Calorie Intake? - Diet & Nutrition Message Board

llenod · 04-05-2003, 01:36 PM

Well, I am now 340 lbs and have decided I need to live. I am 25 years old and married with one child. It all started when I was in the 10th grade and did not weigh enough for the football team so I decided to "bulk" up but then couldn't stop. Now I weigh more than most NFL players. Four years ago I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and was prescribed the correct medicine. Well after it ran out, I said, I don't need that, I can overcome it without medication(Yeah right). About 4 months ago I did start taking it again. I gave it time to get my TCH levels to normal. I have now began a new diet with my wife. I am the kind of guy, I don't eat a lot. I mean, I can put down a burger or and some fries in one meal, but what guy can't. So now, I am doing the Slim Fast shake plan (Shake for breakfast and lunch and then eat about a 300 calorie dinner). I have always had a sweet tooth. I have been on the diet for 5 days, and all is well. I have lost 7 lbs. As for the sweet tooth, I just avoid sweets, as its all in the mind. My only problem is, that I have been reading that you need so many calories per day to maintain healthiness. WEll trust, you can look at me and see that I am healthy. I have not eaten over 800 calories per day since the diet started. I am not hungry either. I exercise as well. I know it sounds hard to believe, that I can maintain such a diet. Does anyone think I should increase my calorie intake, even though I don't mind the diet? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

snowboundlava1 · 04-05-2003, 02:05 PM

Well, the reason you are not hungry is because you are starving-literally. When your body goes into starvation mode you are not hungry.

Plus-you may be loosing weight now but if you keep this up you will eventually stop and I mean STOP and it will be hard as heck for you to loose more.

It takes your body about 3400 calories to maintain your weight. If you eat 2000 calories a day you will still loose weight.

Also, be careful with such drastic calorie reduction b/c when you do loose "enough" weight and you go back to eating you will gain it all back.
So, unless you want to eat 800 calories a day for the rest of your life I think you should just eat a sensible 2000 calorie diet. Once you reach 225 pounds or so (I'm not sure how much you want to loose) then drop your calories to 1800-you will still loose weight.

Keep up the exercize-cardio, cardio, cardio. and good luck!

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DO MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU CAN!!!!

Lisi_xx · 04-06-2003, 05:47 AM

Hi there!

I am on slim-fast too. Are you aware that on slim-fast you should be consuming between 1200-1400 calories per day. I am a 5'3 female weighing 146lbs and I am eating 1200 calories per day (shake, meal replacement bars, fruits and 600 cals balanced dinner).

The slim-fast plan also advises "heavier males" to start on 1600-1700 calories. I think that would be more appropriate for you and also you don't have to feel guilty when you are eating more because you are actually supposed to.

Good luck!

~Lisi~

Lindarella · 04-06-2003, 07:56 AM

Hi llenod

I'm not knocking any diet. It's hard to lose weight. I just wanted to throw in a couple things for you to think about. What are your long term plans for when you get to a goal weight? Do you plan on drinking Slimfast the rest of your life?

The reason I ask is because, the "losing weight" part is only part of the picture. Once you hit a goal, you have to be able to maintain that goal forever or the diet was a failure.

I don't think you're eating enough calories. I'd suggest, like snow and Lisi have suggested, that you start by eating around 1500-1800 calories a day. You will still lose weight.

The object here isn't to starve yourself thin. Heck, anyone can do this. The object is to tailor an eating plan that you can live with and stick to the rest of your life. At some point, these shakes will stop and you'll just gain it all back if you don't think about the future.

I'm not trying to change your mind about slimfast.

Just throwing in some "food" for thought. Congrats on your 7 pounds!! Keep up the good work. Eat more food for crying out loud.

llenod · 04-06-2003, 08:37 AM

Thanks for all of the replies! I think I will up my calorie intake to around 1200. A lot of my problem is my thyroid, which hopefully is under control now. I also know when I do finally lose the weight that I want to, I am not putting it back on. Thanks for the encouragement!

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