Females! Advice/Tips/Stories

Ttlklutz

Hey there!
My name is JaNesse, I am 22 and since October 21, 2014 I have went from 204.8 to 147ish. In June I started lifting as my end goal is to be muscular, very muscular. I am having a hard time finding information how to transition from losing weight to gaining muscle. I still have a bit of body fat but got tired of all the cardio for that many months straight. I lift 3 days on, 1 off. My older brother is a gym nut, he is 6foot4 and 185 of muscle, so he helped me to create my routine. I mostly stay in the free weight section. I have already put on a good amount of muscle but I know I have to change my diet to get where I am trying to go. I am horrified to take the plunge. I have been on a 1200 cal diet since October and am scared to death to increase my calories. Does anyone have any advice? How much to do you all consume? I eat pretty healthy with the occasional emotional binge eating but other then that no processed foods other then protein bars.
Feel free to tell me everything you know thank you!

lbaxandall

Congrats on your achievement so far! That's awesome, be proud! I started lifting weights about 2 years ago, with no clue what I was doing. I was eating well below what I should have been, and I saw absolutely 0 difference. I was always sore and tired and I didn't make ANY increases in the weights I was lifting. The last year or so I started eating more and I've seen the biggest difference since about March/April! I eat about 1800-2000 calories a day (depending on if I worked out or not). I usually do 10 mins of cardio for a warm up, lift for 30-45 mins, then 10 mins of cardio for a cool down. Weekends, I usually just do cardio, 30-60 mins, depending on how ambitious I am. I'm not super lean, but I'm in decent, MAINTAINABLE shape! 6 pack abs usually aren't very maintainable for everyday life. I have muscle definition and am stronger than I was before! Lifting weights doesn't burn many calories in the moment, but in the long run it's more beneficial. Muscle burns more calories than fat does! I do throw cardio in, to keep my lungs/heart healthy and happy, and maybe help get rid of that lower belly fat that's so stubborn. But honestly, as long as you're lifting heavy enough, challenging yourself, and ENJOYING yourself doing so, increasing your calories won't put on fat, just increase your muscle gains! Good luck, keep us updated on how it goes!

scarlet56393

Your goals are very different from mine, but there was a point where i had wanted to lose weight and ate 1200. Lost so much weight, i lost my period. Went up to 1500, gained .25 to .8 pounds a week, went up to 2500, i actually lost even more weight, and then slowly went up from there. Point is, don't be afraid to have more calories, you may gain more than intended to at the beginning, but that is because your metabolism is so used to eating little, once it gets used to it, it will stop. I am 5'3 btw

arditarose

Don't be scared. Just start reversing, 100 calories or so per week. If you're really starting at 1200, you might want to make the first jump 200 calories. It'll take a few weeks to get to maintenance, then you'll still reverse to a 250 calorie surplus. You won't gain fat during this time because you'll be in a deficit...until you hit maintenance of course.

I did this starting mid october. It took me a few weeks to get into a surplus. I'm at 2000 calories now. I maintain on 1800.

Ttlklutz

lbaxandall wrote: »

Congrats on your achievement so far! That's awesome, be proud! I started lifting weights about 2 years ago, with no clue what I was doing. I was eating well below what I should have been, and I saw absolutely 0 difference. I was always sore and tired and I didn't make ANY increases in the weights I was lifting. The last year or so I started eating more and I've seen the biggest difference since about March/April! I eat about 1800-2000 calories a day (depending on if I worked out or not). I usually do 10 mins of cardio for a warm up, lift for 30-45 mins, then 10 mins of cardio for a cool down. Weekends, I usually just do cardio, 30-60 mins, depending on how ambitious I am. I'm not super lean, but I'm in decent, MAINTAINABLE shape! 6 pack abs usually aren't very maintainable for everyday life. I have muscle definition and am stronger than I was before! Lifting weights doesn't burn many calories in the moment, but in the long run it's more beneficial. Muscle burns more calories than fat does! I do throw cardio in, to keep my lungs/heart healthy and happy, and maybe help get rid of that lower belly fat that's so stubborn. But honestly, as long as you're lifting heavy enough, challenging yourself, and ENJOYING yourself doing so, increasing your calories won't put on fat, just increase your muscle gains! Good luck, keep us updated on how it goes!

