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Counter-intuitive!

jonshez Posts: 273 Joined: 2007/01/14	2007/01/28, 01:00 PM Hi folks, It has recently 'clicked' in my head that I need/want to do something about my general fitness levels and weight. I've been keeping a food diary and tracking where my calories are coming from, some light exercise at home, and today joined a gym (!). Something that concerns me a little, and there seems to be lots of conflicting evidence and also it seems totally counter-intuitive to someone who has watched lots of people go on calorie-cutting diets. The amount of calories I am 'supposed' to be burning off is 3141 based on my height weight, metabolic rate and lifestyle (that is without adding any kind of activity). 2166 basal calories, and 975 lifestyle. Now, looking at my food diary, I am eating an average of 1,456 calories - 27% from fat, 49% carbs, and 24% protein. I have been working on improving those ratios, lowering the fat and increasing the protein. An average day for me will consist of - 7:00 - Allbran semi-skimmed milk, multivits 11:00 - tangerine 13:00 - baked potato, tuna and sweetcorn 15:00 - banana 19:00 - rice, chicken/turkey and veg. (very difficult to eat any earlier due to work travel etc) So, my questions. Am I in danger of going into starvation mode? If so, what should I be doing to avoid it? What additional foods should I be eating, and when? It just seems crazy to think that eating more calories might help me get to my goals sooner. (I lost 6lbs the last two weeks, so something is happening at least!) Thanks for reading, I hope all that makes sense. Jon
adalos Posts: 174 Joined: 2006/02/04	2007/01/28, 01:13 PM maybe try making your snack meals a little more "filling" type foods. maybe some oatmeal (chop some fruit and put it in it?), or nuts instead of just the sugar filled single fruit that your body will plow through in no time and feel hungry very shortly after. or maybe a no sugar added yogurt. things that have less pure sugar than straight fruit, and take your body longer to digest so your metabolism stays constant, and you don't get hungry (forcing your body to start eating your muscle mass or storing fat).
jonshez Posts: 273 Joined: 2007/01/14	2007/01/28, 01:19 PM Adalos, hunger (as in rumbling stomach) hasn't been a problem for me so far, which I concede may mean nothing as far as what my body is actually doing in the meantime! It looks like you're suggesting an increase in fuel I'm taking on, but there is a voice inside telling me that I am undoing the good that reducing my calories should be doing. My goal is to lower my BMI (34.1), and body fat level (currently at 34.63%). I want to do a mix of calorie burning cardio at the gym and weights on alternate nights. I'm just worried that 1,400 calories a day is going to make that harder, or that eating 3,000 will mean the weight doesn't come off. Bah. ;)
adalos Posts: 174 Joined: 2006/02/04	2007/01/28, 04:11 PM what you will see from both these forums and any reliable health source is that the ideal way to lose weight is to find your actual plateau calorie level (where you don't gain or lose weight), and then to cut out 300-400 calories a day from it. you're going from 3141 (based on your calculations) to 1400. that's cutting 1741 calories below what your body needs to sustain it's weight. that's putting your body in starvation mode. whether you feel hungry or not, your body thinks you are and will be storing fat.
bb1fit Posts: 11,105 Joined: 2001/06/30	2007/01/28, 04:16 PM What is your bodyweight? -------------- "If it ain't broke, you aren't trying."
SFGiantsMVP Posts: 1,533 Joined: 2005/12/04	2007/01/28, 04:31 PM :surprised:I am eating an average of 1,456 calories:( Girls eat more then that bro! Answer BB1's ? and then listen to his responce after! -------------- Knock-Um Down & Keep-Um Down!
