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Posted: 2/23/2017 2:42:49 AM EDT
I decided to drop some weight.  Started at 267.  I'm down to about 245 since early January.  No, this isn't a new year's resolution thing.  I'm about to get my pilot's license and I'm finding that it's a lot easier for me to lose weight than it is to rent 2 planes.  

Here's the deal.  I've been eating around 1000 calories day, usually closer to 900.  I have a breakfast that is around 300 calories.  I have lunch which is usually right around 300 calories.  Then dinner, which is about the same.  Occasionally I'll snack on something, but it's usually very small.  Think a handful of popcorn or less.  But that's maybe once or twice a week.

In the past, I never ate breakfast, rarely ate lunch, and stuffed myself at dinner.  Now that I'm getting on track and eating 3 times a day, I'm not hungry.  My stomach isn't sitting around growling nor do I feel like I need food.  

But, everywhere I read it says that I should be eating at least 1200 calories a day.  Mentally, I feel like if I add another meal in there, it will trigger me wanting to cheat.  I don't want to stop this train.

Realistically, my net calories are probably much much lower than 9-1000.  I work on my feet all day.  I'm up and down ladders, up and down on the floor.  Lifting heavy objects, digging holes, etc.  The last time I wore a pedometer (the Note 7 firebomb had a built in counter) it showed I was walking on average 12,000 steps a day.  

So, I'm likely netting 4-600 calories a day.  

If I'm happy eating what I'm eating, is there a major risk to continuing?  Or should I really make sure I get 1200 a day.  And if so, is that net?
Link Posted: 2/23/2017 6:59:19 AM EDT
[#1]
Quoted:


If I'm happy eating what I'm eating, is there a major risk to continuing?  Or should I really make sure I get 1200 a day.  And if so, is that net?
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If you're happy with what you're eating and you're getting enough micronutrients, I wouldn't change a thing.  Depending on what makes up your meals, you should consider vitamin supplementation, but ride that weight loss train while you can.  This guy went a year without eating.
Link Posted: 2/23/2017 9:58:04 AM EDT
[#2]
Im in the opposite camp.
I need to eat more but I just cant.
Every meal I feel like Ive been to Golden Corral or something.
Like you I could easily eat one meal a day no problem.
Link Posted: 2/23/2017 11:17:38 AM EDT
[#3]
First time i've heard of net calories.

You have 10s of thousands of surplus calories on your person. If you are pretty low on carbs your body will easily utilize them.

You are certainly on the low side but if you aren't seeing stress responses like hair loss it should be fine.

It would be pretty easy to get up over 1200 or so if you just add a little bacon or butter or a protein shake or two.

But if you are happy and have enough energy don't sweat it.

Check out dr Jason Fung, he does a lot of videos about the benefits of intermitent fasting.
Link Posted: 2/23/2017 3:38:09 PM EDT
[#4]
Do not ever ever ever get into that net calorie bullshit. The fitness trackers are good for measuring the variance of activity from day to day but are horrible at estimating calories. Use a TDEE calculator (any of the ones that pop up on google are fine). If you're going lower than a 500 calorie deficit you will likely stall sooner than you would have otherwise.

Also, it's entirely possible that you aren't eating the amount you think you are. Are you measuring out all this food? If you're not then you may be eating more than you think you are. 1-2lbs a week is usually the recommended weight loss amount per week. If you're losing more than 2lbs a week I'd strongly suggest you slow down. I don't want to be negative, but the slower the better. If you lose weigh slower you lose less muscle and will have an easier time maintaining your new weight when you hit your goal. Also, you can always eat less if you hit a plateau. If you cut too hard you can't just keep cutting calories if you hit a plateau, you give yourself no room for adjustment when cutting too fast.
Link Posted: 2/23/2017 11:10:42 PM EDT
[#5]
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Quoted:
Do not ever ever ever get into that net calorie bullshit. The fitness trackers are good for measuring the variance of activity from day to day but are horrible at estimating calories. Use a TDEE calculator (any of the ones that pop up on google are fine). If you're going lower than a 500 calorie deficit you will likely stall sooner than you would have otherwise.

