Am I eating enough calories while lifting?

radaubs

TL;DR - how many calories should I be eating to lose 75 lbs while doing StrongLifts?

I've been a cardio bunny for about a year and never lost weight due to eating a lot of calories. Once I realized what I was doing I cut my calorie intake to 1800 a day in January. About 3 weeks ago I discovered I could lift and *gasp* not get bulky. I've been doing StongLifts a little over 2 weeks now and am loving it. I still do cardio MWF, and then lift instead of cardio TTHSa. Anyways, I just want to make sure that I'm not eating too little. I'd still like to lose at the rate I'm losing (28 pounds since January 15). Do I need to up my intake to compensate for the lifting?? My BMR is 1775, and supposedly my TDEE is 2700. Just want to make sure I'm doing this right as it's the first time I've ever lifted in my life. Thanks in advance!

MonkeyMel21

lol, this is me exactly right now. I started SL 5x5 two weeks ago and have felt lightheaded several times since....pretty sure I need to eat more. I added in protein powder after my workouts this week. I never had problems running 4-5 miles several times a week but lifting heavy things apparently has a bigger effect than I thought!

kuftae

I would be fine with that deficit while lifting. Can't speak for you though. I wouldn't do anything disruptive right away but if you are having a hard time recovering between workouts then increase calories slowly.

KombuchaKat

Maybe this is not so much about how much you are eating as what you are eating. Try cutting down on the sugar and upping the protein, but you don't have to go super crazy with the protein. Also consider taking some B vitamins to help your energy level and magnesium for recovery. Be patient, you just started heavy lifting so it's all very new. Try not to overthink it too much. Stick with it and you will make tremendous gains both on and off the scale. There is nothing like beating your last PR on a lift to give you a boost! Good luck!

shera426

following, I started lifting 3 weeks ago 5x5 and I feel like I could eat every hour! I did initially loose a 5 lbs but this week my sodium was up so I gained it all back. I usually eat around 1500-1800 and log my weight training in MFP as strength training weight lifting and it logs as a 30 min workout as 115 calories burned. not sure if that's right I did drop initially but I am afraid I'm not eating correctly.

Kimo159

I don't like to be on too much of a deficit when lifting. If your TDEE is actually 2700 and you are eating 1800 then you're eating at a pretty significant deficit and might find you have poor recovery. But as long as you have energy in your workouts, your recovery is okay, and you're increasing your lifts appropriately I would say you're probably fine.

I do have to say I lifted on a larger deficit when I first started SL and I'm mad at myself for it because my lifts didn't go up as fast as they could have if I just ate some more.

jessiefrancine

Lots of people successfully lift while on a deficit. You don't really need to add any additional calories for lifting - while it can feel strenuous, the actual lifting itself doesn't burn that many calories. In fact, when I enter lifting (also Stronglifts) into my diary, I deliberately change the calorie burn to 1.

Stick to your deficit. Make sure you're meeting your protein goal. Keep lifting consistently. You will see results.

wilsoncl6

Depends on what you're trying to achieve, a deficit that is too large will definitely result in lost strength and lost muscle mass. A lifting program will help stimy that a little but without the appropriate level of nutrients and calories, you're body won't be able to repair and recover efficiently. A lot of it depends on how much weight you're carrying right now compared to how many calories your taking in and how much you're burning. Are you strictly focusing on lifts? Are you just trying to get strong? Are you just trying to retain the muscle you have?

Anyway, what is it with women and not wanting to get "bulky"? You're a woman, you aren't going to get bulky from lifting, especially in a deficit, unless you have some crazy genetics that is very atypical or are juicing. Any size gains will generally be because you're retaining water from exercise or sodium intake, or it's that time of the month. Guys have a hard enough time getting "bulky" and our bodies produce much more testosterone than a womans.

LazSommer

You'll know when you've reached the point when you need to tighten up your nutrition while lifting.

ArmyofAdrian

It depends on your primary goal. If your primary goal is to get lean, then only increase your calories if your strength plateaus over a period of a few weeks. On the other hand if your primary goal is to get stronger then I suppose you wouldn't be in deficit in the first place. Either way only make adjustments to your calories every 4 weeks, and then only if needed.

radaubs

Thank you everyone for your responses! To answer a few questions:

I do feel like I have enough energy and am recovering pretty well from it. My legs feel pretty jello-ey after lifting but by the end of the day I'm back to normal.
I've heard about getting enough protein and I know some people take protein shakes to get there. I've just been eating normal. Sometimes I hit 20% of my intake is protein, and sometimes it's more like 15%. I can definitely focus more on the protein.

@wilsoncl6 and @ArmyofAdrian - I am trying to get strong while losing the body fat. But my main focus is lowering my BMI, followed closely by retaining and toning my muscles. I am 5'6", currently at 217 lbs with a goal to get to 145 and be strong. And to your point about getting "bulky", I use to think I would but have since realized the error of my ways since joining MFP. Hence, why I dropped some cardio workouts in exchange for lifting.

StacyChrz

@radaubs - I'm excited to read your post. I'm starting Stronglifts on Monday and can't wait! I have also been a cardio bunny, with good success, for a very long time. Looking forward to getting stronger and spending a little less time in the gym with good results.

nordlead2005

Keep the deficit such that you don't lose more than 1% of your bodyweight per week on average and keep protein high (0.64-0.82g/day minimum). Outside of that, go with whatever deficit you want. A larger deficit may eat into strength gains, but losing the weight faster may be more important to you. Don't use online tools to estimate TDEE, as you have all the tools you need to get a good estimate yourself. Just keep good records of weight change and calories in and then do a bit of math. For example, if you are losing 0.2lb/week more than desired then add 0.2*500 to your current average calories in to get your new goal.

When I started lifting I was losing 2lb/week and did just fine. Over time I decreased my deficit and now I eat at 0.5lb/week loss and I'm still getting stronger. If you find you aren't reaching your strength goals at the rate you want then you should reevaluate your food intake.