Searching for the right mix...
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Thanks!0
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Okay...heading into the 4th week of increase.
-My average calorie intake for the week was roughly 2200.
-My daily weight fluctuated from 222.2-227.6.
Today it jumped to 229.4 but I attribute this to eating out twice this past weekend and having the Oreo blast TWICE..Friday and Sunday.
This week I am jumping up to 2500 cals but I don't want to fill with junk or eating out more than I normally do.
I feel better today than last Monday. I had more rest days last week than the week before which lets me know that I need to exercise 4 days a week rather than 5.
I'm still nervous about when I going to get to the top of the mountain (maintenance) and how I can possibly eat anymore than I am.
Is it normal not to gain a lot getting to maintenance?
It is so strange how when I was not trying to lose weight, eating was NOT a problem and I never wondered and/or cared how many calories I ate. Now that I CAN eat to try to get to that long- forgotten- point, I am stressing over what to eat and afraid to go over a certain amount. Go figure...
Connie
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Correction on daily weight...NOT 222.2 but 226.2.
My lowest has never been 222...wishful thinking, I guess.0 -
For me that was the case. I did not gain much getting to maintenance. Mostly it was water weight or glycogen stores filling up. It normally settled pretty quickly. I've been at maintenance or slightly above for 10 weeks with only about 3lbs of sustained weight gain.0
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Also be aware that if your TDEE was initially based on 5 days of exercise and time spent doing it - switching to 4 days means your estimated TDEE is lower now.
Don't go up to the level based on 5 days if only doing 4 days of workouts.0 -
Yes...I changed to 3-5 hours moderate which changes the TDEE to 2552. So if I am eating 2500 this week, should my weight begin to stabilize in a another week or so?
Thanks,
Connie0 -
Usually the water weight that comes as a result of topping off glucose stores maxes out at 1-2 lbs, and more of that the first couple weeks increase, though a tad more with each increase too, but usually too small.
If the eating more means increased sodium levels too, there's some extra water retained. And that's even if it's just fine normal levels, but if compared to very low prior, it'll appear as extra water weight the whole time.
The weight gained because for a few days you are actually eating above your suppressed TDEE would be so small it wouldn't show up either on it's own.
So it really should be at stabilizing, outside other factors.
Like if more outdoor in the heat time sweating, blood volume can go up a pound in water.
Or workouts have gotten more intense so more water held for repair, or even more glucose stores being created than you had prior.0 -
I apparently entered the wrong info in Scooby.
For 3-5 hours of moderate activity, TDEE is 2273.
At 2500 cals, I'm eating above that this week.
I guess that will be the 250 test, huh?
Just ready to get there, stay there, then cut.
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Uh oh - I sense possibly starting to enjoy the extra food!
That makes it so difficult later.
Maybe eat extra cals as only the worst vegetables cooked the worst ways. ;-)
What are those little green steamed slime balls. ugh0 -
Either I losing my mind from excess eating or a magic genie is changing the numbers, but I just checked Scooby again and for 3-5 hours moderate activity for me TDEE is 2546! (Sigh)
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lovesretirement wrote: »Either I losing my mind from excess eating or a magic genie is changing the numbers, but I just checked Scooby again and for 3-5 hours moderate activity for me TDEE is 2546! (Sigh)
I don't think you're losing your mind, haha! This happens a lot and I think sometimes people forget to change the gender up and the top from male to female? That's my only guess as to why the numbers change. It's happened to me before too and it was because I had forgot to change the gender. It ended up working out in my case though, because my actual TDEE was closer to male numbers than female numbers. You are doing awesome upping your numbers! I love your reports.
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lovesretirement wrote: »Either I losing my mind from excess eating or a magic genie is changing the numbers, but I just checked Scooby again and for 3-5 hours moderate activity for me TDEE is 2546! (Sigh)
LoL, the calculators have to be filled in very carefully, they will default to other values, it has happened on several different ones for me. I always double check myself.
You are doing so well. Love following your journey.0 -
Okay..heading into 5th week. Bloated and tired from eating so much!
I'm not sure if I can get up to 250 more to test, but will try. Guess I have to have an Oreo blast everyday.
Average cals 2267. Was not feeling well one day, so cals were around 1700.
After a 229.4 spike, it went down and hovers around 227-228.6.
According to Happy Scale, I have gained 2.6 pounds in 29 days.
I will continue for July and hope to make a small cut in August.
Although I have cut my exercise down to 4 days, I'm still getting around 4-5 hours.
Connie
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Just checking in..Scooby has my TDEE at 2546.
Average calories for the week: 2300
Highest weight 229.6 and have maintained that for 3 days.
Lowest weight 227.8
3.3 pound gain in 35 days. I do feel bloated and some days cannot eat up to 2500. I have not taken any measurements, but pants are loose especially legs and thighs. Unfortunately, the waist is snug from bloat!
4 days (60 min each)of exercise last week. Taking an additional day of rest by doing only one class of Body Pump worked wonders! I had more stamina to get through training sessions and did not feel as though I had been run over by a truck!
Sleeping well.
Connie
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Great results.
Time to dig out that daily treat you can afford in calorie budget now.0 -
@heybales..yep, need to do it before the cut! 0
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I'm late checking in this week, but weight is steady and there has been no change in 9 days.
I'm still holding the 229.6 and cals have averaged 2200-2300.
Exercise has remained the same...4 days a week, 60-90 minutes.
Planning on cutting to 1800-1900 cals the first Monday in August.
I'm really gonna miss those Sonic Oreo blasts!
Thanks for all the help!