Also, it's entirely possible that you aren't eating the amount you think you are. Are you measuring out all this food? If you're not then you may be eating more than you think you are. 1-2lbs a week is usually the recommended weight loss amount per week. If you're losing more than 2lbs a week I'd strongly suggest you slow down. I don't want to be negative, but the slower the better. If you lose weigh slower you lose less muscle and will have an easier time maintaining your new weight when you hit your goal. Also, you can always eat less if you hit a plateau. If you cut too hard you can't just keep cutting calories if you hit a plateau, you give yourself no room for adjustment when cutting too fast.
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OK, makes sense. about the net thing.  I had my doubts to begin with.

Yes, I'm 'measuring' it.  As in, I'm eating mostly pre-prepared food.  Assuming the box/bag or whatever is fairly accurate then yes, I'm pretty confident in my calories.  

I am losing more like 4lbs a week.  I understand the risks of that, to a point.  But I'm still working as hard as I've always been.  Here's the thing.  Losing 1lb a week, even 2, is difficult for me.  In that past, that one thing has always been my biggest pitfall.  If I'm not seeing results, I give up.  I know that's a mental thing, but it is what it is.    How is it that you hit a plateau?  Can you explain this?  Are you saying that you can eat very low calorie and stop losing weight?  For ever?  For a limited time?
Link Posted: 2/24/2017 1:26:05 AM EDT
[#6]
You would be amazed how much variance there is in pre packaged food.  
Even single serving items have weight variations that add up to calorie discrepancies.  

You will likely continue on your extreme cut but be forewarned you may crash and burn.   Especially as you get smaller.  
I get wanting fast results but at the rate you are going, your body is burning muscle quickly.  

My advise would be to increase your calories and strap in for the long haul.
Link Posted: 2/24/2017 11:48:15 AM EDT
[#7]
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Quoted:
You would be amazed how much variance there is in pre packaged food. 
Even single serving items have weight variations that add up to calorie discrepancies. 

You will likely continue on your extreme cut but be forewarned you may crash and burn.   Especially as you get smaller. 
I get wanting fast results but at the rate you are going, your body is burning muscle quickly. 

My advise would be to increase your calories and strap in for the long haul.
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Agree 100%. You might like the short term results OP, but long term you're setting yourself up for failure and the classic yo-yo. Your BMR at 245lbs is in the 2,300 calories area before you start factoring in any calories expended by activity, so you're incurring a huge deficit and destroying your muscle mass. Once you start eating like a human again, your body is going to do its best to hang onto every last calorie after the starvation mode that you're putting it into now. You'll most likely get skinny fat and then find yourself dieting even harder.

I don't see your age mentioned, but ASSuming you're in your 40s you probably have 4 or 5 decades to live. There's absolutely no need to sabotage yourself long term for the sake of spending an extra 3-6 months dropping the weight at a sensible rate that conserves as much muscle as possible.

The other thing that I'd say is quit looking at the scale. I was close to your original weight (273lbs) when I started back in January, and I cut my eating to 2,400 - 2,600 clean calories a day while working an active job and doing weight training + 20-30 minutes of cardio a day. My jeans are getting looser and weights lifted and/or number of reps are progressing every workout. I don't give a crap what the scale says, in fact I haven't bothered to weigh myself. Body composition is what matters.
Link Posted: 2/24/2017 4:27:54 PM EDT
[#8]
Your muscles are probably all "Fuck this we're out."

