Terrified of Eating Above a Deficit

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tapwaters
tapwaters Posts: 428 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all. I am nearing maintenance and I need to start doing more strength training and trying to build muscle to both fill some space and increase my BMR.

But I'm desperately afraid of not eating at a deficit, or god forbid, seeing the scale go the other way. What do I do?

I've previously lost this weight and gained it back, and it is my greatest fear of that happening again.

How do you let yourself eat above a deficit?

Replies

  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
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    You have to come to terms with the fact the scale will show extra weight. If you eat above a deficit, either by "accident" or on purpose to build muscle, it will happen.

    You "let" yourself eat above a deficit by understanding what you will achieve by doing so. There is a big difference between planning to go over deficit and going over deficit by binging.
  • 35dollars
    35dollars Posts: 830 Member
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    tapwaters wrote: »
    I've previously lost this weight and gained it back, and it is my greatest fear of that happening again.

    I'm in the same boat, and feel pretty much the same way. All you can do is to focus more on your body shape rather than the scales, and make sure you earn the extra food by putting in the effort to build the muscle.

    Good luck!

  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    Don't be terrified, embrace maintenance calories - as long as you are keeping an eye on your weight, don't fret over initial gains as they aren't real (the glycogen stores have to replenish when you start allowing your body more calories, perfectly normal), you will need to eat at maintenance calories for around 4 weeks and then assess your weight as that will be more a truer figure. That's when you'll know if you need to adjust the calories up/down.

    @KateTii has made very good points :smile:
  • tapwaters
    tapwaters Posts: 428 Member
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    I think my problem may have been missed, i need to eat more not just for maintenance, but also to build muscle to increase my BMR.

    Is there anywhere my extra calories should come from to facilitate muscle building over my body grabbing onto it and spring as fat?
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    tapwaters wrote: »
    I think my problem may have been missed, i need to eat more not just for maintenance, but also to build muscle to increase my BMR.

    Is there anywhere my extra calories should come from to facilitate muscle building over my body grabbing onto it and spring as fat?

    More protein will aid muscle growth. It's suggested we eat .8g or 1g x our weight in pounds.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited June 2016
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    tapwaters wrote: »
    I think my problem may have been missed, i need to eat more not just for maintenance, but also to build muscle to increase my BMR.

    Is there anywhere my extra calories should come from to facilitate muscle building over my body grabbing onto it and spring as fat?

    You seem to have things back to front.
    Muscle growth comes from your training providing a stimulus to your muscles - your diet simply supports your body in adapting to the stimulus. You don't eat to gain muscle.
    An healthy diet that hits adequate amounts of protein and fat for overall health and body functions and then hit an appropriate calorie goal for your weight maintenance. Don't make it more complicated than you need to.

    At maintenance you aren't going to start adding to your fat stores unless you take to your bed or become completely inactive and have your existing muscles waste away.

    Your terror is making you dream up scary scenarios - your body doesn't "grab onto food and store it as fat". It's just a stored energy surplus - if you don't have a surplus you don't have any extra to store.

    Give yourself a maintenance range or upper intervention weight and try to relax. After a while maintenance become the new normal. It's a happy place if you let it be.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    It's weight in kilograms, not weight in pounds.
  • Ws2016
    Ws2016 Posts: 432 Member
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    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    tapwaters wrote: »
    I think my problem may have been missed, i need to eat more not just for maintenance, but also to build muscle to increase my BMR.

    Is there anywhere my extra calories should come from to facilitate muscle building over my body grabbing onto it and spring as fat?

    More protein will aid muscle growth. It's suggested we eat .8g or 1g x our weight in pounds.

    That's .8 to 1 g per lean weight, correct? In other words you back off body fat. My inderstanding st least.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
    edited June 2016
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    Ws2016 wrote: »
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    tapwaters wrote: »
    I think my problem may have been missed, i need to eat more not just for maintenance, but also to build muscle to increase my BMR.

    Is there anywhere my extra calories should come from to facilitate muscle building over my body grabbing onto it and spring as fat?

    More protein will aid muscle growth. It's suggested we eat .8g or 1g x our weight in pounds.

    That's .8 to 1 g per lean weight, correct? In other words you back off body fat. My inderstanding st least.

    oh I'm not sure about that, I was going by current scale weight....
    but I've seen in other threads where is .8/1g x weight in kgs! there would be quite a difference in protein amounts if that was the case!
    for me at 59kg (me average goal weight/current weight) that would only be 47.2-59g
    or at 130lbs - 104g/130g!! I know I usually aim for around 100g myself, some days way over and then others a bit under.

    How would we know what our lean weight was.... ?

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