I don't (think I) want to lose weight!

mamitosami

I've waited to post this question, I have read thousands (or so it seems!) of threads... Please help me understand! I must be dense if I don't get it by now... I'm sorry to ask this--I just don't completely understand it.

I think my actual weight for my height is healthy (?) I am 5'11" and weigh about 160-162. I've tried to drop 5-10 lbs for months now. So I started heavy lifting about 4 weeks ago (having gone from long distance running and lifting 'barbie' weights!). I have maintained my weight for 6 or so months. I would like to lose fat and gain muscle. I was eating in the 1600 calorie range (and eating every last one of my exercise calories). I was hungry, all. the. time. So I upped it to 1800 (just below maintenance) plus I eat all my exercise calories. I'm still hungry, not as much, but uncomfortably sometimes.

So, if I want to lose fat and gain muscle, do I need to raise my calories more? Or lower them? Other than going to the gym 6 times a week (lifting 3 times weekly and cardio 3 times weekly) I am lightly active. How many calories should I be eating--including my exercise calories? Do I just 'suck up' the hunger? I have no idea where, in the calorie grand scheme of things I should be... I feel like I'm eating an awful lot of calories... (you can check my diary, it's public).

Any help would be appreciated!!

Edited to add that I am getting frustrated now, so I'm starting to overeat a little from stressing wayyy too much over this... you can see this from my diary the last few days...

karamae

Try increasing protein (shakes, chicken etc). It will make you feel more full for longer AND helps with gaining muscle. I think they say you need 1 gram protein for lb of body weight. That's a LOT of protein, but just try and get as much as you can! Optimum Nutrition has a good chocolate shake. I mix it in the AM with 1/2 cup milk, a little ice, water and one scoop mix. Then blend it with my bullet. I think it has 24 grams protein and only 125 calories. So definitely worth it. Good luck!

JRMcCaghren

Try increasing protein (shakes, chicken etc). It will make you feel more full for longer AND helps with gaining muscle. I think they say you need 1 gram protein for lb of body weight. That's a LOT of protein, but just try and get as much as you can! Optimum Nutrition has a good chocolate shake. I mix it in the AM with 1/2 cup milk, a little ice, water and one scoop mix. Then blend it with my bullet. I think it has 24 grams protein and only 125 calories. So definitely worth it. Good luck!

This is exactly right. Losing weight and gaining muscle means you have to have a lot of protein.

mamitosami

That's the irony of all this -- I eat a TON of protein, most days 2 shakes, others just one, and I eat a lot of lean protein too... I think both my legs are hollow!!!

reba971

Protein! Especially if you are weight training. I eat high protein and I am very rarely hungry. Try keeping your calories at 1600-1800 but making sure you eat lots of protein and see if you feel less hungry.

Melis25Fit

THIS! Its exactly what I need. I'm 160 as well, but only 5'6" but need to lose a bit more fat and gain muscle. I'd like to get to 145 ultimately, but have issues lately getting the scale to go down! I'm lifting about 3-4 times a week, and cardio 3 times.....
Love to see more insight from others!

UponThisRock

It's easier to focus on one goal or the other. Trying to do both can lead to a lot of wheel-spinning.

nuttynat11834

I usually try to avoid eating sweet foods for breakfast, like french toast or pancakes, since they don't fill me up as much. Try 2 start eating a big healthy breakfast with lots of protein. I always make sure to have a glass of milk or yogurt with my meal too. I don't know if this will help u, but so far it's been helping me.

barwood

Has anyone looked at her diary she is eating a ton of protein and fiber.I think you are doing great in there area maybe lower your carbs. I'm no expert but i did look at your diary and I think It looks good just carbs are a little high.