Though I have a friend doing similar and he drinks soylent with a scoop of Casseine Protein 3x/day for 1500ish calories.  Gets him his macro/micro goals and 1500 cals/ day.
Link Posted: 2/24/2017 5:46:16 PM EDT
[#9]
OP - trust what your body is telling you, but be honest with yourself.  If you really aren't hungry all the time and you sufficient energy to get through the day, don't screw with your streak.  If that isn't the cas, consider adjusting.
Link Posted: 2/24/2017 6:23:20 PM EDT
[#10]
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Quoted:
OP - trust what your body is telling you, but be honest with yourself.  If you really aren't hungry all the time and you sufficient energy to get through the day, don't screw with your streak.  If that isn't the cas, consider adjusting.
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I'm really not hungry.  And I have plenty of energy.  Let me give you an example of yesterday.  Up at 6am.  To the shop.  Loaded up 600lbs of aluminum signs, tools, ladders.  Drove to job site.  Took the ladder out of the truck (24' extension), walked 50 yds.  Set it up.  Carried a 10lb (approx) sign up the ladder 16'.  Installed sign.  Climb down.  Collapse ladder.  Carry ladder back to truck and load up.  Repeat 50 times.  Came back to the shop.  Worked on more signs for 3 hours.  Went to the airport.  Had a 2 hour flight lesson.  Home about 7pm.

Ate 280 calories for breakfast.  Around 500 for lunch.  220 for dinner.  Had a 100 calories snack bag of popcorn.  I wasn't hungry, except when it was time to eat.  I actually felt like I had MORE energy than the last time I've done a similar job.
Link Posted: 2/25/2017 6:19:37 AM EDT
[#11]
I highly doubt you are only getting 1000 calories per day. Especially if you are going off of processed/per-packaged foods and what the labels say.  Unless your actually doing the math as far as how many grams of protein,  fat & carbs and are adding how many calories are in each.... Sounds like a huge caloric deficiency and technically you should probably only be at about a 500 caloric deficiency. From a health/sustainability standpoint at least.


Hunger isn't necessarily the best indicator of the body's need for food. Once your stomach becomes accustomed to only a small portion of food you won't feel 'hungry' like you need to eat. Doesn't necessarily mean your body is at an optimal nutrition level.





Extreme diets rarely work long-term. You need a diet/lifestyle that you can stick to for the rest of your life, not force extreme deprivation to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time. Furthermore weight isn't necessarily an accurate indicator of body composition. I'm about 10lb heavier then I was last year and my waist is a little smaller then it was when I was 10lb lighter.



My suggestion is set an attainable target weight (Maybe 225-230) and once you reach that point switch to something more sustainable/healthy. If you want to continue to lose weight once you get there maybe try to target 1-2lb a week.
Link Posted: 2/25/2017 6:50:38 AM EDT
[#12]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I highly doubt you are only getting 1000 calories per day. Especially if you are going off of processed/per-packaged foods and what the labels say.  Unless your actually doing the math as far as how many grams of protein,  fat & carbs and are adding how many calories are in each.... Sounds like a huge caloric deficiency and technically you should probably only be at about a 500 caloric deficiency. From a health/sustainability standpoint at least.


Hunger isn't necessarily the best indicator of the body's need for food. Once your stomach becomes accustomed to only a small portion of food you won't feel 'hungry' like you need to eat. Doesn't necessarily mean your body is at an optimal nutrition level.Extreme diets rarely work long-term. You need a diet/lifestyle that you can stick to for the rest of your life, not force extreme deprivation to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time. Furthermore weight isn't necessarily an accurate indicator of body composition. I'm about 10lb heavier then I was last year and my waist is a little smaller then it was when I was 10lb lighter.



My suggestion is set an attainable target weight (Maybe 225-230) and once you reach that point switch to something more sustainable/healthy. If you want to continue to lose weight once you get there maybe try to target 1-2lb a week.
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I hear what you're saying, but I doubt the calorie counts on the box are that far off.  Sure, 20 or 30 calories on something labeled 300 calories, but I can't imagine it's off hundreds of calories.

