Maintaining Weight Through Nutrition

Hey there, I just wondered if anybody could help me at all. I used to weigh about 195lbs when I was 16, but I've been losing weight over the years and now I weigh 131lbs, but I can't seem to get back into eating normally again. I know what nutrition is good for the body, but I'd like to maintain the weight I am now but I am afraid of consuming too many calories and putting excess weight back on again. I really don't want to start piling weight back on again as I used to hate being overweight. Even now I still try and eat less and only eat low calorie foods. I use skimmed milk for my tea, have sugarless tea, avoid fizzy drinks even diet fizzy drinks, avoid cakes, biscuits, crisps etc and I feel really guilty if I consume more calories than I normally do. I also starve myself sometimes, especially before sleeping, even though I feel really hungry. I have listed what I eat and when I exercise below, if anybody could help me with how many calories I need to consume in a day on average or whatever to maintain my weight I weigh now, I'd be greatful.

Profile:
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Height: 6 Foot (182.88cm)
Weight: 131 lbs

Nutrition:
Breakfast: 50 grams of porridge oats, made with 200ml of water. (180kcal)
Dinner: Tin of Osprey tuna, drained. (91.2kcal)
Tea: Varies, could be shepherd's pie, chilli con carne, cauliflower cheese, breaded cod with oven chips, roast chicken dinner, spaghetti bolognese, meat & potato pie. (Usually 700-1000kcal)
Snack: Fruit salad consisting of half an apple, half a pear, half a peach, 5 grapes and some pineapple chunks. (140-150kcal)

Total kcal for an average day: 1300kcal - 1500kcal.

Exercise:
I usually take a 40-50 minute brisk walk every evening, weather permitting, at around 4mph. I'm also trying to achieve a six pack, so I perform the following ab workout every other day:
Weighted crunch with 25lb plate - 5 sets of 10 reps.
Weighted crunch with 12.5lb plate - 5 sets of 10 reps.
Crunches - 5 sets of 10 reps.
Plank - 2 minutes.
Side Plank - 30 second right.
Side Plank - 30 second left.

You're likely to keep losing weight eating that amount with that much exercise - that said, if you've had a diet like that for a long time your metabolism has probably levelled itself out so you may not lose any more. An extra 500-1000 calories (providing it's not just lard) would keep you about level, and it's typically stated that around 3500 calories and above is what will make you put on weight, so you don't need to worry quite so much.

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Originally Posted by FlyingJesus

You're likely to keep losing weight eating that amount with that much exercise - that said, if you've had a diet like that for a long time your metabolism has probably levelled itself out so you may not lose any more. An extra 500-1000 calories (providing it's not just lard) would keep you about level, and it's typically stated that around 3500 calories and above is what will make you put on weight, so you don't need to worry quite so much.

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Lol, I won't eat just lard and I don't think I could eat 3500 calories in a day haha. Thanks a lot for your reply. :)

you want to gain muscle or what

and holy **** you eatin barely any fats in that diet brah your gonna suffer with test problems all sorts

your not gaining weight cause your bodies in a catabolic state + not eating enough

and all that cardio "get ripd fast exc3risezs" is going to halt any weight gain

ya just increasing your metabolism

You are about the same height as me but half a stone lighter so I'd probably suggest that you lower the amount of exercise you do and up your calorie intake to about 2000. If you are still looking in the mirror at that weight and thinking you are still obese then it sounds as if you could have anorexia. That most likely isn't the case as you are aware that you need to maintain your body weight but 131 pounds at 6 foot is pretty slim.

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Originally Posted by Soy

you want to gain muscle or what

and holy **** you eatin barely any fats in that diet brah your gonna suffer with test problems all sorts

your not gaining weight cause your bodies in a catabolic state + not eating enough

and all that cardio "get ripd fast exc3risezs" is going to halt any weight gain

ya just increasing your metabolism

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I don't like eating fats since I don't want to gain any weight.

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Originally Posted by Apple

You are about the same height as me but half a stone lighter so I'd probably suggest that you lower the amount of exercise you do and up your calorie intake to about 2000. If you are still looking in the mirror at that weight and thinking you are still obese then it sounds as if you could have anorexia. That most likely isn't the case as you are aware that you need to maintain your body weight but 131 pounds at 6 foot is pretty slim.