Jeff92se

What is your current bodyfat %?

skinnison

I'm not an expert but I joined to improve my cholesterol and lose some weight. But the goal is fitness! If you are trying to cut fat and gain muscle then cut the fat as much as possible in your diet and increase your proteins to gain muscle. Proteins will help with your hunger and balance it with a variety of vegatables and fruit because you need the vitamins. It sounds as though you have a good healthy excercise routine so add those whole grain carbs and other good carbs to help keep the fat down but give you some energy for the weight training. Don't stress on the weight loss it is your health and fitness that counts and if you feel and look good you are on track. The hardest part of eating right is not falling back into old habits and when your hungry feed it with good foods and don't feel guilty. Overeating good foods is better than falling into the junk again. You can do it hang in there.
God bless

PlunderBunneh

Wow, you eat a lot of protein. Hot damn girl.
Your current weight seems perfectly reasonable for your height. Good for you for building up muscle though. I'm not there yet, but will be soon.
As for constant hunger, I would try replacing some of your calories with a cup of milk when you start getting hungry. I find even just 8 ounces of milk really fills me up for awhile. Play around with your calories too, maybe try lowering the carbs for a few days and see if that helps. I find the more carby my day is, the hungrier I am. Not that I'm ever low-carb, but know what I mean? Other thing to try is spacing out your meals, eating slower, drinking more water, chew some gum. I'm not sure what else I've got for ya, since I can't help in the building muscle department.
Best of luck!!

vs1023

THIS! Its exactly what I need. I'm 160 as well, but only 5'6" but need to lose a bit more fat and gain muscle. I'd like to get to 145 ultimately, but have issues lately getting the scale to go down! I'm lifting about 3-4 times a week, and cardio 3 times.....
Love to see more insight from others!

Wow you look awesome, great work! I would suggest cleaning up your diet. Less processed, high sodium stuff and sugar and add in more whole foods and good fats (olive oil, coconut oil, coconut butter, almod butter, avocado)

OP your diary looks great, I would add more good fats like I mentioned above and that will help fill you up too. Also lower your carbs, processed ones anyways like pretzels and bread, do oatmeal, flax, sweet potato, veggies.

mamitosami

It's easier to focus on one goal or the other. Trying to do both can lead to a lot of wheel-spinning.

I think this is what is happening. Perhaps if I lower my calories again, just a little, and keep my focus on the heavy lifting, it will even out. I am not a very patient person!

And thanks to everyone for all your suggestions--lowering my carbs is doable--I always thought because, generally, I eat healthy carbs, like yams, squash etc it was ok (and because I was a long distance runner, I needed them, frankly). I am trying to cut out the evening snacking (I was originally fitting it in nicely at the end of the day, but now if it doesn't fit, I seem to eat it anyway). Today was not a picture perfect day! I overate out of frustration... I will pick one goal, stick with it, and try to be patient. That last 10 pounds really is so difficult to lose!! If I lose the fat, the muscle will be there... somewhere... like a diamond in the rough:laugh:

mamitosami

What is your current bodyfat %?

I think my current bf% (this is sooo approximate!) is about 25%-28%.

mamitosami

Wow, you eat a lot of protein. Hot damn girl.
Your current weight seems perfectly reasonable for your height. Good for you for building up muscle though. I'm not there yet, but will be soon.
As for constant hunger, I would try replacing some of your calories with a cup of milk when you start getting hungry. I find even just 8 ounces of milk really fills me up for awhile. Play around with your calories too, maybe try lowering the carbs for a few days and see if that helps. I find the more carby my day is, the hungrier I am. Not that I'm ever low-carb, but know what I mean? Other thing to try is spacing out your meals, eating slower, drinking more water, chew some gum. I'm not sure what else I've got for ya, since I can't help in the building muscle department.
Best of luck!!

I will try to go a little lower carb--maybe it will make me want them less? I'll eat slower too... I usually do drink plenty of fluids...

joyzoso

wow, I am 5'11 and striving just to lose 20 pounds to be 175... (which I think is also healthy for our height)... of course we will see when I get there if I want to continue. For me, I have been putting on muscle, while losing fat the past couple of months so no scale change... annoying, but feeling better every day.

Good luck with your journey!

ksubbert

What is your training schedule? Are you doing a weekly long run and do you find you have an unquenchable hunger the day after?

This isn't all that uncommon among runners.

Levedi

It sounds to me like you're at the point where you need an expert trainer / nutrition consult to fine tune an already good routine and determine fine goals. Also, you might not need to lose fat - a certain level of body fat is healthy and will protect your joints, etc. You're obviously doing a lot right. Keep it up!

mamitosami

What is your training schedule? Are you doing a weekly long run and do you find you have an unquenchable hunger the day after?

This isn't all that uncommon among runners.

