Im at a loss... Opinions needed please :)

morpheos
morpheos Posts: 7
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi All,

Started MFP 6 weeks ago. This is my second post.

So first 4 weeks went well and lost 6 kgs (13pounds) the last 2 weeks I have not lost anything.

I changed my goal to be 1250 this week. Which if you go through my diary ( it is public) I am doing constantly. I have had a bad day here and there just because of circumstances at the time. Birthdays and business travel.

I just wanted some input from whoever is willing to give an opinion as to where I should be going here.

My BMR says I should be eating about 1900 a day which i believe I am doing.
I exercise min 50 - 60 min a day - weight train 3 days a week as well as cardio twice a day 5 days a week. My exercise Cals are measured by my HRM.

I am a loss.
Should I eat back my Exercise Calerories ?
Should I put my goal back to what MFP recommends ?
What else can I do to increase my weight loss ? I am really pushing myself although dont see great results at this stage. Its very disheartening. Hard to keep motivated.

Happy to hear peoples opinions and thoughts.

Note: I would suggest going back min 2 weeks when looking at my food diary.

Info: Male
Age 34
Weight: 98kgs (215lbs)
Height: 179cms (5ft 9in)

Thanks in advance

Replies

  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
    Yes you need to eat your exercise calories. I personally think 1250 is far too low for a man, but it's your choice. But if you're going to eat that low you must eat your exercise cals back. Especly when lifting. Try it for a month and see how you go.
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
    You need to be eating more! Men really shouldn't eat under 1500 net calories a day, on average. And definitely eat plenty of protein for all the exercise you do.
    Drink plenty of water, to help your body repair and to minimize water retention. I'm an avid supporter of drinking 1/2 your weight in pounds as ounces of water. It really helps! So you'd need ~107 ounces a day. I actually lost a ton of weight when I first started drinking 100+ ounces of water a day. Albeit I gained it back, but not due to stopping drinking water. I keep falling off the wagon for months at a time...
    Otherwise I think your routine sounds good. I didn't check your diary, so I don't know exactly what you are doing. As you lose weight, you need to keep adjusting your caloric intake. And as you gain muscle.
  • morpheos
    morpheos Posts: 7
    Hi Guys,

    Thanks for the quick replies.

    Lizard053 MFP recommends that with my exercise routine I should be on 1400 net cals per day.

    Hence my thinking was reducing my net to 1250 would increase the weight reduction.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Hi Guys,

    Thanks for the quick replies.

    Lizard053 MFP recommends that with my exercise routine I should be on 1400 net cals per day.

    Hence my thinking was reducing my net to 1250 would increase the weight reduction.

    Is the 1400 net cals for losing 2 lbs/week or?

    You really shouldn't go under the 2 lbs/week goal. I'm at -2 lbs/week and I DO eat my goal and also my exercise calories, and it's still coming off almost exactly on schedule (-7 lbs in a month) even though my diet hasn't been as healthy as it might.
  • morpheos
    morpheos Posts: 7
    Hi

    1400 Cals is for losing 2lbs per week.

    Thats my prob nothing is coming off as per schedule. Should have lost more. well thats what MRP tells me.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
    As funny as it sounds you shouldn't reduce your calories to lose more weight. You lose more consistently eating slightly more. This has been proven time and time again on these boards. The less you eat the more your metabolism slows down. (10% on low calorie diets) You're undoing all your hard work in the gym by eating so little. Youre also losing muscle as well as fat. You want to minimize muscle loss.

    Go back to the 1400 a day. Eat half of your exercise calories and do that for a month.

    Losing weight isn't a race. It will come off, just not in the time frame we want. (and as someone who is still pissed I 'only' lost 300g last night I'm repeating that to myself all day)
  • morpheos
    morpheos Posts: 7
    Hi Lozze,

    Thanks for the feedback.

    So is that 1400 net or 1400 in total plus half my exercise cals ?
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
    I would say 1400 + half the exercise calories. 1400 NET would be 1400 + all the exercise calories.
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
    Hi Guys,

    Thanks for the quick replies.

    Lizard053 MFP recommends that with my exercise routine I should be on 1400 net cals per day.

    Hence my thinking was reducing my net to 1250 would increase the weight reduction.

    Just wanted to say that what MFP recommends and what you should do are not always one in the same. Be patient, the weight will come off eventually. You just need to find the right balance of how much to eat vs. how much you exercise.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Hi

    1400 Cals is for losing 2lbs per week.

    Thats my prob nothing is coming off as per schedule. Should have lost more. well thats what MRP tells me.

    Reducing it *below* the losing 2 lbs/week threshhold is where it's likely to slow down your losses.
  • robb7
    robb7 Posts: 22
    I did exactly what you are doing. I was 240lbs and started a crash VLC diet of 1200 calories per day. I lost weight at first, it eventually slowed and I was stuck. The only way to get myself back up and going again was to eat at least 1600 to 1800 cals per day, working out for 30 to 40 minutes 3x a week. There is no easy way to loose weight, it has to come off slow or you run all kinds of medical problems. For me, it was gallstones.
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