Confused following 1200-1400 calorie eating plan
bouncingbonbon
Posts: 11 Member
Hello. I am new here by 4 days. I'm a 38 yr old female. I have two teenage kids. I've pretty much weighed the same for the past 20 years (apart from pregnancy and post pregnancy) In the region of 45kg-48kg. I am 155cm. I have a small frame. My current BMI is 20 so I am not underweight just normal. I joined the gym for the first time after my second child so about 12 years ago.
I started full body weight training about 8 weeks ago. I've since gone up to 50kg which I can see and feel is mostly muscle but I know I've got some fat around the muscles. So I went online and tried a whole lot of those BMI/TDEE/calorie calculator things and they all came out at saying I need to be eating about 1230-1400 calories in order to be 47kg (which is what I am normally most comfortable with). I have worked out my macro nutrients too and am following a balanced eating plan.
The thing i I've never been a big eater nor have I ever dieted or followed a calorie controlled plan before. This is my first time. I started the calorie counting 4 Feb. ( so just on 4 weeks into my 8 week weight training. )I only did this to see if it could help shift the fat while I carried on building muscle.
But I find I am struggling to even get to 1200 calories a day at times never mind 1400! I just can't eat that much. I do however manage to always reach my macro nutrients so it seems like it shouldn't matter.
I'm not hungry or starving myself and I eat very healthy food at least three main meals and two snacks plus over 2L of water a day.
I want to loose the fat to show the muscle I have built. But I am worried as everyone says it is impossible to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. I know I've built muscle. I can see it and feel it but them how do I loose the fat?
I also want to mention that I've lost no cm during the 8 weeks.
Any suggestions or advice would be welcome
I started full body weight training about 8 weeks ago. I've since gone up to 50kg which I can see and feel is mostly muscle but I know I've got some fat around the muscles. So I went online and tried a whole lot of those BMI/TDEE/calorie calculator things and they all came out at saying I need to be eating about 1230-1400 calories in order to be 47kg (which is what I am normally most comfortable with). I have worked out my macro nutrients too and am following a balanced eating plan.
The thing i I've never been a big eater nor have I ever dieted or followed a calorie controlled plan before. This is my first time. I started the calorie counting 4 Feb. ( so just on 4 weeks into my 8 week weight training. )I only did this to see if it could help shift the fat while I carried on building muscle.
But I find I am struggling to even get to 1200 calories a day at times never mind 1400! I just can't eat that much. I do however manage to always reach my macro nutrients so it seems like it shouldn't matter.
I'm not hungry or starving myself and I eat very healthy food at least three main meals and two snacks plus over 2L of water a day.
I want to loose the fat to show the muscle I have built. But I am worried as everyone says it is impossible to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. I know I've built muscle. I can see it and feel it but them how do I loose the fat?
I also want to mention that I've lost no cm during the 8 weeks.
Any suggestions or advice would be welcome
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Replies
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Are you using a food scale to insure the amount of food you are eating is truly the amount of calories you think it is? I'd start there.5
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Not being able to meet 1200 calories - calorie dense foods will be helpful. It's okay to go over on your fat macro....just be sure to meet protein goals
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods/p1
Sometimes when we strive to eat "healthy" we cut out our usual foods, that's not necessary for weight loss.0 -
yes. I am using two food Apps. This one and Shealth. If the food is not on, I look on the packaging OR Online for the calories and macro nutrients. I never guess. I do weigh my food with a digital scale too.1
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bouncingbonbon wrote: »yes. I am using two food Apps. This one and Shealth. If the food is not on, I look on the packaging OR Online for the calories and macro nutrients. I never guess. I do weigh my food with a digital scale too.
Perfect! Time for ice cream, then! Or peanut butter, or cheese, or...0 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »yes. I am using two food Apps. This one and Shealth. If the food is not on, I look on the packaging OR Online for the calories and macro nutrients. I never guess. I do weigh my food with a digital scale too.
Perfect! Time for ice cream, then! Or peanut butter, or cheese, or...
All the cheeses! @TeaBea link is a good one for figuring out what foods can help bump up your calories. If you're feeling satisfied after a meal, possibly try adding in some additional snack times (ie a stick of cheese an hour or so after lunch, if not added in on what you may have for lunch as a topping). Your name suggests you may like bonbons, go for the bonbons!2 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »yes. I am using two food Apps. This one and Shealth. If the food is not on, I look on the packaging OR Online for the calories and macro nutrients. I never guess. I do weigh my food with a digital scale too.
Perfect! Time for ice cream, then! Or peanut butter, or cheese, or...
