I'm getting frustrated!

maruby95

Yesterday was super frustrating. First I stepped on the scale and, despite feeling like I'm constantly eating, had lost .5 lb (not much, but the wrong direction!). For the past 2 weeks I have remained exactly the same (within .2 lbs) even though I increased cals. Over those 2 weeks I've averaged about 1900 calls, which according to my FitBit is 150-200 over my TDEE per day (yes, I added lifting cal in). But I guess not? I was maintaining on 1700 cals/ day before and now I seem to be maintaining on 1900. Huh?

The second thing is that I feel like my lifts aren't really progressing. I'm doing the 5/3/1, with the last set being nearly to failure. But this week, my 'failure' reps are lower than last week's. And no change in measurements. Grrr. Why?!?! So am I just wasting my time and energy?

I'm sure the obvious answer will be to add more food, which I will do I guess. I've been hitting my protei goal, getting plenty (200 and often +) of carbs. But if I increase again, I'm a little afraid that I will wake up one day and have gaied 5 lbs (which is what happened earlier in the process. Nothing for a while, then a jump). How long should I wait for a jump? Is 2+ weeks long enough? Really I've only gained 3 lbs in 11 weeks and most if not all of that was at the beginning. I have yet to find that sweet spot of consistent, slow gain.

I guess I just need to add a bit more and wait? Gotta tell you, my ED self really struggles to see me eating so much above my "TDEE". But clearly, it's not or I would be gaining. Right? I also find that when I add more food, I sort of sub-consciously add more activity. Not cardio per se (only walking, no other cardio) , but I just move around more. Maybe it negates the bump in cals. It's also freezing right now, and the houses here don't have heat, so I'm always moving around to say warm :0.

Watch- next week I'll be complaining that I gained 5 lbs overnight. Ugh. I swear this is harder than cutting by far!!

89nunu

I hear ya!!!
This is a lot harder than cutting! You constantly think you are doing something wrong, training wrong, eating the wrong things, eating to little, moving to much...

I also started losing... and was for about 3 weeks... lost an average of 0.8 in that time but then 3 days ago my scale jumped 2lbs up it's gone down a bit again but I'm now on course to gaining again...
I didn't change my calorie goal but I had a couple of days that I stopped counting every now and again and ate a bit over...

I think adding more food might be a good idea though... I tried gaining on 150-200 and it just didn't work, I'm now 250-300 over and find it helps.

As to lifting, did you get enough sleep? Are you maybe getting a bit ill? Or maybe you just need a deload?

maruby95

Lifting- I get a de-load every 4 weeks on this program, which was 2 weeks ago. Next one scheduled for the week of Christmas. So I don't think that's it. I did increase my lifting days from 3 to 4 about 6 weks ago, but again, I certainly don't feel overtrained. I think I've been getting enough sleep. Certainly no less than normal. I need about 8-9 hours and I typically get about that. Don't feel ill, or even tired. Just like a weakling, lol!

Thanks for the input about cals. I guess I just need to keep pushing up on them. I wouldn't mind a break from logging, but unfortuantely, my de-fault is too little, not too much, so I think that might actually hurt rather than help me.

Has anyone ever only tracked protein until hitting goal for the day and then quit tracking for the rest of the day? That's the macro I really have to watch, and once I get that in at a minimum, maybe not logging would help? I don't know.

HMVOL7409

I guess I just need to add a bit more and wait? Gotta tell you, my ED self really struggles to see me eating so much above my "TDEE". But clearly, it's not or I would be gaining. Right? I also find that when I add more food, I sort of sub-consciously add more activity. Not cardio per se (only walking, no other cardio) , but I just move around more. Maybe it negates the bump in cals. It's also freezing right now, and the houses here don't have heat, so I'm always moving around to say warm :0.

I think this kind of answers your question. Your history is making it much more difficult for you to fully get into this bulk and that's understandable. However anytime you increase your activity your TDEE increases. I do think that your TDEE sounds very low; how are you calculating and what activity do you have it set at? What are your macros set at? Not just protein and carbs, but fat as well in grams not %?