Either way, you've pretty much hit my plan.  I want to get to 225 and then slow up and start hitting the gym.  I NEED to see progress though.  I know it's not all about the number on the scale, but for me, mentally I need to see positive movement.  It's been working great for 2 months.  I've tried in the past doing the lose a lb or 2 a week thing, but since I never see any real progress, I fall right back.  I haven't been under 220lbs since the late 90's.
Link Posted: 2/25/2017 2:46:38 PM EDT
[#13]
If you aren't hungry eating less than 1000 calories a day how did you get to be near 270 pounds?
Buy a food scale and start using my fitness pal to be sure your assumptions are acurate on you caloric intake.
Link Posted: 2/25/2017 8:01:47 PM EDT
[#14]
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Quoted:
If you aren't hungry eating less than 1000 calories a day how did you get to be near 270 pounds?
Buy a food scale and start using my fitness pal to be sure your assumptions are acurate on you caloric intake.
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I'm pretty sure it's because I literally wouldn't eat all day, just drink a bunch of soda.  Like a gallon a day.  Then because I was so hungry, I ate like a cow for dinner.  

I am using MFP.

This seems to work better because I'm eating every 4-6 hours, just small portions.
Link Posted: 2/25/2017 8:15:36 PM EDT
[#15]
Link Posted: 2/26/2017 11:41:48 PM EDT
[#16]
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Quoted:


I hear what you're saying, but I doubt the calorie counts on the box are that far off.  Sure, 20 or 30 calories on something labeled 300 calories, but I can't imagine it's off hundreds of calories.

Either way, you've pretty much hit my plan.  I want to get to 225 and then slow up and start hitting the gym.  I NEED to see progress though.  I know it's not all about the number on the scale, but for me, mentally I need to see positive movement.  It's been working great for 2 months.  I've tried in the past doing the lose a lb or 2 a week thing, but since I never see any real progress, I fall right back.  I haven't been under 220lbs since the late 90's.
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I tried off and on to do what you're doing. Im a stocky guy. If i did it over again id skip this starvation bullshit and hit the gym right away. So much easier to do it that way and diets are a waste.

I hate that word, diet. Im not on a diet. I changed my lifestyle. Diets are what you do for a few months before you cant do it any more.

Workout, eat reasonable. Done. Lifestyle. Not fad. Not diet.

Just the opinion of a guy in your boat but a little farther ahead.
Link Posted: 2/27/2017 12:07:08 AM EDT
[#17]
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Quoted:


I tried off and on to do what you're doing. Im a stocky guy. If i did it over again id skip this starvation bullshit and hit the gym right away. So much easier to do it that way and diets are a waste.

I hate that word, diet. Im not on a diet. I changed my lifestyle. Diets are what you do for a few months before you cant do it any more.

Workout, eat reasonable. Done. Lifestyle. Not fad. Not diet.

Just the opinion of a guy in your boat but a little farther ahead.
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I don't recall every saying the word diet.  I'm changing the way I eat.  In the process, I've found that I can eat a LOT less that I thought I could and still feel satisfied.  

I know my biggest issue was fasting all day long and gorging at dinner.  It was nothing for me to stop by Mcdonalds, grab a big mac meal, a couple mcdoubles, and 10 nuggets.  I didn't eat all day so I 'thought' I was starving.
Link Posted: 3/9/2017 1:03:52 AM EDT
[#18]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


I don't recall every saying the word diet.  I'm changing the way I eat.  In the process, I've found that I can eat a LOT less that I thought I could and still feel satisfied. I really believe that anything more than a 500 calorie deficit stalls most people. I know it did for me.

I know my biggest issue was fasting all day long and gorging at dinner.  It was nothing for me to stop by Mcdonalds, grab a big mac meal, a couple mcdoubles, and 10 nuggets.  I didn't eat all day so I 'thought' I was starving.
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You didn't say it, but what you describe is a diet, to me. A diet (to me) is any eating habit that can't or won't be sustained.

Like it say, it's just my advice. I was in an almost identical boat, just a few months ahead. I'm not trying to be short, or mean, or rude. So I hope it doesn't come off that way. I'm not a fitness guy, but just a guy who was in a very similar situation very recently. I struggled and struggled and struggled until I hit the gym. No calorie deficit would do it. I hit the gym and the pounds fell out in a UUUGGGGE way.

My regular mcdonalds order was a chicken sandwich, a bacon cheeseburger (the 1/3 pound), 2 of the small cheeseburgers and 1 large fry. I fasted the same way. My dad does also and has for years.