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I'll try for 2000kcal then. Sometimes I don't feel hungry even when I haven't eaten much through out the day.

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Originally Posted by James89

I don't like eating fats since I don't want to gain any weight.



I'll try for 2000kcal then. Sometimes I don't feel hungry even when I haven't eaten much through out the day.

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its a common misconception that eating more fat, will make you fat.

All the calories you eat over maintenence will mostly be stored into fat weather its carbs, fats or proteins

you didnt make it clear what you wanted to achieve you said gain weight so i thought muscle

basically go read up on nutrition and training

I just want to maintain the weight I am now. I'm not bothered about gaining muscle, but I would like a six pack. I have one at the moment almost, but I want to make it more defined.

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Originally Posted by James89

I just want to maintain the weight I am now. I'm not bothered about gaining muscle, but I would like a six pack. I have one at the moment almost, but I want to make it more defined.

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More defined six pack = losing more fat, not working out abs - but if you do that you'll look even more like a holocaust surviver than you do now. Someone like you, eating 1.3-15.k calories, won't need to eat 3.5k calories to gain weight. For a start you need to realise that eating more than 1.5k calories shouldn't make you feel guilty - you are underweight now. Plus eating such little fat is bad, what do you think your cell membranes are made from, etc etc. I would disagree that your body is in a catabolic state now, you've probably been eating like this for a long enough time that your muscles have wasted down to a mass small enough to be maintained with such few calories. I'd suggest eating a lot more and lifting weights but if that isn't for you, at least eat more and gain some weight, get your testosterone levels above those of a school girl. BTW, those side planks/crunches/<insert fad exercise here> are doing very little for you, sure you might build up some 'core strength' but not in such a way as you would if you did some real exercises like squats and deadlifts.

Chances are you're lacking on some nutrients too, it isn't as simple as getting in your macronutrients, you need the micros too (vitamins/minerals). If you feel like you can't possibly eat more than you are now but want to up calories, use whole milk instead of water at breakfast, drink milk after a meal (not before or it will fill you up) and look for other ways to squeeze in more calories.

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Originally Posted by Wig44.

More defined six pack = losing more fat, not working out abs - but if you do that you'll look even more like a holocaust surviver than you do now. Someone like you, eating 1.3-15.k calories, won't need to eat 3.5k calories to gain weight. For a start you need to realise that eating more than 1.5k calories shouldn't make you feel guilty - you are underweight now. Plus eating such little fat is bad, what do you think your cell membranes are made from, etc etc. I would disagree that your body is in a catabolic state now, you've probably been eating like this for a long enough time that your muscles have wasted down to a mass small enough to be maintained with such few calories. I'd suggest eating a lot more and lifting weights but if that isn't for you, at least eat more and gain some weight, get your testosterone levels above those of a school girl. BTW, those side planks/crunches/<insert fad exercise here> are doing very little for you, sure you might build up some 'core strength' but not in such a way as you would if you did some real exercises like squats and deadlifts.

Chances are you're lacking on some nutrients too, it isn't as simple as getting in your macronutrients, you need the micros too (vitamins/minerals). If you feel like you can't possibly eat more than you are now but want to up calories, use whole milk instead of water at breakfast, drink milk after a meal (not before or it will fill you up) and look for other ways to squeeze in more calories.

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Hey, thanks for your advice, much appreciated. I'll look into lifting some weights and some more advanced abdominal workouts. I suppose it's right what they say about 2000kcal is about right because some days I feel really tired and starving but I do feel guilty as I said if I do eat some extra calories on top of the 1300-1500 kcal mark.

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Originally Posted by James89

Hey, thanks for your advice, much appreciated. I'll look into lifting some weights and some more advanced abdominal workouts. I suppose it's right what they say about 2000kcal is about right because some days I feel really tired and starving but I do feel guilty as I said if I do eat some extra calories on top of the 1300-1500 kcal mark.

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Drop the ab workouts completely, they are doing nothing for you.

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Originally Posted by Wig44.

Drop the ab workouts completely, they are doing nothing for you.

