Should I Increase My Calories Since I'm Lifting Weights?

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brandigyrl81
brandigyrl81 Posts: 128 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been on a lifting program for about a month and a half and I'm still eating 1200 calories. I find that I'm hungrier now and I really don't think 1200 calories is enough. I like to have a nice weekly deficit so I can enjoy myself on weekends, but I feel like me trying to "budget" for the weekends is making me hungry during the week.

I went to the tdeecalulator website and it says that my daily maintenance calories should be around 1691. I'm still wanting to lose about 8 more lbs so I don't necessarily want to eat at maintenance.

Please advise!!!

Replies

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    edited June 2019
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    You don't say how tall you are, how old you are, how much you weigh, or how active you are other than the lifting so it's hard to know.

    Based on the information you have given, it looks like you could bump up to about 1440 calories and still lose 0.5 lbs per week. Which is where you want to be with only 8 pounds left.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
    edited June 2019
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    Eat more protein. I am eating at a deficit and weight lifting. Eating more protein preserves muscle and helps to keep you more satisfied.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    brandigyrl81 wrote: »
    I've been on a lifting program for about a month and a half and I'm still eating 1200 calories. I find that I'm hungrier now and I really don't think 1200 calories is enough. I like to have a nice weekly deficit so I can enjoy myself on weekends, but I feel like me trying to "budget" for the weekends is making me hungry during the week.

    I went to the tdeecalulator website and it says that my daily maintenance calories should be around 1691. I'm still wanting to lose about 8 more lbs so I don't necessarily want to eat at maintenance.

    Please advise!!!

    If your TDEE is actual 1691 (is that taking into account your exercise?) then you could eat anywhere less than that and lose weight. With only 9 Lbs to lose, you might want to switch to .5 Lb loss target which would be around 1,441 calories. Often at this point it's not so much a matter of losing more weight as it is changing body composition...so small deficit and solid progressive lifting program and time.
  • brandigyrl81
    brandigyrl81 Posts: 128 Member
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    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    You don't say how tall you are, how old you are, how much you weigh, or how active you are other than the lifting so it's hard to know.

    Based on the information you have given, it looks like you could bump up to about 1440 calories and still lose 0.5 lbs per week. Which is where you want to be with only 8 pounds left.

    Here are my tdee results:
    https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&g=female&age=37&lbs=170&in=62&act=1.2&f=1
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    brandigyrl81 wrote: »
    I've been on a lifting program for about a month and a half and I'm still eating 1200 calories. I find that I'm hungrier now and I really don't think 1200 calories is enough. I like to have a nice weekly deficit so I can enjoy myself on weekends, but I feel like me trying to "budget" for the weekends is making me hungry during the week.

    I went to the tdeecalulator website and it says that my daily maintenance calories should be around 1691. I'm still wanting to lose about 8 more lbs so I don't necessarily want to eat at maintenance.

    Please advise!!!

    1200 should only be the eating level on days you match the activity level you selected - I'm betting Sedentary, and no exercise.

    You've probably logged exercise before - did you notice the eating goal went up?
    You do more you eat more.
    You do less you eat less.

    Either use the TDEE site method honestly (did you select Sedentary there also?), or use the MFP method - they are different daily methods, though the average weekly result is usually about the same.

    If you are feeling hungry - your body is probably hungry for more calories too, and your ability to have a really strong workout is probably negatively impacted.
    If you can't have a really strong lifting working - you really aren't asking the body to do more so that it needs to grow stronger.


    So how much deficit were you attempting to create during the week to each how much extra on the weekend?
  • brandigyrl81
    brandigyrl81 Posts: 128 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    brandigyrl81 wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    You don't say how tall you are, how old you are, how much you weigh, or how active you are other than the lifting so it's hard to know.

    Based on the information you have given, it looks like you could bump up to about 1440 calories and still lose 0.5 lbs per week. Which is where you want to be with only 8 pounds left.

    Here are my tdee results:
    https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&g=female&age=37&lbs=170&in=62&act=1.2&f=1

    Are you actually sedentary? If you're using a TDEE calculator you would include all of your activity including weight lifting and other purposeful exercise.

    I work out 5-6 days a week for 1-2 hrs., but aside from that, I have a desk job where I sit down all day, so I thought that would be considered sedentary.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
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    If you use MFP to set your calorie goal, exercise, but don't eat back any exercise calories, you are not using MFP the way it was designed.

    Unlike other sites which use TDEE calculators, MFP uses the NEAT method (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), and as such this system is designed for exercise calories to be eaten back.

