too few calories?

hello all!

i have a question to which hopefully i will receive an answer to.

i'm a 5'8" 27year old male who teaches high school.

about 2 months ago, i began a diet coupled with daily (6-7 days a week) excercise. since then, i've lost about 25-30 lbs. (started at 180 and now im at 151) i've been doing alot of trial an error. i started with a 400-vlcd (very low calorie diet) and have been gradually increasing it over time. Now I am at 1200-1500 calorie diet. I weigh myself every morning and typically I lose somewhere between .3-.7 lbs a day. However, for the past 5 days... my weight has been exactly the same! 151.0 all across the board. Is this what people call the "plateau"?? Or am I starving myself and my body just wont let go of the fat?

I spend 90 minutes at the gym 6-7 days a week. I do no less than 60 minutes of cardio with my heart rate typically between 150-180. Sometimes I extend this cardio work out to the entire 90 minutes and other days I spend 60 minutes on cardio and 30 min weight lifting. Aside from the gym workout, I do some ab excercises while watching tv and right before bed. (trying to get some abs to show by summer)

My current daily diet consist of approx. 42g of fiber, 110g of protein, about 25g of fat with 2 multivitamins taken throughout the day. One in the morning and one after my evening gym workout. For dinner and post-workout, I simply have one 300 calorie Myloplex protein shake. Everything else I eat is before my late afternoon workout. I've tried to split my meals but have only been successful with keeping up with 4 meals a day. (there aren't but so many hours in the day and as a high school teacher, i don't have the liberty to eat when i want).

Is there a problem with my routine? most websites say that i should be taking in 1800+ calories a day but i don't feel hungry at all throughout the day, and i feel like I can do 2 complete hours of cardio if i had the time. I drink lots of water (approx. 15 cups a day). And I only have 1 "go all out" days once every 2 weeks. I think my routine has worked fine for me up this point. I just find it weird that my weight has stayed at exactly 151 for almost a week now. Should I continue and just power through this phase? Or should make modifications? Perhaps my weight machine is broke???

You are not eating enough. If you are consuming only 1200-1500 calories a day your body is not going to burn fat. 1500 calories is generally the base amount of a young female trying to lose weight. I plugged your stats in and at the very LEAST you should be eating 1800. I classified you as light activity but I'm guessing its more around very active. which would up your needed calories a lot  Because you do so much exercise you need to increase your caloric intake or your body is going to start suffering severely.

Use the tools on here to figure out what your body needs. For healthy weight loss you should aim for 500 less calories than what you need for maintenance. So start looking into what your body needs at maintenance level then subtract 500.

The fact that you arn't hungry... Supprisingly is a sign of a decreased metabolism.

Not only should you be eating more, but you should be eating more frequently.

Always having something "in the tank" will increase your metabolism, the first sign is an increased apitite.

Over the next few weeks start upping your calorie intake, and start eating 6-8 small meals.  When you start feeling hungry for each small meal you know you are doing well, and can eat a bit more. 

When You get to 2200 you should switch to maintaining that calorie intake and the weight should start to come off.

I think you're panicking a little early if it's only been 5 days at the same weight.  5 weeks and you could have a point.  However, 1200 is far too low for an adult male... 1500 is the absolute bare minimum that you need to keep body and soul together.   Given that you're doing 90 minutes a day of exercise you're effectively crash-dieting.   The fact that you don't feel hungry isn't actually a good sign... usually means the metabolism has slowed down to a crawl.

I know how it's tempting to think you can short-cut weight-loss and impatient overweight people often do very rash things.  30lbs in 8 weeks may be impressive but it really doesn't sound healthy.   Do work out a more sensible calorie intake for someone your age, size and who is very active.   Try to eat real food rather than this bizarre spaceman diet you've adopted.  Too little nourishment puts a lot of strain on the body because it starts to use muscle for energy as well as fat.... and that can make your heart go 'pop' at any moment... 'Sudden Adult Death Syndrome' is pretty final.

Finally... if you're in charge of high school students try to be a little more responsible and set a better example of a healthy lifestyle.  They get enough examples of disordered eating behaviour through the media without 'Sir' doing the same thing. 

yea.. been reading many sites, using various calculators and these forums to figure out what to do. My calorie deficit is around 1500.

Which would be more effective? Lowering the gym workout or raising the calorie intake? Or both?

