Need help starting

jerilynconn

I tried em2wl before but i did it all wrong. I saw it as an excuse to eat whatever i want. It made me so sick.

This time i want to do it right.
I restrict my calories to 1200 on and off because it isn't sustainable for me (duh me). I restricted from 26 sept until yesterday. The last time of restriction was 23 june to 15 july.

So, i have already jumped up to my bmr- 1488. Should i slowly increase to tdee (2360) or jump up to it? If slowly, how slow?

I'm already eating %40c/30p/30f and lifting heavy because i love it.

Thank you!

(Feel free to pm or add me as a friend!)

Firefly0606

Seems like most people go slowly and add 100 per week until they get to TDEE as it seems like this usually minimizes gains. It's largely to help with the psychological factor of seeing gains.

I was eating around 1700-1800 on average, started by upping to 2000 for about a week, then 2400 for another week, and now 2700. I have put on 1.5kg (about 3lbs). 1kg of this was after 1 week and I have largely stabilized ever since while pushing my calories higher and higher (my TDEE by the calculators is 2800). In a few days time I will push it a little higher to see if I get get to 2800 while my weight stays stable. It's fun!

Jumping straight in doesn't sound like it is for everyone but has been amazing for me - I decided after 1 week of a reset and only gaining 1kg that I did not care if I put on another 100kg with the reset (a big realization considering I currently weigh 108). I felt amazing, I felt for the first time in forever that I was in control of what I ate and who I am and my overall well being. I wasn't hungry any more and "losing weight" was no longer this lottery of trying to do everything right to only fail somehow - go way over on calories on a day...which turned into 2 or 3, not losing any weight, even worse - gaining, feeling fat, not having enough energy to do the right amount of exercise this week...if only I'd...

A big part of the healing with reset is the psychological side. If you can get in your head that it's ok to gain - because you are on the right track now and gaining is actually part of the plan, then jump in!! You have to find your TDEE, calculators are a guide but it will take time and patience, and monitoring what happens to determine what to do next.

jerilynconn

Thank you!

Would you saying weighing is essential in monitoring because i was just going to avoid the scale. Or if i want to avoid the scale, how long could i go between weighs?

heybales

If you avoid the scale you can't confirm what is water weight gained, and while eating at estimated TDEE, are you actually above or below it based on results.

The first few weeks adding 100 extra daily each week is good to slowly get carb stores back while body senses it can speed up metabolism - but then increase by 250 each week after that, water weight gain is done by then.
Otherwise it'll take a long time.

KickboxDiva

I'm weighing a few times a week and seeing consultant numbers. However, a girl I'm following weighs first thing in the morning every day and divide it by 7 on the same day weekly. I thought that was a pretty good way of tracking it.

jerilynconn

Thank you! I will keep keeping track of my weight! I'm sure i'll be back with more fine tuning questions as time goes on.

jerilynconn

Okay was increasing by a few hundred every week, then freaked out and cut back to 1200, then lost control and just ate without caring. Tracked what i ate thxgiving week and was already eating about 2200 calories. Eating 2200 this week. I believe my tdee is estimated between 2300-2500 depending on the calculator.

Lifting 3x/week.

I am up at total of 4 pounds. (155>159)

Should i increase to 2300 or 2500 (scooby) and when?

heybales

Let this settle for another week and confirm you can eat it reliably, and give body a chance to deal with it knowing what to do with extra cal's.

So kiddo at home and shorter workouts, and perhaps desk job during day?
That does sound like rough moderately active.

jerilynconn

I have 3 kids at home- ages 3, 6 & 8. I homeschool my older ones. My workouts are about 30-40 minutes lifting stronglifts (alternates 2 days: a is squats, bench, barbell rows. B is squats, overhead press and deadlifts).

heybales

So easily Lightly Active even with sitting while doing school, pacing with yardstick looking threatening even more!
So Moderately Active might be on low side, but starting point.

jerilynconn

I started at 155 in november.
The last two weeks: 159
The last week & a half i have eaten 2250-2270 calories every day.

Todays weigh in: 160.2

Total up: 5 pounds.

Do i keep eating at this level?

heybales

So 5 lbs in 5 weeks then?

So that would imply 500 cal surplus if that wasn't just water weight.

You really think your TDEE is 1750 and below?

Didn't think so - so hold out. valid weekly weigh-ins useful now.

jerilynconn

Averaged 2268 calories daily last week.

I am up 2 pounds to 162.2. I believe thats about 7 pounds total. And for what its worth, almost exactly what I lost during the month of October by eating only 1200 calories.