    However, many consider the burns given by MFP to be inflated for them and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back. Others, however, are able to lose weight while eating 100% of their exercise calories.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/818082/exercise-calories-again-wtf/p1
  • brandigyrl81
    brandigyrl81 Posts: 128 Member
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    heybales wrote: »
    brandigyrl81 wrote: »
    I've been on a lifting program for about a month and a half and I'm still eating 1200 calories. I find that I'm hungrier now and I really don't think 1200 calories is enough. I like to have a nice weekly deficit so I can enjoy myself on weekends, but I feel like me trying to "budget" for the weekends is making me hungry during the week.

    I went to the tdeecalulator website and it says that my daily maintenance calories should be around 1691. I'm still wanting to lose about 8 more lbs so I don't necessarily want to eat at maintenance.

    Please advise!!!

    1200 should only be the eating level on days you match the activity level you selected - I'm betting Sedentary, and no exercise.

    You've probably logged exercise before - did you notice the eating goal went up?
    You do more you eat more.
    You do less you eat less.

    Either use the TDEE site method honestly (did you select Sedentary there also?), or use the MFP method - they are different daily methods, though the average weekly result is usually about the same.

    If you are feeling hungry - your body is probably hungry for more calories too, and your ability to have a really strong workout is probably negatively impacted.
    If you can't have a really strong lifting working - you really aren't asking the body to do more so that it needs to grow stronger.


    So how much deficit were you attempting to create during the week to each how much extra on the weekend?


    Between me not eating my exercise calories and still trying to maintain a weekly deficit, I try to have a 3,000-4,000 calories to spend on weekends. This worked while I was losing, but now since I'm lifting, I think me "saving up" during the week is causing me to be hungrier, thus effecting my progress.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    brandigyrl81 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    brandigyrl81 wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    You don't say how tall you are, how old you are, how much you weigh, or how active you are other than the lifting so it's hard to know.

    Based on the information you have given, it looks like you could bump up to about 1440 calories and still lose 0.5 lbs per week. Which is where you want to be with only 8 pounds left.

    Here are my tdee results:
    https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&g=female&age=37&lbs=170&in=62&act=1.2&f=1

    Are you actually sedentary? If you're using a TDEE calculator you would include all of your activity including weight lifting and other purposeful exercise.

    I work out 5-6 days a week for 1-2 hrs., but aside from that, I have a desk job where I sit down all day, so I thought that would be considered sedentary.

    You need to read the description of what those levels are on that external site. They include exercise specifically, and sadly only.

    Even on MFP, a desk job does not mean sedentary life - if you are mom or have household responsibilities - most find they are Lightly-Active easily.
    On that TDEE site - probably more than that level with exercise included that much.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited June 2019
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    brandigyrl81 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    brandigyrl81 wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    You don't say how tall you are, how old you are, how much you weigh, or how active you are other than the lifting so it's hard to know.

    Based on the information you have given, it looks like you could bump up to about 1440 calories and still lose 0.5 lbs per week. Which is where you want to be with only 8 pounds left.

    Here are my tdee results:
    https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&g=female&age=37&lbs=170&in=62&act=1.2&f=1

    Are you actually sedentary? If you're using a TDEE calculator you would include all of your activity including weight lifting and other purposeful exercise.

    I work out 5-6 days a week for 1-2 hrs., but aside from that, I have a desk job where I sit down all day, so I thought that would be considered sedentary.

    You are confusing the MyFitnessPal activity (only daily activity, excludes exercise) setting and should be using the TDEE activity AND exercise setting. For a TDEE site you very clearly should not be picking sedentary.

    Decide on the method for accounting for exercise you prefer (same every day or variable in line with daily exercise) and use the tool you select properly, you shouldn't mix and match or confuse the two.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    brandigyrl81 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    brandigyrl81 wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    You don't say how tall you are, how old you are, how much you weigh, or how active you are other than the lifting so it's hard to know.

    Based on the information you have given, it looks like you could bump up to about 1440 calories and still lose 0.5 lbs per week. Which is where you want to be with only 8 pounds left.

    Here are my tdee results:
    https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&g=female&age=37&lbs=170&in=62&act=1.2&f=1

    Are you actually sedentary? If you're using a TDEE calculator you would include all of your activity including weight lifting and other purposeful exercise.

    I work out 5-6 days a week for 1-2 hrs., but aside from that, I have a desk job where I sit down all day, so I thought that would be considered sedentary.

    A TDEE calculator includes exercise...so you wouldn't be sedentary at all. MFP isn't a TDEE calculator, it is a NEAT method calculator where your activity level is set to whatever your day to day hum drum is without exercise....then you log exercise and get additional calories to eat back to account for that activity which is not included in your activity level.

    With a TDEE calculator you are most definitely not sedentary...you're supposed to roll up all activity including exercise with a TDEE calculator. TDEE stands for TOTAL Daily Energy Expenditure. NEAT (MFP method) stands for Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (ie activity without purposeful exercise). Two completely different methods but 6 of 1 if done correctly.

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