Thread: Calories?

Originally Posted by no-gi

i want to lose 40 pounds of fat , at present i am 210 ,5'7inches with
estimated 25% bodyfat.
i am wondering if 1800 calories a day will be low enough to see decent results & does it really matter where these calories come from ?
eg i hate diet drinks & i notice cherry coke is 160 cals per can with 30g
carbs & no fat,so is it really a no no if you want to lose fat?

i realize i will get a blood sugar spike so does that mean its fine post workout?

Hi & welcome

The number of calories you need to lose fat depends on how much and what types of foods are you eating now. The first thing to do is to "clean up" your diet. By this I mean eat 5-6 small meals per day, about 3 hrs apart. Eliminate all refined carbs, including the cherry cokes (sorry but it's true). At each meals aim to eat a complex carb - like oats, brown rice, sweet potatoes, potatos, fruit, whole grain and a protein - like eggwhites, lean turkey/chicken/fish, lean beef, lean ground turkey, low-fat dairy,whey protein drinks, etc. Eat as many green veggies as you want and drink 1+ gallons of water daily. As for post workout IMO you should just go with a whey shake and water since your primary objective is fat loss.

There are sticky's with tons more info on proper diet at the top of this forum, with shopping lists so I would check those out too!

What do your workouts look like now? Cardio and weight training?

Hi no-gi. welcome....

First of all, how did you calculate your calories? They seem way too low for losing fat.
I recommend you read the "Guide to Cutting, Bulking and Maintenance" sticky here: Guide to Cutting, Bulking & Maintenance
The info. in this sticky is priceless...

For what I read you need to basically add for every pound of your weight 10-13 calories. As I was told , you start with the high number, in this case you go with 13, so you multiply 13 x 210 and you'll get the correct caloric intake. In your case, I believe it's 2,730 calories. Having that base, you have to then decide, by reading the above sticky, what diet you will want to do. I imagine someone with more experience than myself here may be able to guide you toward which may be your best diet for your goals.
Do you want to gain muscle and lose fat? Or do you just want to lose fat?

Good luck....

More good reading material comes from a question that I asked in the Diet and Nutrition Forum. You may end up having the same questions that I have, so this may help you too. At first it all looks overwhelming, but the more you read the better you'll feel.
Here is my thread:

Guide to cutting, bulking and maintenance....Questions

Good luck....

Yeah id say shoot for 2000 do it for a week or two and if you see a little result then keep it up.

By the way, you'll do yourself a favor if you quit the sodas. The sugar in them make you hungrier and they are addictive, at least these happened to me. If you want to lose the weight, drink water. You won't be sorry...