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Help with Calories while Lifting for Weight Loss

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ngaliyin
ngaliyin Posts: 71 Member
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Heavy lifting ladies, please help.

I lost about 25lbs or so on a deficit eating at 1500 calories using MFP settings and doing Ice Cream Fitness 5x5. Loss was set at 2lbs p week.

I had sx and took 6 months to recover and maintained that loss.

I've been back lifting and wanting to lose but instead I've been gaining. I weigh my foods on a food scale (same as when I did to lose), I was eating between 1500 and 1700 calories p day, lifting 4 days p week and have gained about 6 to 8lbs in the past 5 weeks.

When I first started gaining weight while lifting heavy, I was eating between 1200 to 1500 calories. I was advised on the forums here on MFP to increase my calories because I wasn't eating enough.

Anyway, today I've increase my calories to eat between 1700 to 1900 calories per day and hope to track the next couple of weeks to see if anything changes to my liking.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Thank you.

Replies

  • ngaliyin
    ngaliyin Posts: 71 Member
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    ngaliyin wrote: »
    Heavy lifting ladies, please help.

    I lost about 25lbs or so on a deficit eating at 1500 calories using MFP settings and doing Ice Cream Fitness 5x5. Loss was set at 2lbs p week.

    I had sx and took 6 months to recover and maintained that loss.

    I've been back lifting and wanting to lose but instead I've been gaining. I weigh my foods on a food scale (same as when I did to lose), I was eating between 1500 and 1700 calories p day, lifting 4 days p week and have gained about 6 to 8lbs in the past 5 weeks.

    When I first started gaining weight while lifting heavy, I was eating between 1200 to 1500 calories. I was advised on the forums here on MFP to increase my calories because I wasn't eating enough.

    Anyway, today I've increase my calories to eat between 1700 to 1900 calories per day and hope to track the next couple of weeks to see if anything changes to my liking.

    Any suggestions appreciated.

    Thank you.


    Yahoooooo!!!!!!! I think I'm getting this now!!!!

    Yesterday I ate MORE and today I weigh LESS!!! I ate 1863 calories yesterday and I weigh 1.2lbs LESS today.

    Thanks to all the weight lifters who posted about eating more in other forums.

    I'll update again in a couple of weeks to help any heavy weight lifter who's stalled or gaining on a deficit.
  • LorieJ35
    LorieJ35 Posts: 16 Member
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    I'm following, so keep me updated. Having the same problem right now.
  • pwrfl1
    pwrfl1 Posts: 673 Member
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    Me too!
  • ngaliyin
    ngaliyin Posts: 71 Member
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    Down another pound this morning, ladies, but I think 2 full weeks of tracking this should give us a path to follow.

    FYI, I used Scooby bodybuilding's calorie calculator to find my TDEE and BMR as well as what I should eat for a 20% fat loss rate. I set my activity level as moderate. I know now that I was not eating enough to fuel my body.

    I'm so excited to see the scale moving down and look forward to reporting to you again in a couple of weeks :smiley:
  • fi_b
    fi_b Posts: 121 Member
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    Hey Ngaliyin!
    Sounds like I'm looking at a similar goal to you, I was wondering if you get your body fat percentage checked at all? When I first started aiming for losing fat but gaining muscle I was horrified any time the scales didn't reflect what I thought I was aiming for. These days I generally don't weight myself but do get BF% checked - in addition to being mindful of how my clothes fit me. I just found it helpful to see the muscle mass going up and fat going down to know I was on the right track :smiley:
    Good luck with your continued progress!!
  • ngaliyin
    ngaliyin Posts: 71 Member
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    fi_b wrote: »
    Hey Ngaliyin!
    Sounds like I'm looking at a similar goal to you, I was wondering if you get your body fat percentage checked at all? When I first started aiming for losing fat but gaining muscle I was horrified any time the scales didn't reflect what I thought I was aiming for. These days I generally don't weight myself but do get BF% checked - in addition to being mindful of how my clothes fit me. I just found it helpful to see the muscle mass going up and fat going down to know I was on the right track :smiley:
    Good luck with your continued progress!!

    Thank you. No, I haven't had my BF % checked. I'll go ahead and use one of the online calculators to get an idea. i think taking my measurements too might be of help. I've considered ditching the scale - ha ha ha - someday soon I'll do it. So what is your current weight and how have things shifted for you? Thanks again so much!
  • Abatab
    Abatab Posts: 6 Member
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    I got a great set of scales on sale which measure weight and BF%. I mainly focus on the BF and just keep an eye on my weight
  • riveragirl15
    riveragirl15 Posts: 48 Member
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    Definitely check your BF. If you want to fine tune what you're eating try calculating macros and hitting them daily. It will help with getting the right nutrients to continue building muscle and not depositing the food into fat.
  • ngaliyin
    ngaliyin Posts: 71 Member
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    Abatab wrote: »
    I got a great set of scales on sale which measure weight and BF%. I mainly focus on the BF and just keep an eye on my weight

    Thank you. I'm going to look for a scale like that.
  • ngaliyin
    ngaliyin Posts: 71 Member
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    riveragirl15 wrote: »
    Definitely check your BF. If you want to fine tune what you're eating try calculating macros and hitting them daily. It will help with getting the right nutrients to continue building muscle and not depositing the food into fat.

    Thank you. I do have have my macros set and am hitting them most of the time - especially protein :smiley:
  • ngaliyin
    ngaliyin Posts: 71 Member
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    ngaliyin wrote: »
    ngaliyin wrote: »
    Heavy lifting ladies, please help.