As far as lifting, how long or how many cycles of 5/3/1 have you done and how long have you've been stalled? Just bc your reps on the last set aren't increasing doesn't mean you are not improving.

Sorry for the questions I'm just not going to simply tell you to eat more without looking at the whole picture. I do think you eat far too little calories but I honestly think your history and everyone's obsession with clean bulks these days is making things so much more hard on them.

maruby95

Thanks so much for being willing to look at the whole picture! I'll see if I can answer all your questions:

I've been calculaing my TDEE via FitBit for about a year and a half at this point. And in general, it seems to have been pretty accurate- by which I mean, when I've eaten below what it tells me my TDEE lis I lose, and (until now) when I've eaten at TDEE, I've more or less maintained. It has occured to me on several occasions, that due to my history, it is also quite possible that my metabolism has been slowed over time and is just now ctaching up to what it should be as I've increased my calories. To say I've been in a deficit for a while is an understatement- think YEARS :0. I know the FitBit isn't good at tracking cals burned from lifting (nothing is) but I do manually add them in at about 150 cals/ hr. And even with that, my ave TDEE is 1700-1750.

In termsof my MFP goals/ diary- I just manually set it since I have been using my TDEE from my FitBit, but if I put in 'moderately active' into cal. calculators I generally get around 1850 as a suggestion. But I've never really believed them since I was maintaining at 1700. See what I'm saying? I'm small boned, 5'3", with about 19% BF. I don't think I 'get' to eat a ton of cals at those numbers :0. Other than lifting, I just do some walking 3-5 days a week. Not tons, maybe 30-40 minutes at a time? Just for mental health and to be outside.

Macros set at: P 113 gr, C 203 gr, F 60 gr. I use these at bare minimums as they add up to 1800 cals. But as I've said, I've been averaging more like 1900 and hitting my macros pretty well.

I'm on my 2nd cycle of 5/3/1- so still new to it. Before that I did SL 5x5, then 3x5 but stalled on that eventually. I'm frustratingly weak, despite all the hard work . Certainly stronger than I used to be, but for having lifted for about a year or a bit more, it's pitiful. Squats are the worst. O totally have chicken legs. Really working on that. My DL is my best lift at about 60 kg for reps (1.2 x BW). I'm not sure I'm techinically stalled in that I am able to do the reps as laid out in the plan. It's just that last heavy set that says 3+ or 5+ or 1+ where I don't feel like I'm progessing. Maybe it doesn't matter if I'm getting all the other reps? And I'm doing plenty of accessory work in which I am slowly increasing either reps or weight or sometimes both. But not always. Sometimes I have to back down- especially if my primary lifts are really heavy.

Just to add- I agree with you that my history is making this harder. I really do want to make progress and gain, but I also know myself well wnough to know tat if I pack too much fat on too quicky I'm likely to panic and quit- which I DON'T want to do. That being said, I also don't want to bust my butt in the gym and shove food down my face continuously for nothing (ok not for nothing- it's still good).

Thanks for any input! Really appreciate it!

pandorakick

I have nothing to add to what is already said above. Just wanting to give you a heads up that you can do this! :flowerforyou:

TriLifter

100% with you. My ED history makes it really hard for the number on the fitbit at the end of the day to be lower than the number in MFP. It's been a struggle. Is your weight in fitbit up to date? I didn't update my weight as I'd gained and it was underestimating my cals burned because of that.

I've got really poor grip strength and I know that's been holding me back.

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

JoRocka

How long have you been bulking? And did you do any maintance between loss and bulk? I think that's one of the hardest things for anyone whose just getting ramped up- switching gears from cut to bulk- it's hard to just go from reverse to 3rd gear without passing through neutral first.

I started 1st of November- and I've been pretty consistent with the numbers- I've been REALLY slacking this week (coming in low by several hundred calories) but my weight has been fluxing within a 5 lb range up and down (I weigh at least once a day).

I am going to push for just a hair more food starting this coming January- but it takes a while for your body to catch on to the hint. It's like NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING then BAM- 3 lbs down (or up)... Stay the course and if you really aren't seeing ANYTHING after a month- add another hundred calories or so.

