Question about calorie intake for weight loss, and an exercise question

[mike208]

I'm in a biggest loser competition which I would like to win, but of course the weight loss itself is enough of a win.

Anyways, I have chosen to go into it by exercising 30-60 minutes a day at least 5 days a week. That has been easy enough through the first 2 weeks. I have also cut calories from my normal breakfast and lunch. And while I have mostly continued to eat the same stuff I usually eat for dinner, I am trying to eat smaller portions. I know I could eat better and lose more weight, but I fear cutting out the foods I like will cause me to quit.

On to my question. I have heard a good rule of thumb is 7 calories per pound for total intake which for me is about 1300 calories. I have also heard not to go below 1050-1200 calories on a continual basis. My question is, is that the minimum I can safely eat for the day, or is that the minimum my body requires to function for the day. For instance if I eat 1300 calories in a day, but exercise and burn off 1000 calories, is that ok? Or do I need to eat and exercise enough to make my intake be at or above 1050-1200?


Also have a heart rate monitor which helps me during exercise. But I am still a bit confused about what zone I should be exercising in. My so called fat burning zone is 114-133bpm. Cardio is more in the range of 134-150. Above that and you get into endurance training. To me it seems like I would burn more calories working in the cardio range as opposed to the fat burning range. So which should I work out in?

Any other tips?

 

[HNNstyle]

I'm in a biggest loser competition which I would like to win, but of course the weight loss itself is enough of a win.

Anyways, I have chosen to go into it by exercising 30-60 minutes a day at least 5 days a week. That has been easy enough through the first 2 weeks. I have also cut calories from my normal breakfast and lunch. And while I have mostly continued to eat the same stuff I usually eat for dinner, I am trying to eat smaller portions. I know I could eat better and lose more weight, but I fear cutting out the foods I like will cause me to quit.

On to my question. I have heard a good rule of thumb is 7 calories per pound for total intake which for me is about 1300 calories. I have also heard not to go below 1050-1200 calories on a continual basis. My question is, is that the minimum I can safely eat for the day, or is that the minimum my body requires to function for the day. For instance if I eat 1300 calories in a day, but exercise and burn off 1000 calories, is that ok? Or do I need to eat and exercise enough to make my intake be at or above 1050-1200?

You can go lower if you want. I haven't really heard any good reason why you should not go under 1200 calories a day other then you will lose muscle mass or you will gain it all back when you get off your diet. A good reason to me is a health related reason as to why one should not eat under 1000-1200 calories a day.

As for the other subject, weight loss competition, is there money involved in the competition? There are 500-800 calorie diets out there of which I have tried when I was younger that allows you to lose half a pound a day when you add in 1 hour of exercise a day. A portion of that weight loss will be contributed to muscle loss but you would lose weight fast enough to win the competition or at least be one of the top competitors.

Also have a heart rate monitor which helps me during exercise. But I am still a bit confused about what zone I should be exercising in. My so called fat burning zone is 114-133bpm. Cardio is more in the range of 134-150. Above that and you get into endurance training. To me it seems like I would burn more calories working in the cardio range as opposed to the fat burning range. So which should I work out in?

Any other tips?

What do you have a heart rate monitor for? Are you talking about the one that comes with a cardio machine or do you have a heart condition? I don't have a heart rate monitor but I judge my workout by how much sweat is on my shirt at the end of my routine and my breathing rate after my workout. I noticed that if i do a really good HIIT workout then my breathing increases for the rest of the night which serves as a good indication that I've just done a killer workout.

 

[mike208]

You can go lower if you want. I haven't really heard any good reason why you should not go under 1200 calories a day other then you will lose muscle mass or you will gain it all back when you get off your diet. A good reason to me is a health related reason as to why one should not eat under 1000-1200 calories a day.

As for the other subject, weight loss competition, is there money involved in the competition? There are 500-800 calorie diets out there of which I have tried when I was younger that allows you to lose half a pound a day when you add in 1 hour of exercise a day. A portion of that weight loss will be contributed to muscle loss but you would lose weight fast enough to win the competition or at least be one of the top competitors.





What do you have a heart rate monitor for? Are you talking about the one that comes with a cardio machine or do you have a heart condition? I don't have a heart rate monitor but I judge my workout by how much sweat is on my shirt at the end of my routine and my breathing rate after my workout. I noticed that if i do a really good HIIT workout then my breathing increases for the rest of the night which serves as a good indication that I've just done a killer workout.

I have a heart rate monitor to monitor my heart rate both when exercising using machines which may or may not show my heart rate as well as when I am just out jogging or biking. It is a more accurate way of basing your workouts. As working out as hard as you can may not be the best way to lose weight.

