Calories - may be a stupid question

[pyxis804]

Ok...I keep reading different opinions on how many calories I'm supposed to eat. Right now I'm in a cutting phase and eating right around 1600 calories and I'm finally loosing weight (after 3 months of working out and eating clean). The problem is I keep hearing that I am supposed to net no less than 1200 calories a day. I workout every morning and then do mixed martial arts at least 2 times a week at night. If I'm eating 1600 calories there is no way I'm getting close to 1200 calories net. Once I'm to the weight I want to be I'll maintain around 1800 - 1900 calories. I know I stay the same weight at those calories as I did that for months and couldn't lose an ounce. Let me know what you ladies think. I know you guys know what your talking about since I've seen the way you all look!!! :o)

Thanks for your help!

[tmshck122]

Ok...I keep reading different opinions on how many calories I'm supposed to eat. Right now I'm in a cutting phase and eating right around 1600 calories and I'm finally loosing weight (after 3 months of working out and eating clean). The problem is I keep hearing that I am supposed to net no less than 1200 calories a day. I workout every morning and then do mixed martial arts at least 2 times a week at night. If I'm eating 1600 calories there is no way I'm getting close to 1200 calories net. Once I'm to the weight I want to be I'll maintain around 1800 - 1900 calories. I know I stay the same weight at those calories as I did that for months and couldn't lose an ounce. Let me know what you ladies think. I know you guys know what your talking about since I've seen the way you all look!!! :o)

Thanks for your help!

I'm lost by your use of the term "Net".

[cassiegose]

Ok...I keep reading different opinions on how many calories I'm supposed to eat. Right now I'm in a cutting phase and eating right around 1600 calories and I'm finally loosing weight (after 3 months of working out and eating clean). The problem is I keep hearing that I am supposed to net no less than 1200 calories a day. I workout every morning and then do mixed martial arts at least 2 times a week at night. If I'm eating 1600 calories there is no way I'm getting close to 1200 calories net. Once I'm to the weight I want to be I'll maintain around 1800 - 1900 calories. I know I stay the same weight at those calories as I did that for months and couldn't lose an ounce. Let me know what you ladies think. I know you guys know what your talking about since I've seen the way you all look!!! :o)

Thanks for your help!

Honestly... I would figure out what works for you and go with that. I'm also in the cutting phase and when i first started I was doing what everybody else was telling me to do and was having NO success. After that I pretty much said "screw it" and figured out what works for me. Everybody was telling me to get large amounts of healthy fat... well that just doesn't work for me at all. Others were telling me to go super low carb... that didn't work either. When I finally just started experimenting on my own i finally found a plan that works for me. Other people often have great advice however they often have advice that works best for them. Its important to keep in mind that EVERY BODY is different.. some of us require more calories than others while some can get by with less.. some do well on low fat, some do well on low carb, some do well on high fat, some do well on high carb, some do well on just about anything.

I'm currently getting anywhere from 1600-1800 calories a day (I purposely eat more on some days and less on others) and i'm eating about 1 to 1.5 gram of protein per pound of body weight and getting the rest of my cals from complex carbs and *some* healthy fat (almonds). Because i'm not eating a ton of fat I do make sure to take fish oil pills for omega 3s.

Bottom line... I would figure out how many calories you can eat while still losing weight and stick to that. What works for you is going to be the best plan as long as its a healthy plan.

Cassie

[freebirdmac]

Ok...I keep reading different opinions on how many calories I'm supposed to eat. Right now I'm in a cutting phase and eating right around 1600 calories and I'm finally loosing weight (after 3 months of working out and eating clean). The problem is I keep hearing that I am supposed to net no less than 1200 calories a day. I workout every morning and then do mixed martial arts at least 2 times a week at night. If I'm eating 1600 calories there is no way I'm getting close to 1200 calories net. Once I'm to the weight I want to be I'll maintain around 1800 - 1900 calories. I know I stay the same weight at those calories as I did that for months and couldn't lose an ounce. Let me know what you ladies think. I know you guys know what your talking about since I've seen the way you all look!!! :o)

Thanks for your help!

What workouts are you doing every morning? You know you do need at least one rest day.

I've got your maintenance at 2100 so 1600 for fat loss is spot on. Odds are you weren't seeing the scale change at 1800-1900 cals as it was a small enough deficit to allow you to recomp. Gain some muscle, some muscle pump, and slowly lose body fat.

The rule is don't do the 1200 cal a day diets and don't lose more than 2 pounds a week. Preferably lose 1 pound (more muscle sparing). This translates to a 500 cal deficit. Which you have via your exercise routine and your 1600 calorie diet.

As for the comments about fat intake, for essential cellular function one should get 0.25g of good fats per pound of body weight per day. Anything above that is up to you and your cal/macro targets.

[Devisissy]

I disagree. I went from 184 to 160 losing one pound a day eating 1200 calories almost on the nose. I'm not sure where people get losing more than 2 pounds is bad. If you have it to lose then freaking lose it. Just make sure your macros are spot on and you are getting at least 20% fat from Omega sources. Your body will tell you when it's done. Trust me. I've been stuck at 160 for a while now.

[freebirdmac]

I disagree. I went from 184 to 160 losing one pound a day eating 1200 calories almost on the nose. I'm not sure where people get losing more than 2 pounds is bad. If you have it to lose then freaking lose it. Just make sure your macros are spot on and you are getting at least 20% fat from Omega sources. Your body will tell you when it's done. Trust me. I've been stuck at 160 for a while now.

There's a difference between losing weight and losing fat. When you start getting into the 2 pounds plus a week territory you're very likely losing lean muscle mass as well as fat. That is not what most people want or should do. For some, depending on how their bodies partition cals, that loss of lean mass occurs between 1 and 2 pounds weight loss per week.

Secondly, losing at 1200 cals is fine for a very short period of time. Do it for months on end and it can greatly impact your metabolism. Especially if you're exercising regularly and doing lots of cardio but even if you are sedentary. Any time you eat at a deficit your metabolism starts to slow down. The larger the deficit and the less lean body mass you have the more it will drop. You can find yourself in a position where your maintenance cals have been lowered to very close to your caloric intake. This is where women find they gain weight if they try to increase their cals just to 1300. And they get stuck and cannot lose more unless they drop cals even more. These types of diets scream of plateaus, yo-yo dieting, and major frustration.