I've got what 6 weeks in- and I've just barely seen the slightest shift on the scale- but there is no question- I've lost definition- which makes me hesitant to push the food higher. Slow and steady.

Unfortunately- this is the reality of being a woman- putting on weight AND muscle gains is VERY difficult. Laughable so when women say they 'don't want to bulk' when they can barely be bothered to come to the gym and pick up the 5 lbs weights 2x a week.

it's literally just comical.

Sigh- damn low testosterone. It's a fight... so know that you aren't alone- what you are feeling is normal. Keep fighting for it though!! YOU K'N DO IT!!!

TriLifter

Unfortunately- this is the reality of being a woman- putting on weight AND muscle gains is VERY difficult. Laughable so when women say they 'don't want to bulk' when they can barely be bothered to come to the gym and pick up the 5 lbs weights 2x a week.

it's literally just comical.

Sigh- damn low testosterone. It's a fight... so know that you aren't alone- what you are feeling is normal. Keep fighting for it though!! YOU K'N DO IT!!!

It's so true, yet I still see threads about how some women just bulk if they step into the weight section!

sarahstrezo

I do think your TDEE sounds low. Granted…maybe because of your ED history, it is that low. I just know, that for me….I thought my TDEE was 2100 +/- and I did sort of maintain at that. But, then I just had more energy throughout the day and normally when I'd sit my *kitten* down and rest, I felt like mopping the floor or taking the dog for an extra long walk….so I was still maintaining at 2300.

It's all just trail and error. I think most women need to let go of the idea of a "clean bulk" and forget about keeping all food "clean". Sure…you should always try to hit your macro and micro nutrients, but…when trying to actually put on new weight, you will just be spinning your wheels if you try to keep EVERYTHING so "clean" and perfect.

There is nothing wrong with adding in another 100 cals a day. If you are losing now, adding in another 100 isn't going to make you put on 5 lbs of fat in a week or two.

maruby95

How long have you been bulking? And did you do any maintance between loss and bulk? I think that's one of the hardest things for anyone whose just getting ramped up- switching gears from cut to bulk- it's hard to just go from reverse to 3rd gear without passing through neutral first.


I've been bulking for 8-9 weeks. I definetly did reverse diet for a while, in fact, most of the summer I ate at TDEE (or what I thought was my TDEE). I totally hear you on going from deficit straight to surplus, and I was mindful for taking my time getting there in hopes I could avoid some of the shock. But it is still a mindset thing. I mean...YEARS...I've always tried to eat at a deficit. So I know this is working against me...

husseycd

I don't have a lot of advice, but my Fitbit was consistently 150-200 calories lower than my BodyMedia estimate. I tend to trust the BodyMedia more...

maruby95

I don't have a lot of advice, but my Fitbit was consistently 150-200 calories lower than my BodyMedia estimate. I tend to trust the BodyMedia more...

Oh wow. This is interesting. And that's just about what I'm finding...I'm maintaining at 150-200 above what my FitBit says on average. Good to know. Thanks!

JoRocka

I do think your TDEE sounds low. Granted…maybe because of your ED history, it is that low. I just know, that for me….I thought my TDEE was 2100 +/- and I did sort of maintain at that. But, then I just had more energy throughout the day and normally when I'd sit my *kitten* down and rest, I felt like mopping the floor or taking the dog for an extra long walk….so I was still maintaining at 2300.

It's all just trail and error. I think most women need to let go of the idea of a "clean bulk" and forget about keeping all food "clean". Sure…you should always try to hit your macro and micro nutrients, but…when trying to actually put on new weight, you will just be spinning your wheels if you try to keep EVERYTHING so "clean" and perfect.

There is nothing wrong with adding in another 100 cals a day. If you are losing now, adding in another 100 isn't going to make you put on 5 lbs of fat in a week or two.

spot on. I can't be bothered.