Connie0 -
Connie, great commitment to the process. Like your plan Hope to follow in your footsteps shortly. 0
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@retirehappy...I'm going to use a body fat monitor as well as the scale for weekly progress this time around. Even with the small gain over 6 weeks, my clothes are looser and I have deep craters (indentions) in the stomach and upper thigh area. Even so, I need to be under 200 pounds. That is way too much weight, and I keep telling myself that the scale will reflect a loss at some point in this journey. I am reading Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto in an effort to get things right after this diet break. I sincerely hope that my body is ready to shed the fat since I will not be starving it!
Connie0 -
You are doing so well!0
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Great job.
Gotta find a Sonic coupon now - i don't think Blasts count towards the half-priced shakes for whatever time they do that.
That will be a nice program, and I think you can easily tweak to keeping a reasonable deficit, I know some of those programs are specific to either males mostly, and/or lifting males - so the potential reasonable deficit is higher.
And you are right, as soon as you take your deficit - the fat weight will drop.0 -
Thanks, Heybales, it's a very good program and the author has given guidelines for regular folks(men/women) who just want to lose fat and bodybuilder types (men/women) who want to be in contests. The main components are nutrition, weightlifting, cardio, and mindset!! (imagine that!!! I think my exercise is fine as my trainer mixes things up each time, and I vary my cardio. However, I need to be more vigilant with logging and recording weekly results so that I can correct what is not getting me results. I am excited to start my deficit! 0
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Hi there!
I just wanted to stop by to give an update.
As you already know, I have been eating at maintenance (2200-2300)cals for 8 weeks. My beginning weight was 224.4.
When I started my cut last Monday, it was 230.2. (I had an Oreo blast the night before.)
Today, a week later, I weigh 226.4
That's 3.8 pounds in a week which I know is water...right Heybales?
My cals are 1800 5 days a week and 2000 two days a week. (the hardest workout days)
I have cut my exercise down to 4 days rather than 5 and no more than 45 minutes per session. I let body pump go for now as there was virtually no recovery time before my session with my trainer. My body has to recover. I kept at it until I woke one morning to a heavy feeling in my legs, headache, heart palpitations, and zero energy. Needless to say, I had to cancel my sessions with her that week.
As far as my eating goes...I am as meticulous as I can be with weighing and measuring. No processed foods and 40% protein, 35% carb, 25% fat. I've gone back to basics...chicken, salmon, egg whites, sweet potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal, and fresh veggies/minimal fruit. I'm also making sure I drink a lot of water. Since the cut, I have felt real hunger and really anticipate the next meal!
My body was slow to gain weight as I increased cals, but since the cut last week I have dropped almost to starting weight. What does that mean, Heybales?
I can only hope that this is the start of a downward trend. I am not doing a happy dance just yet. When I begin to drop fat on a regular basis and am well below 224, then I can truly say it worked.
Thanks for all your help and support!
Connie0 -
Oh, I'm sure you got a good pound of fat lost there too, totally rev'd up daily burn dropping in a deficit.
Good call with dropping a workout. Imagine if that was still in there with deficit added, even if a eating just a tad more.
For the hunger, are the super hard workouts in the morning where you really benefit from more calories that whole day?
Because if evening workout, and hungry the next day, may want to float some of those calories from workout day to repair day.
Do you have the types of workouts that can be measured objectively, like weight on the bar, pace or speed, ect?
Because they may indeed feel harder, but it sounds like you got good recovery time in there, so the next workout can remain a good hard one. Just want to keep an eye that performance remains.
Of course don't be discouraged if progress in workouts slows down or stops - you'll still be maintaining what you got, and dropping fat to show it off better now.
Besides, if you do a combo exercise break/diet break 2 weeks - you'll likely increase then and can maintain that new level until next time.0 -
Heybales...Thanks for your response!
I am working out early morning. I don't record weight on the bar or anything, but my trainer cuts me no slack. Every session, whether lower body or upper, is different and the weight gets progressively heavier until failure before dropping down.
Since the cut..
Monday. 30 min cardio DVD
Tuesday. 30 min cardio DVD
Wednesday 30 min trainer/15-20 min walk
Thursday rest
Friday 30 min trainer/15-20 min walk
Sat/Sun. rest
I want to drop the fat and maintain the muscle I have..I can see my biceps/triceps when flexed and my strength has improved! When I look back on things, I was simply exercising too much and eating too little. My body was in total stress mode, and I was fortunate that it did not seriously put me out of commission or that I did not injure myself.
Thanks to your explanations about cortisol and water weight gain coupled with water retained in muscles, suppressed TDEE, no recovery from workouts ...this led me to read and research even more on these issues and everything makes sense to me now. There was simply no way my body could shed any fat with all that going on! I have learned so much about my body and its needs.
Thanks,
Connie
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This week's loss was 1.8. I am now back to pre-break weight. Next week should tell the tale.
Connie0 -
Good to hear about your positive result. Keep on, keeping on. 0
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Hi all!
I have been meaning to get back here to report, but time has just gotten away from me..imagine that!
Anyway..today marks the day that I have officially dropped BELOW pre-maintenance weight..2 pounds and I'm taking it! I started maintenance (June and July) at 224.4 and this morning (started the cut August 3) I'm at 222.
I have been eating at 2,000 cals on workout days and around 1800 on non workout days. I just added back body pump this week. I am doing it on a Monday rather than Tuesday because that gives me a day to recover before working with trainer on Wednesday. So 3 days a week 45-60 minutes each time. On non workout days, I continue to walk and be active in other ways.
At the encouragement from my trainer, I had a cheat meal last Friday, and that is probably what finally pushed me under the pre- break weight.
So glad I got my body to respond to eating more to lose. It's gonna take time to get where I want to be, but at least I'm not starving myself!
Thanks for all your support!
Connie0 -
Great results and attitude sticking to it - may the results come pouring in! Or at least constant drizzle.0
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Connie, good to see you reporting a loss. You go Girl 0
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