too much or too little??

badly_dubbed

hey guys,

just generally tryin to trim down a little, im not big, just have a little excess (5ft11 12.6st)

today i ate

special k - 175cal
oats/banana - 325cal
tuna - 225cal
nuts 200cal
coffee 350cal
dinner rice/beansoup 711cal
nuts 125cal
strawberries 27cal
pear 50cal
(i know the coffee is a sore one)

and excersise consisted of

23mile fast paced road biking after work
6mile commute to/from work.

so my question is too little or too many calories still?

solsurf

You are the same weight and height, I think that amount of food is too little calorie wise, the exercise is probably around 1500 cal alone so you are asking your body to survive and repair on 800 cal. I think you should be looking at another 700 cal.

I'm sure you will get better advise but I thought I would comment as I am around the same size.
Saying this I did go up to just under 14 stone and it turned out my thyroid wasn't working so if you are really struggling to lose weight it could be a thought, although it is rare in youngish males.

Hope this helps

weeksy59

Wayyyyyyyyyyyy too few if you ask me.

MountainMonster

If youre trying to trim down a bit, I would recommend cutting the calories. Remember to lose weight it|s calories in vs. calories out. I would recommend cutting to about 1500 maximum per day for a month or so and see if that helps get rid of any weight youre trying to lose.

Just curious, how many kg is 12.6 stone

badly_dubbed

about 80kg

mixed views then.... :?

schweiz

I'd say you're not eating enough. If you're exercising then you need to eat. If you stop eating, you body will go into starvation mode and stop burning fat reserves. Even worse, muscle will start to be broken down to provide energy. If you can smell acetone (nail varnish remover) when you shower after cycling then that is what is happening.

we're about the same height/weight.

I commute 2 hours/60km day (approx 1500cal) and have an office job so probably burn another 2000 calories a day on top and eat 2500-3000 calories/day. The days I don't commute my calorie intake will remain similar.

If I stayed away from my vice of chocolate and other sweeties there is no doubt that I would be losing weight. Body fat scales say I have 15-16% body fat. Whilst I know they're not completely accurate, they do provide a rough guide. I want to get to 76kg and closer to 10% fat and I know exactly what I have to do diet wise but I love my chocolate!

badly_dubbed

funny you should mention this smelll.... i dont smell it when showering but i do sometimes directly after a cycle.....


hmmm worrying me now... as i dont feel weak, and seem to have a good muscle structure..

floosy

Have a look at the livestrong website... it can calculate your calories and track what you eat..

Dave.

MountainMonster

badly_dubbed wrote:

about 80kg

mixed views then.... :?

5'11 and 80kg, and your trying to cut? Could I possibly ask why?

As stated before, even with exercising you should be cutting calories to the 1500 mark. Over 2000 calories is just madness. I'm 87kg right now, and even when not watching what I eat I average 1800 calories or so. But then again i'm not a snacker. I'm blessed with the ability to make it between meals without needing snacks. I think that's the main problem, way too many small snacks that add up to too high a calorie count for the day.

Out of curiosity how much more are you trying to cut to`?

solsurf

MountainMonster wrote:

badly_dubbed wrote:

about 80kg

mixed views then.... :?

5'11 and 80kg, and your trying to cut? Could I possibly ask why?

As stated before, even with exercising you should be cutting calories to the 1500 mark. Over 2000 calories is just madness. I'm 87kg right now, and even when not watching what I eat I average 1800 calories or so. But then again i'm not a snacker. I'm blessed with the ability to make it between meals without needing snacks. I think that's the main problem, way too many small snacks that add up to too high a calorie count for the day.

Out of curiosity how much more are you trying to cut to`?

I think you should be careful before telling people to cut calories to 1500 (probably half as much as he needs to still lose weight) a day for the amount of exercise this person is doing it is only going to eat into muscle and can not be sustaied, I think it is called atropy. Sure he'll lose weight but not in the right way.

badly_dubbed

I don't care what I weigh, I have a little flab and small moobs, I want to tone off the excess fat. That's all

weeksy59

badly_dubbed wrote:

I don't care what I weigh, I have a little flab and small moobs, I want to tone off the excess fat. That's all

In that case, it's not about how many cals,but the type of cals.

Now,whilst taking into account i still think you'reeating too little, but that's your choice.

You need to substitue the nuts and fruit in your diet for protien really. Nuts and fruit are sugar and fats. Obviously bad.

So replace them with wholegrain snacks, like Ryvita, egg whites, even pieces of tuna/chicken. This will reduce the fat intake.

schweiz

MountainMonster wrote:

As stated before, even with exercising you should be cutting calories to the 1500 mark. Over 2000 calories is just madness.

:?:

Recommended daily amount for an 'average' male is 2500 and for a woman it is 2000. This is for a moderately active person, i.e. the suggested 3-5 x 30 mins exercise per week. Don't forget that the %RDA amounts on food packaging are based on the female values 'to make things simpler'. Generally, men, pregnant women and teenagers all need more.

I would say the OP at 5'11"/12.5 stone 180cm/80kg is fairly close to the average male and is a BMI of under 25 so 2000-2500 of 'healthy' food should allow him to maintain his current weight.

Someone who is doing an hour of intense exercise every day (700-1000 cal) will need more than the RDA to maintain weight.