I just tell people straight up that I'm on the cookie and ice cream bulk. Seriously- I would get sick trying to eat all that chicken. I just can't. I do pizza once a week and I have ice cream almost every night- now that it's in the low 20's high teens- I've been slacking- but I munch a lot at crap at work- so I hit the protein/milk HARD and then just fill it with whatever.

I hit my numbers- and my protein is low most of the time-by 70-90 grams but I'm still pushing over 100 grams a day- and chocolate tends to be carb heavy obviously- but I'm still hitting my numbers- maybe not my macro's but my calorie numbers are pretty good.


I think the downside to this is making sure you just realize it's calories to fill your day- not "i'm feeling fat" ice cream. I don't eat it when I'm mopy or having a bad day- no negative reinforcement- I only eat ice cream at home when I'm feeling good and need to flesh out the day.

If I'm going to go mope- I go to Friendly's and pay out the *kitten* for a hunka chunka peanut butter lava sunday cake- which is like 1770 calories- and probably costs 10$. I also won't go alone ( no fears of eating alone at a restaurant but I don't like eating ice cream alone- don't ask me why- it is what it is)


If I'm going to mope eat- there will be a financial price tag- and I need to rally up a friend- for moral support which since I'm on a crazy budget- I avoid and I have no friends who like doing that- so it's much harder to do that.

sorry- random tangent about when I refuse to eat ice cream- and my random stipulations I make on myself. LMAO. I'm weird. I know.

Go forth- eat ice cream- be fabulous.

HMVOL7409

I do think your TDEE sounds low. Granted…maybe because of your ED history, it is that low. I just know, that for me….I thought my TDEE was 2100 +/- and I did sort of maintain at that. But, then I just had more energy throughout the day and normally when I'd sit my *kitten* down and rest, I felt like mopping the floor or taking the dog for an extra long walk….so I was still maintaining at 2300.

It's all just trail and error. I think most women need to let go of the idea of a "clean bulk" and forget about keeping all food "clean". Sure…you should always try to hit your macro and micro nutrients, but…when trying to actually put on new weight, you will just be spinning your wheels if you try to keep EVERYTHING so "clean" and perfect.

There is nothing wrong with adding in another 100 cals a day. If you are losing now, adding in another 100 isn't going to make you put on 5 lbs of fat in a week or two.

I agree with much of this. When I mentioned clean bulks it was in reference to those who want to eat the bare minimum number of calories over their maintenance to avoid as little fat gain as possible, not food content though really I'm more relaxed these days. I just hate to watch someone who might be working their rear off to build muscle when in reality all they maybe doing is maintaining what they have bc of not enough fuel.

Don't let your history dictate your future; yes your metabolism can be skewed but you can change it regardless of your height and BF. I worked my way up to maintaining on 2100+ cals and I'm shorter than you and this was when I was leaner. More muscle means higher calorie needs. Slowly work your way up.

I think that maybe your feeling in the gym has a lot to do with your food intake. I think by slowly increasing cals you will notice a difference. How do you structure your carbs around your workout and what do you eat?

maruby95

Thanks for this Holly (and everyone else!!). I will work on slowly increasing calories.

I typically work out late am (it's when I have time), so I usually eat breakfast about 8:30 or 9 of 2 eggs, coffee with milk and sugar and some form of carb like a bowl of oatmeal, or whole wheat toast or maybe fruit. Generally total intake is 400-500 calories. Then after my workout depending on my schedule I either have a protein shake with milk and fruit, or (preferably) leftovers from the day before (chicken and rice, or chili for example) or sometimes I need to grab something out like a grilled chicken wrap or something. I try to go for some combination of protein and carbs post-workout. I do not consciously carb cycle and I think I'm averaging about 200gr carbs a day. And in general I try to eat most of my calories post-workout, which isn't hard since mod of the time I lift late-am or mid-day.

What do you think? Could I do something better?

HMVOL7409

Nope that actually looks really good. I know some here stated they lift fasted and wasn't sure if you did or not. If you wanted you can try adding in a few more carbs preworkout and see if that helps any, about 10-20 gm. Everyone's different and it's seeing what works and what doesn't.