@sweetkf 5’4” and 124 lbs, and I can say if you enjoy being active it’s quite possible to have a 2500 daily calorie need. I know because I did for two years straight (lots and lots of hilly bike riding and bike commuting). I can’t even imagine how annoying it must be to be large and active. Like you’d have to eat all the time and break the bank at the grocery store.
Just watched a large man’s “what I eat in a day” IG real and once again mad at how little we can eat
- Thread starter shieldofangels
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forwhatitsworth
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@shieldofangels Food is fuel. You eat for the nutrients. This man isn’t mindless stuffing his face with empty calories. He’s clearly eating to hit whatever health and fitness goals he has set for himself. If a smaller person is following the same path they’ll feel the same way he does when they’re done with their food.
Larger people require more calories. If anything it’s more challenging for them than it is for those of use who require fewer calories to fuel our activity.
Larger people require more calories. If anything it’s more challenging for them than it is for those of use who require fewer calories to fuel our activity.
@forwhatitsworth the reason we are complaining is because we can only eat 1/2 or even 1/3 of what some men our same heights can eat. one of my best friends is only an inch taller than me and eats TRIPLE what i do to maintain his weight.
some of us actually enjoy eating food and would like to not have to count our calories every day to keep ourselves from gaining weight; but because we are short and petite, we have to be more careful and can’t afford as much wiggle room
some of us actually enjoy eating food and would like to not have to count our calories every day to keep ourselves from gaining weight; but because we are short and petite, we have to be more careful and can’t afford as much wiggle room
@shieldofangels Comparison is a thief of joy.
lukeworsham
New member
@shieldofangels Honestly if you get in lots of fiber (volume), protein and also starches in order to feel satiated, these kinds of things shouldn't seem as desirable. You need to find a way of eating within your caloric boundaries that makes you feel happy and fulfilled, physically and emotionally. I assure you that you won't even care what or how much some other person on the internet eats. At least that's my case. I find myself obsessing over all these food IG reels only when I'm undereating...
@shieldofangels I don't get why it matters? Of course a bigger active person is going to need more food. If you want to be able to eat more, focus on growing muscle. My maintenance has increased from 1,200 to 2,200 so far. I'm bulking at the moment, which means my calories are at 2,500+ per day.
@shieldofangels If you reduce fat you'll be able to eat more volume and that should help satisfy you! I recommend looking into the McDougall Program 
https://www.drmcdougall.com/recipes
https://www.drmcdougall.com/recipes@shieldofangels
I saw this on /r/all, I'm not a regular here. But just to give context, my TDEE is ~4300. I'm a large man, and I'm more active than 95% of the population. One of my meals is probably equal to (or more than) what you eat in a day.
I say this to say that in my personal experience, what you described is not an unreasonable amount of food.
My wife is much smaller than I am, both in height and muscle mass. Her TDEE is ~1750, so on an average day, she eats literally less than half what I eat (she will eat a whole pie on Holidays though, haha).
For breakfast today, I had 3 biscuits smothered in sausage gravy (~12oz of gravy), 3 pieces of deep fried chicken, 3 scrambled eggs (with cheese) and a decent portion of hash browns.
My wife had 1 biscuit, buttered (no gravy), one piece of air-fried chicken, 2 egg whites (no cheese), and no hash browns.
I'm currently trying to put on another 20-25 pounds, while she is trying to lose 5-10 more pounds from a (relatively) recent pregnancy.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, and I am definitely not your doctor, so do not take this as medical advice, or dietary advice. What works for us may not work for you, I am just describing our own lived experience.
I saw this on /r/all, I'm not a regular here. But just to give context, my TDEE is ~4300. I'm a large man, and I'm more active than 95% of the population. One of my meals is probably equal to (or more than) what you eat in a day.
I say this to say that in my personal experience, what you described is not an unreasonable amount of food.
My wife is much smaller than I am, both in height and muscle mass. Her TDEE is ~1750, so on an average day, she eats literally less than half what I eat (she will eat a whole pie on Holidays though, haha).
For breakfast today, I had 3 biscuits smothered in sausage gravy (~12oz of gravy), 3 pieces of deep fried chicken, 3 scrambled eggs (with cheese) and a decent portion of hash browns.
My wife had 1 biscuit, buttered (no gravy), one piece of air-fried chicken, 2 egg whites (no cheese), and no hash browns.