Thank you! My journey to good health has been a spectacular ride, I remember just laying in bed stuffing my face with candy while looking at pictures of women who body build wishing I could be like them. It's insane that now I am to the point where I get to really start this portion. What are you fitness goals?

arditarose

lbaxandall wrote: »

Congrats on your achievement so far! That's awesome, be proud! I started lifting weights about 2 years ago, with no clue what I was doing. I was eating well below what I should have been, and I saw absolutely 0 difference. I was always sore and tired and I didn't make ANY increases in the weights I was lifting. The last year or so I started eating more and I've seen the biggest difference since about March/April! I eat about 1800-2000 calories a day (depending on if I worked out or not). I usually do 10 mins of cardio for a warm up, lift for 30-45 mins, then 10 mins of cardio for a cool down. Weekends, I usually just do cardio, 30-60 mins, depending on how ambitious I am. I'm not super lean, but I'm in decent, MAINTAINABLE shape! 6 pack abs usually aren't very maintainable for everyday life. I have muscle definition and am stronger than I was before! Lifting weights doesn't burn many calories in the moment, but in the long run it's more beneficial. Muscle burns more calories than fat does! I do throw cardio in, to keep my lungs/heart healthy and happy, and maybe help get rid of that lower belly fat that's so stubborn. But honestly, as long as you're lifting heavy enough, challenging yourself, and ENJOYING yourself doing so, increasing your calories won't put on fat, just increase your muscle gains! Good luck, keep us updated on how it goes!

Increasing calories to a surplus, while lifting, will give you fat and muscle gains. Fat gains can be slight if the surplus is small, 250 calories.

Ttlklutz

arditarose wrote: »

Don't be scared. Just start reversing, 100 calories or so per week. If you're really starting at 1200, you might want to make the first jump 200 calories. It'll take a few weeks to get to maintenance, then you'll still reverse to a 250 calorie surplus. You won't gain fat during this time because you'll be in a deficit...until you hit maintenance of course.

I did this starting mid october. It took me a few weeks to get into a surplus. I'm at 2000 calories now. I maintain on 1800.

How do you know how much you maintain on? I plan on just jumping straight to 1500, I chose that number because the contestants on biggest loser intake that much haha. Fantastic idea about adding more calories weekly, I would not have thought of that. What are you fitness goals?

arditarose

Ttlklutz wrote: »

arditarose wrote: »

Don't be scared. Just start reversing, 100 calories or so per week. If you're really starting at 1200, you might want to make the first jump 200 calories. It'll take a few weeks to get to maintenance, then you'll still reverse to a 250 calorie surplus. You won't gain fat during this time because you'll be in a deficit...until you hit maintenance of course.

I did this starting mid october. It took me a few weeks to get into a surplus. I'm at 2000 calories now. I maintain on 1800.

How do you know how much you maintain on? I plan on just jumping straight to 1500, I chose that number because the contestants on biggest loser intake that much haha. Fantastic idea about adding more calories weekly, I would not have thought of that. What are you fitness goals?

There are a ton of TDEE calculators online. I like the one at scooby's workshop. Also...You can set MFP to maintain, you know? Try and see what it gives you. I don't do cardio so I just use what the app gives me (since there are no exercise calories to add in).

Adding more calories weekly just helps with that initial water weight. Sometimes seeing it on the scale is a shocker.

My current goal is to run a 5 month (ish) bulk, gain muscle, and then cut again by July. I have strength and also physique goals. I'm hoping to get my lifts up during this bulk. As much as I enjoy seeing the changes in my body from body building/hypertrophy training, I get a real high from power lifting.

pebbleslaura1

Im wainting to gain healthy weight/muscle also some good advice here

Ttlklutz

arditarose wrote: »

Ttlklutz wrote: »

arditarose wrote: »

Don't be scared. Just start reversing, 100 calories or so per week. If you're really starting at 1200, you might want to make the first jump 200 calories. It'll take a few weeks to get to maintenance, then you'll still reverse to a 250 calorie surplus. You won't gain fat during this time because you'll be in a deficit...until you hit maintenance of course.

I did this starting mid october. It took me a few weeks to get into a surplus. I'm at 2000 calories now. I maintain on 1800.

How do you know how much you maintain on? I plan on just jumping straight to 1500, I chose that number because the contestants on biggest loser intake that much haha. Fantastic idea about adding more calories weekly, I would not have thought of that. What are you fitness goals?

There are a ton of TDEE calculators online. I like the one at scooby's workshop. Also...You can set MFP to maintain, you know? Try and see what it gives you. I don't do cardio so I just use what the app gives me (since there are no exercise calories to add in).

Adding more calories weekly just helps with that initial water weight. Sometimes seeing it on the scale is a shocker.

My current goal is to run a 5 month (ish) bulk, gain muscle, and then cut again by July. I have strength and also physique goals. I'm hoping to get my lifts up during this bulk. As much as I enjoy seeing the changes in my body from body building/hypertrophy training, I get a real high from power lifting.

I will be looking into that calculator. I am really going to have to work on shifting my mindset for "more calories means more fat" to "more calories means better health". I am getting there, it will take time though. Your goals are much more defined then mine, I hadn't even thought about how long to put on muscle before I cut. Things I will have to think about. I love lifting, my day just doesn't seem complete with it. I fell in love with the free weights section.
I don't step on the scale anymore, I know it's not a good way to assess my progress. I just take progress pictures and measure my waist.