It seems so simple, am I doing something wrong?

Hey all,

I'm a 24 yr old male, 218 lbs. I decided to start a diet last week. I used a few different calorie calculator to find out how many calories I need to intake to sustain my current weight. They all said 2200 - 2400 calories is what I should intake to sustain my current weight.

For a week now, I've limited my calories per day to about 1400 - 1600 calories... and I'm exactly the same weight. I guess I'm getting discouraged easily... but I was hoping for at least a small drop in wieght! Even half a pound! I just wanted to see if perhaps I'm not doing the math right, or if I'm way off.

Someone told me to limit myself to 1000 - 1200 calories / day, but I read that it's not good for you to do that. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks all.

FWIW, lots of us, including me, don't see any results until about 4 to 6 weeks after changing our food & exercise habits.  Sometimes it just takes your body a while to adjust to the new routine.

Use the calculators to help you find the right intake.  I don't remember the number for men, but for women they say you shouldn't go under 1200 calories a day.  If gi-jane is around here, she's always got awesome advice about this kind of thing.  Jane?

From reading around the posts, men need to eat 1500 cals minimum for their body to function properly.

Keep your cals between 1500 and 1700 and maybe add in some exercise? Maybe even just walking an extra mile or 2 a day to start? I agree with the above poster, give it at least a month before you see results.

robbetth, have you taken an honest look at what you've been eating to get to where you are?  you don't have to cut it that dramatically to make a difference.

and a week is nothing.  give your body time to adjust to the change. 

are you exercising?  i found it helpful to focus on that at first and not worry about the weight.  i set a goal of running (it was run/walk intervals for a long time) three days a week.  weight loss--when it happened--was a fun side effect.  and at first, i didn't even change what i was eating; that came later.

it's up to you, but weight loss without fitness feels pretty hollow to me.

Hey all, thanks for your input.

I started my diet because I've been going to the gym for a few months, mostly cardio, 2 - 3 times a week... and I still havent lost weight. I feel better though. I also quit smoking a few months back. I'm really trying to make a change in my life.

if u doin weights you may not lose as fast. body weight fluctuates way to much to make a difference in 1 week, give it at least 3 or 4 weeks.

Recalculate your calories IN. Check your portion sizes and make sure you are recording everything you eat AND drink! Drink more water to flush everything out. Limit salt. Eat more fiber. Take your measurements because sometimes you lose inches instead of weight -- especially if you are lifting. Good luck.

Original Post by robbethdew:

Hey all, thanks for your input.

I started my diet because I've been going to the gym for a few months, mostly cardio, 2 - 3 times a week... and I still havent lost weight. I feel better though. I also quit smoking a few months back. I'm really trying to make a change in my life.

That's a lot of positive change!  Congratulations!  Just feeling better is a great start, and totally worth it.

1000-1200 is too little for a 24-year-old man unless a doctor says it's needed or at least OK in the short term. 1600 should be fine, maybe a little more if you're exercising much.

Are your measurements going down?

I've run your stats through a calculator I use and I've assumed you're about 5'10" and that your gym work 2 or 3 times a week qualifies you as 'lightly active'.  And the number I get for you to maintain your weight is about 3000.  In that light... 2000 - 2400 is the target calorie intake for you to lose weight, not maintain. 

1400 is therefore far too low.  I'm not sure why you've not seen any loss but crash-dieting sometimes throws up funnies like that.  Starving bodies can do strange things.

Suggest you increase to at least 2000 cals a day as soon as possible.  Space your food intake out well throughout the day starting with a good-sized breakfast.  Choose wholesome, natural, unprocessed foods as much as possible (home-cooked is ideal) and drink plenty of water to help your digestion.   Weigh and measure your food and drinks rather than guessing and then keep your food diary accurately.  In between your gym days try to find other things to keep you active for about half an hour to an hour.  Brisk walks, for example, are a good choice.  Regular gentle exercise is more effective for weight-loss than sporadic vigorous exercise.

But do increase your intake...  I think you'll feel happier, healthier and you'll start to see progress.  Well done for giving up smoking and taking up regular exercise.  I'm sure the weight-loss will come along. 

I have been dealing with similar issues. I increased my exercise and went into a plateau.  I think as a man they say that you should not drop your caloric intake below 1500, women it is 1200.  If you go too low then the body says - hmmm - I better keep what i have because this guy is gonna make me starve!!! I read an interesting article and it stated that you should eat the full amount of calories for a couple of weeks and if you loose weight then you know you are fine and if you gain weight then you have a good starting point  to drop 500 calories and see how you respond from there. 

when you have time check out the following link and the articles at the bottom.

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/

Whatever you do - no matter how frustrating don't give up.  You can do this!

I did not notice that you quit smoking - I quit 2 years ago October. You know if we can quit smoking - we can beat this weight thing.  We are just made that way!!!  Congrats to you on your freedom from smoking.  I don't know about you - but I really love this freedom!!!

Original Post by andresitojimenez:

if u doin weights you may not lose as fast. body weight fluctuates way to much to make a difference in 1 week, give it at least 3 or 4 weeks.

