Lifting: how long did it take for your body to adjust?

hfester
hfester Posts: 114 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
The background: I'm on week three of NROL4W. I lift three times per week and love the workouts. I've upped my protein to about 165g / day. I do TDEE -10% or so, so I take in about 1850-1950 calories a day.

The issue: I am feeling SWOLL, but not in a good way. The scale is up by several pounds, which I expected and is not causing panic because I know it's water from the diet change and from the recovery process.

The question: how long did it take for you to stop feeling so puffy and for your body to adjust to lifting? When did you start feeling like a svelte goddess instead of the Stay-Puffed Marshmallow Man? Anything I can do to alleviate the feeling?

Replies

  • charleigh78
    charleigh78 Posts: 247 Member
    I am doing NR4W too and I felt the same way at first.
    A few thoughts....

    Are you drinking enough water? I upped my water to at least 10-12 glasses a day.
    Make sure you are eating enough. I set my calories to 1400 and I eat back most of my workout calories too.
    Give it time. I panicked when I added the workouts and didn't lose for a few weeks. A wise person told me to give any changes 4-6 weeks before judging. I am so glad that I kept going and didn't worry about the scale because I am seeing huge results in inches and body fat lost and even some on the scale. I think I pretty much stalled on the scale for about 3-4 weeks though. Take measurements - I saw progress there earlier.
    That initial puffy feeling only took a week or two for me, but everyone is different.
  • hfester
    hfester Posts: 114 Member
    I think you've got a good point about drinking more water. I usually get about six to eight cups, but with all the demands I'm placing on my body, I probably need more.

    Trying to adjust to all this protein has me pretty unbalanced. I find myself fantasizing about fruits and leafy greens. I have been so focused on the chicken breasts and tuna that I've neglected my veggies. It's a learning curve which I'll figure out eventually, I'm sure!
  • charleigh78
    charleigh78 Posts: 247 Member
    Do you use whey protein powder? It helps a lot. I am not naturally a big meat eater and I have had a difficult time hitting such a high protein level too. Some argue that you can get away with less - he aims really high. I am too new to know.

    The water is vital. I am not naturally a water drinker and it made such a difference when I made it my focus.
  • rosetat74
    rosetat74 Posts: 32 Member
    The protein powder is a great idea. It can be so versatile! Put it in a fruit smoothie and then you can lessen those fruit cravings... you can add it to greek yogurt with a spoonful of unsweetened cocoa powder for a protein pudding if you're low for the day. I've added it to pancake mix, oatmeal... you name it. That way you're not eating too much meat. I find that upping my protein grams dehydrates me if I don't also up my water intake as well.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    After you introduce any new workout do not weigh yourself for 2-4 weeks...you will always see a gain which is all water.

    I do TDEE-15%...and it works great...

    I do have to ask about your protien tho...I weigh 160lbs with BF% of 24-26% and only require 120g (per bf)

    Typically the suggestion is 1g of protien for each pound of Lean body mass not total mass...

    I manage all my protien (sometimes going way over) without powders or bars...it can be done within 1600-1700 calories.
  • hfester
    hfester Posts: 114 Member
    I'm going by the protein rec made on the iifym.com calculator. To be honest, right now I'm kind of experimenting. I know that before I was too low (around 60g per day) and I feel like 165g/day is high, but I wanted to give it a chance if it will truly complement the NROL4W program.

    The pros of it are that I am not very hungry. The con seems to be that I feel like I'm eating like a linebacker and feeling like one, too.
  • hfester
    hfester Posts: 114 Member


    I do have to ask about your protien tho...I weigh 160lbs with BF% of 24-26% and only require 120g (per bf)

    Typically the suggestion is 1g of protien for each pound of Lean body mass not total mass...

    This is what I thought should be my goal, too. I am around the same size. I think that in trying to learn what my number should be, I've gotten confused. I supposed I'll figure it out through trial and error.

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