Even eating the RDA, the OP's net intake after exercise will be between 1500-1800 calories a day i.e. a deficit of 700-1000 calories based on the RDA. Weight loss should be slow. A calorie deficit of 500 cals a day is all that is needed to lose 1lb (450g)/week.The fact that he can smell acetone after exercise shows that his body is using his muscle mass as fuel and that he should be eating more.

badly_dubbed

Just Another point, I don't smell that all the time, only maybe 4-5 times past 6months

schweiz

From what I understand (and I'm not a nutritionist) when your glycogen stores are depleted and you need energy quickly for a short intense effort (i.e. the last hill on a lond day ride) then coverting fat to energy is too slow so the body breaks down muscle instead. This break down of protein is what causes the acetone smell. It shouldn't be confused with the more pungent ammonia smell that is in sweat, acetone smells sweeter.

So if it's not happening all the time, it seems there's nothing for you to worry about with losing muscle mass.

But if you want to lose weight then starvation is not the way. After Uni my weight rose to 107kg and I reduced it to 83kg in 18 months after taking up running. Then I moved to Switzerland, and my weight went back up to 105kg over 2 years. It took me another 2 years to get back down to 83kg through walking, swimming and then cycling. I've now been steady between 80-83kg for 3 years.

Both times I was careful what I ate and kept a diary of my daily intake. I aimed for a deficit of 500 calories a day and I was never short of energy and I could still eat relatively normally. I cut out most of my alcohol intake (but still enjoyed a wee dram or a beer every now and again). Chocolate was harder to control but I managed it my keeping a fruit bowl on my desk to snack on. I keep telling myself I'd like to drop to 76kg to improve my climbing which is 2-3 months of 'being careful' but I'm enjoying my cycling so the will power is not as strong ...i'll do it next year

.blitz

weeksy59 wrote:

Wayyyyyyyyyyyy too few if you ask me.

^^ this

With all due respect I don't know how you survive on so little. I am 6'2" and 95 kg on a good day and would graze through your list without it really registering

I eat very similar food, just LOADS more of it + vast quantities of carbs & protein.

In terms of excercise I am hitting off-road trails 4-5 times a week, 20 miles minimum every time. I am constantly hungry

MountainMonster

For sustained exercise it's not really the amount calories that matter, it's where those calories. I eat maybe 1500 max on a day with heavy riding and all throughout the week, and always have plenty of energy. But I fill up on carbs and protein at every meal. I don't snack because most of those calories are only empty. But everyone is able to chime their input and pop their 2 cents in. I think he's getting to much calories to shed the fat, and most of those foods are too fat for weight loss.

supersonic

You need to exercise in the 'fat burning' zone - many articles on this.

I also agree that you are eating too little calories. You need to aim for a gradual loss really. I would say a normal healthy balanced diet and a little more paced exercise is all that is needed to achieve this. But go on waist size, not BMI or weight, as exercise may develop muscles which are denser. You want to lose fat off your waist remember.

blablablacksheep

simple advise.

Eat typically 2500 cal a day, dont bother counting it stupid and will drive you mad.

eat well, ie you know what is healthy....you know what is good for you, and what isnt, just cut out some of the crap ie less chocs ect, feel hungry eat a apple instead ect it very simple.

if you really find diet problem google and online has plenty of information, but simple judegement useally good enough.

exercise wise, it very simple.

you want to have at least 1 decent exercise a week which will make your heat go right up into 80% of your heat rate peak./max, and holding for at least 20 mins

to work out your max heat rate. 220- your age useally good start.

example, do a run of around 3 miles and aim to get 7 min mile this pushing me thus im working hard.

(i hate running but it good for you, and can be fun when with others)

Cycling is good but it isnt the best CV workout, try swimming or running as this easyer to get higher burning fat ect.

good thing you could do is this.

when cycling, say for the next 20 secs you go full out, max power, then recover for next 20, then repeat at least 5 times. this pushig your heat rate up which you need to burn fat and tone.

personally if you want a good toned body go swimming and just bash out some lengths it pretty much known as the best way to tone up.

dont skip meals or dont eat after exercise either, no matter what "experts" on the internet may say

acidstrato

def initly too few...far too few with that amount of exercise...eventually you'll burn out

I weigh around the same and I'm 5'10 but I dropped to this weight and I'll be happy at this weight for the duration of autumn and winter.

those calories would be sufficient to lose weight with a little exercise. but you're getting plenty in and you need to refuel right. if you dont then in time you'll suffer. if its a better shape you want..thendont cut cals...just eat healthier. bump up the calories with plenty of fruit and veg. if you drink alcohol, look at cutting it down some

mobilekat

Alternative is to totally stop counting calories and look at something like the 'slimming World' type diets, where fresh fruit veg and lean meats are unlimited, and only high fat and high sugar foods are restricted.
You can eat lots of food and easily loose weight at a sensible rate- I successfully lost over 25Kg using this and was still able to have bloody great platefuls of healthy food.
Its works well with exercise as well as fruit, and lean meat give you most of what you need when exercising.

My typical daily food intake now is

Breakfast= 3 poached eggs on 2 slices of toast with bacon and mushrooms (+/- tin of tomatoes if I fancy them)

Lunch= pasta and veg with lean ham

snacks- couple of apples and bananas

dinner- large lean steak, salad and spud wedges cooked with no fat

As OH and I have said- dieting is only as hard as you make it!

Main thing is to eat plenty of fresh fruit and veg which fill you up, keep your body ticking over and are good for you too!