NROLW questions

FatStephanie15

Ok. I bought NROLW last night and am pouring over it this weekend in prep to start phase 1 Monday. I am in Chapter 7, and just finished calculating my calories according to the formulas in the book. Now, I'm scared. to. death. to eat as many as it's telling me to eat. I am Obese. My BMI is 37.4. By their formula, on nonwork out days I should be getting 2,161cal on non workout days and 2,449 on workout days. Can that be right?! It seems like an absurd amount. Especially since over vacation this past week, I set my calories to maintain current weight, and it gave me a limit of roughly 1900. Since I am obese, should I stick with MFP's goals or adjust to these numbers? I need some guidance, pretty please!!

DawnEmbers

Hi there. I didn't see the post till now but figured I would at least try and respond, though there are some in the NROLFW group on MFP who might be able to help with any questions you have on the program as well.

I know a number of us didn't follow the nutrition portion. In part, the whole book is focused on letting women know they can lift weights to get the body they want and don't need to rely on the 1200 calorie diet that many assume is necessary for weight loss. But people start the program at different points/goals, so it's hard to put it all in just one chapter of a book. I went through the program at obese and just recently am now overweight. I didn't follow the nutrition guides, but for most of it had MFP set to lost 1 lb a week. I had it at 1.5 in the beginning but after some weight loss it suggested going down to 1200, so I refused and changed my goal to 1 instead. Then again, I'm also short so my range is a bit lower than some. Right now I get just over 1400 before exercise, but I lift 3 days a week and jog 3 days, one day includes them both which equals to 2 "rest" days per week. Most of the week I'm eating more like 1600-1700. I'm also not sedentary at my job as I'm on my feet 6-8 hours moving around and on freight day I do even more.

I chose to keep in a deficit as I'd already gone through 12 weeks of Stronglifts while eating at a deficit before I started NROLF. It worked pretty well for me though I have considered to switching more to a TDEE approach where you eat the same amount every day instead of lower on some and higher on others. With that it's maintenance minus a certain percentage (depending how much you have to lose and such) while factoring overall activity. I did have a trainer recommend eating more on the rest days, so it's in the back of my mind. Anyways...


Short answer summary: You can follow the guidelines of the book if you want to go with their whole approach. However, you don't have to and can also work the program with a deficit. Just make sure you get enough protein and try not to go too low on the calories because you want to give your body enough fuel for all that heavy lifting.

charitys_aloette

Never, ever use BMI as a guide of any sort. My own doctor told me that. BMI is not able to specify body weight in muscle vs. fat. I would maybe consult with your family doctor on where your body is at and what he thinks about the calorie intake.

Graceious1

I agree with not using BMI. I lift three days a week and do martial arts twice a week and am pretty fit. My BMI is around the same as yours Stephanie but, to look at me, you could say that I am more athletic than obese. Try not to worry about eating 2161 calories per day (that's about how much I eat) because it the fuel you need for your workouts. Going to your doctor is a good start too.

Julieboolieaz

If you are new to lifting you will be very unhappy with the scale, at least initially. Measure yourself and then retake measurements along the way. Body fat is also a good way to track, with scale being the last method I'd recommend.

We are all different. I didn't follow the book's diet but know that I'm more sensitive to carbs than most people are. I've lost 100-120lbs about 10 years ago so I have different challenges than most women do. For me. I'm trying to change my mindset from being thin, to being fit and strong!

Do what works for you!

charitys_aloette

Yes. I agree with the measurements suggestion. I do both (weight and measurements). One week I was up almost 5 pounds and just about freaked... until I took my measurements. They were smaller than I had had previously (in the ribs, waist and stomach area).