 I am going to take your advice!!! I was losing weight and then I started lifting and haven't lost a pound.  I hope you are right!!! I am going to give it 2 more weeks and try not to freak out in the meantime!

Gi-jane, I think you did this for me once but could you run my numbers again?  51 yrs old , 196.4 lbs,  cardio 3 xs a week, lifting 4 times a week.  Other wise stuck in a chair all day. 5'5".  I just measured my height and I am short!!! I have shrunk and that makes a world of sense.  I probably am eating too much!!!

Sometimes weightloss is completely unexplainable.  You lower your caloric intake, you work out, you drink water--you do absolutely everything RIGHT and nothing happens. 

This week, I went to the gym LESS than I did the week before--and I ate out/worse than usual...and I lost 4 pounds after losing almost nothing before.

It mentally EXHAUSTS me when I see that I've gained two pounds, knowing full well that I've been sticking to everything and couldn't have possibly actually gained anything...it just happens.

So don't sweat it.  You're doing the right stuff.  And eventually, you'll see some results.  Promise.

Are you drinking enough water?Are you eating food that are high in sodium?

If you're not drinking enough or having too much salt, your body will retain water- and you CAN be loosing actual fat weight, but the scale won't take notice of that because your body will be holding onto the water...

i agree with ceils444, drinking water is very important for weight loss. if you drink less than your reqd. quantity, your body will hold on to every drop you drink and you'll gain water weight.

i think you should keep eating around 1600 cals a day and drink atleast 6-8 glasses of water a day. don't eat too much salty stuff as that would also contribute to water retention. . best of luck!

Original Post by tuff_n_nuff:

Gi-jane, I think you did this for me once but could you run my numbers again?  51 yrs old , 196.4 lbs,  cardio 3 xs a week, lifting 4 times a week.  Other wise stuck in a chair all day. 5'5".  I just measured my height and I am short!!! I have shrunk and that makes a world of sense.  I probably am eating too much!!!

 I calculate that you need between 2500 and 3000 cals a day to maintain your weight, depending on how intense and long-lasting your exercises are.  Assuming you do more than half an hour each time... 2700 as a working average.  To lose weight, therefore 1800-2000 would be appropriate as your starting point.  Every two or three weeks ahave a day where you get the full 2700 as this is good for the soul and keeps the metabolism lively.

This thread might be illuminating... http://caloriecount.about.com/thank-gettin-he althy-lesson-learned-ft126523

Robert good job trying to be more healthy!  I totally agree you dont want to drop your calories too much.  I'm a woman, 5'7, and my doc said not to go below 1200 calories or my body would go into starvation mode and I wouldn't lose weight because my body would hold onto everything it got.

I'd give it another week or two to see a difference, and weigh in the morning before eating anything.  One thing I could suggest.  I became diabetic during my pregnancy and had to learn how to eat again.  I met with a nutritionist and she told me to start really watching my carbs.  I was advised to eat 3 meals a day and keep to 60 carbs.  I was also advised to eat 2-3 snacks a day and limit them to 30 carbs.  Example: A small apple=15 carbs, A peice of bread=30 carbs.  A lot of times I'd eat an apple and have a tablespoon of peanut butter as a snack.  A great dinner, low in carbs was a chicken breast and a cup of steamed broccoli.  Get this, as a pregnant woman I lost 7 pounds in 1 week!  And this was just by limiting my high sugar carbs.  The best carbs are those that are combined with protein (like say yogurt) or in high fiber foods (try to find carb items...pasta, bread, cereals...higher than 4 g fiber).  Good luck!

Original Post by gi-jane:

Original Post by tuff_n_nuff:

Gi-jane, I think you did this for me once but could you run my numbers again?  51 yrs old , 196.4 lbs,  cardio 3 xs a week, lifting 4 times a week.  Other wise stuck in a chair all day. 5'5".  I just measured my height and I am short!!! I have shrunk and that makes a world of sense.  I probably am eating too much!!!

 I calculate that you need between 2500 and 3000 cals a day to maintain your weight, depending on how intense and long-lasting your exercises are.  Assuming you do more than half an hour each time... 2700 as a working average.  To lose weight, therefore 1800-2000 would be appropriate as your starting point.  Every two or three weeks ahave a day where you get the full 2700 as this is good for the soul and keeps the metabolism lively.

This thread might be illuminating... http://caloriecount.about.com/thank-gettin-he althy-lesson-learned-ft126523

 Thank you for your help.  I will check that link out.

Hi there, well done for making the change.

I started out at about 235lbs and am down to 210 now. I'm male like you and I do weights 4x week along with about 15 mins of HIIT after the weights. I have been aiming for 2000 calories per day but have found myself getting hungry too often for my liking so have recently upped it to 2100 on non training days and 2300 on training days and am still losing betwwen 1lb and 1.5lbs per week, so I would up your calories!

Also it takes a while for your body to get used to the change in lifestyle so dont worry too much in the short term.

I wold also recommend buying some kitchen scales so you can be sure of the amounts of food you are eating, and log everything.

good luck