Just starting - Am I doing this right?

michelski

Hi - i'm new at this (EM2LW) and have read loads (stickies, quick start guide), watched a few of the youtube videos and done my calculations using Scooby etc, but just want to check that i'm setting about this the right way?

For the past 10 years I have been on and off my 1100 - 1300 cals and trying to do cardio 3 times a week. Ive only gained a stone during those 10 years but I am now i'm finding my weight is creeping up and no matter what I do my weightloss is so much slower than it used to be (im well into my 40s which doesn't seem to help!).

So my TDEE is 1789 and my BMR is 1489. I probably could do with a metabolism reset and am petrified at gaining weight but if it means my body works properly for the rest of my life in the way it deals with weight loss then i'm happy to go for it.

I don't want to jump straight in at 1789 so I am adding 100 cals to where my cals have been for the past 2 months - starting with 1400 cals. I'm not doing any exercise at all and I have a desk job. I have put my activity level at sedentry. I plan on adding 100 cals each week for the first 3 weeks and then by week 4 I will be at TDEE, where I will stay for a number of weeks to see what I should do next.

My questions therefore are:

- should I, whilst I am ramping up calories to TDEE, add in any exercise? I have a cross trainer, a treadmill and a rowing machine at home so could do 2 x 30 mins of cardio in a week. Is there any benefit at this stage of doing that without doing strength training?

- once I get to TDEE and ive gained a few pounds (no doubt), do I just stay there on TDEE and watch my weight go up and up ? I read you should stay there for 8-12wks on those cals in order to assess what happens to your weight. Am I right in thinking that if it keeps going up then my TDEE is too high ? What happens then? If after 8+ weeks my weight starts to stay the same, does that means my TDEE is correct and I am now maintaining my weight at that calorie level which means a CUT would now work? Incidentially when I lost weight before my maintenance calories were 1780 ish and I remember finding when I tried to go from weightloss (1100 cals) to maintenance that those calories made me gain weight - but then that would be because my metabolism had adapted to my starvation approach I suspect? which is what I am keen to fix.

- During my 8+ weeks of metabolism reset on TDEE, I intend to start a weights program. I am nervous about this because ive never done it before, and I have weak shoulders and arms due to having had a Tennis Elbow operation. Im now a year post op and lifting everyday things is again ok, but I don't think heavy lifting is going to be something I can leap into because of the previous elbow issue (I do want to lift heavy as soon as my arms have regained some strength).

I'd really welcome some feedback

Thanks
Michelle

Raynn1

TDEE is based on your total daily expenditure. So if you calculated your TDEE based on doing no exercise, then if you decide to add exercise, you need to redo your TDEE, or at bare minimum, eat back your exercise cals that day.
Personally, working out is a stress release for me, so I dont give it up for anything. Its my "me" time, my time to destress and breathe and relax. I would say its important to get some exercise into your routine. Start small with maybe 10-20 mins a day and add from there, adjusting your TDEE as you go. Heavy lifting is subjective. Whats heavy for me, may be completely different for you. So find YOUR heavy lifting and go from there, even if thats 3 pounds or 300 pounds of weights. Find yours..

A reset is finding your tdee and sitting there for 6-12 weeks, sometimes longer depending on what your back history with dieting is. It can be tricky to find. If you maintain at a certain level for a period of time, it doesnt neccessarily mean you have found your TDEE. It can be your body adjusting to that specific level. You need to find that maintenance spot, then actually increase above it a little and watch the numbers then.. if after a number of weeks, your weight has steadily increased, then you know your original guess was correct. However, if increasing causes you to lose weight, or maintain still, then you have not found tdee. The calculators are a great starting point, but they arent 100% accurate. hope this helps a little.

you can get more advice from those of us going through it all on our em2wl forums found here: http://forums.eatmore2weighless.com/

Lots more information and help on our website as well:) www.em2wl.com

michelski

Thank you ! That clarifies a lot for me. I'm on day 3 of my increased cals building slowly to calculated TDEE and the numbers on scales are going down. I find this all very interesting. Once I get to the weekend I will add 3 exercise sessions and re calculate my TDEE but I will need to add the cals gradually as I'm scared a large number on the scale will scare me off !