All the cheeses! @TeaBea link is a good one for figuring out what foods can help bump up your calories. If you're feeling satisfied after a meal, possibly try adding in some additional snack times (ie a stick of cheese an hour or so after lunch, if not added in on what you may have for lunch as a topping). Your name suggests you may like bonbons, go for the bonbons!
I don't want to eat for the sake of filling calories especially If I'm not hungry. As it stands right now my app is telling me I have 500 calories to go but it is 8:30 pm here and I've had dinner earlier. There is no way I can eat that much still before bed. So should it matter as I've reached my target macro nutrients for the day?
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bouncingbonbon wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »yes. I am using two food Apps. This one and Shealth. If the food is not on, I look on the packaging OR Online for the calories and macro nutrients. I never guess. I do weigh my food with a digital scale too.
Perfect! Time for ice cream, then! Or peanut butter, or cheese, or...
All the cheeses! @TeaBea link is a good one for figuring out what foods can help bump up your calories. If you're feeling satisfied after a meal, possibly try adding in some additional snack times (ie a stick of cheese an hour or so after lunch, if not added in on what you may have for lunch as a topping). Your name suggests you may like bonbons, go for the bonbons!
I don't want to eat for the sake of filling calories especially If I'm not hungry. As it stands right now my app is telling me I have 500 calories to go but it is 8:30 pm here and I've had dinner earlier. There is no way I can eat that much still before bed. So should it matter as I've reached my target macro nutrients for the day?
yes it matters. You feel fine now, Your new youll see. 1200 is MINIMUM without exercise for a reason your body needs fuel or youll burn out. Its OKAY to eat more calorie dense foods, Peanut butter is delicious and gets your fats and proteins up, Other foods like chocolate are also good for your mental health and satisfaction levels. Keep you sticking to this diet not yo-yoing. treat it like a lifestyle change, Are you likely to eat nothing high calorie ever for the rest of your life?0 -
bouncingbonbon wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »yes. I am using two food Apps. This one and Shealth. If the food is not on, I look on the packaging OR Online for the calories and macro nutrients. I never guess. I do weigh my food with a digital scale too.
Perfect! Time for ice cream, then! Or peanut butter, or cheese, or...
All the cheeses! @TeaBea link is a good one for figuring out what foods can help bump up your calories. If you're feeling satisfied after a meal, possibly try adding in some additional snack times (ie a stick of cheese an hour or so after lunch, if not added in on what you may have for lunch as a topping). Your name suggests you may like bonbons, go for the bonbons!
I don't want to eat for the sake of filling calories especially If I'm not hungry. As it stands right now my app is telling me I have 500 calories to go but it is 8:30 pm here and I've had dinner earlier. There is no way I can eat that much still before bed. So should it matter as I've reached my target macro nutrients for the day?
Usually I don't tell people to eat if they're not hungry, but if you're not meeting even 1200 calories, then I would say get in there and have a snack!
There are definitely some foods on that list that won't be super filling, but still packed with calories that you can add in to your meals, or with your current, or additional, snacks.
You don't obviously have to tonight, but try to work things in as best you can going forward.0 -
bouncingbonbon wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »yes. I am using two food Apps. This one and Shealth. If the food is not on, I look on the packaging OR Online for the calories and macro nutrients. I never guess. I do weigh my food with a digital scale too.
Perfect! Time for ice cream, then! Or peanut butter, or cheese, or...
All the cheeses! @TeaBea link is a good one for figuring out what foods can help bump up your calories. If you're feeling satisfied after a meal, possibly try adding in some additional snack times (ie a stick of cheese an hour or so after lunch, if not added in on what you may have for lunch as a topping). Your name suggests you may like bonbons, go for the bonbons!
I don't want to eat for the sake of filling calories especially If I'm not hungry. As it stands right now my app is telling me I have 500 calories to go but it is 8:30 pm here and I've had dinner earlier. There is no way I can eat that much still before bed. So should it matter as I've reached my target macro nutrients for the day?
Are you saying you ate 900 calories for the day (1400-500)? OR did you log exercise and earn additional calories?
A toddler requires at least 900 calories. If you earned additional calories & ate those too (the way MFP is designed) then you ate more than 900 calories. That's better. Perhaps the exercise calories were overstated and the 500 calories to go is really closer to 250 calories.
