Help retain muscle mass and keep off fat.

[DirkPitt]

After a few months of Freshman year, I gained 30lbs and was 225 lbs at 6ft. That was too much though somehow, I was fine with it. After a painful breakup, I decided to perfect my image and became borderline anorexic. I ate an average of 300-400 calories a day. I lost a lot of fat but I also know I lost muscle mass. While I was on this "diet", I lifted, ate a lot of protein, and took creatine so my muscles still looked big, full, and firm even as my body ate its own muscles.

Now I'm down to 185, I look much leaner, my muscles look bigger than before, and my body-fat percentage is much lower. I want to get off this unhealthy diet though, but I don't want to jump right back into 2000+ calories a day. How can I regain a regular eating habit without regaining all that fat? What I am doing now is easing my way back towards 2000+ while working out and adding a few hours of Tennis into my day. About 100 or 200 calorie increase per week. I'm now at about 800 calories a day. Haven't seen any huge change in my weight. Should I keep this up?

 

[DirkPitt]

followup

I lost the 40 lbs in about 2 months. I lost a lot of my GUT and a lot of fat off my FACE. My double chin is good as gone, and My arms look more defined as do my pecs. Still have some flab around the GUT but I don't think keeping up this type of diet will get rid of it.

 

[MrFitness880]

300,400 and 800 calories a day is dangerously low. you are looking at starvation ranges there. 1200 is generally regarded as the lowest safe calorie range and quite frankly you sound like a pretty big guy so even that is low. On top of that 2000 calories a day isnt much really. Look into your BMR and what you need w/ exercise then make an educated decision about calorie range

Start eating more. 400 to 500 calorie jumps a week is fine. 100 calories is about 1 tsp of olive oil...its not much at all. get up to about 1200 to 1500 today and more in a week at most. your body will even out if you notice any fat gain. if you do gain fat its because your body has been starving for so long.

I dont want to be rude or disrespectful, but 300 to 400 calories a day is dangerous and really rather unintelligent. I say this as much for everyone else reading this as you. do a little reading on what happens when your body goes into starvation mode.

 

[DirkPitt]

yea, I know what the body does in starvation mode and I also know now, how far a guy can go in the midst of despair and desperation.

But I've been doing this for two months and the damage is done. How do I recover back to a normal eating routine without gaining mad lbs?

 

[semag]

what would you eat in a day to get 300 cals?

 

[MindOverMatter]

don't be a wuss, i eat 3000-4000 cals a day, and am at 10-11% bodyfat right now. it's not how much you eat, but rather what you eat, and how many of those calories you use up.

stop that unhealthy sh!t. you can have a ferrari, but if the engine is busted and you dont fill it up with gas, it wont go anywhere. same applies to your body.

 

[DirkPitt]

i know it was unhealthy as ****! at the time, I was more prioritized with asthetics than actual health and well-being. but the damage is done now. How do I get back on a regular diet w/out gaining too much fat?

My calories consisted mainly of egg whites with very low levels of carbs thrown in

 

[MrFitness880]

Start eating more. 400 to 500 calorie jumps a week is fine. 100 calories is about 1 tsp of olive oil...its not much at all. get up to about 1200 to 1500 today and more in a week at most. your body will even out if you notice any fat gain. if you do gain fat its because your body has been starving for so long.

If you notice gaining fat do a little cardio but keep upping the cals. and know how many you need with exercise included

 

[Warboss Alex]

To lose fat and keep muscle: keep your calories around maintenance level, eat clean and create an energy deficit with low-intensity cardio to maintain muscle mass. Take the appropriate measures - BCAAs or some other form of protein pre-cardio to retain muscle mass.

Keep your protein HIGH, in fact your diet and training shouldn't change much (what made your muscle will keep your muscle). Let the cardio take off fat, that's what it's there for.