I will have a read flood the forum too.

Thanks again
Michelle

Raynn1

Take it one step at a time. If increasing your cals is enough of a stressor right now, then add in the exercise once the cal level has reached your sedentary tdee.. then add in exercise, and then increase cals again. It helps to level off and take it slowly rather than add so much in, you have no idea which is up or not!:)

If the scale is going to scare you, then dont look at it. Put it away and just concentrate on fueling your body. The scale will jump up and down because its not used to the increase in cals, doesnt know whether you are going to "starve" it the next second, so it can retain a lot of fluids. Ease the stress, and just put the scale away for a bit.

Just remember though, YOU are worth more than the number on the scale

jerilynconn

Personally I would not do any cardio. Kiki says only leisurely cardio during a reset (slow walks or restorative yoga).

Yes, strength train! You said you had a program already? Which one?

I think adding in 100 a week is a good idea. You will add in 100 a week or two weeks once you get to your estimated tdee. Until your weight climbs up and doesn't stabilize.

For example, i am upping from 2400 to 2500 calories after eating 2400 calories for the past 2 weeks (my weight bounces between 163.6 and 165.4). After two weeks I will reassess. If my weight is still steady i will go to 2600 calories. If its going upwards (slowly because its not 3500 calories over my tdee, which would make me gain a pound) then I will cut back 100 and will have found my true tdee (not estimated). Then it will be the start of my reset- which should last a minimum of 6 weeks. I use the app "happy scale" when i weigh in every day and it shows the trend. I do this because i want to find my exact tdee. I don't freak out if i'm up a little. I'm my own science experiment- i just take the data daily.

Welcome!

michelski

Thank you Raynn1 and Saranharm - I know I'm worth it haha ... I don't actually have a lot to lose but having lived for the past 10 years thinking the only way to keep my weight down/constant was to eat below my BMR, i'm very keen now to learn now how to eat more, re train my metabolism and work with a much smaller deficit to achieve fat loss (which incidentally my fat percentage came out at 25% which is in the normal range for my age I've read). So I don't even have lots of fat to lose (definitely want rid of some though!) but I'm keen to build muscle - not only for strength but to reshape my body.

I think it would scare me more to not have the safety net of the scales so they will be staying in my bathroom and I intend to weigh daily just to keep a track of what's actually happening. I find it very interesting to watch the numbers and I will just have to deal with them going up when they do!

I've not told anyone that I am embarking on this journey so it's all very new and exciting and I just can't wait to get going. Today is day four of increasing my calories gradually so I'm eating 1400 cal a day this week and will increase that to 1500 cal a day next week. My only issue so far , despite knowing that it makes life easier if you keep carbs and protein at the same level for each meal is I'm actually finding that quite difficult to do without then going over the fat number, and sometimes my macros exceed target before I've exhausted my calories so I clearly have some work to do on getting that right!

Saranharm - I haven't yet started a weights program, I meant that I am looking forward to starting one. I need to do a lot more reading up on the subject before picking up any weights, although I did read a beginners workout plan tonight on the EM2LW website that included pictures and video to show me how to even do the exercises ! (Which I totally need having never done any weights before - ever).

I will have a look for the "happy scale" app. It sounds ideal :-)

jerilynconn

I am using the periodized plan from em2wl (surge, evolve, true strength, compound circuits) and i definitely enjoy them. I bet the 12 week intro one is great too!

I'd aim for hitting protein goals first. Get .82 g/pound of body weight (or 1 g per pound). Make that your goal to hit daily for several weeks.

Then, aim for 25-35 grams of fiber and add that to your goals.

Those are the most important. Fat and carbs not so much. Add just 1 at a time so you don't get overwhelmed. And don't worry about the rest for now. It gets easier over time!

Raynn1

Protein is key. aim to hit your protein macro and let the others fall where they shall. It gets easier the more practice you get at it:)