Instead of choosing the most filling foods (100% of the time).....instead of choosing the "healthiest" foods 100% of the time, relax your standards a bit so you can include foods that you used to eat before meeting 1200 calories became such a chore.0 -
If you have always, outside of pregnancy, been able to maintain 45-48 and that's pretty much what you want to do now, why have you decided to count calories? Just eat as you have been and lift if you want to lose fat. Eat a bit more if you are hungry.4
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I guess what I'm trying to find out is should i be following a calorie counting plan at all? I don't have "weight" per say to lose. It's not about the number on the scale anyway but about how you look and feel. I feel I look more toned and muscular but I also think I have some body fat to lose still. I have no idea what my body fat % is. Do I count calories or just ditch it and carry on strength training and hope it evens out? my eating habits are going to stay the same regardless since I'm not over eating. I don't drink.( apart from maybe a southern comfort and lemonade once a week) I'm gluten intolerant and cant have yeast (hence no wine, beer) plus I'm low Fodmap so I'm already very restricted to what I can eat on a daily basis.1
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bouncingbonbon wrote: »I guess what I'm trying to find out is should i be following a calorie counting plan at all? I don't have "weight" per say to lose. It's not about the number on the scale anyway but about how you look and feel. I feel I look more toned and muscular but I also think I have some body fat to lose still. I have no idea what my body fat % is. Do I count calories or just ditch it and carry on strength training and hope it evens out? my eating habits are going to stay the same regardless since I'm not over eating. I don't drink.( apart from maybe a southern comfort and lemonade once a week) I'm gluten intolerant and cant have yeast (hence no wine, beer) plus I'm low Fodmap so I'm already very restricted to what I can eat on a daily basis.
That's what I'm getting at. I see no point in you counting calories. You are the poster girl for not needing to do it (being at a healthy weight and maintaining that long term and not trying to lose or gain weight.)1 -
If you've reached your target for all three macronutrients, you should also have reached your calorie goal. There is a direct relationship between the two, 1 gram of protein or (non-fiber) carbohydrate is 4 calories, 1 gram of fat is 9 calories.
If you are truly under your calorie goal, especially that far under it, including more calorie dense foods is good advice. Being undernourished is not a good thing, especially if you are trying to build or maintain muscle.1 -
bouncingbonbon wrote: »I guess what I'm trying to find out is should i be following a calorie counting plan at all? I don't have "weight" per say to lose. It's not about the number on the scale anyway but about how you look and feel. I feel I look more toned and muscular but I also think I have some body fat to lose still. I have no idea what my body fat % is. Do I count calories or just ditch it and carry on strength training and hope it evens out? my eating habits are going to stay the same regardless since I'm not over eating. I don't drink.( apart from maybe a southern comfort and lemonade once a week) I'm gluten intolerant and cant have yeast (hence no wine, beer) plus I'm low Fodmap so I'm already very restricted to what I can eat on a daily basis.
Sounds like you already have your answer then. What's the point of counting calories if you're not going to change anything based on the results?
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JaydedMiss wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »yes. I am using two food Apps. This one and Shealth. If the food is not on, I look on the packaging OR Online for the calories and macro nutrients. I never guess. I do weigh my food with a digital scale too.
Perfect! Time for ice cream, then! Or peanut butter, or cheese, or...
All the cheeses! @TeaBea link is a good one for figuring out what foods can help bump up your calories. If you're feeling satisfied after a meal, possibly try adding in some additional snack times (ie a stick of cheese an hour or so after lunch, if not added in on what you may have for lunch as a topping). Your name suggests you may like bonbons, go for the bonbons!
I don't want to eat for the sake of filling calories especially If I'm not hungry. As it stands right now my app is telling me I have 500 calories to go but it is 8:30 pm here and I've had dinner earlier. There is no way I can eat that much still before bed. So should it matter as I've reached my target macro nutrients for the day?
yes it matters. You feel fine now, Your new youll see. 1200 is MINIMUM without exercise for a reason your body needs fuel or youll burn out. Its OKAY to eat more calorie dense foods, Peanut butter is delicious and gets your fats and proteins up, Other foods like chocolate are also good for your mental health and satisfaction levels. Keep you sticking to this diet not yo-yoing. treat it like a lifestyle change, Are you likely to eat nothing high calorie ever for the rest of your life?
I was interested to see what the change would do by counting calories. I went on holiday and picked up weight. not much but enough to make me feel uncomfortable. That is when I started weight training. But 4 weeks and no change in the scale or my measurements. in fact I went up another kg and picked up 5cm on each thigh and 2 on my butt. I gathered it was due to muscle mass. I felt firmer...but I was worried I was gaining muscle over fat or perhaps thinking it was muscle and it was more fat. hence I started the calorie counting 4 weeks ago. so I've been weight training 8 weeks, calorie counting 4 weeks of that. still no drop in cm at all even with the 1230 calorie plan it says I should be on!1 -
bouncingbonbon wrote: »JaydedMiss wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »yes. I am using two food Apps. This one and Shealth. If the food is not on, I look on the packaging OR Online for the calories and macro nutrients. I never guess. I do weigh my food with a digital scale too.
Perfect! Time for ice cream, then! Or peanut butter, or cheese, or...
