What should be my calorie intake on a daily basis just starting a 175 lb weight loss?

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DougH

New member
I am 375 lbs. and 5'-10" tall. Most of my weight is in my stomach. I just signed up for a local gym and I'm starting to count calories but I don't know how much my calorie intake should be at the beginning of such a large weight loss. Also, should I be watching my protein intake and fat intake as well? And, if so, then what should that intake be?
 
You could probably lose quite well starting around 3000 calories a day. It is important to watch your macronutrients - that's carbs/protein/fats. Many people aim for percentages in those areas - usually somewhere aroun 40% carbs / 30% protein / 30% healthy fats.

Ideally when you're losing weight, you should be aiming for around 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass.

I'd suggest registering for a free account on or and starting to log your food. This will let you see how many calories you're eating and how your nutrition levels are breaking down. Once you know that, you'll be able to see more clearly where you can make adjustments, cut back, change your nutrition, etc.

Good luck!
 
Ideally to learn your lean body mass, you should have it measured - a lot of health clubs will do that for you for free as part of an introductory period. Sometimes your doctor's office will do it for you.

You can also just guesstimate your LBM based on your goal weight vs. your current weight. If you're looking to lose 175 lbs, then I'd imagine your bodyfat could be as high as 40% or more. So I'd estimate your lean body mass (LBM) to be around 225 maybe? At any rate, I'd aim for around 200g of protein per day.
 
Protein is a controversial subject. The RDA is actually 0.8 grams per kilogram of weight, though some people, like Kara, think you need much more.

To find your lean body mass, you can look up an online calculator for body fat percentage, like this one.
 
The RDA is actually 0.8 grams per kilogram of weight, though some people, like Kara, think you need much more.
Click to expand...
The RDA is based on people NOT eating at a calorie deficit and who lead sedentary lifestyles. Studies show that when you are reducing calories, increasing protein helps prevent the loss of lean body mass - so when you're dieting and you want to skew your weight loss towards fat and away from lean muscle, you should increase to a minimum of 1g per pound of lean body mass. Also if you're working out - and especially if you're incorporating strength training into your plan, you should increase protein.

As far as estimating using online calulators, it's a good guesstimate, but it's not going to be as accurate as using calipers or a electro impedance method. Actually I believe the hydrostatic method is the most accurate, but it's also expensive and hard to find a location to do.
 
Ok, thanks Kara and Harold! So, about 3000 calories and 200g of protein. Now just starting out, should I workout 7 days a week and for how long each day?
 
depends on what you can tolerate. Start off easy. Hell, just get out and walk for now, lift some weight with basic movements, like bench press, rows, leg presses, etc. You can work up a more intense regimen later. You'll end up increasing as you get lower in weight and more fit, so given that, if you start out trying to do something really intensive and somewhat advanced, like P90X, where do you go up from there?
 
Hey DougH

Kara and Harold make very good points and I think have given you solid advice.

As far as working out 7 days a week, I'd say that's a big no-no. You have to give yourself time to rest, give your muscles time to recover. Depending on what type of routine you're following, you could work out anywhere from 2 days a week to 6 days a week.

I would suggest that no matter what, you do at least 2-3 days of resistance exercise.

If you're doing cardio and resistance, I'd just do 5-6 days a week with two days off. Don't overwork your body or you could end up with an injury, which will make you miss more than just a few days of exercise.

Good Luck, Keep Us Posted.
Ryan
 
7 days a week is extreme and if you're not used to working out, it's probably one of those "all or nothing" declarations that will backfire on you.

Start out with a plan to work out 3-5 times a week. A combination of strength/weight training and cardio will be most effective. I'd suggest you read the sticky posts on the exercise area of the board to get good information on how to design an exercise program that works for you.
 
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