6' 3" and 300 lbs. How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

J

jala89

New member
I'm 29 years old and am about 300 pounds. I recently gave up all liquid calories including diet soda (which is of course a total scam). I was wondering if any experts could give me some information on what an acceptable daily calorie intake should be to lose weight fast. I drink about a gallon of water a day now and I try to exercise at least 3 days a week. Id like to drop 50 pounds by August, so how many calories should I eat a day to lose that much weight by my deadline?

Thanks everyone
 
Hey jala89, welcome to the forum!

It sounds like you've made a good choice by cutting out liquid calories... that's one thing that can contribute a huge amount to one's daily caloric intake! Generally, "losing weight fast" is not something that is sustainable in the long run. One of the best things that you can do is to record what you currently eat for a few days and try to estimate your current caloric intake, then try to find ways to reduce your intake a sustainable amount. If you cut your calories too drastically, you may find it difficult to continue with the plan for very long and you don't want to sacrifice your overall health by not getting the nutrients you need.

I wish I could give you an easy solution to losing weight fast (and I could point you towards a plethora of fad diets), but chances are they would be too restrictive and they almost never work in the long term!

Do you know how many calories per day you currently consume? Are you planning on incorporating any exercise into your routine?
 
Thank you PLB! I currently eat around 1800 to 2000 calories a day. Ive found this is a good amount to feel satisfied. However I am not losing weight as quickly as Id like to. I do try to exercise 3 to 4 times a week, however my job keeps me very busy so lately Ive only been getting 1 or 2 days in. I usually will do at least 3 to 5 miles of cardio when I do exercise. Trying to add a weight routine in soon as well. You're correct fast weight loss isnt a good long term solution, Ive lost 60 pounds in 4 months before and unfortunately I have gained it all back plus more now over the last two years. However I feel like my lifestyle changes lately have helped me with this issue. Thanks again.
 
on a daily basis, how long is your greatest number of hours when you do not eat?
you can count the hours you sleep.

if that number is less than 12, that is your problem, not the amount of calories you ingest. if you can get up to 14-16 hours (it might take a few weeks), you will likely start to notice a difference. most people never give their digestive system a rest. you are probably maintaining a constant high insulin level to deal with your blood sugar. that is a condition which makes burning fat extremely difficult.

you can blame modern society a bit for this one.
never before in our history has food been so accessible.
 
Thanks overlandflyer. This is certainly an issue for me on some days. I have not received this advice before so I appreciate the info.
 
just to give you another opinion on the subject, i have been exchanging ideas about nutrition with my nephew, a world class marathon/ ultra-marathon runner...
=============

On Apr 18, 2019, at 1:22 PM, <Chris> wrote:

Stacey Sims is well known in the athletic community. Definitely willing to listen to her advice. Speaking of fasting, my former CEO Jack Dorsey just had a profile written about him where he said he fasts for the entire weekend. Can’t imagine he’s dong much exercising during that period...

On Wed, Apr 17, 2019 at 7:53 PM <overlandflyer> wrote:
i've read that your VO2 actually goes up during a fast so i asked Google "is it ok to run a marathon while fasting", and besides the many comments that claimed it's not a great idea, there was one paragraph i do believe...

"<for athletes...> Sims <Stacy Sims, PhD> recommends a more moderate version of intermittent fasting — one that should be considered ‘normal eating,’ rather than a diet protocol. Simply put, she wants people to take a prolonged break, around 10–12 hours, from eating every 24 hours. Most of that happens while we’re sleeping, so we just have to tweak our timing to hit those numbers.” A lot of research is showing people who don’t eat after dinner and eat again at breakfast have metabolic rates that are absolutely good,” she adds. “Their body composition is fine. Even those trying to lose weight who skip eating that last snack before bed, but eat normally all day and have that 10–12 hour fast, see results....”​
 
Hey There is this site that I nornally use, I put in your details n I have attached the picture. Of course you can't follow the lose weight fast method because it's unsustainable.

(attachment removed)
 
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Hey jala89, that's great that you are planning to add in some weight training, I hope you can find the time! Building up some muscle mass can have really positive effects on your body composition and help with keeping weight off in the long term. Can I ask how you know how many calories you consume in a day? Do you measure or track your intake, or is it a rough guess? It sounds like things are going pretty well if you are losing weight. I think that losing 50 pounds is a reasonable long term goal, but ~4 pounds per week might be a bit too much too fast?
 
Thanks for the help everyone, I appreciate the useful info! I have settled on roughly 1600 calories a day along with the lifestyle changes. Weight loss has been slow over the last month but has been occurring nevertheless.
 
Great to hear back from you and glad that you are making progress! Did you end up adding in strength training?
 
I've added in a little strength training. I plan on adding more in the near future. I found the magic number of calories to make a difference at least and I try to do as much cardio as possible.
 
I'm glad you have worked out what works for you. Slow & steady weight loss will be much more sustainable long-term.
 
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