All the cheeses! @TeaBea link is a good one for figuring out what foods can help bump up your calories. If you're feeling satisfied after a meal, possibly try adding in some additional snack times (ie a stick of cheese an hour or so after lunch, if not added in on what you may have for lunch as a topping). Your name suggests you may like bonbons, go for the bonbons!
I don't want to eat for the sake of filling calories especially If I'm not hungry. As it stands right now my app is telling me I have 500 calories to go but it is 8:30 pm here and I've had dinner earlier. There is no way I can eat that much still before bed. So should it matter as I've reached my target macro nutrients for the day?
yes it matters. You feel fine now, Your new youll see. 1200 is MINIMUM without exercise for a reason your body needs fuel or youll burn out. Its OKAY to eat more calorie dense foods, Peanut butter is delicious and gets your fats and proteins up, Other foods like chocolate are also good for your mental health and satisfaction levels. Keep you sticking to this diet not yo-yoing. treat it like a lifestyle change, Are you likely to eat nothing high calorie ever for the rest of your life?
I was interested to see what the change would do by counting calories. I went on holiday and picked up weight. not much but enough to make me feel uncomfortable. That is when I started weight training. But 4 weeks and no change in the scale or my measurements. in fact I went up another kg and picked up 5cm on each thigh and 2 on my butt. I gathered it was due to muscle mass. I felt firmer...but I was worried I was gaining muscle over fat or perhaps thinking it was muscle and it was more fat. hence I started the calorie counting 4 weeks ago. so I've been weight training 8 weeks, calorie counting 4 weeks of that. still no drop in cm at all even with the 1230 calorie plan it says I should be on!
While you can build some muscle while eating at maintenance that process is slow and most of your size gain (5 cm/2 cm) is from water retention, which happens after lifting weights. It's a normal part of the process and nothing to try to speed along with dieting. It will go away when it goes away.
Your muscle gain progress is going to be slow. You are small to start with and eating very little. If you previously were not lifting and have started to lift and haven't dropped any other activity, your calorie needs have increased. Recomping is a real thing but it requires a certain level of fat be on hand and you do not have much at all. If your goal is muscle building, I'd increase calories.1 -
bouncingbonbon wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »yes. I am using two food Apps. This one and Shealth. If the food is not on, I look on the packaging OR Online for the calories and macro nutrients. I never guess. I do weigh my food with a digital scale too.
Perfect! Time for ice cream, then! Or peanut butter, or cheese, or...
All the cheeses! @TeaBea link is a good one for figuring out what foods can help bump up your calories. If you're feeling satisfied after a meal, possibly try adding in some additional snack times (ie a stick of cheese an hour or so after lunch, if not added in on what you may have for lunch as a topping). Your name suggests you may like bonbons, go for the bonbons!
I don't want to eat for the sake of filling calories especially If I'm not hungry. As it stands right now my app is telling me I have 500 calories to go but it is 8:30 pm here and I've had dinner earlier. There is no way I can eat that much still before bed. So should it matter as I've reached my target macro nutrients for the day?
Are you saying you ate 900 calories for the day (1400-500)? OR did you log exercise and earn additional calories?
A toddler requires at least 900 calories. If you earned additional calories & ate those too (the way MFP is designed) then you ate more than 900 calories. That's better. Perhaps the exercise calories were overstated and the 500 calories to go is really closer to 250 calories.
Instead of choosing the most filling foods (100% of the time).....instead of choosing the "healthiest" foods 100% of the time, relax your standards a bit so you can include foods that you used to eat before meeting 1200 calories became such a chore.
sorry I made a mistake. this MFP app put in 1230 calories then added my exercise for the day at 310 calories and is showing I have 292 calories to go but I've reached all my macro nutrients for the day. The thing is if you read my reply above, is that I'm eating no different to how I ate before. I always ate when I was hungry. I have don't deprive myself of nice things.0 -
bouncingbonbon wrote: »JaydedMiss wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »yes. I am using two food Apps. This one and Shealth. If the food is not on, I look on the packaging OR Online for the calories and macro nutrients. I never guess. I do weigh my food with a digital scale too.
Perfect! Time for ice cream, then! Or peanut butter, or cheese, or...
All the cheeses! @TeaBea link is a good one for figuring out what foods can help bump up your calories. If you're feeling satisfied after a meal, possibly try adding in some additional snack times (ie a stick of cheese an hour or so after lunch, if not added in on what you may have for lunch as a topping). Your name suggests you may like bonbons, go for the bonbons!
