A Couple of Questions

[Mjtrack]

Hey all, im new, but i thought id ask for some advice from people on the same boat.

Basically ive been on a calorie counting/exercise rotuine for six weeks now.

At first i just stopped eating nearly altogether, I wasnt aware of the starvation effect but i dont naturally have that much hunger. I was quite happy eating 500-600 calories a day.

Then i found out about the starvation effect last week. I switched to forcing myself to eat over 1,000 calories a day. Im a 6ft 4 guy aged 18 who has lost around 12 pounds so far, although in the past three weeks ive only lost about 3.2 pounds.

I spend about two hours every day doing cardio workouts - ie walking and cycling. Usually ill cycle about an hour to take me to roughly 10 miles.

I noticed that this week, when i started eating sensibly and forcing some fruit and goodness into me, my weight sprung up slightly, since then it has actually sunk down and ive lost 0.8 pounds this week.

Is such a low weight loss normal or expected when you start eating more? Has anyone found success on lower calorie diets than that, and does anyone have any tips or suggestions to help me on my routine?
Im a little frustrated lately because i have been doing a lot of regular workouts and been eating well, but my weight loss has slowed somewhat since the first two weeks when i wasnt eating so much.

 

[pequin]

Part of the weight plateau could be muscle building, muscle weighs more than fat.

 

[corey.the.star]

Your body needs calories to fuel itself. Based on your age and height (you did not mention weight), somewhere around the 2000 mark would be a healthy intake for you just to maintain your weight, with no exercise.

Imagine trying to drive your car with no fuel, or with not enough fuel. It simply wouldn't work. Your car would die. Our bodies are slightly different from cars because they're machines designed by God, and designed to survive. From an evolutionary standpoint, we didn't necessarily always have access to food, and so our bodies come equipped with a fuction that allows us to survive through times of famine. This is the starvation effect that you've been talking about. When we deprive our bodies of food, they hang on to everything that we give them as fat, so that they can be used later on, when we might not have anything to eat. That's why this is such a counterproductive way to diet.

The starvation effect doesn't disappear just because you up your caloric intake. You have to train your metabolism to know that it's going to be getting food on a regular basis, so that each and every meal you eat is digested with maximum efficiency.

Do some research on the net. Find out how many calories would be good for you to take in in order to meet your daily requirements but still allow you to lose weight. Be careful about the kinds of foods that you're eating, too. Avoid starchy foods (basically, anything white) and eat lots of simple carbs (fruits and veggies). Don't skimp on the protein, either.

If you still can't find the info you need, consider booking an appointment with a nutritionist. And don't forget - at 18, you're still growing. Men grow until about 25 years of age, if I'm not mistaken. Don't deprive your body of the nutrition it needs for you to develop into a healthy adult.

And don't be discouraged!! Keep up the good work.

 

[megz10]

very well said corey!! and from my understand going on an extreme diet like that, as soon as you put one bad thing in your body your weight is really gonna jump up! your body needs fuel just like Corey said...

 

[amomono]

I have always heard it said, and found it to be personally true, that losing more than 2 lbs a week just isn't healthy... While sometimes you will lose more, I would aim for 1-2 lbs a week, which is only cutting back on 500 calories a day! With all the exercise that you are doing - you are burning that many calories right there... so eating around 2000 cals a day should be about right for someone as tall as you - although I can't say for sure without knowing your weight.

If you aren't eating enough calories, your body goes into a starvation mode and starts conserving all the fat - which is NOT good. I also agree - the more working out you do, the more muscle you build - and muscle weighs more than fat.

I would try eating around 2000 calories/day for a while - and take measurements of key areas of your body like your biceps, chest, waist, thigh... see if you are losing inches rather than pounds. (which is always good!)