Lowest recommended calorie intake for a male?

UnstopableHeart

UnstopableHeart

New member
17yo male, 166.4lbs, 5'9" 21.6% body fat.

Last week I began calorie counting and started with 1960cals each day. Felt good, didn't feel like I was starving and I lost .9lbs when I weighed myself today. Today I set my calorie intake down to 1900 per day just to slightly speed up weight loss.

My question is, how low can I go before my body starts entering starvation mode or eating up all my muscle? Will my body get used to these low calorie intake numbers?I know it's inevitable that you will lose some muscle when losing fat, but I want to keep it healthy and under control.
 
It depends. For teens, the recommended calorie intake is different than for an adult. Since your body is still growing, and you need both calories and nutrients to support that growth, going too low on calories is no good.

IIRC the figure goes from something like 2400 calories to 3200 calories for male teens. It is going to depend on your activity level, too. But the higher you can go while still losing weight, the better.

We have VERY similar stats actually (I'm 17 too, 5'9", weight fluctuates around 165 and 170, and body fat is also around 20 - 22 %.) I've been eating around 3000 calories over the last days and my weight has stayed relatively stable. No further weight loss so far, but no noticeable gain either.

If you can you should try to move MORE and eat MORE (whilst still losing weight, if you need to).

Weight training and a proper protein intake help you preserve muscle mass. Try to do resistance/weight training 3x per week. The protein intake should pretty much take care of itself as long as the calories are sufficient.
 
AthalaRanger said:
It depends. For teens, the recommended calorie intake is different than for an adult. Since your body is still growing, and you need both calories and nutrients to support that growth, going too low on calories is no good.

IIRC the figure goes from something like 2400 calories to 3200 calories for male teens. It is going to depend on your activity level, too. But the higher you can go while still losing weight, the better.

We have VERY similar stats actually (I'm 17 too, 5'9", weight fluctuates around 165 and 170, and body fat is also around 20 - 22 %.) I've been eating around 3000 calories over the last days and my weight has stayed relatively stable. No further weight loss so far, but no noticeable gain either.

If you can you should try to move MORE and eat MORE (whilst still losing weight, if you need to).

Weight training and a proper protein intake help you preserve muscle mass. Try to do resistance/weight training 3x per week. The protein intake should pretty much take care of itself as long as the calories are sufficient.
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Ah that probably explains why I could basically eat as much as I want and MAINTAIN my weight. I started weight training like a week ago so I'll give it more time. And I started doing cardio everyday since beginning of the month. But I rest on days that I feel a bit too exhuasted.
Eat more, move more, I'll take note of this. Thanks.
 
Since you are calorie counting, I suggest checking your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). It takes your weight, height and age plus factors in your usual activity level and gives a numerical value which tells you the daily calorie intake needed to maintain your current weight. So, to lose weight, you would need to ensure your daily calorie intake is less than your BMR value.
 
sorry.. i don't have an answer.. but am new and was hoping someone can help?..

How do we keep the previous post (the one we're replying to) in our Reply Post? Thanks!! :)
 
Sharad said:
Since you are calorie counting, I suggest checking your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). It takes your weight, height and age plus factors in your usual activity level and gives a numerical value which tells you the daily calorie intake needed to maintain your current weight. So, to lose weight, you would need to ensure your daily calorie intake is less than your BMR value.
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Hey I actually did that, my bmr was like 1760 I think and as soon as I dropped calories to it, I lost 4lbs in one week LOL. Was not expecting it. The previous two weeks I was doin calories at 1900 and 1960 and like only lost .2lbs per week or 0lbs. Thanks for the tip. In addition I'm doing some intermittent fasting on some days (where you fast all day and then eat all your calories for the day in like 4hr window). Good stuff man I tell ya.
 
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