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My abs do feel harder and I can see a visible 4 pack, it's just the bottom 2 that aren't visible fully. Why should I drop the ab workout Wig?

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Originally Posted by James89

My abs do feel harder and I can see a visible 4 pack, it's just the bottom 2 that aren't visible fully. Why should I drop the ab workout Wig?

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They aren't doing anything for you.

Abs come from low body fat %, not doing exercises. You can't lose fat in just one area either. You are wasting your time with them - if you do planks/crunches you'll get better.. at planks and crunches. They don't build up core strength anywhere near as well as a proper exercise like the squat, if core strength means anything to you.

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Originally Posted by Wig44.

They aren't doing anything for you.

Abs come from low body fat %, not doing exercises. You can't lose fat in just one area either. You are wasting your time with them - if you do planks/crunches you'll get better.. at planks and crunches. They don't build up core strength anywhere near as well as a proper exercise like the squat, if core strength means anything to you.

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Seems logical yeah. But surely if I consume more calories, my body fat percentage will increase, therefore my abdomen muscles won't be as visible?

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Originally Posted by James89

Seems logical yeah. But surely if I consume more calories, my body fat percentage will increase, therefore my abdomen muscles won't be as visible?

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You may gain fat but it is a small price to pay for the far better muscle gains you get when you eat above maintenance. Drop the fat later, you're a skinny guy - you'll shed fat without trying. Since I know skinny guys can have a problem with gaining even small amounts of fat, just think, you have like 10 months before summer, a few weeks is usually all it takes for skinnies to drop fat from several months of accumulation.

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Originally Posted by Wig44.

You may gain fat but it is a small price to pay for the far better muscle gains you get when you eat above maintenance. Drop the fat later, you're a skinny guy - you'll shed fat without trying. Since I know skinny guys can have a problem with gaining even small amounts of fat, just think, you have like 10 months before summer, a few weeks is usually all it takes for skinnies to drop fat from several months of accumulation.

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Thanks for replying informatively again Wig, much appreciated. How many calories do you think I should consume then on an average day? Sorry about all the questions, you seem like a smart guy who knows what he's talking about. :P

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Originally Posted by James89

Thanks for replying informatively again Wig, much appreciated. How many calories do you think I should consume then on an average day? Sorry about all the questions, you seem like a smart guy who knows what he's talking about. :P

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No problems, if the knowledge is there you may as well make good use of it eh?

I would say 3000 is a minimum, 3500 is better and 4000 is a good target. Even when I was a lot skinnier I could get down 4.5k calories without too much hassle. Build your way up, start at 3000 though. Track calories (not because I necessarily believe in it - just skinny guys over estimate what they eat, from experience). If you can go above 4000 then by all means, do it. Consider GOMAD (Gallon of whole milk per day) obviously this is to get your calories up, you won't do it long term, more like 2-5 weeks. Drink the milk straight after each meal. Gomad is, of all the recommendation, the most optional.

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Originally Posted by Wig44.

No problems, if the knowledge is there you may as well make good use of it eh?

I would say 3000 is a minimum, 3500 is better and 4000 is a good target. Even when I was a lot skinnier I could get down 4.5k calories without too much hassle. Build your way up, start at 3000 though. Track calories (not because I necessarily believe in it - just skinny guys over estimate what they eat, from experience). If you can go above 4000 then by all means, do it. Consider GOMAD (Gallon of whole milk per day) obviously this is to get your calories up, you won't do it long term, more like 2-5 weeks. Drink the milk straight after each meal. Gomad is, of all the recommendation, the most optional.

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Okay, that sounds cool, thanks. Is it 3000 to maintain my current weight, or 3000 to make me gain weight?

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Originally Posted by James89

Okay, that sounds cool, thanks. Is it 3000 to maintain my current weight, or 3000 to make me gain weight?

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Gain, but you may find you need to go a bit higher (3.5/4k) to get a decent weight gain (2lbs a week is a minimum to shoot for I guess).

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Originally Posted by Wig44.

Gain, but you may find you need to go a bit higher (3.5/4k) to get a decent weight gain (2lbs a week is a minimum to shoot for I guess).

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I don't really want to gain weight, so how many calories would I need to consume to keep my weight the same as now?