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  • The Fine Line between...

    Discussion in 'Fat Loss' started by suighja, Aug 23, 2012.

    1. suighja

      suighja Well-Known Member

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      Eating little enough calories to lose weight and body fat whilst keeping myself with enough energy.

      Hey guys, first post so forgive me If Im a little mis-guided or not in the correct section.
      I am 20 years old, 5ft 11 and around 183 lbs (13st1). This week I started on my own personal fitness regime using the P90X programme, but not using all of it only select excersizes to enable a specific kind of goal to come true. Right now I have set myself a goal of reaching 12st by the end of November, doing this I have calculated that I'd need to eat around 1,400 calories a day to do this. I am using the Kenpo, Ab Ripper and Core/Synergistics for thoose that are familiar with P90X. The entire idea is that I'll lose the sufficient weight, then bulk a little to become defined with the average 'lifeguard' body - this is not an attempt to gain huge muscle mass, or even gain muscle mass at all - its more a lose the fat, take what you have and improve it for definition.

      Here is my problem. The food in my house is relatively restricted, I live with 3 other people of which non are interested in losing weight or becoming healthy, therefore I am lumped with frozen chicken, fish, a few vegetables and some small samples of vegetables/fruits such as apples, cauliflower, carrots etc. My big issue is, that im struggling to keep the line between losing weight and eating the sufficient calories, whilst keeping my energy and healthy foods up.

      Here's an average daily diet that i've had this week.

      Breakfast - Non or weetabix.
      Lunch - Brown breaded sandwhich with a protein or cheese mixed in, I usually follow this with a muller light fat free yoghurt.
      Mid afternoon apple or bannana, 2-3 pints of water.
      Teatime - Fish/Chicken with boiled potatoes or brown rice and an assortment of salad - then nothing for the rest of the day.

      That's actually keeping me below my calorie amount, some days Im not quite reaching 1,100 calories so im good on that side of things, im disciplined. What im finding however is that midway through work outs, or half way through a kenpo session, a run, a sprinting drill etc - im feeling really weak, feel as though I can't continue and occasionally am light headed and need to sit down.

      I am wondering if someone would kindly give me some tips, some good foods maybe or good methods to keep energetic but not go over my calory amount.

      Thanks, much appreciated.
       
    2. laxgoaliesrhs

      laxgoaliesrhs Well-Known Member

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      The Fine Line between...

      1100 Calories is too little. Eat 2000, feel better and workout harder.
       
    3. remstation

      remstation Well-Known Member

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      The Fine Line between...

      Thats not good man, 1,100 calories a day is way too few. No wonder you feel light headed. Passing out is bad enough, but imagine if you would actually pass out during one of your workouts and hit your head on a weight or something.

      How did you calculate your calorie requirement of 1400? Even that sounds way to low. IMO you should bump your calories up to about 2100. That should be enough energy to keep you safe through your workouts. Also, google tells me that 1 stone = 14 lbs. So you want to lose 14 lbs in 15 weeks? Easily do-able at 2100 cals/day. Just make sure your macros are good and you are getting enough micros. Checkout the stickies if you don't know how to calculate that.
       
    4. defelqy

      defelqy Well-Known Member

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      The Fine Line between...

      Good job making the decision to live more healthy. Its not easy but it is rewarding. This is your first post so i will point you in the right direction. Go to nutrition section read stickies. Calculate your tdee and subtract 20%. Calculate macros. Fill them with food for the day. Get a solid workout including weight lifting and if you desire cardio. It really is that simple. The hard part is sticking to it. You need to eat more at your height and weight than 1100 cals a day. Good luck!
       
    5. emininojiq

      emininojiq Well-Known Member

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      The Fine Line between...

      First im not sure why youd spend money and invest into a "professional" program, but then not follow it as it was designed (If you think you know better than the people who made it, why pay them money ?)

