In need of a realistic, long term weight loss plan

[Eonz of Blue]

Ive googled tons of "calorie needs calculators" and "calories burned calculators" and im still confused about how much i should really eat per day. I want to lose at least 0.8-1.0 pounds per week, but not really more than that.

When i first started 3 months ago i was eating around 1100-1200 calories a day, and yes, it worked quite well, but i knew i couldnt do this forever. I was losing weight probably too fast, and i noticed my bench press went down, meaning i most likely lost muscle too? I was working out with 205 lbs. and now i struggle to lift 165 for 5 reps.

So naturally i increased my activity so i could eat more food. On average, i would say i walk anywhere from 75-100 minutes a day (16-17 minute mile), 30 minutes on a stationary cycle(14 mph with bursts of 17 mph), bench press and bicep curls every OTHER day, and about 25 minutes of crunches, pull ups, and a row machine type thing. I like to think i burn 700-800 calories a day from that, although the online calculators tell me high numbers anywhere from 950 to 1300 depending on the day.

Im currently 5'9", 168 lbs. (Male) and im 27 years old.
I would like to know if i can eat 2500 calories a day and still lose 1 pound a week. If not then what number is more realistic?

 

[fortyfour]

My approach would be this

Give up on the counting calorie thing.

Instead have a basic strategy of what sort of foods you can and can't 'eat.

List everything you eat.
List all the exercise you do.

Try not to change your exercise strategy too much or too quickly.

Observe what's going on. Don't assume its muscle you are losing. Rather the assumption should be you are eating too much if you are not losing enough weight so then cut down a bit what you are eating.

If you are losing weight too fast, add things into your diet.

I would say modify it on a week by week basis.

In the CSIRO total wellbeing diet books (there is one tailored for men) they discuss the effect of exercise. They have a formula for resting metabolic rate, and exercise intensity etc so if you are really keen ot continue with the calorie thing, try getting hold of a copy of that book. I don't know if there's an american version (you guys use calories, we talk about kilojoules in australia). It trends towards a more high protein diet but still includes complex carbohydrates, lots of fruit and vegies, and balance. Its tricky for me to follow it because I am mostly vegetarian. They have a 12 week meal plan, recipes and all sorts of good information. CSIRO is australia's science organisation. But it will certainly put you on track towards healthier eating. Its up to you to modify the amount you eat to get the right amount of calories for your lifestyle.

Their diet aims to help most people lose about 1kg per week. So you just need to increase the portions when you start off if you were to follow their advice. Or you could consume full cream diary instead of low fat.

 

[PLB]

Hey Eonz,

I agree with giving up calorie counting to a point. I think it's very beneficial to know what you're eating in a typical day BUT don't get too caught up in the calculations... they are just estimates. You can do all the calculations you want and come up with a formula that, in theory, should make you lose X amount of weight, but your actual results will most likely differ from the theoretical results, leaving you feeling frustrated.

Going back to your first post, sure, some of your apparent decrease in strength could be partially due to muscle loss. The fact that you were eating 1100-1200 calories per day points towards the fact that it's more likely that your muscles simply did not have the fuel that they needed to lift that weight.

If you want to know if you can lose 0.8-1.0 lbs per week while eating 2500 cals per day, well the answer is yes, but it depends on the amount of exercise that you do in that week. The only thing that you can do is to try it and see what happens. If you lose less than you want to, then you need to either up your exercise or decrease your calories until you get the results that you want.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!