Trying to lose 50lbs any advice would be appreciated

[InfiniteGaijin]

I've recently put on a lot of weight because of overeating and not being very mobile (back/shoulder problems) and now I'm pretty depressed and annoyed with myself for letting myself get to this weight again after trying so hard to lose it the first time (went back up to 270). I've managed to get down to 250 in around 2 months through light cardio and lifting every other day while eating around 2000 calories.

My main question is how many calories should I be eating really? I'm afraid that if I stay around 2000ish it will slow down my metabolism and mess me up in the long run, is there any special techniques to avoid this? Any other advice and questions are welcome too I just want the best information possible and it seems like all the websites I visit have conflicting information.

Also is it a good idea to be doing 3 - 5 miles of cardio everyday?

[screwnuts]

2000 calories is probably about right. How much weight are you losing per week? If it's over 2 pounds, eat more, if it's under 1 pound, eat less. Your metabolism won't slow down because you lose weight. The amount of calories you burn will drop the less you weigh, simply because it takes fewer calories to maintain a lower weight.

As far as cardio goes, do as much or as little as you like. It barely has any effect on weight loss at all when compared to diet, but it's good for you.

[InfiniteGaijin]

2000 calories is probably about right. How much weight are you losing per week? If it's over 2 pounds, eat more, if it's under 1 pound, eat less. Your metabolism won't slow down because you lose weight. The amount of calories you burn will drop the less you weigh, simply because it takes fewer calories to maintain a lower weight.

As far as cardio goes, do as much or as little as you like. It barely has any effect on weight loss at all when compared to diet, but it's good for you.

Yeah it's been a pretty consistent 1-2-3lbs a week and that's a pace I'm happy with, I'm in no rush to reach my goal I just want to reach it. I'm hoping to be around 210lbs by May of this year and keep it off this time.

It's just I've read that your body can get so used to the low calories that your BMR (Calories Burned Resting) slows down to stupid levels, is there any truth to that? Thanks for the advice and nice beard (nohomo).

[screwnuts]

No there isn't any truth to it. IMO what really happens is that people on very low calorie diets start to feel lethargic and as a result their NEAT drops to almost nothing. There shouldn't be much risk of that happening when you're eating 2000 calories.

[meganlschulz14]

Are you lifting weights? What type of cardio if any, are you doing and how much? How much weight are you losing per week? Do you eat the same amount of calories everyday?

[InfiniteGaijin]

Are you lifting weights? What type of cardio if any, are you doing and how much? How much weight are you losing per week? Do you eat the same amount of calories everyday?

I'm using a Multi-Gym right now doing basically a full body workout that takes me about an hour to complete 3-4 times a week and doing around 5 miles worth of light cardio (walking/jogging) every day. My calories are 2000-2200 every day and a couple of pounds a week right now. I do plan on joining a gym once I get to 230 though.

[grayguo]

I've recently put on a lot of weight because of overeating and not being very mobile (back/shoulder problems) and now I'm pretty depressed and annoyed with myself for letting myself get to this weight again after trying so hard to lose it the first time (went back up to 270). I've managed to get down to 250 in around 2 months through light cardio and lifting every other day while eating around 2000 calories.

My main question is how many calories should I be eating really? I'm afraid that if I stay around 2000ish it will slow down my metabolism and mess me up in the long run, is there any special techniques to avoid this? Any other advice and questions are welcome too I just want the best information possible and it seems like all the websites I visit have conflicting information.

Also is it a good idea to be doing 3 - 5 miles of cardio everyday?

Hey InfiniteGaijin, great job on losing 20 pounds so far! Especially, since it sounds like you did it consistently over 2 months. Kudos to you for starting your journey strong.

In regards too how many calories you should be eating, it seems like 2000 calories seems to be giving you a healthy and sustainable rate of weight loss, so keep it the same. Metabolic damage happens to people who have been on a calorie deficit for a prolonged period of time and are underweight/low bodyfat. You don't need to worry about that now.

Do you keep track of your macronutrients? If so, I hope you're getting adequate protein intake. It will make sure you preserve muscle during your weight loss. If you're unsure feel free to DM and we can figure it out together.

3-5 miles of cardio everyday will help you reach your weight loss goals faster. I'm worried that it won't be sustainable long term. If you feel like you cannot keep up that pace, drop the cardio. The main driver for your fat loss should be from your calorie deficit, not from cardio.

As you lose more weight, you will likely need to drop your calories more so you can keep losing weight. Keep me updated if you want advice. Good luck and keep it up mate

[meganlschulz14]

I'm using a Multi-Gym right now doing basically a full body workout that takes me about an hour to complete 3-4 times a week and doing around 5 miles worth of light cardio (walking/jogging) every day. My calories are 2000-2200 every day and a couple of pounds a week right now. I do plan on joining a gym once I get to 230 though.

Grayguo is on point with his comment. You want to make sure you are using cardio as a tool and not a main source of weight loss. The more cardio you start with now the more you will have to do later and depending on how low your calories get to, it then becomes a problem for metabolic damage.
Great job on the progress you have made sounds like you are on the right track!
Eventually you will plateau so just keep in mind that you will not want to change multiple things at once (dropping calories and adding cardio) just change one thing so you keep as many tools as possible throughout the time you are dieting.
Keep it up!