I am doing a long run once a week (although, relatively speaking, with all this weight training, my runs are a lot shorter than they used to be--seems my body can't handle both!!). I do get very hungry the next day, but I usually burn 800 calories so it makes up for that run.

I think I will look into a getting a trainer to help get through this last amount of fat loss--I did find a very good article through here, finally http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-1.html. Perhaps it will help others too. Seems I just need a little patience...

melsinct

It's easier to focus on one goal or the other. Trying to do both can lead to a lot of wheel-spinning.

Very good point, and most of us learn this the hard way. I simultaneously tried to lose weight, build muscle, tone up, etc. and I drove my self nuts. When I got within 5-10 pounds of my goal about 4 months ago, I shifted away from focusing on weight loss and focused more on strength training. I lost weight slower, and am still 2 pounds from goal, but I have arm muscles! I am more toned! It's quite exciting, really. As soon as you free yourself from the burden of a specific weight number, your hard work from exercise will be rewarded.

ArroganceInStep

It's easier to focus on one goal or the other. Trying to do both can lead to a lot of wheel-spinning.

^This 100%.

I notice from your ticker you have lost quite a bit of weight (congratulations on that by the way) already. Was that recently? That may provide some insight into your goals. If you just finished a heavy bout of weight loss and are pretty exhausted from that, you may want to up calorie intake and focus on strength gains as a 'break'. The problem with that is if you want to increase muscle mass, you have to have a calorie surplus (with some small exceptions, and muscle mass increases aren't the only way to increase strength). This surplus means you will have to deal with some fat increases as well, though you can minimize that somewhat. If the thought of gaining weight after all your hard work is unbearable, you may want to continue focusing on decreasing body fat until you reach your goal % (actually ideally you want to get under that, so you can then increase muscle mass and have the resulting fat gain bring you up to your goal instead of over it). What is your split between the macros? I know you said you eat a lot of protein, but what percentages are you targeting? Also what is your strength training routine? How much sleep do you get in general?

This is a relatively technical undertaking, and requires a pretty high level of familiarity with your own body to maximize results. From what I gather you seem to be pretty close to your goals already, so I would strongly suggest taking it slow (as you already admitted) and trying to enjoy it.

mamitosami

It's easier to focus on one goal or the other. Trying to do both can lead to a lot of wheel-spinning.

Very good point, and most of us learn this the hard way. I simultaneously tried to lose weight, build muscle, tone up, etc. and I drove my self nuts. When I got within 5-10 pounds of my goal about 4 months ago, I shifted away from focusing on weight loss and focused more on strength training. I lost weight slower, and am still 2 pounds from goal, but I have arm muscles! I am more toned! It's quite exciting, really. As soon as you free yourself from the burden of a specific weight number, your hard work from exercise will be rewarded.

^^This is EXACTLY what is happening! Thanks for writing this--it helps puts things into perspective.

[/quote]

"I notice from your ticker you have lost quite a bit of weight (congratulations on that by the way) already. Was that recently? That may provide some insight into your goals. If you just finished a heavy bout of weight loss and are pretty exhausted from that, you may want to up calorie intake and focus on strength gains as a 'break'. The problem with that is if you want to increase muscle mass, you have to have a calorie surplus (with some small exceptions, and muscle mass increases aren't the only way to increase strength). This surplus means you will have to deal with some fat increases as well, though you can minimize that somewhat. If the thought of gaining weight after all your hard work is unbearable, you may want to continue focusing on decreasing body fat until you reach your goal % (actually ideally you want to get under that, so you can then increase muscle mass and have the resulting fat gain bring you up to your goal instead of over it). What is your split between the macros? I know you said you eat a lot of protein, but what percentages are you targeting? Also what is your strength training routine? How much sleep do you get in general?

This is a relatively technical undertaking, and requires a pretty high level of familiarity with your own body to maximize results. From what I gather you seem to be pretty close to your goals already, so I would strongly suggest taking it slow (as you already admitted) and trying to enjoy it."

[/quote]

This IS a technical undertaking! I think that's why it's so hard, the amount of research I've had to do is pretty incredible! I have a whole new respect for people who do this sort of strength training and have results now.