I don't want to eat for the sake of filling calories especially If I'm not hungry. As it stands right now my app is telling me I have 500 calories to go but it is 8:30 pm here and I've had dinner earlier. There is no way I can eat that much still before bed. So should it matter as I've reached my target macro nutrients for the day?
yes it matters. You feel fine now, Your new youll see. 1200 is MINIMUM without exercise for a reason your body needs fuel or youll burn out. Its OKAY to eat more calorie dense foods, Peanut butter is delicious and gets your fats and proteins up, Other foods like chocolate are also good for your mental health and satisfaction levels. Keep you sticking to this diet not yo-yoing. treat it like a lifestyle change, Are you likely to eat nothing high calorie ever for the rest of your life?
I was interested to see what the change would do by counting calories. I went on holiday and picked up weight. not much but enough to make me feel uncomfortable. That is when I started weight training. But 4 weeks and no change in the scale or my measurements. in fact I went up another kg and picked up 5cm on each thigh and 2 on my butt. I gathered it was due to muscle mass. I felt firmer...but I was worried I was gaining muscle over fat or perhaps thinking it was muscle and it was more fat. hence I started the calorie counting 4 weeks ago. so I've been weight training 8 weeks, calorie counting 4 weeks of that. still no drop in cm at all even with the 1230 calorie plan it says I should be on!
While you can build some muscle while eating at maintenance that process is slow and most of your size gain (5 cm/2 cm) is from water retention, which happens after lifting weights. It's a normal part of the process and nothing to try to speed along with dieting. It will go away when it goes away.
I don't see how it could be water retention for 5 solid weeks? Water retention fluctuates on a day to day basis. that means my measurements would of too but they went up and stayed up 5 weeks counting now. So how do I know if it is muscle or fat? I can't even fit into my clothes anymore. Which is why I started calorie counting as I thought if I carry on exercising and watching what I eat, the cm surely have to start coming off at some stage?0 -
bouncingbonbon wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »JaydedMiss wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »yes. I am using two food Apps. This one and Shealth. If the food is not on, I look on the packaging OR Online for the calories and macro nutrients. I never guess. I do weigh my food with a digital scale too.
Perfect! Time for ice cream, then! Or peanut butter, or cheese, or...
All the cheeses! @TeaBea link is a good one for figuring out what foods can help bump up your calories. If you're feeling satisfied after a meal, possibly try adding in some additional snack times (ie a stick of cheese an hour or so after lunch, if not added in on what you may have for lunch as a topping). Your name suggests you may like bonbons, go for the bonbons!
I don't want to eat for the sake of filling calories especially If I'm not hungry. As it stands right now my app is telling me I have 500 calories to go but it is 8:30 pm here and I've had dinner earlier. There is no way I can eat that much still before bed. So should it matter as I've reached my target macro nutrients for the day?
yes it matters. You feel fine now, Your new youll see. 1200 is MINIMUM without exercise for a reason your body needs fuel or youll burn out. Its OKAY to eat more calorie dense foods, Peanut butter is delicious and gets your fats and proteins up, Other foods like chocolate are also good for your mental health and satisfaction levels. Keep you sticking to this diet not yo-yoing. treat it like a lifestyle change, Are you likely to eat nothing high calorie ever for the rest of your life?
I was interested to see what the change would do by counting calories. I went on holiday and picked up weight. not much but enough to make me feel uncomfortable. That is when I started weight training. But 4 weeks and no change in the scale or my measurements. in fact I went up another kg and picked up 5cm on each thigh and 2 on my butt. I gathered it was due to muscle mass. I felt firmer...but I was worried I was gaining muscle over fat or perhaps thinking it was muscle and it was more fat. hence I started the calorie counting 4 weeks ago. so I've been weight training 8 weeks, calorie counting 4 weeks of that. still no drop in cm at all even with the 1230 calorie plan it says I should be on!
While you can build some muscle while eating at maintenance that process is slow and most of your size gain (5 cm/2 cm) is from water retention, which happens after lifting weights. It's a normal part of the process and nothing to try to speed along with dieting. It will go away when it goes away.
I don't see how it could be water retention for 5 solid weeks? Water retention fluctuates on a day to day basis. that means my measurements would of too but they went up and stayed up 5 weeks counting now. So how do I know if it is muscle or fat? I can't even fit into my clothes anymore. Which is why I started calorie counting as I thought if I carry on exercising and watching what I eat, the cm surely have to start coming off at some stage?
When I started lifting I was up 3 pounds over the first month and then down 3 over the second month, meaning it took me a good 60 days to get back to my original weight. Muscles retain water in order to help with the recovery process from lifting. It's a fact and if more people accepted it rather than freaking out about it, they'd be a lot better off. If you have gained any muscle (and that's a huge IF considering that a woman who is bulking would be fortunate to gain 12 pounds of muscle in 12 months and you barely eat enough to maintain) it is such a small amount that it would be nearly impossible to detect after 8 weeks.