I'm currently trying to put on another 20-25 pounds, while she is trying to lose 5-10 more pounds from a (relatively) recent pregnancy.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, and I am definitely not your doctor, so do not take this as medical advice, or dietary advice. What works for us may not work for you, I am just describing our own lived experience.
shieldofangels
New member
danieljames
New member
@shieldofangels I’m 5’3”, 115lbs 40yo and I maintain on 2200/2300. Gone are the days of gaining at 1400. I REFUSE to eat that little ever again in my life. I spent about 8 months of 2023 reverse dieting until I got to a calorie amount that didn’t feel restrictive. I bulk at 2500-2700 and cut at 1800-1900.
I lift 4 days a week in an upper lower split. With another “junk” day (core, yoga, any muscle group I want to prioritize). I walk an average of 7K steps per day. I have a sedentary office job and do about 20-30 minutes of dedicated cardio per week. Cause I hate it lol.
Definitely there is a way that you don’t have to settle to eat minimal amounts for the rest of your life!
I lift 4 days a week in an upper lower split. With another “junk” day (core, yoga, any muscle group I want to prioritize). I walk an average of 7K steps per day. I have a sedentary office job and do about 20-30 minutes of dedicated cardio per week. Cause I hate it lol.
Definitely there is a way that you don’t have to settle to eat minimal amounts for the rest of your life!
@danieljames How did you reverse diet?
danieljames
New member
@danieljames Thanks! How slowly did you increase? I’m thinking of maybe trying 100 calories a day for a week and see how I do, then maybe add another 100 a day for another week or two.
danieljames
New member
flyingsquirrel256
New member
@shieldofangels I do think he can eat that much. once you get past the cream cheese (which was probably vegan based on the rest of the menu) , most of the menu is veggies and carbs. If he's active he can burn 3000+ a day. That means he needs at least that much to stay at weight, if he's trying to GAIN weight for bodybuilding, then he actually needs to eat more.
needhelpbelieving
New member
@shieldofangels Well, I eat around 1000/1200 calories a day so it's definitely NOT MUCH.
Sometimes it feels unfair, I agree.
But I tend to gain weight if I eat more than that so
.
It feels bad when you're getting back on track and you're switching back to eating less after eating "what a tall person can afford to eat daily" for a few months or years.
But once you're used to your normal "petite" regimen again, it's manageable.
In my experience, don't try to eat like a tall person. For instance, 2000 calories is way too much for me. Whenever I eat like that daily for months/years I get to be 10 to 20 kgs overweight, even though the portions are fairly reasonable and even though I walk 1 hours to 2 hours a day...but I'm petite so I can't eat like them and get to be fit simultaneously!
Sometimes it feels unfair, I agree.
But I tend to gain weight if I eat more than that so
.It feels bad when you're getting back on track and you're switching back to eating less after eating "what a tall person can afford to eat daily" for a few months or years.
But once you're used to your normal "petite" regimen again, it's manageable.
In my experience, don't try to eat like a tall person. For instance, 2000 calories is way too much for me. Whenever I eat like that daily for months/years I get to be 10 to 20 kgs overweight, even though the portions are fairly reasonable and even though I walk 1 hours to 2 hours a day...but I'm petite so I can't eat like them and get to be fit simultaneously!
@shieldofangels while it sounds really good to be able to eat that much, idt my stomach can really handle that much anyway.
thesmiths313
New member
@shieldofangels I also hate when people come in with the put on muscle so your TDEE will increase like it won’t take several months to several years to safely put on that much muscle.
konstantinus
New member
@shieldofangels I feel you! I like checking out volume eating ideas because I love chowing down… but some of the “meals” on there are WAYYYYY too calorie dense and it makes me a bit jelly. Two chili cheese hot dogs with SIDES??? BWAHAHHAHAHA no way a single one maybe (no additional sides!)! Honestly though I prefer eating “lighter” foods. Cream cheese or ranch being added to things just makes me feel sick to my stomach I know it’s over my calories just THINKING about them… a giant bowl of salad with just a sprinkle of cheese topped with some vinaigrette though? I know even if I “over do it” my calories for the day will probably be fine, or at the least more at maintenance than a deficit. It’s when I fall into the sugary foods that I get into the most trouble!
@shieldofangels In general… if you want to eat more, move more, lift heavier, and build more muscle. That’s all there is to it. I don’t usually like to oversimplify things like this but… at 5’2” my maintenance is almost 1000 more than my BMR. It’s 200 more than most calculators will even tell me. I’m not special, I just like food so I did what I needed to do to make sure I can eat more food.