Calorie Consumption for Morbidly Obese

E

ellelit

New member
Hello all, I'm Lindsay. I'm 32, 342 pounds and looking for some advice. I have been trying to find out how many calories I should be eating in order to lose weight, and holy moly are there conflicting theories and answers. My BMI is 55.5 and according to my height and weight, in order to maintain, I need about 2800 calories daily (I'm currently above this because I am gaining weight.) My goal weight is realistically about 160, with a net calories (before daily exercise) of about 1800.

So. Here's my issue. I know it takes 3500 calories burned (or a deficit or normal eating) in order to lose a pound. I understand that. The confusion come from exercise calories, weight per week lost by someone with 180 pounds to lose and how to determine how many calories to eat per day.

So here are the varying theories:

2785 calories a day (with sedentary lifestyle) to maintain current weight.

1800 calories a day for someone 5'6 and 160 pounds. In order to get to this weight, eat your goal calories.

Lose 2 pounds a week with a 7000 calorie a week deficit, eat 1000 calories less per day than usual (or eat 500 calories and exercise 500 calories.)

Some say to eat whatever calories you burn off (doesn't this seem kinda counter-productive?)

And some say that for very large people, the body will go into "starvation mode" if it eats less 2500 calories/day for someone my size.

I'm so confused.

I MUST LOSE WEIGHT! I'm serious, determined, and ready to start today I just don't know how many calories I need. I also think 1-2 pounds a week for someone my size is a load of tosh. I was to lose more than that, not only for health but motivation.

Keep in mind I will be walking at a moderate pace at least 30 mins a day.

Thanks for your help! It's just tough to wade through all the crap and find out what you really need to do.
 
ellelit said:
Hello all, I'm Lindsay. I'm 32, 342 pounds and looking for some advice. I have been trying to find out how many calories I should be eating in order to lose weight, and holy moly are there conflicting theories and answers. My BMI is 55.5 and according to my height and weight, in order to maintain, I need about 2800 calories daily (I'm currently above this because I am gaining weight.) My goal weight is realistically about 160, with a net calories (before daily exercise) of about 1800.

So. Here's my issue. I know it takes 3500 calories burned (or a deficit or normal eating) in order to lose a pound. I understand that. The confusion come from exercise calories, weight per week lost by someone with 180 pounds to lose and how to determine how many calories to eat per day.

So here are the varying theories:

2785 calories a day (with sedentary lifestyle) to maintain current weight.

1800 calories a day for someone 5'6 and 160 pounds. In order to get to this weight, eat your goal calories.

Lose 2 pounds a week with a 7000 calorie a week deficit, eat 1000 calories less per day than usual (or eat 500 calories and exercise 500 calories.)

Some say to eat whatever calories you burn off (doesn't this seem kinda counter-productive?)

And some say that for very large people, the body will go into "starvation mode" if it eats less 2500 calories/day for someone my size.

I'm so confused.

I MUST LOSE WEIGHT! I'm serious, determined, and ready to start today I just don't know how many calories I need. I also think 1-2 pounds a week for someone my size is a load of tosh. I was to lose more than that, not only for health but motivation.

Keep in mind I will be walking at a moderate pace at least 30 mins a day.

Thanks for your help! It's just tough to wade through all the crap and find out what you really need to do.
Click to expand...

It's great that you're so motivated to be working towards your goal of losing weight and I hope you keep it up.

However, I think you maaaaay be overthinking things a little bit. First of all, forget the math for a moment. Wipe your slate clean and forget the numbers. Don't bother yourself with BMI, your goal weight, how many pounds you 'should' be losing per week, blah blah blah. Forget it. Forget it all.

Now, you working with a clean slate? Good. My advice...