If you are dead set on believing that you have gained enough muscle and fat to fill out your pants, I don't know what to tell you. People (and especially women from what I've observed) freak out over water weight gain when they start lifting. Then they quit because they "gain muscle really fat and look bulky" and then they are back where they started. Do what you want, I don't care.1 -
bouncingbonbon wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »JaydedMiss wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »yes. I am using two food Apps. This one and Shealth. If the food is not on, I look on the packaging OR Online for the calories and macro nutrients. I never guess. I do weigh my food with a digital scale too.
Perfect! Time for ice cream, then! Or peanut butter, or cheese, or...
All the cheeses! @TeaBea link is a good one for figuring out what foods can help bump up your calories. If you're feeling satisfied after a meal, possibly try adding in some additional snack times (ie a stick of cheese an hour or so after lunch, if not added in on what you may have for lunch as a topping). Your name suggests you may like bonbons, go for the bonbons!
I don't want to eat for the sake of filling calories especially If I'm not hungry. As it stands right now my app is telling me I have 500 calories to go but it is 8:30 pm here and I've had dinner earlier. There is no way I can eat that much still before bed. So should it matter as I've reached my target macro nutrients for the day?
yes it matters. You feel fine now, Your new youll see. 1200 is MINIMUM without exercise for a reason your body needs fuel or youll burn out. Its OKAY to eat more calorie dense foods, Peanut butter is delicious and gets your fats and proteins up, Other foods like chocolate are also good for your mental health and satisfaction levels. Keep you sticking to this diet not yo-yoing. treat it like a lifestyle change, Are you likely to eat nothing high calorie ever for the rest of your life?
I was interested to see what the change would do by counting calories. I went on holiday and picked up weight. not much but enough to make me feel uncomfortable. That is when I started weight training. But 4 weeks and no change in the scale or my measurements. in fact I went up another kg and picked up 5cm on each thigh and 2 on my butt. I gathered it was due to muscle mass. I felt firmer...but I was worried I was gaining muscle over fat or perhaps thinking it was muscle and it was more fat. hence I started the calorie counting 4 weeks ago. so I've been weight training 8 weeks, calorie counting 4 weeks of that. still no drop in cm at all even with the 1230 calorie plan it says I should be on!
While you can build some muscle while eating at maintenance that process is slow and most of your size gain (5 cm/2 cm) is from water retention, which happens after lifting weights. It's a normal part of the process and nothing to try to speed along with dieting. It will go away when it goes away.
I don't see how it could be water retention for 5 solid weeks? Water retention fluctuates on a day to day basis. that means my measurements would of too but they went up and stayed up 5 weeks counting now. So how do I know if it is muscle or fat? I can't even fit into my clothes anymore. Which is why I started calorie counting as I thought if I carry on exercising and watching what I eat, the cm surely have to start coming off at some stage?
When I started lifting I was up 3 pounds over the first month and then down 3 over the second month, meaning it took me a good 60 days to get back to my original weight. Muscles retain water in order to help with the recovery process from lifting. It's a fact and if more people accepted it rather than freaking out about it, they'd be a lot better off. If you have gained any muscle (and that's a huge IF considering that a woman who is bulking would be fortunate to gain 12 pounds of muscle in 12 months and you barely eat enough to maintain) it is such a small amount that it would be nearly impossible to detect after 8 weeks.
If you are dead set on believing that you have gained enough muscle and fat to fill out your pants, I don't know what to tell you. People (and especially women from what I've observed) freak out over water weight gain when they start lifting. Then they quit because they "gain muscle really fat and look bulky" and then they are back where they started. Do what you want, I don't care.
thank you for your own experience. You said you gained 3 pounds in a month then dropped it by the end of the second month. As I said I started with a full body weight training regime just over 8 weeks ago. I have picked up 1.5kg (about 3 pounds)in that total time without dropping any weight or cm during this time unlike your experience. I can see the muscles in my legs, my obliques, biceps and triceps that have started to show. Other people as well as my husband have told me this as well. So it is not impossible. It is visible and I can feel I have gotten firmer. I am not freaked out by my clothes not fitting -gaining muscle was my intention to begin with. However I did want to lose the little fat I need to as well. And thought by now something should of shifted either in weight or in cm but there has been no decrease at all after 8 weeks. It is just confusing. Being new to it I don't have all the answers and have a lot to learn. Im just looking for some Helpful advice.0 -
bouncingbonbon wrote: »JaydedMiss wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »yes. I am using two food Apps. This one and Shealth. If the food is not on, I look on the packaging OR Online for the calories and macro nutrients. I never guess. I do weigh my food with a digital scale too.
Perfect! Time for ice cream, then! Or peanut butter, or cheese, or...