I'm actually about to post another thread about calorie deficit so we'll see what some folks say to mine. Lol.

Good luck!

I found that using the tdee (think that's the name) calculator on google was actually really accurate for me to get a good idea of what i really needed and set a deficit from there.
Link Posted: 4/1/2017 9:13:54 PM EDT
[#19]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:



You didn't say it, but what you describe is a diet, to me. A diet (to me) is any eating habit that can't or won't be sustained.

Like it say, it's just my advice. I was in an almost identical boat, just a few months ahead. I'm not trying to be short, or mean, or rude. So I hope it doesn't come off that way. I'm not a fitness guy, but just a guy who was in a very similar situation very recently. I struggled and struggled and struggled until I hit the gym. No calorie deficit would do it. I hit the gym and the pounds fell out in a UUUGGGGE way.

My regular mcdonalds order was a chicken sandwich, a bacon cheeseburger (the 1/3 pound), 2 of the small cheeseburgers and 1 large fry. I fasted the same way. My dad does also and has for years.

I'm actually about to post another thread about calorie deficit so we'll see what some folks say to mine. Lol.

Good luck!

I found that using the tdee (think that's the name) calculator on google was actually really accurate for me to get a good idea of what i really needed and set a deficit from there.
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Just sort of updating this thread.  Still going strong.  I've switched up a little, but not much.  I have a 300 calorie (give or take) breakfast.  Typically either some eggs and bacon or a prepackaged jimmy deans breakfast sandwich.  Lunch is a 2oz bag of almonds and either an apple or a banana.  On occasion I have to cheat and I get a hot dog at the mini mart or whatever but the calorie count is similar.  I just get one and throw some ketchup on it, instead of getting 2 like I used to and loading them up with chili and cheese.  Dinner is usually a microwave type dinner or whatever my wife makes, just in smaller amounts than I used to.  I am tracking everything on MFP.  I'm still hovering around 900-1000 calories per day, with some days bumped up around 1500.  

Since I posted this thread just over a month ago, I've dropped 12lbs.  I've started doing some more extra-curricular activities - walking to the park with my kids, riding my bike to the store instead of driving, etc.

Energy levels are great.  Considerably more energy than when I was eating everything I could get my hands on.  Also, I feel this is very sustainable.  I'm not doing some dumb ass cabbage soup diet or other fad stuff.  I'm just flat out eating less and actually eating much healthier than I used to.  I don't see any reason I can't do this forever.
Link Posted: 4/28/2017 10:38:24 AM EDT
[#20]
Still chugging along. I'm now at my lowest weight in close to 20 years.  The last time I clearly remember being under 220 was the late 90's when I was leaning to sky dive and had to be under 220 for the tandems.

I'm on week 2 of couch to 5k.  

I'm about 5 months into this and I feel amazing.
Link Posted: 5/11/2017 4:14:02 AM EDT
[#21]
Top was beginning of March.  I've still got some distance to go, but it's nice to look in the mirror and see a real difference


Link Posted: 5/11/2017 4:23:36 AM EDT
[#22]
Super bowl Sunday on the left.  A few weeks ago on the right.
Link Posted: 5/11/2017 11:39:59 AM EDT
[#23]
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Quoted:
Top was beginning of March.  I've still got some distance to go, but it's nice to look in the mirror and see a real difference


https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/121843/IMG-20170511-011139-206108.jpg
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Keep it up.
Link Posted: 5/11/2017 4:23:31 PM EDT
[#24]
good progress but based on what I know you could be doing some serious metabolic damage.  as in your body will get really good at not burning calories, and when you crash and burn and go back to normal, you will blow right back up in a hurry and then some, due to your body literally being adapted to using less energy.
Link Posted: 5/11/2017 4:37:30 PM EDT
[#25]
It's the Arizona heat. I'm the same way in the summer I eat way less and im not hungry either. I normally only eat around 9am before work then don't eat until I get home around 4-6pm, lately Ive been eating just a small dinner or none at all some nights.
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