I lost the weight 6 months ago, so it's a while ago now, but I've spent the last 6 months trying to lose that 'last' ten-ish pounds, so I'm frustrated. But, having joined MFP and in doing all this research (with the help of a lot of people on here) I have found that all running I was doing was not helping so I changed my focus to heavy lifting, this helped right away, and I lost an inch or so in my waist.

Increasing my calories scares me! You are right--after restricting for so long (it took 6 months to lose the 40 lbs, and I've never eaten at maintenance in order to lose that last 10 lbs). I'm just not sure of the (almost) exact number of calories to eat.

I don't sleep incredibly well, hormones, a little anxiety, worries (I'm a worry wart!). But I am trying to sleep more. I eat 1g of protein for each pound that I weigh and sometimes more (I weigh 160).

Thanks for your replies and your advice, this really helps a lot.

ArroganceInStep

You already posted from bodyrecomposition, here's some more that I posted in another thread

In response to the OPs stall:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adjusting-the-diet.html

Read:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-fundamentals-of-fat-loss-diets-part-1.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-fundamentals-of-fat-loss-diets-part-2.html

Read:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/lean-mass-or-total-weight-to-set-calories.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/how-to-estimate-maintenance-caloric-intake.html

Then Read:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/setting-the-deficit-small-moderate-or-large.html

And before you jump straight to a 50% deficit:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

From the fundamentals section, you may want to increase your protein slightly from the already high level you have it at (and I know, that's rough).

Are you getting enough dietary fats in your diet?

Getting more sleep can help with the hunger issues, I know when I don't get enough sleep I'm ravenous (and I already have a pretty beastly appetite).

If you're doing long runs weekly and that's what's triggering your hunger, you might want to try adjusting your food intake around your run. Something like a higher percentage of your daily carbs for the day than usual for the meal preceding your run.

Setting calories can be a tough undertaking. The more accuracy you can get the better off you'll be. Going to a nutritionist, investing in a heart rate monitor that tracks calories, getting a food scale. All relatively un-fun stuff that can give you a greater degree of control over your body.

I will say, if you're losing inches from lifting, I wouldn't worry about weight. Wait until progress fully stalls before trying to move onto something else.

psuLemon

There is a strong possibility that you are under estimating your maintenance calories which means you are under eating. At 160 lbs and 25% body fat here are your calculations.

LBM = 160-(160*.25)= 120
BMR = 370+(9.79759519-*120) = 1545
Maintenance calories at lightly active levels = 1545 * 1.375 = 2125

That is your maintenance calories based on your normal lifestyle, not including exercise. Now add in the fact, you are working out 6 days a week and you become very active in terms of lifestyle (using Katch McArdle). And your caloric needs increase as noted below.

Caloric needs = BMR * Very active = TDEE - Deficit
=1545 *1.725 = 2666 - 250 = 2416


I suspect that you are under eating. I personally have used this method to recomp my body (started at 18, now at 11%). The 2400 calories would be something you eat every day regardless of your workout. Something to consider though.

mamitosami

There is a strong possibility that you are under estimating your maintenance calories which means you are under eating. At 160 lbs and 25% body fat here are your calculations.

LBM = 160-(160*.25)= 120
BMR = 370+(9.79759519-*120) = 1545
Maintenance calories at lightly active levels = 1545 * 1.375 = 2125

That is your maintenance calories based on your normal lifestyle, not including exercise. Now add in the fact, you are working out 6 days a week and you become very active in terms of lifestyle (using Katch McArdle). And your caloric needs increase as noted below.

Caloric needs = BMR * Very active = TDEE - Deficit
=1545 *1.725 = 2666 - 250 = 2416


I suspect that you are under eating. I personally have used this method to recomp my body (started at 18, now at 11%). The 2400 calories would be something you eat every day regardless of your workout. Something to consider though.

See, this is what I was secretly hoping (!), that I could increase my calories! It's scary, and as rtalencar already pointed out, I'm terrified of gaining weight (fat) back! But, I'm definitely willing to experiment. Thank you for doing these calculations for me, I appreciate everyone's input--this means a lot to me. I was getting frustrated and impatient, and you have all contributed to me getting back on track and working seriously at changing my body. I had a KILLER workout this morning!! This will help me get more sleep! I will up my protein a bit and make sure I 'carb up' before my longer runs only... all good tips.

Thanks again everyone, and if you have more input I always appreciate it... it's great to get all these perspectives.