All the cheeses! @TeaBea link is a good one for figuring out what foods can help bump up your calories. If you're feeling satisfied after a meal, possibly try adding in some additional snack times (ie a stick of cheese an hour or so after lunch, if not added in on what you may have for lunch as a topping). Your name suggests you may like bonbons, go for the bonbons!
I don't want to eat for the sake of filling calories especially If I'm not hungry. As it stands right now my app is telling me I have 500 calories to go but it is 8:30 pm here and I've had dinner earlier. There is no way I can eat that much still before bed. So should it matter as I've reached my target macro nutrients for the day?
yes it matters. You feel fine now, Your new youll see. 1200 is MINIMUM without exercise for a reason your body needs fuel or youll burn out. Its OKAY to eat more calorie dense foods, Peanut butter is delicious and gets your fats and proteins up, Other foods like chocolate are also good for your mental health and satisfaction levels. Keep you sticking to this diet not yo-yoing. treat it like a lifestyle change, Are you likely to eat nothing high calorie ever for the rest of your life?
I was interested to see what the change would do by counting calories. I went on holiday and picked up weight. not much but enough to make me feel uncomfortable. That is when I started weight training. But 4 weeks and no change in the scale or my measurements. in fact I went up another kg and picked up 5cm on each thigh and 2 on my butt. I gathered it was due to muscle mass. I felt firmer...but I was worried I was gaining muscle over fat or perhaps thinking it was muscle and it was more fat. hence I started the calorie counting 4 weeks ago. so I've been weight training 8 weeks, calorie counting 4 weeks of that. still no drop in cm at all even with the 1230 calorie plan it says I should be on!
While you can build some muscle while eating at maintenance that process is slow and most of your size gain (5 cm/2 cm) is from water retention, which happens after lifting weights. It's a normal part of the process and nothing to try to speed along with dieting. It will go away when it goes away.
Your muscle gain progress is going to be slow. You are small to start with and eating very little. If you previously were not lifting and have started to lift and haven't dropped any other activity, your calorie needs have increased. Recomping is a real thing but it requires a certain level of fat be on hand and you do not have much at all. If your goal is muscle building, I'd increase calories.
thank you.
for some reason I did not see this comment. I understand what you are saying. I should be fueling my body more especially since I am weight training.0 -
If you've reached your target for all three macronutrients, you should also have reached your calorie goal. There is a direct relationship between the two, 1 gram of protein or (non-fiber) carbohydrate is 4 calories, 1 gram of fat is 9 calories.
If you are truly under your calorie goal, especially that far under it, including more calorie dense foods is good advice. Being undernourished is not a good thing, especially if you are trying to build or maintain muscle.
I use this app. Then it's not calculating correctly. It does the math for you, and it will tell me when I've reached my macro nutrients for the day or gone over them even but still show outstanding calories. doesn't make sense. maybe it's because it adds my exercise ontop but I'm barely managing to reach the deficit it has set never mind eat back the exercise calories!0 -
there is no need to eat more , just eat more protein less carbs to shed down a bit1
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bouncingbonbon wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »yes. I am using two food Apps. This one and Shealth. If the food is not on, I look on the packaging OR Online for the calories and macro nutrients. I never guess. I do weigh my food with a digital scale too.
Perfect! Time for ice cream, then! Or peanut butter, or cheese, or...
All the cheeses! @TeaBea link is a good one for figuring out what foods can help bump up your calories. If you're feeling satisfied after a meal, possibly try adding in some additional snack times (ie a stick of cheese an hour or so after lunch, if not added in on what you may have for lunch as a topping). Your name suggests you may like bonbons, go for the bonbons!
I don't want to eat for the sake of filling calories especially If I'm not hungry. As it stands right now my app is telling me I have 500 calories to go but it is 8:30 pm here and I've had dinner earlier. There is no way I can eat that much still before bed. So should it matter as I've reached my target macro nutrients for the day?
If you have met your target macros, you would have met your calorie targets as well considering your macros make up your calories, so this would mean that you do have some erroneous entries you are using.
Also, part of proper nutrition is providing your body with adequate energy (calories)...they're not some evil thing...a calorie is a unit of energy and your body requires energy to function properly. Under feeding here and there isn't a big deal...it is when it becomes a chronic thing.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »bouncingbonbon wrote: »yes. I am using two food Apps. This one and Shealth. If the food is not on, I look on the packaging OR Online for the calories and macro nutrients. I never guess. I do weigh my food with a digital scale too.
Perfect! Time for ice cream, then! Or peanut butter, or cheese, or...
All the cheeses! @TeaBea link is a good one for figuring out what foods can help bump up your calories. If you're feeling satisfied after a meal, possibly try adding in some additional snack times (ie a stick of cheese an hour or so after lunch, if not added in on what you may have for lunch as a topping). Your name suggests you may like bonbons, go for the bonbons!