Both.... Your deficit should be between 500 and 700 for safe, sustainable weight-loss.   A higher deficit (>1000) only results in malnutrition and other problems.  Plus crash-dieters tend to find that they regain the weight lost in half the time it took them to lose it when they go back to anything approaching a normal dietary regime...  And that makes the whole thing a waste of time.

thank you for your input! i had a strong feeling that i wasn't taking in enough calories. just wanted to be sure that its not something else.

i dont think ill be lowering the time spent at gym (ive built some kind of gym addictiveness and will feel guilty if i dont spend 2 hours there), but i will definitely increase calorie intake to probably 1800 within the next week and then maybe 2000 if i still dont see any change.

thanks again. :)

I have to ask, what made you decide to do a VLCD? They usually reserve those for people ready to drop dead of obesity under doctor supervision

thats great advice

I agree with everyone saying "eat more".

Also, I just ran your stats in CC's BMI tool, and at 151 pounds, you have a BMI of 23, which is within the healthy range.  Maybe it's time to look into what your maintenance calories should be, then just keep working out to continue building muscle.  I'm not sure what your weight goal is, but I can't see how you can lose too much more without being unhealthy.  Be aware, though, that based on the way you've been eating way too few calories, you will probably gain a little when you start eating more.  It's just your body freaking out because it finally is getting enough nourishment, and wants to hold onto everything it can.  Push through that period of time, and it will balance out.

Ditto to what gi-jane said - be a good example for the students you teach.  Body image is such a scary focus of their lives right now, anyways, that it would be awesome for them to see a teacher taking care of himself the right way, with healthy eating and exercise.

spriochete, that was 2 months ago when all i knew was that weight loss = less calories. i'm no expert in the field.. but ive been reading lots of info on the topic since then.

at 151, i have already met my goal that i set 2 months ago. im continuing to do excessive cardio just to see how low i can get. i considered setting a goal of fitting into size 28 pants. right now im 32.

but after reading loudflower's comment, increasing strength training and lowering the cardio workout might be a better idea. is there such thing as too much cardio? also, when is the pivotal point one should switch from weight loss/cardio to weight gain/building muscle?

also... how does "starvation" mode work? is it based on how little calories one has eaten? or is it based on the ratio of calories burned to calories taken in? or is it just random and varies from person to person? from most articles ive read... starvation only kicks in when some eats less than 1200 calories. But if someone ate 1800 calories, and burned 3000 calories at the gym... does the body go into starvation mode??? the human body is so confusing!!

When they say 1200 calories is the threshhold for starvation mode they mean a small female couch potato can be reasonably healthy eating that little. you being male and very active may need twice that.

Original Post by subzer011:

But if someone ate 1800 calories, and burned 3000 calories at the gym... does the body go into starvation mode???

 Yes it does if it's happening on a regular basis.  And at the same time that person would be 'starving'... which leads to the problems associated with chronic malnutrition.... muscle wastage, behavioural/mental issues, vitamin/mineral deficiencies, skeletal problems, lowered immune system.  Vitamin pills and protein shakes are no substitute for actual food.

If your total burn is 3000 keep your intake between 2300 and 2500 to lose weight and 3000 to maintain your weight.

Original Post by gi-jane:

Original Post by subzer011:

But if someone ate 1800 calories, and burned 3000 calories at the gym... does the body go into starvation mode???

 Yes it does if it's happening on a regular basis.  And at the same time that person would be 'starving'... which leads to the problems associated with chronic malnutrition.... muscle wastage, behavioural/mental issues, vitamin/mineral deficiencies, skeletal problems, lowered immune system.  Vitamin pills and protein shakes are no substitute for actual food.

If your total burn is 3000 keep your intake between 2300 and 2500 to lose weight and 3000 to maintain your weight.

 

i agree... but most people who work 9-5 jobs don't have the time to sit down to make a sandwich 5-6 times a day.

since posting, my weight went up by 3 pounds. thats from eating 1800 cals yesterday and doing a 1400 cal workout (according to a HR monitor) in the late afternoon. will post again in a week to update. hope this works.

Original Post by subzer011:

i agree... but most people who work 9-5 jobs don't have the time to sit down to make a sandwich 5-6 times a day.

 

You could make 5 sandwiches all at once, and bring them to work with you. I know people who do that (or at least 3-4 - they usually have non-sandwich options as well).

edit 'cause I can't spell.