Velasca Posts: 441 Joined: 2006/10/26	2007/01/28, 06:03 PM I eat 1400 calories adalos...im 5' 1 and 132#....sooooo...listen to BB1 and the others and they will head you in the right direction :)
jonshez Posts: 273 Joined: 2007/01/14	2007/01/28, 07:57 PM ============ Quoting from bb1fit: What is your bodyweight? ============= Thanks for the answers so far. My body weight is 16st 10lbs and I have a medium/large frame. I haven't intentionally cut down to that number of calories, I don't feel I'm on a diet - I'm just making (hopefully) better choices instead of stuffing things in my mouth and 1500 calories is the result. As I said, I joined a gym today and the plan is to lower body fat and tone up. Inevitably I expect to lose some weight, but I was concerned about the calorie drop. But due to listening to everyone I know who battles their weight, it just seems weird to be trying to up my calories, not cut them. Thanks again for any input. Jon
SFGiantsMVP Posts: 1,533 Joined: 2005/12/04	2007/01/28, 08:14 PM Your not going to have energy to do nothing in the gym at 1500 Calories. I am at 2500 right now and I lost 55 pounds over a years time. -------------- Knock-Um Down & Keep-Um Down!
SFGiantsMVP Posts: 1,533 Joined: 2005/12/04	2007/01/28, 08:16 PM Also don't listen to people who battle their as you sya because 99% aren't Honest about there diet to themselves let alone will they be too others! Listen to people with PROVEN RESULTS that not only work but continue to work! -------------- Knock-Um Down & Keep-Um Down!
SFGiantsMVP Posts: 1,533 Joined: 2005/12/04	2007/01/28, 08:17 PM battle their as you sya = battle thier weight as you -------------- Knock-Um Down & Keep-Um Down!
jonshez Posts: 273 Joined: 2007/01/14	2007/01/28, 08:28 PM Well I've always believed 'named' diets were daft anyway. I mean at it's most basic, you put in more than you burn off and you'll put on weight, less and and you lose it. There really is no gimick, it's just maths. I'm not on a diet, just when someone puts a chocolate biscuit in front of me I consider how I want to look in 6 months and understand the cause and effect! I look forward to BB1fit's reply...
adalos Posts: 174 Joined: 2006/02/04	2007/01/28, 08:29 PM he weighs 234 pounds, so i'm not sure what your point was? ============ Quoting from Velasca: I eat 1400 calories adalos...im 5' 1 and 132#....sooooo...listen to BB1 and the others and they will head you in the right direction :) =============
Carivan Posts: 8,542 Joined: 2002/01/20	2007/01/28, 08:35 PM The thing is here, its all where the calories come from and of course the activity level. 16stone + 10 I think is about 112 kilos? 246lbs? You would need about 3200 cal to be eating properly and be able to do your training. tThats based on about 13 cal per pound of bodyweight. -------------- A little discipline at the table and at the gym might help reduce that belly! Ivan Montreal Canada (City of Festivals)
Velasca Posts: 441 Joined: 2006/10/26	2007/01/28, 09:14 PM was a typo adalos...was meant for jon..
jonshez Posts: 273 Joined: 2007/01/14	2007/01/29, 10:12 AM Ok, so it looks like I need to add around another 1000 calories in order to train, lose weight and not go into starvation mode. So where and how am I best to add them? As carbs or protein? As part of a 'snack' meal or a main meal? Again thanks for helping a n00b. :)
adalos Posts: 174 Joined: 2006/02/04	2007/01/29, 01:35 PM it's not just the amount of carbs/fat/protein, but where they derive from. whole grain rice and oatmeal are great sources of carbs because they're complex carbs and take your body longer to digest, which avoids the nearly instantaneous blood sugar spike you get from eating simple carbs (like those found in fruit, soda, etc). fat is a necessary element in a diet as well, but it's important to get them from healthy sources such as fish, nuts, and olive oil and not from fried food or processed meats with high fat contents. i try to keep my meals small-medium and have them all contain the various nutritional families in them. like i mix nuts into my yogurt. i put a scoop of my whey protein in my oatmeal. i just try to avoid cramming just one aspect of nutrition in any meal, aside from my pre and post workout shakes.
bb1fit Posts: 11,105 Joined: 2001/06/30	2007/01/29, 07:54 PM If 234 is your weight, you are way under. Most folks who train fairly regularly just for maintenance is around 15 calories per lb. -------------- "If it ain't broke, you aren't trying."