I don't want to eat for the sake of filling calories especially If I'm not hungry. As it stands right now my app is telling me I have 500 calories to go but it is 8:30 pm here and I've had dinner earlier. There is no way I can eat that much still before bed. So should it matter as I've reached my target macro nutrients for the day?
If you have met your target macros, you would have met your calorie targets as well considering your macros make up your calories, so this would mean that you do have some erroneous entries you are using.
Also, part of proper nutrition is providing your body with adequate energy (calories)...they're not some evil thing...a calorie is a unit of energy and your body requires energy to function properly. Under feeding here and there isn't a big deal...it is when it becomes a chronic thing.
I think these "extra" calories after meeting macros are the exercise calories. OP, to make this all simpler, calculate your daily calorie target using a TDEE calculator, which already incorporates exercise calories. Then, when you track your exercise for the day, just track using something like 1 calorie for exercise.
ETA: A lot of people, including myself, find this way of tracking easier, as the daily calorie target never changes. I know what my goal will be every day and I can plan for it.0 -
In before, You can't build muscle on a deficit...
But really, you aren't building muscle on a deficit. Can't build muscle out of air and good intentions. Eat a couple tablespoons of peanut butter a day or add a protein shake.
Or a peanut butter protein shake.
See...this is why I have to count calories. I could tell you all day ways to go over your calorie count.0 -
bouncingbonbon wrote: »If you've reached your target for all three macronutrients, you should also have reached your calorie goal. There is a direct relationship between the two, 1 gram of protein or (non-fiber) carbohydrate is 4 calories, 1 gram of fat is 9 calories.
If you are truly under your calorie goal, especially that far under it, including more calorie dense foods is good advice. Being undernourished is not a good thing, especially if you are trying to build or maintain muscle.
I use this app. Then it's not calculating correctly. It does the math for you, and it will tell me when I've reached my macro nutrients for the day or gone over them even but still show outstanding calories. doesn't make sense. maybe it's because it adds my exercise ontop but I'm barely managing to reach the deficit it has set never mind eat back the exercise calories!
Unfortunately, a lot of the food entries in the MFP database have incorrect calories and/or macros. That's how you end up with calorie levels that don't match the macros.0 -
LiveLoveFitFab wrote: »In before, You can't build muscle on a deficit...
But really, you aren't building muscle on a deficit. Can't build muscle out of air and good intentions. Eat a couple tablespoons of peanut butter a day or add a protein shake.
Or a peanut butter protein shake.
See...this is why I have to count calories. I could tell you all day ways to go over your calorie count.
I can't be imagining the awesome muscles I see glaring back at me! where I was flat before I now have definition. I can now see my triceps whereas before the 8 weeks they were hardly visable. my obliques are a lot bigger and my hamstrings have never been as profound as they have been now and it's only because of all the squats and deadlifts with weighs. I've been going to gym for 12 years. I've done years of upper body weights , pilates, zumba, cycling, step with weights, Barre, core, etc etc.. It is just that I have stepped up my gym regime by incorporating weights overall but especially lower body and incorporating weights with ab exercises too. I already had muscles so an 8 week program is not an impossibility. I'm not a gym or exercise newbie. I've simply upped my regime. maybe people have a hard time believing that I have had visible muscle gain after 8 weeks because they think I started from scratch but I've had a good foundation to build on and I do gain muscle easily.0 -
bouncingbonbon wrote: »LiveLoveFitFab wrote: »In before, You can't build muscle on a deficit...
But really, you aren't building muscle on a deficit. Can't build muscle out of air and good intentions. Eat a couple tablespoons of peanut butter a day or add a protein shake.
Or a peanut butter protein shake.
See...this is why I have to count calories. I could tell you all day ways to go over your calorie count.
I can't be imagining the awesome muscles I see glaring back at me! where I was flat before I now have definition. I can now see my triceps whereas before the 8 weeks they were hardly visable. my obliques are a lot bigger and my hamstrings have never been as profound as they have been now and it's only because of all the squats and deadlifts with weighs. I've been going to gym for 12 years. I've done years of upper body weights , pilates, zumba, cycling, step with weights, Barre, core, etc etc.. It is just that I have stepped up my gym regime by incorporating weights overall but especially lower body and incorporating weights with ab exercises too. I already had muscles so an 8 week program is not an impossibility. I'm not a gym or exercise newbie. I've simply upped my regime. maybe people have a hard time believing that I have had visible muscle gain after 8 weeks because they think I started from scratch but I've had a good foundation to build on and I do gain muscle easily.
Water is an amazing thing.2
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