Original Post by subzer011:

i agree... but most people who work 9-5 don't have the time to sit down to make a sandwich 5-6 times a day.

I'm sorry but that's about as bad an excuse as one of your students saying they didn't have time to do their homework.....   You don't have to eat 5 or 6 times a day to start with.  People who work full-time and want to eat well will get up early enough to have a healthy breakfast (meal 1), will  pack their healthy lunch the night before (meal 2), and  put together a quick-cook healthy meal in the evening (meal 3)... plus it takes no time at all to throw some fruit or other snacks into a bag to take along to the office.  Just takes a little effort, organisation and motivation....

Your weight will go up in the short term because you've been deliberately starving and your body will hang on to the extra food in order to recover.   Rather than carrying on undereating at 1800 go for the 2300 you really need and your body will recover much quicker.

dont think this 1800-2200 calorie increase is working out. it's been 5 days, and i've gained 10 pounds. the weight increase is not from muscle as the only thing on my body that seems bigger is my belly. at this rate, in less than 2 weeks, i'll be back where i started 2 months ago.

i think i will lower my intake back down to the 1200-1500 calorie range. i rather be stuck at a plateau than gain 2 pounds of belly fat per day. i'm beginning to think that all these numbers these cal calculators put out are merely guidelines or startoff points than actual weight loss plans to follow. everyone's body isn't the same.

the extra cals i'm taking in are also causing me to have a less effective workout as most of the time during the workout, i'm having stomach pains and discomfort in the intestinal area. i dropped from burning 1500 cals in 2 hours, to 1300 to 1200 to 1000.

not really sure what to do at this point.. but i think im gonna try out 1800+ cal intake for a few more days. but seing my weight go up by 10 pounds is very discouraging. that's 3 weeks of of working out on a daily basis.

Original Post by subzer011:

since posting, my weight went up by 3 pounds. thats from eating 1800 cals yesterday and doing a 1400 cal workout (according to a HR monitor) in the late afternoon. will post again in a week to update. hope this works.

You burned 1400 calories in one workout?  And only ate 1800 calories that day?

I think you may need to consult a doctor.  You are burning way more calories than you are consuming.  At this point you are exercising out almost as many calories as you are eating, and not giving your body the base calories you need.  I know you say you've gained 10 pounds in 5 days, but I believe your body is clearly confused.  Please go to a doctor or nutritionist for a consultation.

Dude - There is no way you gained 10 pounds of body mass in 5 days eating 1800 calories per day.  Period, End of Discussion, not even open to debate.  Could you have added 10 pounds of water and/or waste? Possibly, or something could be wrong with your scale.  But you did not gain 10 pounds of body fat if your intake is 1800 calories per day.  It would take an extra 7000 calories per day  ABOVE and BEYOND the 2000 to 3000 your body is burning to gain 10 pounds of fat in 5 days.  In other words, you would have to be eating in the 9000 calorie per day range.

Realistically, if your metabolism wasn't all screwed up from not eating enough, you would probably burn at least 2500 and probably more than 3000 calories per day with the amount of exercise you do.  I'm a bit bigger than you (5'11, 199 lbs) and exercise about as much as you but I have very steadily lost 1-2 lbs per week eating an average of 2700 calories per day.  Up your calories and tough out the short period where you gain a little weight back while your metabolism adjusts.  Stay away from the scale and only weigh once a week or once every two weeks until you get your metabolism back on track.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, but you are a high school teacher and should (1) be able to figure this out and (2) set a good example for your students.

am i never gonna hear the end of it?

im a high school teacher yes, but my field of expertise has absolutely nothing to do with biology or the human body or calories or weight loss. i teach cisco networking. so stop with the "your a teacher, you should know better" bashing. its annoying and have absolutely nothing to do with my questions and concerns in this thread. i'm here to teach kids how to get rid of a computer virus, not teach them how to shrink fat cells or how to have a nutritious breakfast.

now that that's out of the way, since dropping down to 1500, i've lost 3 pounds almost overnight. im also having less stomach pains and bowel movements. i think ill take loudflower's advice and consult a doctor.

Let us know how it goes with the doctor!

By the way, weight loss is a learning experience for all of us - we're just at different stages.  I think a lot of us tend to forget that when replying to some of these posts.  Thank you for taking our advice into consideration, even when we get too harsh!