Stronglifts 5x5 for Women

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What's your magic calories number?

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  • fknlardarse
    fknlardarse Posts: 210 Member
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    Bump for later. I've recently started lifting so can't say if my magic number is working yet but it feels like I'm not losing (to early to say for sure) I'm going to stick it out for a full month at 1550 and see if it's working. Fingers crossed but my gut reaction is that it's not working :(
    Good luck OP!
  • fknlardarse
    fknlardarse Posts: 210 Member
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    Thanks everyone for all the replies, it's nice and encouraging to read about others' success and struggles. Sometimes it's kinda depressing when you see stories about girls eating 1800 cals a day, lifting only 3 times a week and with "the fat just melting off". Why not me too?!!?! :sad:

    The constant question in my head is: am I not losing because Im eating too little or because Im eating to much? Im usually around 1650, this week I changed to 1550 to leave extra space for errors while logging. I'm not paying attention to the number on the scale so much anymore, but I haven't seen that big of a change in my body either, that's what bugs me the most.

    I know for some people it can take a while to see the changes, like KaterinaTeres said. It's just some days are harder than others to remember that. Today is one of these days :smile:

    And definitely agree with this!!!
  • viglet
    viglet Posts: 299 Member
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    Thanks everyone for all the replies, it's nice and encouraging to read about others' success and struggles. Sometimes it's kinda depressing when you see stories about girls eating 1800 cals a day, lifting only 3 times a week and with "the fat just melting off". Why not me too?!!?! :sad:

    OMG that is my sad face when I read those too!!! There was a post a while back from a woman who was my height (5'2) and did SL three times a week and I think it was elliptical twice (I could be totally off but I know it wasn't any excessive amount of activity). She said she ate 2000 calories every day and was losing a lb a week consistently!!!

    I haven't lost a damn lb in MONTHS!!!! UGH... with that said, I have no clue what my magic number is. Right now I have my diary set to 1350 while eating back exercise cals. Not going too well but I think I have just become horrible at logging.
  • ErinRibbens
    ErinRibbens Posts: 370 Member
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    I slacked on logging over the winter and put on a few pounds...started keeping my diet in check and logging in February and consistently have lost about .5 lbs/week, which was my goal. By consistently however, I mean over the long term. My weight tends to stick at a number for a week or 2 (or more!) and then I'll drop 3 lbs. But overall I've been having success, while maintaining my strength and definitely feeling a difference in how my clothes fit.

    I went back and calculated the gross amount of calories I ate during this time and it was around 1650, which coincidentally is right around the same number Scooby gives me for TDEE- 20%.

    I've added more cardio lately and it seems to be really helping me meet my calorie goals. This winter I was doing next to no cardio which just didn't fly in conjunction with also eating more calories!
  • kateangel2312
    kateangel2312 Posts: 242 Member
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    I've been eating around 2300 a day and losing a pound a week, I'm 5'5
  • gixbr
    gixbr Posts: 34 Member
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    I've been eating around 2300 a day and losing a pound a week, I'm 5'5

    I want to hate you for that but that's just badass of you, congratulations! :flowerforyou:
  • gixbr
    gixbr Posts: 34 Member
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    Thanks everyone for all the replies, it's nice and encouraging to read about others' success and struggles. Sometimes it's kinda depressing when you see stories about girls eating 1800 cals a day, lifting only 3 times a week and with "the fat just melting off". Why not me too?!!?! :sad:

    OMG that is my sad face when I read those too!!! There was a post a while back from a woman who was my height (5'2) and did SL three times a week and I think it was elliptical twice (I could be totally off but I know it wasn't any excessive amount of activity). She said she ate 2000 calories every day and was losing a lb a week consistently!!!

    I haven't lost a damn lb in MONTHS!!!! UGH... with that said, I have no clue what my magic number is. Right now I have my diary set to 1350 while eating back exercise cals. Not going too well but I think I have just become horrible at logging.

    Right????

    I think the problem (for me) is, my body holds on to the weight until one day I lose like 4lbs at once, it's happened several times to me but when it's been 3 weeks and I'm working my *kitten* off at the gym and having great workouts I'm really hoping to see constant changes and get disappointed when I don't. As much as I try to reason that I will eventually lose the weight my mind is just blaming it on the damn calories and keep trying to find ways to change my diet.

    By the way, I really don't look at my weight loss as much as inches lost, I'd never complain if my weight was the same and I had lost like 1000 inches :tongue:
  • Neonbeige
    Neonbeige Posts: 271 Member
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    I've been eating around 2300 a day and losing a pound a week, I'm 5'5

    I want to hate you for that but that's just badass of you, congratulations! :flowerforyou:

    *giggle*

    When I started about two months ago, I had calculated my TDEE with scooby and ate 1800 calories a day. Nothing happened for the first 5, 6 weeks and I was getting frustrated. I knew when you start lifting weights you gain water etc, etc. But still. The ****ty truth is, we LOVE it when the numbers on the scale move down, because that seems to be the most obvious proof. My "progress" pictures also didn't really show any progress in my eyes and although I lost some cm on my belly, I wasn't so happy.

    I put my calories down to 1700 now and finally have the feeling something is happening. And it's still a number I can live with without feeling starved - more would be cooler of course, but yeah, you get the point.

    Maybe it's not even that I lowered the calories but more an adjustment of my body, but I will stay with this number for a while.

    Good luck finding your number! :-)
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    I wear a BodyMedia FIT and it takes all the guesswork out. I eat between 1800- 2800 calories a day depending on activity. I am 5'7" and I lose about 0.85 lbs a week. I am close to my goal so my weight loss has slowed down a lot.
  • ChoiceNotChance
    ChoiceNotChance Posts: 644 Member
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    I also did the CO2 RMR test. It said my metabolism is actually a little higher than predicted- Yah. It gave an RMR of 1483. All well and good. When I calculate my TDEE, using lightly active, I get 1779. No problem there either. Here's the conumdrum: I haven't lost a single pound since September and even then it was REALLY slow. I gained :cry: about 4 lbs on vacation in Italy in October and still can't get rid of that either. Yes, I log my food accurately. I weigh everything like a maniac. Even my lettuce gets weighed. I've been playing around with my calorie goals, trying to get something to work. 1200? nope, 1350? nope, 1450? no so far. I haven't been much of an exerciser until about a month ago when I started SL. BTW: I'm 5'1" current weight 137 and 54 yrs old, which works against me. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free. Oh, I do have a history of insulin resistance, so I eat low carb for medical reasons. Thanks for letting me get this off my chest.
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
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    I just eat the same amount I've been eating for months - 2000 calories. I may, at this point, have to decrease it a little, or else exercise more to get off the last few pounds.

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