7:00 AM 1 Cup Good Friends 140.0
7:00 AM 1 Cup No Fat Milk 80.0
10:00 AM Mini Petzels 50.0
10:00 AM 1 Banana 109.0
12:00 PM HEB Fish 8oz. 200.0
12:00 PM Mini Petzels 50.0
12:00 PM 1 ORANGE 61.0
3:30 PM 1 Apple 81.0
3:30 PM Mini Petzels 50.0
6:30 PM 1 6 oz Chicken Breast 220.0
6:30 PM 3 Corn Tortillas 165.0
6:30 PM 4 Tbsp Reduced Fat Sour Cream 80.0
6:30 PM 40 Asaragus Spears 200.0
7:30 PM 1 Banana 109.0
7:30 PM Whey Protein (Now Sports Premium) 165.0
7:30 PM 1 Cup No Fat Milk 80.0

TOTALS 1,840 Calories


Starting 10/1/05: 320lbs
10/16/05: 310lbs
Height: 6'0"
Age: 29
Male

This has been a typical day for the last few weeks. I am lifting all body groups 3x a week (MWF). I usually end up b/t 1,500 - 2,000 calories a day. I seem to hit a plateau for the beginning of this week. Let me know what changes I should make. Thank you for your response.

Not nearly enough calories. I eat that much and I'm about 1/3 your weight. You could replace the mini pretzels with almonds, have another serving of fish or lean meat, and try to eat more vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and tomato.

Not nearly enough calories. I eat that much and I'm about 1/3 your weight.

Seconded. I can drop body fat all day long at 1,850 calories per day (I'm currently around 140-lbs. at 5'6"), which means that at your current size, your body will wildly break down your lean tissue with such low calories (i.e., you'll lose muscle). You need your calories to be quite a bit more than that... personally, I'd estimate you need a bare bones minimum of 3,200 to 3,500 calories a day. As you lose weight, obviously that number will decrease. My personal rule of thumb for a cutting cycle seems to put me at 12 to 13 times my body weight, in calories, per day. That comes from 18+ months of conscientuously tracking my diet, noting my successes, and analyzing my results - remember that what works for one person may not for another, but you won't know unless you try.

You can also use one of the many popular formulas to estimate your calories - the Katch-McArdle or Harris-Benedict equations are good ones, just be sure to remember the activity multiplier. As you lose weight, continually re-evaluate your caloric intake so that your calories decrease as your weight decreases. This is very important... it will keep your body from detecting patterns and you won't hit the proverbial plateaus everyone talks about if you're losing weight, and as a result, constantly decreasing calories, exercising and the cycle will continue.

-R

Thank you for your responses.

I have a question. If your body has a set of priorities on which types of tissues that it uses as energy, and it uses food then fat stores, then muscle, why would someone with alot of body fat not burn the majority of the fat first, prior to experiencing muscle loss? Thank you in advance for your responses.

Thank you for your responses.

I have a question. If your body has a set of priorities on which types of tissues that it uses as energy, and it uses food then fat stores, then muscle, why would someone with alot of body fat not burn the majority of the fat first, prior to experiencing muscle loss? Thank you in advance for your responses.

Because it's not quite like that. If you don't do a lot of exercise then the body wouldn't treat muscle as importantly as if you do. Also, if you don't eat enough, your body can think that it's starving and tries to retain the fat so that you can last longer. You need to tell your body that you need your muscle by doing exercise and then it will burn more fat compared to muscle. But everybody loses muscle when dieting/cutting (I think) - it's just a matter of how much.

Al

Thank you for your responses.

I have a question. If your body has a set of priorities on which types of tissues that it uses as energy, and it uses food then fat stores, then muscle, why would someone with alot of body fat not burn the majority of the fat first, prior to experiencing muscle loss? Thank you in advance for your responses.

How you feed your body determines what your body utilizes for energy.

If you don't feed your body enough, or if you don't feed it the proper nutrients at with reasonable timings, your muscle glycogen stores will be very low. At that point, Your body will most likely perceive a famine/starvation condition. Your body will utilize the next most convenient source of glycogen replenishment, which happens to be your muscle protein. The body will do everything it can to conserve body fat. Body fat insulates and protect vital organs, while it also serves as an energy source once muscle catabolism is no longer an option.

Think of stored fat as energy. People with body fat quite simply have a great deal of stored energy to be released. As strange as it seems, you must feed your body to get it to release that stored energy in such fashion that it perceives healthy conditions for you. You have to work with your body, not against it.

-R

Thank you for your responses.

I have a question. If your body has a set of priorities on which types of tissues that it uses as energy, and it uses food then fat stores, then muscle, why would someone with alot of body fat not burn the majority of the fat first, prior to experiencing muscle loss? Thank you in advance for your responses.

While I am no expert. I remember reading somewhere that when your body goes into starvation mode, which is pretty much anytime it's not getting enough calories, it will consume the muscle first because the muscle needs calories to be maintained and fueled. The body it just trying to cut its overhead and get the fuel it needs. Fat is requires no effort to maintain.

Our bodies have evolved in a feast/famine world. So when you cut calories the body assumes the worst. It's not going to burn away it's fat safety net to maintain all that calorie hungry muscle. But if you cut your calories slightly and lift weights you should be able to maintain the muscle mass you have or limit the loss of muscle while losing fat.

I would suggest you use one of the BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) formulas suggested. This post (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showthread.php?t=1222) has a BMR formula and some other great info on figuring out what you need to figure your daily calories.

Hope this helps.

-- Jeremy