    I lost about 25lbs or so on a deficit eating at 1500 calories using MFP settings and doing Ice Cream Fitness 5x5. Loss was set at 2lbs p week.

    I had sx and took 6 months to recover and maintained that loss.

    I've been back lifting and wanting to lose but instead I've been gaining. I weigh my foods on a food scale (same as when I did to lose), I was eating between 1500 and 1700 calories p day, lifting 4 days p week and have gained about 6 to 8lbs in the past 5 weeks.

    When I first started gaining weight while lifting heavy, I was eating between 1200 to 1500 calories. I was advised on the forums here on MFP to increase my calories because I wasn't eating enough.

    Anyway, today I've increase my calories to eat between 1700 to 1900 calories per day and hope to track the next couple of weeks to see if anything changes to my liking.

    Any suggestions appreciated.

    Thank you.


    Yahoooooo!!!!!!! I think I'm getting this now!!!!

    Yesterday I ate MORE and today I weigh LESS!!! I ate 1863 calories yesterday and I weigh 1.2lbs LESS today.

    Thanks to all the weight lifters who posted about eating more in other forums.

    I'll update again in a couple of weeks to help any heavy weight lifter who's stalled or gaining on a deficit.



    It's been 2 weeks. Except for a couple of days where I ate around 1500, I ate between 1700 and 1900 calories. I lost 2,2lbs. Not as much as i wanted but at least I didn't gain.

    The body scale makes me sad so I've decided to ditch it for a while and see where i end up in 4 to 6 weeks.

    All the best everyone :smiley:
  • fi_b
    fi_b Posts: 121 Member
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    ngaliyin wrote: »
    ngaliyin wrote: »
    ngaliyin wrote: »
    Heavy lifting ladies, please help.

    I lost about 25lbs or so on a deficit eating at 1500 calories using MFP settings and doing Ice Cream Fitness 5x5. Loss was set at 2lbs p week.

    I had sx and took 6 months to recover and maintained that loss.

    I've been back lifting and wanting to lose but instead I've been gaining. I weigh my foods on a food scale (same as when I did to lose), I was eating between 1500 and 1700 calories p day, lifting 4 days p week and have gained about 6 to 8lbs in the past 5 weeks.

    When I first started gaining weight while lifting heavy, I was eating between 1200 to 1500 calories. I was advised on the forums here on MFP to increase my calories because I wasn't eating enough.

    Anyway, today I've increase my calories to eat between 1700 to 1900 calories per day and hope to track the next couple of weeks to see if anything changes to my liking.

    Any suggestions appreciated.

    Thank you.


    Yahoooooo!!!!!!! I think I'm getting this now!!!!

    Yesterday I ate MORE and today I weigh LESS!!! I ate 1863 calories yesterday and I weigh 1.2lbs LESS today.

    Thanks to all the weight lifters who posted about eating more in other forums.

    I'll update again in a couple of weeks to help any heavy weight lifter who's stalled or gaining on a deficit.



    It's been 2 weeks. Except for a couple of days where I ate around 1500, I ate between 1700 and 1900 calories. I lost 2,2lbs. Not as much as i wanted but at least I didn't gain.

    The body scale makes me sad so I've decided to ditch it for a while and see where i end up in 4 to 6 weeks.

    All the best everyone :smiley:

    Progress, not perfection :wink: and I'm so happy to hear you're ditching the scales for a bit - it's quite liberating actually hahahaha.
  • CW101
    CW101 Posts: 85 Member
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    Thanks for posting! It's something I've been wondering about.
  • shimonajade
    shimonajade Posts: 12 Member
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    Just read your thread now, I am having a similar issue, was wondering if eating more helped?
  • Furtado2
    Furtado2 Posts: 12 Member
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    What do your macros look like?
  • katnoir1
    katnoir1 Posts: 128 Member
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    @fi_b do you check your BF% yourself, or do you get a professional to do it (DEXA, hydrostatic, etc)?
  • lwhayes820
    lwhayes820 Posts: 145 Member
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    Hello -
    I'm new to this group. I'm having trouble putting together meal plans with enough protein. Carbs and fat are not a problem :p Can anyone recommend some meals / meal plans that provide your protein needs?
  • laniferous
    laniferous Posts: 10 Member
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    lwhayes820 wrote: »
    Hello -
    I'm new to this group. I'm having trouble putting together meal plans with enough protein. Carbs and fat are not a problem :p Can anyone recommend some meals / meal plans that provide your protein needs?

    Hey! I found protein really hard to make up at first. I'm hitting my goal a lot easier after changing a few things!
    - I have 3 eggs with mushrooms for breakfast most mornings
    - I try to incorporate a large protein rich source into my lunch and/or dinner. Chicken breast is a godsend, roast fish is easy and very protein rich.
    - Protein powder. I use a whey protein isolate twice a day, which is 26g of protein to 3g carb per serve. Really helps to make up the numbers and there are heaps on the market!

    Hope that helps xx
  • ydgabby
    ydgabby Posts: 2 Member
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    Do not worry about the scale when it comes to weight training! This is one of those things where you really just have to trust the process, because there are so many things other than fat gain that could be making your weight go up. Often times, your muscles retain water to try and recover after being strained in the weight room, and it is actually completely expected that the number on the scale will rise a bit. As long as youre not eating over your TDEE you aren't going to gain fat, you may even gain muscle at the same time as you lose fat which is common for beginning weight lifters. I hope this eased your mind a bit and good luck on your journey!

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