To maintain? Or keep trying to lose?

holly273
holly273 Posts: 84 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi everyone, I'm currently trying to figure out what will be the best course of action for my body.
I'm 5'7 and about 135-140lbs, at (everywhere gives me different results, but somewhere aroundddd) 23-24%bf (used to be SO MUCH LOWER, but I've slipped :/)
My main goal is to break back into the teens for bf% (and stay there!), as well as a few strength-related goals (1.5xbw deadlift+squat, doing a chin-up, pull-up etc.) - I've recently (well, about a year ago) started lifting heavy and LOVE it. At first I was progressing quickly, but now I'm really slowing up, and needing much longer to recover between workouts.

I'm now trying to decide between two courses of action to reach my goals:
1) eat at maintenance and just keep lifting like a bawss, so as to properly fuel my muscle growth and really increase strength, and slowly drop bf as a result of extra muscle mass
OR
2) continue at a deficit (still lifting, but for muscle preservation rather than growth) until my bf% is where I want it, before upping to maintenance and continuing trying to increase strength?

Thanks for any input!

Replies

  • holly273
    holly273 Posts: 84 Member
    help?
  • stevesilk
    stevesilk Posts: 204 Member
    Hi Holly. I'm 57 as well. Your question is a good one, but I think that you need to answer something first. What are you trying to accomplish? If your goal is healthy living and athletic performance, and you're at a comfortable weight, then I would recommend maintenance. Lifting for strength is fun and fulfilling, and if you are working on a heavy program, then you'll probably see body changes as you add muscle.

    On the other hand, if there are still health issues (mental or physical) related to a continued weight loss, then I think a slight calorie deficit with high protein to minimize muscle loss.

    The important thing is to keep all of this in perspective. Your BF% is meaningful to you. It's a measure of your success. But it can be overrated especially if it takes over your enjoyment and satisfaction in the very great progress you've already made. The most challenging thing is being happy in your skin where you are. You are wonderfully made, You look to be in good shape.. Be sure you are celebrating the wins you've achieved.
  • holly273
    holly273 Posts: 84 Member
    Hmm...what I'm trying to accomplish. I guess that'd be two-fold. Health and fitness are important, and naturally my first motivations. BUT, given that I'm now in decent shape, at a healthy weight for my height, the aesthetics come more into play...I'm a 19 year old girl - put simply, I want to look "hot", and as my ideal for aesthetics involves a lower bf% than I currently have, that would be my goal...now I'm just looking to find out the best way to get there. But no, there are no health issues at all linked to continued weight loss.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    You have to consider what your goals are. If you're asking for opinions, I would say drop the body fat first as from your OP a lower BF% is your main goal. It's mentally easier to bulk (and get stronger) if you're at a lower BF% and it gives you more room to grow and get stronger without losing a good shape.

    As for the slowing strength gains, that's normal for someone a year into to lifting. You can't keep up the strength gain rates you were experiencing when you first started. I found deload weeks becoming necessary about 3 1/2-4 years into my current regime. I'm personally using Wendler's 5/3/1 but even then I deload less often than the every 4 weeks called for by the program.
  • bokodasu
    bokodasu Posts: 629 Member
    You don't have to do it all at once - most people recommend cutting first and then trying to gain muscle, but eating at a deficit for a long time isn't really a workable plan for most people. (Either it wears you down mentally, or you're fine mentally and you mess up your metabolism - neither is a great choice.) Take a maintenance break of 4-8 weeks, see how you look/feel at the end of that, and decide where you want to go then.
  • holly273
    holly273 Posts: 84 Member
    Ok, thanks for your responses! I'm getting from this that I should still be at a deficit. BUT, as I'm going a little insane at the deficit I'm on now (MFP-generated, on like 1300 a day), I've used the scooby calculator thing to figure out TDEE-20%, which puts me instead at 1700! I feel like this will be sustainable over a longer period of time, though it only has me at a 1/2lb per week loss.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Ok, thanks for your responses! I'm getting from this that I should still be at a deficit. BUT, as I'm going a little insane at the deficit I'm on now (MFP-generated, on like 1300 a day), I've used the scooby calculator thing to figure out TDEE-20%, which puts me instead at 1700! I feel like this will be sustainable over a longer period of time, though it only has me at a 1/2lb per week loss.

    i would have said aim for TDEE -10% so that you are at a slight deficit to help fat loss, but not so much it should affect your energy for lifting.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    Ok, thanks for your responses! I'm getting from this that I should still be at a deficit. BUT, as I'm going a little insane at the deficit I'm on now (MFP-generated, on like 1300 a day), I've used the scooby calculator thing to figure out TDEE-20%, which puts me instead at 1700! I feel like this will be sustainable over a longer period of time, though it only has me at a 1/2lb per week loss.