[InfiniteGaijin]

Hey InfiniteGaijin, great job on losing 20 pounds so far! Especially, since it sounds like you did it consistently over 2 months. Kudos to you for starting your journey strong.

In regards too how many calories you should be eating, it seems like 2000 calories seems to be giving you a healthy and sustainable rate of weight loss, so keep it the same. Metabolic damage happens to people who have been on a calorie deficit for a prolonged period of time and are underweight/low bodyfat. You don't need to worry about that now.

Do you keep track of your macronutrients? If so, I hope you're getting adequate protein intake. It will make sure you preserve muscle during your weight loss. If you're unsure feel free to DM and we can figure it out together.

3-5 miles of cardio everyday will help you reach your weight loss goals faster. I'm worried that it won't be sustainable long term. If you feel like you cannot keep up that pace, drop the cardio. The main driver for your fat loss should be from your calorie deficit, not from cardio.

As you lose more weight, you will likely need to drop your calories more so you can keep losing weight. Keep me updated if you want advice. Good luck and keep it up mate

Thanks for all positivity, advice and info, I don't usually track my macronutruients but I did today just so I could reply to your post, on an average day I'll eat 2000 Calories (75f 205c 120p) getting lot of protein is definitely challenging because EVERYTHING seems to be so packed full of carbs and I only have 2000ish cals to work with.

As for the cardio I do it more to increase my cardiovascular fitness then anything else because that's always something I've been naturally bad at but I get what you're saying. I would like to be getting more protein too but I'm not even sure how without cutting out other important nutrients like fiber and fruits. Thanks mate

[grayguo]

Thanks for all positivity, advice and info, I don't usually track my macronutruients but I did today just so I could reply to your post, on an average day I'll eat 2000 Calories (75f 205c 120p) getting lot of protein is definitely challenging because EVERYTHING seems to be so packed full of carbs and I only have 2000ish cals to work with.

As for the cardio I do it more to increase my cardiovascular fitness then anything else because that's always something I've been naturally bad at but I get what you're saying. I would like to be getting more protein too but I'm not even sure how without cutting out other important nutrients like fiber and fruits. Thanks mate

Hey InfiniteGaijin,

I hope you're weekend is going well!

Thanks for taking action by tracking your macros and replying to my post. 120g of protein isn't a lot for a guy your size. A rule of thumb is around 1g/protein per pound of muscle. So if you're 250 pounds and ~ 30% body fat, I would recommend getting 175 g of protein daily.

The 175g isn't a hard number you have to eat everyday, so I don't want you to worry and change your diet completely. That may cause more harm than good and decrease your diet adherence if you change what you eat completely. See if you can add some more protein rich foods that you like here and there and increase you're intake of protein by 10 - 20 grams in every meal.

So for example, if you eat regular yogurt for breakfast, try out greek yogurt. They taste around the same but greek yogurt has 10 g more protein.

You can try out lower calorie fruits to help increase your caloric 'budget' as well. For example if you eat bananas regularly, try out strawberries. One large banana can be around 100+ calories but one cup of strawberries is 50 calories.

The key here is to fit foods you like into your daily routine so it won't disrupt your eating habits, but at the same time help you reach your macro and caloric goals for the day. Based on my experience, it will help with diet adherence because it will feel less of a burden for you, and it'll be more fun because you're figuring out what foods you like to eat and at the same time, help you reach your goals.

Haha, hope that helped buddy! I added you as a friend, so feel free to keep msging me for support. I really do want you to reach your goal.

[InfiniteGaijin]

Hey InfiniteGaijin,

I hope you're weekend is going well!

Thanks for taking action by tracking your macros and replying to my post. 120g of protein isn't a lot for a guy your size. A rule of thumb is around 1g/protein per pound of muscle. So if you're 250 pounds and ~ 30% body fat, I would recommend getting 175 g of protein daily.

The 175g isn't a hard number you have to eat everyday, so I don't want you to worry and change your diet completely. That may cause more harm than good and decrease your diet adherence if you change what you eat completely. See if you can add some more protein rich foods that you like here and there and increase you're intake of protein by 10 - 20 grams in every meal.

So for example, if you eat regular yogurt for breakfast, try out greek yogurt. They taste around the same but greek yogurt has 10 g more protein.

You can try out lower calorie fruits to help increase your caloric 'budget' as well. For example if you eat bananas regularly, try out strawberries. One large banana can be around 100+ calories but one cup of strawberries is 50 calories.

The key here is to fit foods you like into your daily routine so it won't disrupt your eating habits, but at the same time help you reach your macro and caloric goals for the day. Based on my experience, it will help with diet adherence because it will feel less of a burden for you, and it'll be more fun because you're figuring out what foods you like to eat and at the same time, help you reach your goals.

Haha, hope that helped buddy! I added you as a friend, so feel free to keep msging me for support. I really do want you to reach your goal.

It Helps a lot, I'll try to aim for higher protein and definitely try out some Greek yogurt, cheers.