Cutting Calories Problem

[Rgator16]

Hello, I am currently 18 and 6’3 193 pounds. I am currently looking to cut back on weight, preferably to around 180 pounds.

My problem is I don’t know how many calories I should consume. Every website tells me something different.

I do an hour of weightlifting and about 30 minutes of cardio a day. I spend about 8 hours at a desk job.

I am currently eating 3000 calories as my deficit. I am also consuming about 350-400grams of protein, 150-180g carbs, 90-100g of fat a day.

Should I change anything in my diet or the calories I eat?

I thought in a cut I would be hungry, but instead I feel like I am forcing food down my throat.

By my body fat caliper, I am around 20-23%.

[Ghawk21]

3000 is a lot for a deficit but you can use that as a starting point. Follow it for a few weeks and see what your weight does, adjust accordingly. Any calculator is a guess anyways, real results will be what actually guide you. Thats way more protein then you need, probably why it feels like your stuffing yourself as protein tends to be very filling. I would check out some of the nutrition forum stickies for some info on macro choices.

[faithbrah]

agreed with the other poster

lower your protein and up your carbs and fats = no more forcing down food your throat

[snailsrus]

Why are you weight lifting 7 days a week?

Drop your calories to 2500
Get a minimum of 170 grams of protein and 75 grams min of fat.

I really wouldn’t exceed 220 g of protein if you’re struggling to get calories in. Then again, you’re probably eating more than you were to maintain/get to your current weight. If you are still struggling try nutritionally dense foods. Which generally is higher in fat. Like trail mix. Then again dried fruit is good too and granola. If your eating tons of fresh fruit and veggies, you might also want to decrease that, because those can fill you up and really only need 3ish servings of each if even

[Monty52269]

Why are you weight lifting 7 days a week?

Drop your calories to 2500
Get a minimum of 170 grams of protein and 75 grams min of fat.

I really wouldn’t exceed 220 g of protein if you’re struggling to get calories in. Then again, you’re probably eating more than you were to maintain/get to your current weight. If you are still struggling try nutritionally dense foods. Which generally is higher in fat. Like trail mix. Then again dried fruit is good too and granola. If your eating tons of fresh fruit and veggies, you might also want to decrease that, because those can fill you up and really only need 3ish servings of each if even

Great advice. You are consuming a lot more protein than required. Cut down on protein. Try 2500 calories once, you will surely see result.

[Rgator16]

Great advice. You are consuming a lot more protein than required. Cut down on protein. Try 2500 calories once, you will surely see result.

Okay thank you all

[MG5]

Way too much protein, add more carbs.

Here's how to find out if you're in a calorie deficit.

Eat a certain number of calories for about 2 weeks.

Did you lose about 1-2 pounds? Great, that's a calorie deficit for you for now.

Did you maintain your weight? There are a lot of other factors to consider like training, sleep, stress, consistency with diet, etc. but assuming you got all those down, then you're probably still at maintenance, so drop another 200-250 calories.

Did you gain 1-2 pounds? And like above, assuming everything was spot on and consistent, then you're in a surplus.

Don't worry about small fluctuations in weight. It will happen. Weigh in daily, take the average for the week. If your weight is trending downward, you're doing well.

[hutchh]

A great way I was able to find out what I needed to consume to lose weight was finding my TDEE (Total daily energy expenditure). There are many sites that can calculate this for you, I suggest using three and averaging them to find a fairly accurate number. Once you have found this simply subtract 500 from it and that should be your calorie goal. I would definitely cut down on the protein as that number is extremely high. Also seeing as our measurements are not too different from each other my cutting calorie goal usually floats around 2500 a day and around 200g protein, best of luck!