    Again, just my opinion, but I would not make a sudden jump from 1300 to 1700. Do it in 150-200 calorie steps and see what happens to your satiety level and weight changes (up or down). Keep in mind that MFP has you at calories + exercise whereas scooby uses a total number that doesn't require that you add back exercise calories. In my personal experience, MFP underestimates calorie needs while overestimating calorie burns in its exercise database, and scooby overestimates calorie needs. They're both simply estimates so slowly step it up and see what happens.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Ok, thanks for your responses! I'm getting from this that I should still be at a deficit. BUT, as I'm going a little insane at the deficit I'm on now (MFP-generated, on like 1300 a day), I've used the scooby calculator thing to figure out TDEE-20%, which puts me instead at 1700! I feel like this will be sustainable over a longer period of time, though it only has me at a 1/2lb per week loss.

    i would have said aim for TDEE -10% so that you are at a slight deficit to help fat loss, but not so much it should affect your energy for lifting.

    ^ This,
    TDEE - 20% is good until you get to your last 20 or so lbs to lose, then TDEE -10to15% is better. At - 10% you will have more cals to fuel recovery and your workouts than at -20%.

    So if TDEE - 20% = 1700, than TDEE - 15% = about 1800, and TDEE -10% = about 1900 , but don't eat back cals burned from exercise using this method
  • caseythirteen
    caseythirteen Posts: 956 Member
    Ok, thanks for your responses! I'm getting from this that I should still be at a deficit. BUT, as I'm going a little insane at the deficit I'm on now (MFP-generated, on like 1300 a day), I've used the scooby calculator thing to figure out TDEE-20%, which puts me instead at 1700! I feel like this will be sustainable over a longer period of time, though it only has me at a 1/2lb per week loss.

    i would have said aim for TDEE -10% so that you are at a slight deficit to help fat loss, but not so much it should affect your energy for lifting.

    Agreed! When I up'ed my calories some more I noticed it made a good impact on my lifting and no weight gain. Just remember that TDEE means no eating back calories. The plus side of that is you don't even need to think about what your burns are!
  • husseycd
    husseycd Posts: 814 Member
    If you've been on a deficit for a while, I'd eat close to maintenence (I always try to stay a little under to account for errors in calculating and days when I go over) for a little while and continue to lift/workout. Give the diet a little break. 1700 should still be a defiicit for you too.

    Although I'm much older than you, we have the same basic goals, including the just wanting too look hot. :laugh: Right now, I'm planning on just eating the same calories (1800-2000 for me), but starting to increase lifting workouts, especially for the lower body. I need a 2% reduction in BF to be at goal (18%).
  • Inarific
    Inarific Posts: 29
    BUMP. I need to read this later. This is my question. Although I'm not quite at my goal yet. 10 more pounds.
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    This is kind of the constant debate I've been having with myself for almost a year lol :wink: My stats are close to yours. 5'4", 133, 24% bf.

    The options you listed were body recomp or cut. The thing with recomp is that it's not a given that you will decrease your body fat % by eating at maintenance, eating enough protein, and lifting. That's what I've been doing for 6+ months and the changes are very minimal. It's definitely a slooooooooooow process. Gaining muscle without eating a calorie surplus is close to impossible or at least very slow.

    The other option would be to cut, eat at a deficit for a while, drop some fat, and then either maintain, or bulk to gain muscle. I always want to cut, but then I don't want to decrease my calories or increases my cardio or NEAT so... I'm just hanging on to the hope of a very slow recomp lol.

    Good luck!

    ETA you can certainly still gain STRENGTH on a calorie deficit :)

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