I did some research last night and I think I may have figured out the difference between the fat burning zone and the cardio zone. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I believe in the fat burning zone a large percentage of the calories burned come from fat, where as in the cardio zone its more of a 50/50 split, where half the calories burned are from fat and half are from carbohydrates.

As for the calorie intake, I wasn't asking if it was ok to go below the 1200 calories in a day just from intake. I know that possible, but it's not always healthy, and the more muscle mass you burn off, the harder it will be to maintain your workouts. What I was asking is if those 1200 calories are what they say you should eat through out the day, or is that the total you should be at after calories burned? For example can I eat 1200 calories then go exercise and burn off 800 of those calories. Or do I need to eat 2000 calories, then burn off 800 to stay at the 1200 calorie goal?

This is a 12 week competition and there is money involved. And like I said, while I want to win, I also want to do it the healthy way and hopefully stick with it even after the competition is over. So I am not looking for a 500-800 calorie diet at this time. I have even told myself that if I am clearly out of the running at he mid point of the competition, then I will start doing less cardio and more weight training. I would like to add more muscle in the long run, but with muscle weighing more then fat, I think it would be best to save that until after the competition, or after I know I am not going to win. And yes I know muscle burns more calories then fat, but I don't believe it is enough to offset the added weight of the muscle over a 12 week period.

So far, doing what I am doing I have lost 6 pounds through 2.5 weeks. I would love to get that to 9 by week 3, but that may be stretching it a bit. I think if I can maintain a weight loss of 3 pounds per week, I have an excellent shot at winning. What I don't want to do is hit a plateau early, or worse yet send my body into starvation mode where it trys to hold on to every calorie and fat it can. Hence why I am asking these questions. Thanks for the help.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

You can go lower if you want. I haven't really heard any good reason why you should not go under 1200 calories a day other then you will lose muscle mass or you will gain it all back when you get off your diet. A good reason to me is a health related reason as to why one should not eat under 1000-1200 calories a day.

As for the other subject, weight loss competition, is there money involved in the competition? There are 500-800 calorie diets out there of which I have tried when I was younger that allows you to lose half a pound a day when you add in 1 hour of exercise a day. A portion of that weight loss will be contributed to muscle loss but you would lose weight fast enough to win the competition or at least be one of the top competitors.

What do you have a heart rate monitor for? Are you talking about the one that comes with a cardio machine or do you have a heart condition? I don't have a heart rate monitor but I judge my workout by how much sweat is on my shirt at the end of my routine and my breathing rate after my workout. I noticed that if i do a really good HIIT workout then my breathing increases for the rest of the night which serves as a good indication that I've just done a killer workout.

Unless you're a 40 year old, 120 lb woman, you should never go down to 1000-1200cal. The reason is that research has consistently shown the body's ability to go into a starvation mode. If you dip below your basal metabolic rate, your overall metabolism can drop by about 30% to try to conserve calories to promote survival. OP, read the fat loss sticky and calculate your BMR. This isn't a "fewer calories is better" kind of thing. The body doesn't work like that. You have to maintain a given amount of calories to sufficiently repair your body and to run metabolic processes effectively. Depending on your height and weight, that's probably gonna be closer to 1800cal.

 

[mike208]

Unless you're a 40 year old, 120 lb woman, you should never go down to 1000-1200cal. The reason is that research has consistently shown the body's ability to go into a starvation mode. If you dip below your basal metabolic rate, your overall metabolism can drop by about 30% to try to conserve calories to promote survival. OP, read the fat loss sticky and calculate your BMR. This isn't a "fewer calories is better" kind of thing. The body doesn't work like that. You have to maintain a given amount of calories to sufficiently repair your body and to run metabolic processes effectively. Depending on your height and weight, that's probably gonna be closer to 1800cal.

I will read the sticky.

My BMR is 1745, after figuring the Harris Benedict Equation I get 2714 calories required to maintain my current weight. I use an app called myfitnesspal which told me to lose 3 pounds a week I needed a daily intake of 1240 calories. That sounds about right, and I have lost about 2.5 pounds per week so far. So should I be eating more, or stay with what I am doing?

I am a bit of an oddity at 30 years old I am 4'11" and currently weight 183lbs, if that makes a difference.

Oh and I should add that through 2.5 weeks I haven't started feeling tired or unable to exercise at the level I feel I should. I also don't feel like I am starving myself. But I also realize there is a difference between feeling like I am starving/hungry and the effects of "starvation mode" that will lower my metabolism.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I will read the sticky.