It was my time of the month but i usually gain before hand and at the beginning and then lose it by the end of the week. I was also 2 days early (& i am usually a day or two late. Not sure if thats from eating more or what).

heybales

So 2 lbs in 1 week, that would be strange to keep gaining the good carb-based water weight. There's only so much storage for carbs, once topped off, that's about it unless endurance cardio training takes a big jump in workouts.
Or intensity of high-carb burning workouts increases greatly.
So probably is related to other things going on.

jerilynconn

I ate 2260 calories a day average. This week i weighed in at 162. Which is down .2 from last week.

Lifted 4 times last week.

Will be out of town mon-thurs but bringing a lot of my own food and my food scale so i can stay on track.

Jennifer_Lynn_1982

great updates!

jerilynconn

I didn't track 2 days this last week
But on the other days i ate about 2260. I didn't have access to the gym but lifted 3 days using bodyweight and dumbbells.

I was 164.6 yesterday and after popcorn and a bridal shower i was 165.6 this a.m. So up 3.6 since last week but i'm sure its not a true gain.

heybales

The "wedding cake syndrome" gain.
Except in this case the bridal shower, and not a bridesmaid starving herself all week to squeeze into a dress too small.

jerilynconn

This week I weighed in at 164.4, which is down 1.2 since last week.
Overall, up almost 10 pounds.

Still eating the same amount of food (about 2260) and lifting 4 days a week.

I've had two seperate weeks where i've jumped up 2 pounds and then maintained that for a week-
Dec 7- 160.2
Dec 14- 162.2
Dec 21- 162.0
Dec 28- 164.6 (sunday, was 165.6 mon after bridal shower)
Today (jan 4)- 164.4

Jennifer_Lynn_1982

@saranharm thank you for all of your updates! I too have been having some higher weigh-ins through December so this is so helpful! Currently eating 1950 cal/day on average with 4 days of lifting per week. Tough to not get frustrated but going to check my measurements on Saturday after a full week back eating normal foods and see where everything is.

Keep updating us please with your notes!

jerilynconn

Thanks @Jennifer_Lynn_1982

I will! I will have a measurement update this weekend too. I am not worried about my weight actually. My clothes still fit, i think i see changes in my legs and back, and i feel good (more energy!) i would love to eat even more lol but maybe its that time of the month talking

Can't wait to hear your update this weekend!

jerilynconn

@Jennifer_Lynn_1982 i went ahead and did my measurements!

So after 6 weeks of eating ~2270 (about my estimated tdee. I think scooby gave me an estimate of 2500) calories a day and lifting 4 days a week (on an endurance plan right now, switching up to a hypertrophy plan monday)- no cardio.

I am up 9.6 pounds.

My measurements are all the same except for:
Bust (up 1/2")
Waist (up 1")
Arm (up 1/2")
Thigh (up 1/2")

Kinda disappointed. I was hoping to lose a little in inches! Still have to do my photos and then I can compare those.

I've been very hungry the past two days which is not helping and hormonal to boot.

So... Keep on keeping on? What should I do? ( @heybales )

Jennifer_Lynn_1982

* following

heybales

What did my Just TDEE calc give for TDEE?

jerilynconn

I'm assuming you are talking about your excel/google doc worksheet @heybales ?

It gave me 2,213.

heybales

Ok, good, because the jumps still had me concerned, they jumps associated with topping off more glucose stores should be well done when you first started eating more - unless the workout routine just changed up in some big way.
Because it's still too much and fast for anything besides water weight.

Do you do stiff drinks?

Do you do low carb normally?

jerilynconn

I've been drinking .75-1.5 oz of vodka each night but only in the last week. (I didn't drink at all in december, which i find ironic). So since my last weigh in.

No to low carb.

Started my endurance workout beginningish of december. About to switch it up monday.

What else could it be?

On the em2wl internet forum it was suggested to me to keep inching up my calories until i gain and the gain remains steady, then pull it back down by 100 to my new tdee.

KickboxDiva

Ok this might be a weird question but being a vodka loving girl I have to ask. Heybales, why did you ask her that and saranharm, why do you do shots nightly? Is that a coincidence or did I miss some health benefit I need to know about?

jerilynconn

I just have a hard time relaxing. As a stay at home, homeschooling mom i don't "get" off of work. So at night i enjoy vokda/coke or a moscow mule something like that.

jerilynconn

@KickboxDiva sometimes i have a margarita. I'm not incredibly picky as long as its yummy and not too strong lol.

I also started using "happy scale" app today to track my weight daily to see patterns.

Jennifer_Lynn_1982

Funny, I started using the "happy scale" app on Monday too @saranharm - hoping that will help me see my fluctuations as less irritating!