid! Good luck!
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
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    That is WAAAAAY to low. You might feel fine for a couple of days, but eventually you will end up feeling like crap. I plugged in your stats to MFP to calculate your BMR. It's 2339....that's how many calories your body would need to live on if all you did was lay in bed all day, never mind any activity. You need to be eating that much at the VERY least. If you continue to eat 1200-1300 calories a day your body is going to start cannibalizing muscle to survive. You are going to lose muscle. I don't think that is your goal, right? You need to increase you calories for sure and keep up the strength training!!
  • abby459
    abby459 Posts: 748 Member
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    you definately need to be eating more!! I am only 5'1 and I eat at least 1350 a day!!!
  • SeaSiren1
    SeaSiren1 Posts: 242 Member
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    Calorie deficit should be 20-15% of your AMR(TDEE)

    this
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
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    Calorie deficit should be 20-15% of your AMR(TDEE)

    this

    Here's a nifty TDEE calculator
    http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced
  • CityOnAHill
    CityOnAHill Posts: 136 Member
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    Bump
  • CLund92
    CLund92 Posts: 7
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    So if I were to increase my caloric intake up to the suggested goal MFP has stated I should be fine as long as I'm resting and when working out I should be consuming more?
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
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    So if I were to increase my caloric intake up to the suggested goal MFP has stated I should be fine as long as I'm resting and when working out I should be consuming more?

    Yes. MFP adds in your calories earned from exercise. It will tell you how many calories you have to eat to meet your goal. Your "net" calorie goal is your calorie goal plus your exercise calories. So if your goal is, say 2400 calories, and you burn 300 calories from exercise, you should be eating 2700 calories. BUT, it's very important to measure and/or weigh food and be as accurate as possible. If you don't exercise on a certain day, then you just eat the 2400 (or whatever your goal is).
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    So if I were to increase my caloric intake up to the suggested goal MFP has stated I should be fine as long as I'm resting and when working out I should be consuming more?

    Yes! :)
  • CharlieLopez2005
    CharlieLopez2005 Posts: 114
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    Hey I just had a general question. I'm a 280lb, 19 years old and 6'1. I was curious if me eating 1200-1300 calories was doing harm on my body. I exercise everyday, mild cardio for about 30 minutes and strength training every other day. My body doesn't feel at a lack of energy at all, as a matter of fact I'm quite vibrant and feel great. I need to lose 4-5 inches off my waist so that I may join the U.S Army.

    This seems to be working well for you so far, so I say keep it up for the time being. The only question is how hungry are you after 1200-1300 calories a day? What calories can't tell us about a food is how satiating it is to you.
  • shana_phoenix83
    shana_phoenix83 Posts: 98 Member
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    When you exercise and add it in under "exercise," your daily calories adjust automatically.
  • CLund92
    CLund92 Posts: 7
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    I think my body fat percent is sitting right at 30% or something like that. Thank you for the help, I'll definitely take the time to up my calorie intake.

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