My BMR is 1745, after figuring the Harris Benedict Equation I get 2714 calories required to maintain my current weight. I use an app called myfitnesspal which told me to lose 3 pounds a week I needed a daily intake of 1240 calories. That sounds about right, and I have lost about 2.5 pounds per week so far. So should I be eating more, or stay with what I am doing?

I am a bit of an oddity at 30 years old I am 4'11" and currently weight 183lbs, if that makes a difference.

Oh and I should add that through 2.5 weeks I haven't started feeling tired or unable to exercise at the level I feel I should. I also don't feel like I am starving myself. But I also realize there is a difference between feeling like I am starving/hungry and the effects of "starvation mode" that will lower my metabolism.

If youre BMR is 1745, eat 1800cal per day. Even if you eat 1240cal, you won't actually lose 3lbs per week because your body will proportionately lower it's calorie usage. Try staying above 1800cal. This isn't just for weight loss now, but for maintaining quality of your musculature, hormonal balances, etc. You won't necessarily feel like you're burning fewer calories. It just happens. I understand this is a competition, but the overall goal is to 1) maintain muscle mass, 2) lose fat mass, 3) be healthy, 4) create good habits. I don't think that you meet each of those with 1200cal. You'll lose a fair amount of muscle mass and you won't be as healthy as you'd be if you ate a bit more.

 

[blinky8225]

If youre BMR is 1745, eat 1800cal per day. Even if you eat 1240cal, you won't actually lose 3lbs per week because your body will proportionately lower it's calorie usage. Try staying above 1800cal. This isn't just for weight loss now, but for maintaining quality of your musculature, hormonal balances, etc. You won't necessarily feel like you're burning fewer calories. It just happens. I understand this is a competition, but the overall goal is to 1) maintain muscle mass, 2) lose fat mass, 3) be healthy, 4) create good habits. I don't think that you meet each of those with 1200cal. You'll lose a fair amount of muscle mass and you won't be as healthy as you'd be if you ate a bit more.

This is some good advice. Also, instead of focusing on the calories counts, take a good, hard look at the quality of your food. Make sure there's healthy fats and adequate protein, so you maintain muscle mass. Orange juice and big bowls of pasta are not quality calories.

 

[mike208]

If youre BMR is 1745, eat 1800cal per day. Even if you eat 1240cal, you won't actually lose 3lbs per week because your body will proportionately lower it's calorie usage. Try staying above 1800cal. This isn't just for weight loss now, but for maintaining quality of your musculature, hormonal balances, etc. You won't necessarily feel like you're burning fewer calories. It just happens. I understand this is a competition, but the overall goal is to 1) maintain muscle mass, 2) lose fat mass, 3) be healthy, 4) create good habits. I don't think that you meet each of those with 1200cal. You'll lose a fair amount of muscle mass and you won't be as healthy as you'd be if you ate a bit more.

Ok, so I should eat 1800 calories a day. And if I burn off 800-1000 calories during exercise thats ok?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Ok, so I should eat 1800 calories a day. And if I burn off 800-1000 calories during exercise thats ok?

That should be ok. Just listen to your body. If you feel like you're sore all the time, not sleeping well, having trouble paying attention, then you may want to up the calories.

 

[tedrodai]

What kind of timeline are you looking at?

 

[Pantlegz]

If you feel like you're sore all the time, not sleeping well, having trouble paying attention, then you may want to up the calories.

Wait really? I've had a hell of a time sleeping(both falling asleep and quality) and spacing out like a mofo lately and couldn't figure out why... I eat a lot tho. I'm not really sore all that often though. Sometimes with this high rep shit I'll get some DOMS but I'm ok to roll/lift the next day without issue. Think I need more food?

 

[mike208]

What kind of timeline are you looking at?

Week 3 weigh in was today, its a 12 week contest. I was down 6.2 pounds total a this weigh in. Week 1 I was down 1.8 pounds. I didn't get to weight in on week 2. Contest is based on percentage lost, and I am currently at 3.3%

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Wait really? I've had a hell of a time sleeping(both falling asleep and quality) and spacing out like a mofo lately and couldn't figure out why... I eat a lot tho. I'm not really sore all that often though. Sometimes with this high rep shit I'll get some DOMS but I'm ok to roll/lift the next day without issue. Think I need more food?

With the volume and intensity of your training, I'd prolly think it's more CNS fatigue for you. The answer, in that case, would be taking a week off essentially. Do light cardio (walking, hiking, light swimming) during that time... or nothing at all. Should help you recover from that. Similar symptoms, but different cause. I think you probably eat enough. That is, unless you're cutting nowadays and have been for a while. Or unless you're going keto.