calories?

[toddthecop]

I am 39, 6'00", 243 lbs and I consume 1800 calories a day and work out 3 to 5 times a week. Is this ok? And what is a good carbs/fat/protein ratio? I want to lose 40 lbs in 3 month.

ps. I'm afraid to post my initial body photos.

[baker]

1800 calories is not nearly enough for a young man your size. Check out some of the calculators on here and set up a baseline (probably 2500 or more) and see how you respond. You'll get some good response posting in this section.

Welcome.

[Fifty+]

I am 39, 6'00", 243 lbs and I consume 1800 calories a day and work out 3 to 5 times a week. Is this ok? And what is a good carbs/fat/protein ratio? I want to lose 40 lbs in 3 month.

ps. I'm afraid to post my initial body photos.

What do those calories consist of? Are you physically active? Don't worry about the pics. Everyone started somewhere.

[rockeo]

check this out - hope it helps !
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calculators.htm

[toddthecop]

What do those calories consist of? Are you physically active? Don't worry about the pics. Everyone started somewhere.

My calories consist of about 50% carbs, 35-40% protien and 10-20% fat, and no alcohol. I am using Fitday.com to track my calories. I am in the gym three to five days a week which consists of 20 minutes of cardio and 35-45 minutes of weights and sometimes a take a walk with my wife at night for 30 minutes.

[sweeps]

You bring up a good question. I am 39 yrs old, 6'3" 224lbs and around 22% fat. I was 250 and lost that by eating 6 meals with a total of 2500 calories a day. I never did cardio and only lifted weights 5 times a week for an hour. Now I am stuck at 224 and added cardio. I do 20 minutes of eliptical and then lighter weights for another 30 minutes. Unfortunately I dont see a change in my weight and I feel like my muscles have shrunk. Part is due to an injured shoulder and the other is just simple pain when lifting. I was using NO Xplode for months and loved it. Now that Im off it I feel the tightness in my joints and muscles.
Anyway, I wonder how many calories do I need to cut to lose fat and not more muscle?
Here is the ratio i try to stick to now.

Your Daily Goal:
cal:1950 - 2300
Carbs:248 - 358
Fat:49 - 86
Protein:60 - 110

[rpaul11]

I am 39, 6'00", 243 lbs and I consume 1800 calories a day and work out 3 to 5 times a week. Is this ok? And what is a good carbs/fat/protein ratio? I want to lose 40 lbs in 3 month.

ps. I'm afraid to post my initial body photos.

I'm a little taller than you, and started out a little heavier than you, but what worked for me was this.

I ate between 2200 and 2400 cals per day. I took in between 230 and 260 g protein per day, about 100 g carbs and the rest fats.

I have lost 60 lbs doing this and am currently maintaining while nursing an injury.

I also lifted weights 3 days per week and did cardio 4 or 5 days per week.

Cardio was either 30 mins on the eliptical, or a 2-5 mile jog.

of course my diet was lwer GI carbs, lean meats and health fats

not sure if this will work for you, but it did for me.

[sweeps]

I'm a little taller than you, and started out a little heavier than you, but what worked for me was this.

I ate between 2200 and 2400 cals per day. I took in between 230 and 260 g protein per day, about 100 g carbs and the rest fats.

I have lost 60 lbs doing this and am currently maintaining while nursing an injury.

I also lifted weights 3 days per week and did cardio 4 or 5 days per week.

Cardio was either 30 mins on the eliptical, or a 2-5 mile jog.

of course my diet was lwer GI carbs, lean meats and health fats

not sure if this will work for you, but it did for me.

Wow thats a lot of Protein. I read that to much protein can cause problems? How long did you stick to that ?

[sweeps]

I got my info on Protein intake from Sparkpeople.com . Its a site like Fitday. THis what it says on protein intake.
Recommended Daily Amount: SparkPeople recommends that people get 15% of calories from Protein, which is typically 2-3 protein servings a day. Like carbohydrates, each gram of protein contributes four calories. Therefore, at least 75 grams (300 calories) of protein should be consumed on a 2,000-calorie a day diet. Your protein recommendation is based on your calorie goals.
A Note About High Protein Diets
It is important to note that high protein diets can be hazardous to your health. Any excess protein that isn't used directly by the body as energy will be stored as fat, as will any other non-expended calories. As well, high protein diets such as the Atkins Diet have been linked to kidney problems because of the amount of effort the body must go through in order to process all the extra amounts or protein. Too much protein can also lead to high cholesterol and gout, and they may be high in fat, leading to an increased risk of heart disease.

Yet the BB calculater says:
Early Health Department Recommendation:
Each Day You Should Take In 224 Grams Of Protein.

Average Bodybuilder Recommendations:
Each Day You Should Take In 403 Grams Of Protein.


Interesting??

[rpaul11]

Wow thats a lot of Protein. I read that to much protein can cause problems? How long did you stick to that ?

I've been doing that for at least 6 months.

I don't plan on going lower either. no sess than 1g protein per lb of bodyweight.

[Deborah_Lyn]

^ then anyone and everyone on KETO & Atkins would have failing kidneys.

having had kidney stones (1995) and kidney infection (2001), I'm very aware of how mine are working (or not working).

I think mileage varies for BBers vs general public. I also think person to person, it varies. Consider how mankind ate 1000s of years ago. They ate what they killed until it was gone or rotted. Then they ate twigs, nuts, berries until next kill. Not the best diet, but I don't think it will hurt as much as worry worts would have us think. Studies and reports rely on averages, not extremes - 10% extreme of bell's curve - I'd place Bbers at high end of the example, the other 10% - ? bad eaters (whatever that means.)

So, monitor your out put. Clean urine, most likely the kidneys are fine.

I feel like crap if I don't eat 'excessive' protein and I'm hungry all the time. Eat more protein, less carbs & I don't graze in the kitchen at 8 pm.

FYI: Female portion of protein is the size of a deck of cards! (prevention magazine) That's not enough (IMO) to build muscle. That said, portion control is still important but not critical unless you have a very specific.

re: 1800 calroies

I was on 1200/1300 for 2 months and some change. I got to the point of exhaustion and had to up it to 1500 -2100. It immediately made a difference in performance and drive. If you are lifting heavy ( I'm not, just endurance) then I really think you need to up them. Ironically, the most dramatic results (last 10 days) occured after upping my calories and taking a few days off from the gym, but not cardio. I think my body reazlied it wasn't starving.

[Marius_Ursus]

Don't worry too much about how many calories you're eating. In my own oversimplified way of looking at it, what you eat is more important than how much of it you eat. There are a lot of foods that burn a lot of calories just to digest them, so the net calories of say 4 oz. of roast beef are going to be lower than the number of total calories you'll find on a web site or in a book. Add in heavy lifting and the occasional jog, sprint, or power walk, and you're burning off even more.

Someone else correct me because I'm probably wrong, but I think it takes 1000 calories a day just to perform daily functions that keep us alive, like breathing and producing saliva.

You can also take a look at your NEPA (non-exercise physical activity). If you feel like you've been sitting on your butt too long, get up and stretch your hamstrings or walk around a little bit.