Calories needed for men to lose weight?

[nikki2975]

My fiance and I have decided to help each other lose weight. we both have different health issues, mine being PCOS, Overactive Thyroid and Hashimotos Disease and my fiances being Acid Reflux/Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

I have been advised to follow the Low Carb diet and stop eating Gluten and Dairy. I have made a meal plan of just Fish, Meat, Eggs, Wholegrains, Fruit and Veg. Total calories comes to 800/900kcal a day. is that safe for me?

For my fiance, It's been recommended to do the low carb diet too but I think the 800/900kcal a day is too low for him.

Can anyone advise on whats best to do to increase calorie intake healthily and still be able to lose weight.

TIA,

Nikki

[Rignold 3kg]

use a TDEE calculator to calculate yours and your partners calorie requirements

tdeecalculator.net/

800/900 sounds very low indeed unless you are a very petite 4' 0.

For a man it is extremely low. I am a 50 yr old man and currently losing weight on a low carb diet, and my calories are around 2400/day at the moment, which is an approx 25% deficit

800 would be around 75% deficit

[nikki2975 in reply to Rignold]

Thank you for your help. i'll have a look at the calculator.

[YellowRose55]

Hi nikki2975 and welcome to the weight loss forum.

Use the BMI checker to work out the calories for both of you.

We have put together a Newbie pack with all the information you will need to find your way around the forum and to get you started. Spend a few minutes to read through all the information as it is important to help you enjoy the best things the forum as on offer. The link is below:

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Good luck with your first week.

[nikki2975 in reply to YellowRose55]

Thank you

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone]

800/900 calories sounds way too low. Use the NHS BMI calculator to get your individual calorie ranges (you and your partner) nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyw...

Do you know why you were advised to cut out gluten and dairy products? You mention your medical conditions but none that suggest you should avoid gluten and dairy. It may be that you need advice from a dietitian. Maybe you can be referred from your thyroid clinic.

Good luck to you both

[nikki2975 in reply to BridgeGirl]

Hi,

Thank you for your advice.

I forgot to put I also have Irritable Bowel Syndrome and eating Gluten and Dairy really bloats me and makes me look and feel 9 months pregnant.

Many people on forums/groups who also have PCOS and IBS have all told me that eliminating Gluten and Dairy has really helped them feel better and loose weight.

I'm currently around 16 stone and need to lose at least two stone in two months to be sent for IVF. I was told this by the nurse who took my bloods for my fertility investigations. She said a lot of people do it and some have even lost 5 stone in that time.

I've seen a dietitian in the past but they just focused on my binge/emotional eating.

I desperately want a baby (I also get married next year) and I know that loosing weight can reverse the symptoms of PCOS so I can still conceive naturally without IVF.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to nikki2975]

Wow, that's a big claim from that nurse! 5 stone in two months???

I think you'll have seen that all your replies are concerned about you aiming too low with your calories. That's not intended to damage you chances of weight loss but to make it safe, healthy and sustainable for you.

I hope you can make the progress you want as you have such a strong incentive

[IvanTheHorrible Maintainer]

The calories for both of you are WAY too low. You should be looking at no less than 1400 for yourself and probably 1800 for your partner, but that's only a crude estimate. Your BMR depends on all sorts of things.

It's certainly possible to do ultra-low-calorie low-carb, but it's normally done for in-patients, and only for the morbidly obese. Supplementation is necessary, and the diet must be very carefully adjusted to avoid malnutrition. It would be a very bad idea to do it by yourself; it probably wouldn't work anyway because life is full of too many temptations!

Anyway, a low-carb diet will correct your appetite. There is little or no point in trying to count calories when doing low-carb: your body will tell you accurately what you need. The critical point about low-carb is to include enough fat, and to not touch high carb foods AT ALL for at least the first 10 days. Most people count net grams of carbs (not calories) and aim for 50g or less (25g is desirable initially). If you do this, you will automatically be in calorie deficit.

"Whole grains" do not belong in a low-carb diet; basically a low-carb diet is gluten-free (or very low gluten) by definition. Where did you get your diet plan from?

If you can't eat dairy you'll struggle a bit, because cheese and butter are very useful sources of fat. You'll need to focus more on meat and eggs (which will provide the fats you need). I also suggest adding olive oil, duck/goose fat, or coconut oil to your cooking where possible, according to preference. You should see 60-70% green vegetables on your plate (which add bulk and make you feel full) alongside your source of fat/protein.

Just to be clear: your diet should be low-carb, high-fat, moderate-protein. Don't attempt to do low-carb, low-fat, high-protein. Some people do this for specific medical reasons, but not for weight loss. If you attempt a diet like that without supervision you will feel absolutely dreadful and may even end up in the ER.

[nikki2975 in reply to IvanTheHorrible]

Hi,

Thank you for your advice.

I looked online for the Low Carb diet plan and worked it out based on what it says I can eat and what I eat already. I'm also using the Glycemic Index.

[IvanTheHorrible Maintainer in reply to nikki2975]

Ah OK. That's a reasonable approach. I think some people fail at this because they don't build the diet around things they already enjoy eating. It's just the calorie calculations are off somewhere!

Bear in mind that the Glycemic Index is really only relevant during maintenance. Certainly you can go straight into the maintenance phase - there's no law against it! - but your loss rate will be much slower. For women especially, it's usually advisable to do a proper induction phase, which involves carb-counting and sticking to 25g net carbs (or less) per day.

If this is your first time trying low-carb, you might be best off with a reputable book on the subject. There's an awful lot of nonsense online - some of it's good, some of it isn't, and it's hard to tell the difference when you're new to the subject. Trust no one, including me

[SloopJohnB]

Hi - I use an app named Fat Secret which works out calories of goods inc. those you buy from supermarkets. It also gives the max calories used daily for resting body based on male/female. You can also enter in exercise and works out calories expended.

I use this in conjunction with being in a ManVFat Football League. That's helped tremendously. I've lost nearly 3 stone since I started and become fitter and made new mates. Your fiance should see if he can join one.

As an approximation I understand a calorie intake of 2000 - 2400 for men is max to maintain weight. And less for women. There is also the NHS recommended 400,600,600 calorie per day. That is for breakfast,lunch and dinner. That would be good for both of you.

[nikki2975 in reply to SloopJohnB]

Hi, Thank you for your advice.