Do what you and your body are comfortable with. Exercise until you feel worked out, but not to the point where you feel overwhelmed or exhausted. Don't worry about how many calories you are burning - not at first. In the beginning of your journey (in my opinion), it is best to avoid worrying about numbers - focus more on the accomplishment of actually getting off of your ass and doing something. Even if you burn 50 calories when you hop on the treadmill or go for a walk, it's progress. It's GOOD progress. Notice how I didn't say "even if you ONLY burn 50 calories" - something is better than nothing. So, don't worry about the numbers right now. Just keep yourself moving and keep yourself eating healthy.

Now, in regards to eating healthy - how many calories SHOULD you be eating? Eh, there's no right answer for that. Different sources will give you different answers. So, my advice is to just take all of the advice you are given into consideration, think it all over and decide what is best for you. Count your calories and watch what you eat, but don't think that you have to hit an exact number each and every day in order to be successful. If you notice that you are really tired and still hungry when you eat 2,000 calories per day - eat more. If you notice that you are full, have a lot of energy and feel alive when you eat 1,800 calories per day - stick with that. The fact is, you won't know until you try it. So, don't focus on the numbers for now. Try things out and figure out what works best for you. Numbers can be figured out later. Right now, in the beginning, focus on how you FEEL. Once you are comfortable with the way you feel, then you can start focusing on the numbers.
 
I agree, focusing on how you feel is more important than an actual number.

One positive note: The more fat your have on your body, the more comfortable your body is with losing fat, and the less likely you are to go into 'starvation mode' (which I think is something of a myth anyway!) or have issues with a deficit.

Personally, I think I would try 2000 calories and exercise you feel comfortable with. This number was not scientific at all! Just a rough guess. If you feel fatigued and out of energy all the time, up calories some. (And make sure you get good amounts of protein, and get your vitamins and nutrients in. You can feel tired with enough calories if you're not getting the right vitamins/micronutrients etc). Then walk or do whatever else works. Re-evaluate every month or so and see where you are. Make changes as you need.

Hope that helps!
 
Lindsey, Hello my name is Brittani and I am 22! I am going to tell you how I have lost most of my weight so far. So on my lovely journey of weightloss it started only a very short nine months ago as of yesterday. I am 5'9 and weighed 430 pounds only 9 months ago. As of last saturday I now weigh 292 with a total of 138 pounds lost. Never once did I count any calories or even look at a nutritional chart on any food. The first six months I didnt even do any exercise. The only thing I did was increase my fluid intake, changed my diet and made sure I got proper sleep. My diet consisted of low fat foods and I slowly started cutting out all the junk (but not all the time because I was addicted to food, thats another story if you want to know more.) So I figured when I started that I could eat all day long as long as it was low fat and healthy. I ate tuna, chicken, tilapia, pork. I ate chocolate rice cakes when I wanted something sweet. On top of all this not only did I cut out junk food but I cut out "normal" food and started eating organic only! I ate veggies all day with a fat free dressing. I ate a lot of hummus which is good with meat, crackers, veggies and so on. I believe that also losing weight is about self love and worth. If you love yourself then u will want to take care of your body. Also adding protein shakes to your daily routine helps a lot. They fill you and the amino acids help break down fats. I am now on a very low fat diet and consumer less than 1000 calories a day. If you research fat burning foods and keep those in stock all the time they really do help. Almonds, avacodos, green tea, cinnamon, spicy foods, lean meats, leafy greens, healthy oils. You will be surprised how many good foods you can eat in a day and feel full and not even think your "dieting". When I started this I programmed my brain to know that im not dieting Im changing my life before I die from obesity. A good support team is also a huge key. When your having a rough day to have someone to talk to or to walk with. Speaking of walking, its very good for toning and burning calories and fat. And when you get bored with that, try walking up hill. Exercise is key as well but I was losing 16 pounds a week with just diet changes and my every day activities. I didnt think about it much just knew I HAD to do it and made myself do it. I know its hard to believe but your stomach shrinks a lot more quickly than you think. Stay strong and just push through. If you want someone to talk to or any advice just write me and id be more than happy to do anything I can.
 
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