Let's talk just calories

[Edge34]

I admit I suck at using search, but doing a search for "calories" isn't going to take me anywhere...

Recently I got a body comp. test done...let's just say I was pretty sick about it, but I got really lazy over the winter and through the end of the school year. About a month ago I got back in the gym on a fairly consistent basis, 3 or 4 times a week. Long story short, I'm almost as heavy as I've ever been, clicking in at just over 200 pounds with a little over 20% body fat.

Now, obviously I'm not a fat guy, but I'm a lot bigger than I think I should be. At my best football weight I was playing at about 185 or so, although that was 4 years ago. Now I'm primarily focused on getting into the 13-15% body fat range. My diet has sucked and I have started to make some major changes, including counting calories as much as possible. I know the "Recommended" diet from the FDA says a 2000 calorie diet is best, but assuming I workout 4-5 days a week (last night's treadmill cardio told me I took out just under 300 calories and it was an off day from lifting), how low can one really go on calories?

FWIW, I tracked everything I ate yesterday, and in what turned out to be 8 "meals" (including protein shakes, etc.) I tracked only a little over 1200 calories. I'm not trying to get big through lifting, I'm trying to get toned/cut, so I'm not worried about getting a ton of bulk, primarily losing weight. Is this an ok range? This got a little longer than I was hoping for, but thanks for any answers you have.

[Scary_Tiger]

Yeaah... you're probably going to faint or something. Up it to 2,000 calories and you'll still lose a lot of fat.

[Jameso]

3500=1 pound of fat, google BMR and calories to get an idea of how many you use just to stay alive, check out nutritiondata.com to explore specific foods. I counted for a while and had days where I took in 1300 or so, but I was mostly right around 2000 and hungry. I lost 20 pounds over 2 months without any strenuous cardio, just crunches, push-ups, and very few squats. I plan to start running soon.

[Edge34]

I should mention the trainer did talk about 3500 = 1 pound and told me that I could reach my goal of 15% body fat within 10 weeks of a good nutrition and workout program.

She mentioned cutting 500 calories per day, which over the course of one week is a pound right there. The only problem is that my diet, while I try to eat well, is so unrestricted that I have no idea even what my average calories per day are. Hence, cutting 500 from an undetermined amount is very difficult.

[Edge34]

[ QUOTE ]
3500=1 pound of fat, google BMR and calories to get an idea of how many you use just to stay alive, check out nutritiondata.com to explore specific foods. I counted for a while and had days where I took in 1300 or so, but I was mostly right around 2000 and hungry. I lost 20 pounds over 2 months without any strenuous cardio, just crunches, push-ups, and very few squats. I plan to start running soon.

[/ QUOTE ]

BMR: 200 (rounded, closer to 205, but close enough) x 10 = 2000. Plus (200x2) = 2400 calories per day. From my 5 seconds of reading, that is how much is used just to keep my ticker going? That seems high, but I'll work with it. I certainly didn't starve myself at all yesterday and never felt too hungry. I'm also trying to separate hungry-hungry from hungry-bored, so I figure I'll fiddle with my nutrition a bit in the next two or three weeks anyways until I find what works best.

[thirddan]

what did you eat at each meal when you ate 8 meals and only hit 1200 cals...for a 200lb man, eating 1200 cals/day is pretty much starvation and your diet is likely far too low in protein and fat...

[Edge34]

[ QUOTE ]
what did you eat at each meal when you ate 8 meals and only hit 1200 cals...for a 200lb man, eating 1200 cals/day is pretty much starvation and your diet is likely far too low in protein and fat...

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't doubt that I need work, but I'm just starting to get serious. I never felt truly hungry, but I know I'm probably way low in calories. I also did a 45-minute interval run (beginner style, I hate treadmills) and did a little over 2.5 miles. I could definitely stand to add a little more protein, but this is just the beginning.

8 AM – 1 Peanut Butter Granola Bar (160 Calories, 7g fat, 22g carb, 2g protein)
11:45 AM – 1 GNC Whey/Casein Shake (150 Calories, 5g fat, 7g carb, 20 g protein)
1:30 PM – 1 Medium Chicken Breast, grilled (110 calories, 1g fat, 0g carb, 23 g protein)
3:15 PM – 1 mixed berry granola bar (140 calories, 3.5g fat, 26g carb, 2g protein)
7:15 PM – 1 South Beach Diet Chicken Caesar wrap (230 Calories, 11g fat, 22g carb, 24g protein)
8:30 PM – 1 GNC Whey shake (110 calories, 1.5g fat, 2g carb, 23g protein)
9:30 PM – 2 cans tuna in water (140 calories, 30g protein), 3 tbsp Miracle Whip (120 calories)
10:30 PM – 1 bottle water with Capri sun Sport (approx. 50 calories)
Total: 1260 Calories, 29g fat (pre-tuna), 67.5g carb (pre-tuna), 124g protein

With the exception of water and a small snack with the 10:30 water, this is exactly what I ate. The snack was a serving of toasted Ritz chips, so if I added that I'd add about 130 calories, 6g of fat and 2g of protein. Not major, but something to consider. So around 1400 in the end. All info based on labels, and serving sizes were followed as accurately as possible. I also need to add some serious veggies and fruit or nuts, this was just my first tracked day.

[Grey]

Dude- I'm tiny and I would starve on that. I wouldn't last a day.

[Edge34]

[ QUOTE ]
Dude- I'm tiny and I would starve on that. I wouldn't last a day.

[/ QUOTE ]

At the end of the day with my final calculation, I realized just how low I had gone. When I did the BMR earlier and got 2400 calories burned just living for a day, much less the lifting and/or running, I was even more shocked.

This is the first time I've even tried to accurately follow what I eat, and its really weird that I find myself actually reading labels now.

[thirddan]

read the 7 habits article in the faq...protein and veggies at every meal...carbs at breakfast and around workout...go from there...but you gotta eat...

seems the more i read and hear from a couple of trainers it seems like one thing that prevents people from losing fat is that they just don't eat enough calories...