Since November I've been eating around 1700 calories per day. I am 5'10 and during the start I weighed 188 pounds and now weigh 173 so I lost 15 pounds in 3 months and literally 1 pound per week. I've done it in a healthy fashion because I haven't lost muscle and only gained in strength.
I hit a plateau and didn't lose any weight for 2 weeks straight so the past 2 weeks I've been doing an "experiment" and basically had about 3 cheat meals per week and increased my portions. I'd imagine I averaged 2000+ calories per day. I checked my weight today and I have stayed the exact same weight after 2 weeks straight of eating more.
Does that mean that my metabolism increased? At 1700 calories I stopped losing weight and at 2000 calories I didn't gain any weight and stayed the same. Does that mean that my metabolism increased and now if I go back to around 1700 calories per week, I should lose weight again? Did my metabolism permanently increase or is the effects only temporary?
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02-24-2008, 08:56 AM #1
For 3 months I've been eating 1700 calories per day. WTF happened?
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02-24-2008, 09:01 AM #2
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If 1700 was a defecit for you and you were losing weight, i would assume around 2000 (maybe a lil more) would be the level it takes you to maintain, and that you did. If you drop it again it could have been the plateau buster you needed, but usually if i cycle my calories and eat real high a day or so, i'm back in fat burning mode.
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02-24-2008, 09:04 AM #3
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02-24-2008, 09:06 AM #4
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02-24-2008, 09:15 AM #5
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02-24-2008, 10:17 AM #6
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02-24-2008, 10:37 AM #7
http://www.fitwatch.com/qkcalc/bmr.html
http://walking.about.com/cs/calories/l/blcalcalc.htm
According to BMR calculators, my BMR is 1850. Add 400 since I lift 3 times a week (moderately active) so that equals 2250 calories that I need. Subtract 500 per day (500 per day times 7 days = 3500 calories = 1 pound lost per week). That equals 1700 calories that I should be eating per day. Unless my calculations are wrong?
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02-24-2008, 10:43 AM #8
I agree with the above. According to almost every medical source I've ever checked, men should never drop below 1800 calories (and women should never drop below 1200) unless you want to lose some serious muscle mass or face serious metabolic consequences. Unless you do absolutely nothing a day, which I find hard to believe (notice even sedentary people have to multiply their BMR times 1.2 which means a man would have to be beyond skinny to not be able to eat over 1800 calories a day), at your weight you should have been eating much more. I weigh less than you and I eat more than you and I am cutting (eating approx. 2200-2400 kCals a day and losing approx .5% bodyfat a week).
Utilize this here to calculate your BMR and then multiply that times your activity level. If you are lower percentage of body fat, use the Katch-McArdie formula, if you are higher percentage bodyfat use the Harris-Benedict formula. Those aren't "exact" numbers, but they give you a good idea where you should be a day. If you want to lose fat effectively, drop your calories 400-500 below the calculation a day."Fi mutationem vis videre." ~ Mahatma Ghandi
http://www.thedailyplate.com/users/profile/namesarehardtopick/
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02-24-2008, 10:56 AM #9
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09-10-2013, 12:48 PM #10
Well now I'm curious!
Now that the OP's calories have been analyzed, it gets me thinking...
I have been reading up on cheat meals for a few days since I have been noticing I'm a little sluggish on my workouts. I have been counting my macros for two weeks and finally starting to do it well (hit them) for over a week. Seeing this thread makes me wonder if I'm doing this right.
I am 5'8" female at 165lbs looking to cut. I think my BMR calculated 2100 and I've been trying to stay at 1500 cals/day with a 40p/20c/40f ratio. I'm moderately active, treadmill jogging 3 days a week and strength training (Bowflex) 5-6 days. The plan ends up being low carb, at only 87g/day. So I figure because I've done very well for over 30 meals and I'm feeling a little sluggish that a cheat meal would benefit me.
I have not noticed any significant changes yet, but from the experience here, am I on the right track? Thanks all!
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09-10-2013, 12:50 PM #11
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