Tdee help

Tic78

Hi

I am looking for some help with my tdee and moving from a cut to either maintenance or a clean bulk.

I have been logging my food intake for around 190 days and have been back lifting for 4 months now.

In the past I lifted weights for around 6 years, at that point I lifted 4 days per week however this was with a bad diet and I had a 2.5 year break before I came back.

For the last 4 months I have been lifting weights 3 non consecutive days per week and doing steady state cardio on a further 3 days.

As I had got fat from the extended period of no excercise I started on a cut at 1800 calories and pretty much followed this way of eating and hitting my macros till 3 weeks ago.

During the months of eating on a cut I was losing on average 1.5lb I assume mainly of fat as I was keeping protein high.

3 weeks ago I wanted to move to maintenance which for my height 5’10 and activity level is meant to be around 3000 cals.

At the same point that I began increasing calories I also started taking 5g creatine mono.

My calorie intake rose from 1800 cals to 2200 on week 1, week 2 2350 same with week 3. This week I’m trying to eat 2500.

My problem is that in they 3 weeks I have gained 7lbs. I realise creatine causes an inital water gain but I am worried as my weight gain is way over the recommended 0.5lb or so lean mass per week.

Is it normal for weight to increase so severely coming from a cut despite being no where near maintenance?

My intention was to get back to maintenance and into a slight surplus.

My current stats are height 5’10 weight 177 pounds. Body fat between 13-17% upper abs are showing.

Last thing I want is to spin my heels and waste time as I done that previously for many years. My goal is sub 10% bodyfat can anyone advise which way to progress? Back to a cut or ride out initally weight gain?

Thanks

Tic78

Also should add when I take my actual loss of say 1.5lb average and add that to the 1800 calories does that mean my maintenance would really be around 2600 calories? Seems very light for the amount of time I’m exercising

TavistockToad

i would stick with 2500 for a couple more weeks, see what the scales do and then tweak from there.

mmapags

The confounder is the creatine. That could account for 4 to 5 lbs of the gain.

Tic78

Thanks both. With the creatine as I didn’t do a loading phase and just went 5g per day I assume that water weight could go up further?

When people come of a cut do they go straight to maintenance and ride out water fluctuations or reverse diet a few hundred cals per week and build upto maintenance/surplus

Worried my maintenance based on the figures lost will be very low but unsure if metabolism can be slowed down due to an extended cutting period and that it will sort itself out

cwolfman13

If you were losing about 1.5 Lbs per week on 1800 calories, that would put your maintenance around 2500-2600, not 3,000 despite what any calculator tells you. You have your own data...use your own data, not a calculator estimate.

The creatine easily accounts for 4-5 Lbs...you're also replenishing glycogen and you have more inherent waste in your system from eating more...all of that would easily account for 7 Lbs on the scale.

Keep it at 2500 and see what happens over the next few weeks.

Tic78

Thanks yes using my own data makes sense to me, the figure just seemed low compared to the numbers others are eating, online calculators and a gym instructor who said I didn’t eat enough.

That said the figures don’t lie so looks like cutting in the future is going to be at low numbers.

Cheers