Female weightlifting-calorie help

allanakern

I used to be a member of MFP and deleted my account a few months ago. I felt being a member and reading forums made me obsess over the scale and my day would be ruined if the scale went up even a pound. Here's my story...

I started exercising May of 2013 after I went to the doctor and I weighed in at 139 which was the most I have ever weighed. I am 5'5", female. I decided to get myself into shape, first by just trying to make healthier eating decisions and by doing the elliptical for a half hour a day. I lost about 12 lbs (give or take). I started to get obsessive with the scale and how many calories I was taking in and would try to restrict to 800-900 a day (often times I didn't succeed but still ate low calories). Stupid, I know.

Then I decided to start weight lifting, as heavy as I can. Been lifting now for 8 months. My weight went up a few pounds, I'm now sitting about 128.5 and noticeably a lot more muscle definition.

I still want to lose remaining fat, but I am so incredibly confused at what my calorie intake/carb intake should be. I am losing my motivation to eat right due to confusion. Trying to eat lots of protein and veggies, but I'm so sick of constantly thinking about what I'm eating and feeling guilty if I bomb a meal. I know lifting heavy 5-6x per week (plus I do cardio right after weights to try to maximize fat loss) I can eat more calories but I'm scared of eating too many, and scared of not eating enough.

My goal is to get very lean, strong and healthy. Please help me determine how many calories I should be eating, etc.

Thank you

DavPul

You're on the right path exercise-wise

You're on the right path nutrition-wise

You're on the wroooooong path mentality-wise. A very dangerous path.

It sounds like you're already lean, strong, and healthy. Don't ruin that by obsessing over every food item at every meal. Don't ruin it by comparing yourself to professional fitness models or athletes.

Also sounds like you don't have a competition or sport that you need to get incredibly lean for. What's your current bf%, what's your goal bf%, and why did you select that goal? I ask because if you've arbitrarily selected a goal that's too low, you're on the path to frustration and possibly worse

allanakern

According to scale read out, my BF% is 22%. I would like to get to 19 or 20%. I started getting really obsessive before my wedding (which was June 14) but now that that's over, there is no competition or anything I'm aiming for. Just confused on calories more than anything and I get frustrated having to measure everything

LeanButNotMean44

I know exactly how you feel, allanakern - I feel the same way when it comes to being obsessive about what I am eating. I usually eat the same things every day, but the meals where I don't have anything planned....STRESS!

Perhaps check out the calculators at www.iifym.com. You can enter your height, weight, bf%, and how many times per week you work out, and it will give you suggested calories and macros to maintain, bulk, or cut. It's a really great site to use along with MFP.

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

h7463

According to scale read out, my BF% is 22%. I would like to get to 19 or 20%. I started getting really obsessive before my wedding (which was June 14) but now that that's over, there is no competition or anything I'm aiming for. Just confused on calories more than anything and I get frustrated having to measure everything

Hi there!
We have about the same goal...and the same difficulties reaching it....maintaining it is even worse......lol
I'm a few years older than you, and it won't make it any easier. (51, f, 5'5", 132 lbs, 17%bf).

Calorie-wise, there is no accurate number. You'll have to watch your weight fluctuations and find your magic number for maintenance. Then adjust up or down from there. It can take time and patience, especially when you are lifting heavy.
Lower body fat will make you more vulnerable to injuries, which can set you back for a while again. Watch your form.
Also, at some point, always the same cardio won't work anymore. You'll have to step up the intensity. Throw in some high intensity interval training. I'm getting the most 'bang' out of it right now, while shaving off the remaining undesired portion of my body fat.

Don't step on the scale too often. With heavy lifting comes heavy water retention. Don't take any 'water pills', your body needs to stay hydrated to repair itself. At your current body weight, you can aim for about 120 g of protein per day. Eat sufficient carbs to keep your energy level high (I'm having between 100 and 150 g per day), and add healthy fats for the rest. Don't try anything extreme, if you want to maintain your body for a long time after you reach your goal. Fat burners won't help you, they are only a temporary fix.
Drink plenty of water!

To put your mind at ease, I suggest, that you get a proper fitness and body composition evaluation. The bathroom scale body fat measurements are the worst you can get, anyway. For me, depending on the time of day, time of month, hydration status, SPOT ON THE FLOOR WHERE I PUT THE SCALE, the range can be anything from 17 to 28 in the same week. I've given up on it.... Body fat calipers give a faster and more accurate result.

Good luck, train safe!