Have you still lost weight?

kikkipoo

I'm curious, as the book says I should still be losing fat and gaining muscle while increasing my calories by nearly 1,000 from my prior extreme calorie deficit/ton of cardio diet I was following. I'm psyched about my expectations following this, but also a tad fearful. I still want to drop fat, and yes, for me I would like that to show on the scale as well as in my clothing. I am aiming for a healthy 140 pound goal and I'm sitting at a high body fat % and 156 pounds as of today.
So, I'm asking the real life users and followers, did you see a drop on the scale still? What can I really expect in results if I follow this firmly? The only modification I intend to make is higher protein percentage than his suggested 30%. I have typically maintained 40/40/20 balance and the 40/30/30 for me just feels a little lenient for weight lifting. I know he wants us to lift like a man, but men have far more protein when lifting and that is my intent as well.
So, can I hear and see your results? I know surely not all of us started with the lean body we always thought was ideal from the getgo....so, are you reaching all your goals, not just the gain in muscle mass? Before and after pics for motivation would be amazing.

_Sally_

This sounds like a huge jump in calories to me.

Have you thought of gradually bringing your calories up to maintenance? You might want to try maintaining for a few weeks before starting the NROL4W in earnest. It may be a big shock to the system to spike your calories and up your strength training all at once.

The authors in the book also said you can eat up to 300 calories less a day than they recommend, if you have a lot of weight to lose, but no more than that as a deficit, so maybe you can bring your calories up to that level for starters.

Just some thoughts for consideration. We all have to figure out what's best for us.

I've been at maintenance for a few months now (I took a pause in losing weight) and I have about 15 more lbs to lose, so I won't be changing my calorie intake (other than to increase my protein to 30%) when I start NROL4W phase 1 next week. This will be about 200 calories less than the book's calculations for me (which they admit are just estimates and you need to reassess your calories after the first month, up or down).

Janda06

I have not seen a significant drop in scale weight. I am definitely smaller and I believe I have gained some muscle from being fairly new to lifting weights. The last time I was this size I weighed 10lbs less so I'm thrilled with that!!! I was close to goal when I started and still close 2months into NROL. I think it will take me the full program to see if there is a big before and after...LOL!!

bizco

Eating a calorie surplus is required to build (or "add") lean muscle tissue. If you operate at a calorie deficit and continue to lose weight, some of it will be fat and some of it will be muscle. Lifting heavy weights while eating at a deficit helps to minimize muscle loss, conditions the muscles you already have and increases your strength.

I am not following the book's nutrition/calorie plan. I use MFP's calorie limit recommendation which is based on my settings & goals. I log my NROL4W workouts in the Exercise tab and I eat back the "extra" earned calories.

I agree with Sally. Gradually increase your calories over the course of several weeks. For example, if your MFP goal is currently set to lose 1.5 lbs./week, lower it to 1 lb./week and follow that plan for 3-4 weeks. Then lower it to lose 0.5 lbs./week and follow that for 3-4 weeks. It takes time and trial & error.

Make sure you use MFP's body measurements tool to track your progress. Success should be measured in a loss of inches, not just weight. Good luck with this awesome lifting program!

kikkipoo

The number I calculated to eat at is 1900 calories. That is the 300 less than what it told me. The problem is I was crash dieting before. I had my mfp set at 1,000 and maybe was getting in 800. Over the last weeks I have increased it gradually and now eat around 1200-1400 daily, but haven't seen any scale losses, except i did lose an inch in my waist and an inch in my hips. That makes me happy. I know something is working. To be able to handle the change in the lifting I think I may actually need those 1900calories though and think I will up it and give it a shot for the next few weeks just to get a baseline.