Counting calories? Trying to figure out if my diet works.

M

Mothil

New member
Greetings friends. I've been trying to eat healthier for quite a while now, and managed to lose 10 kiloes (approx 20 pounds)
last summer. I was then following Dr Fuhrman's dieting tips (mainly salads and vegetables) and it did okay, but being so super strict
just didn't hold it for me in the long run. But now I am back at it, have read tons, learned a lot, and I'm now going for a not-as-healthy,
but definitively way healthier lifestyle than I normally have ran.

Today, I ate (unusual day, fewer bigger meals since I was largely out shopping etcetera):

Breakfast:
4 crispbread (healthiest I could find, about 50-60 calories a slice)
with liver pate (about 120 calories per 100g, not too much on each slice)
cucumber slices
paprika slices
glass of milk (approx 100 calories)

Dinner:
wholegrain pasta, large portion (semi-calculating all my meals as I write)
mashed tomatoes (15 calories)
cut ham (110 calories approx)

Supper:
2 crispbread
with liver pate
cucumber slices
paprika slices
an apple

Which counts for approximately a total of...
450 calories breakfast (I usually don't drink milk, though. heard both good and bad things, have to research more.)
600-700 calories dinner (I'm really not sure about this one, but I believe it's somewhere in that area, considering pasta, whether wholegrain or not, is heavy.)
200 calories ~ supper

Counting this makes me realise I might be not getting enough calories, as a 5.5 feet / 170cm male 21 years old (should have stated that earlier.)
Coupled this with the fact that I try to jog for 50 minutes, which shows up as 440 calories lost on the threadmill.

Is this too little? I do at times feel extremely hungry, but I think that might be because I'm used to eating alot.
I know several people who eat less than what I described there, so it's not that bad, is it?
At times it feels like I could go crazy over food, and just want to eat 5-6 crispbread in a sitting, but I have some willpower.
 
Looking around, I've seen people write that I might be losing muscle mass by this as well, which is NOT something I want.
Could anyone confirm this? I feel like eating more now, because the last thing I want to do is damage my body when I'm trying to heal it.
 
Hi,

I'm also a new member here and noticed your post. I have been loosing weight mainly by watching my calorie intake so far. 1350 cals a day is REALLY LOW for a male and not recommended. My health coach (and most nutritional websites I have seen) has and will get on my case if I eat anything under 1800 cals in a day. After 5 weeks, I am hitting my target calories for the day to ensure healthy weight loss without to much difficulty.

You should take a look at a calorie calculator to determine your appropriate maintenance needs for calorie intake for your height, weight, age and activity level. There is a good one at the following link, be sure to read the entire page, as it recommends not to go lower than the amount listed for fat loss to lose weight and also states not to go below 1800 cals a day for a male.


Be sure to specify your activity level for exercise.

In addition: will calculate how many calories you burn doing various exercises (this is helpful for making any extra adjustments to your calorie needs outside what you need)

This link will give you an idea what a healthy weight is for your body type and height:

Don't forget to have protein in your diet (helps to maintain / build muscle)
 
Around 1350 seems to work well for me. I weighed myself yesterday, and I was at 97kgs. These are my results from your link:

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View attachment 22654 Image here as well, hard to see
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I'm not sure how I'm going to reach that number of calories, without ... overeating myself?
I just don't see how it isn't okay, because last Monday I was 99.8kgs, and now I'm at 97kgs.
What am I supposed to fill those 500 extra calories with, and why does those 500+ help me lose more weight?
 
Two articles about the effects of too few calories in your diet. There are plenty more out there. There are other health aspects that can effect you. Just need to look some more up.


Not mentioned in these two articles but I have read elsewhere and had my coach warn me about is losing muscle mass. The body will turn to consuming muscle for energy instead of burning fat when it is not taking in enough energy. This also can affect the amount of calories you are burning as you lose muscle. There is a term for this but cant think of it off the top of my head, but my coach made it very clear that I need to get enough calories in the day to avoid muscle loss and not go into starvation mode. I have a lot of weight that needs to come off, short cuts can sabotage the effort I am making in losing weight.

One other issue is the body getting used to a severely restricted calorie intake and when you switch back to a true maintenance diet, instead of maintaining you yo-yo and gain more weight.

Some ways to get extra calories in your diet add one of the following to a meal or have a between meal snack.
1 hard boiled egg (large) is 70 calories (good protein)
2 tablespoons of peanut butter. (Good on whole wheat bread or crackers) is about 140 cals dependent on brand
1/4 cup of cashews is about 160 cals (good protein)
Almonds and peanuts are also good source of protein and a quick cal pick me up in a single serving (again about 1/4 cup) (28grams I believe is an equivalent)
1 serving of Triscuit crackers is 120 cals (6 crackers)
Mutli Grain Tortilla chips (about 9) 140 cals
String Cheese (dependent on brand and variety 50-70 calories (good source of protein)

One of my favorite between meal snacks is the peanut butter serving with 6 Triscuit Crackers at 260 Calories.
6 Triscuit Crackers with String Cheese about 170-190 calories.
I really like having my nuts too.

At lunch or dinner time you could look to add in come baked or grilled chicken breast (6 ounces about 210 calories with ALOT of protein) 1 regular serving of chicken is 3 ounces and is about the size of a deck of cards so this would be two servings in call) Fish is also a good source of lean protein. I personally like Tilapia.

The nice thing about a small snack between meals, you don't feel hungry between meals and you can keep your energy level up all day.
 
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