      Second im not sure what the people living in your house have to do with what you eat. I mean youre 20 years old, you can go food shopping and cook. Cant you? I also live with 3 other people, who all eat like **** (ie white pasta for dinner like 4-5x a week). That doesnt mean I eat it. I buy my own foods that are both healthy and i LIKE. Pretty simple stuff

      Third, I occasionally get light headed/blurry vision during bjj (mma training) which I presume to be either dehydration and or hypoglycemia. I started drinking a little G2 Gatorade (basically low sugar Gatorade) before so I would get some sugar and electrolytes before my workout. Havent had the problem since. So its something worth trying (you also could just be out of shape)

      Finally your breakfast is horrendous and you need to start calculating your micros AND macros. And really revamp/clean up your diet. Id bet youre getting < 50-70g of protein a day
       
    6. laxgoaliesrhs

      laxgoaliesrhs Well-Known Member

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      The Fine Line between...

      Thanks for the replies both of you. I actually have got a little mixed up. I entered into my 'calorie' calculator that I wanted to lose 8lbs in 1 month that allowed me to reach a target of around 12st5 which is why my calories may seem a little low. I have to admit, that my workouts are only 2-3 times a week and they last around an hour which maes me worry that eating 2,000 calories per day will lead to not enough weight loss, hence sticking it out at around 1,100 some days. I do have a few treats at the weekend, a pint on a saturday night (no more than 3) and quite an unhealthy sized Roast dinner on a sunday with Sausage wrapped in bacon etc.

      This is going to sound really stupid to members that really get stuck into this thread. But what exactly are Macro's and Micro's.

      Do you have any suggestions on my diet?
       
    7. crormaSoila18

      crormaSoila18 Well-Known Member

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      The Fine Line between...

      Macronutrients are the bigger picture, the ones that make up your calories. Carbohydrates + Protein + Fat
      Micronutrients are the other stuff, basically vitamins and minerals
       
    8. Francis

      Francis Well-Known Member

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      The Fine Line between...

      As for how to improve your diet, im a big fan of keeping it simple.

      So id suggest something along the line of every meal try to get lean protein + healthy fat + vege

      ie eggs, oatmeal, peppers + onions + spinach for breakfast
      grilled fish and steamed brocoli for lunch
      Chikcen breast, sweet potatos, extra virgin olive oil for dinner.

      The simpler you keep ****, the simpler it is to see/fix problems.
       
    9. alomjabpd

      alomjabpd Well-Known Member

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      The Fine Line between...

      Thanks for the reply, constructive criticism is actually something I was hoping for so your post actually puts me in the right mind set. I have a few questions to ask about your reply though.

      - Why a total revamp of my diet? I eat Fish, Chicken and Yoghurt virtually everyday which is a good source of protein. I eat vegetables, get fibre from my Weetabix and get a piece of fruit per day. Most people I ask seem to think that's virtually the perfect kind of diet, can you recommend me any meals or foods that can help better or 'revamp' my diet from their.

      - I didnt purchase the P90X, I borrowed it from a friend that has used it. My goals at the moment are too lose as much body fat and shred a stone-ish of weight, doing back and shoulder workouts isn't going to improve that is it? It's purely based on diet and cardio competing with each other at this stage isn't it?

      - Im a student, so money right now is very hard to come by, what I have gets spent on mobile phone bills, equipment for university and money for living - there isn't a great deal spare for things like 'fresh fish, fresh chicken' to be purchased every week.
       
    10. Raleoxilevz

      Raleoxilevz Well-Known Member

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      The Fine Line between...

      I posted a decent diet above. Im pretty sure nobody on here would consider Weetabix the breakfast of champions, and your protein intake is definitely low thats why id calculate macros for the least.

      Losing body fat means increasing the ratio of Lean body mass to fat. So yes shoulder and back workouts would improve that since its sparing/building more muscle (while you are losing fat which comes from your calorie deficit) which in turn lowers bf% further. Not to mention the more muscle mass you stimulate the better the workout (and likely more calories burned) which is why the squat/deadlift are consider the kings of exercises they stimulate the most muscle mass.

      Fresh food cost less than frozen/processed. Being healthy doesnt mean going to whole foods and spending 9$ a pound on organic kale grown in the Galapagos islands. You can easily find fresh food cheap. Im pretty sure eggs cost like 17 cents an egg or something ridiculous. You can even get lean meat for 2-4$ a pound depending on how smart of a shopper you are.
       
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