FTM Help losing weight/coming up with diet and exercise plan?

I am the exact same height and around the same weight, and I eat around 1600 a day and lose about a pound a week doing it. I don't exercise very heavily though, just 20 mins of cardio (jump rope) every three days, which burns about 250 kcal/time. I use this calculator to give me some idea of how much I should be eating so I don't go too high or too low. The "extreme fat loss" might sound fun, but it is really the lowest you should ever eat and trying to sustain that will likely be too low for you.

If you do go too low, two things will happen: 1. Your body goes into starvation mode and stops burning so many calories, so you will feel tired and might not even lose any fat at all and 2. You lose muscle mass instead of fat because muscle is a better energy source for the starving body to burn (and more beneficial in case of long term starvation situations, because muscles also consume more energy than fat does), which of course only makes it much more difficult for you to lose weight. The worst part of #2 is that it looks like you are losing a ton of weight successfully, because muscle is heaver than fat, so it encourages you to keep going. Eventually the body will run out of extra muscle to burn and you will be stuck with all your fat and no muscle, unable to lose any more weight and feeling horrible. I have fallen for this several times and always gain everything back when I eventually give up. Make sure that doesn't happen!! You have to be patient even though it sucks. I would not aim below 1450 and even that might be pushing it a bit but unlikely to put your body in starvation mode I think.

According to their calculator, exercising three times a week you should eat 1769 kcal a day to lose a pound a week. So at 1450, since one pound of fat is worth about 3,500 kcal of energy and you would be losing an additional 319 kcal per day or 2,233 kcal per week, you should lose around 1.6 lbs every week. It will vary quite a bit, some weeks you might not lose anything or even gain a bit and other weeks you will lose several pounds, but over time it should average out to something close to that.

I tend to aim a bit below theirs though, because I pretty much sit on my butt all day when I don't exercise, which is why 1600 is perfect for me for one pound a week on average.

All that said, don't get too obsessed with the numbers. If some day you just happen to go way below 1450, don't run for a Snickers bar or something to "make up for it". You will have some other day where you go way over and they will cancel each other out. The body adjusts slowly, so one day in either extreme will not make any difference to your metabolism.

If you are taking testosterone already you should probably not aim for anything below 1600. Also when you start lifting weights instead of cardio (or if you do both), you need to eat a bit more because weight lifting burns a lot more than cardio does. The added muscle will constantly burn more calories too, but it kind of levels out when you use the calorie calculator because muscle is a lot more dense than fat so it makes you heavier.

I go check a new recommended value once a month and adjust my diet accordingly. So far it is working great and I have a steady one pound per week loss. Good luck!

 

Hi girls.
I am 32 years old and 305lbs. lol. the weight is finally starting to come off though since i did low carbs and high protein and higher fat (not a lot of fat though)

Apparently, female bodies dont do carbs well unless your metabolism is ridiculously high, which isnt common in girls. *grr*

I did low fat, and calorie counting, and weight watchers, and SO many more for so long.

After switching to this, i lost weight without even excersizing.

Give it a try. Though I caution you to do anything without a doctors Okay. and do NOT stop all carbs cold turkey. Your body could go into shock lol its a real thing. i had to go to the ER when my glucose dropped to 5. (normal for me is 90-100! )

 

You probably shouldn't call OP a girl, that can cause a lot of dysphoria for people.

 

I have tried the low carb thing and it worked really well for me too. But since switching over to a vegetarian diet a few years ago it became too difficult/boring/expensive (always at least one of the three), so counting calories is what I am stuck with. It is a really good suggestion for OP though, unless he happens to be a vegetarian or vegan too of course.

I still don't eat anything marketed as low fat, because that is usually a code-word for "we removed the fat and put sugar in its place, enjoy your much less healthy food!". I still do check the carbs too so I don't eat crazy amounts of them and I don't shy away from fat because it keeps you feeling full in a way most carbs just can't. I try to eat a balanced diet which never leaves me feeling hungry or like I am missing something, it seems to be what works best for me in the long run.

 

he said he is FtM. that means his body is still biologically female. thats all i meant. i haven't learned all the pronoun rules yet sorry. i hope i didnt offend anyone.

 

No worries, it's just that many people might be uncomfortable being addressed that way (and I can't speak for OP) so I though I should let you know.

 

I am an amateur competitor in strength sports and have been on a bodybuilding stage. DO NOT GO LOW FAT. Protein and fats are essential nutrients for the human body, while carbs and sugars are not. I would reduce them tremendously if you don't participate in any endurance physical prep, like long distance running. I would concentrate on weight lifting and progressing strength through lower repetitions, not the typical "hypertrophy" approach. I would concentrate heavily on heavy squats, heavy presses (overhead, bench), and back movements like heavy rows and even deadlifts. Machines can be useful down the road, but for a beginner, large compound movements with barbells and occasional dumbbells are the best route to establish a base, change the metabolism, and steadily see progress in both appearance and strength. It gets addictive adding weight to the bar each week, even if you look the same in the mirror, and that progression will keep you hooked. I would not eat terribly low calories. Use some online maintenance/TDEE calculators and find a rough estimate of your maintenace calories, subtract 300-500 at most at that should be your daily goal. Track your food. Eat protein. Are you on T/HRT yet? You'll have a serious advantage then, but if not, in the calculators choose that your are "female" for more accurate results. I really don't mean that to be offensive, I only want to make sure you get the right numbers because biological males can handle a higher calorie intake.

 

I have lost 125ibs with 100 to go before I reach my goal of being 200 lbs. I've did this on my own over a period of 5 years. Currently working through a program At Mayo Clinic for surgery to lose the rest due to hypertension issues. I will answer any questions anyone might have to the best of my ability. First get rid of the empty carbs. Soda pop, chips, candy ect....Walk as much as you can, be active!