Calorie Intake

kkauz42

I know that this has been posted on here before but I haven't found a straight answer (it's entirely possible I didn't look hard enough). What is your calorie deficit? So far mine is at 1lb loss/week (so 500). I know the author discourages this and encourages more calories, is it a necessity to change it?? I definitely want to get the best results that I can and I also know that I may not lose weight but I can, wait, I WILL lose inches. Is it wise to change it to .5 lb/week for a 250 cal deficit??

I am in week 3 of stage 1. I haven't felt hungry or like I haven't been getting enough food but like i said above, I want the best results possible!

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I don't work at a deficit, but to be fair it's because I'm in maintenance. How you do this all depends on what you're looking for, but you may want to bump it up for a few weeks to see what happens.

kkauz42

I definitely want to get smaller (for lack of a better word). I DO realize that the scale may not move...that's where the measuring and inches lost would come in and I'm totally okay with that. I would rather be the weight I am now and toned than "skinny fat." I basically want to burn fat and gain muscle i.e. lean out.

bizco

Why not split the difference and go for a deficit of 375 calories? You can leave your settting to lose 1.0 lbs. per week but then go to My Home>>Goals>>Change Goals>>Custom. You can overtype the calorie number to anything you want and you'll be able to see how it changes your deficit (shown on the right hand side of that screen). The key is to remain consistent for a month before making further adjustments.

ruststar

I didn't change my calorie intake for the first three months and wish I had - the book's suggested calorie intake was actually lower than what I had been eating (I was averaging 2000-2100 calories, with an average net of 1700). I gained slightly and maintained that while continuing to eat what I had been. Th last couple of weeks I've been trying to stick to the book's recommendations to see what happens. So far the weight is creeping back down and I expect I'll show a loss at the end of the month. Since I'm doing less cardio than before, and weight lifting doesn't burn as many calories, I wasn't creating enough of a deficit to lose. If I don't see any movement by the end of the month, I may have to consider either lowering my calories (ugh) or increasing my cardio again (meh).

To answer your question, though, my guess is you won't feel fueled up enough for the worksouts on a bigger deficit. Maybe just make some small changes and find where your sweet spot is?

kkauz42

bizco & rustar,- Thank you for your input! Bizco, I think a deficit of 375 sounds pretty good, I think I will try that and see what happens! I DO use an HRM to determine my calorie burn but I know that lifting weights is different than cardio! I also know that you need to fuel your body with food to lose weight. I think I'll try a 375 calorie deficit for 4 weeks and see how that works for me!

I have already changed my macros as the book suggested. Thank you again for your input!! I'm new at this nutrition & calorie counting stuff so I am definitely open to advice from others, especially those who have had success!

bizco

I have already changed my macros as the book suggested. Thank you again for your input!! I'm new at this nutrition & calorie counting stuff so I am definitely open to advice from others, especially those who have had success!

You're welcome! I would highly recommend lowering your sodium to 1800-2100mg and increasing your fiber to at least 25g per day. You can change (and add) which macro/micros you want to track in your diary settings. Forget about tracking sugar, it will drive you crazy because you'll always be over your goal due to the natural sugars found in fruits, vegetables, milk, etc.

The best investment you can make is buying a digital food scale and weighing all your food. Measuring cups and nutrition panels are VERY misleading. I bought mine for around $20 and I can't live without it. Best of luck, you can do this!

Edit: don't forget to save your custom settings.

kkauz42

I have already changed my macros as the book suggested. Thank you again for your input!! I'm new at this nutrition & calorie counting stuff so I am definitely open to advice from others, especially those who have had success!

You're welcome! I would highly recommend lowering your sodium to 1800-2100mg and increasing your fiber to at least 25g per day. You can change (and add) which macro/micros you want to track in your diary settings. Forget about tracking sugar, it will drive you crazy because you'll always be over your goal due to the natural sugars found in fruits, vegetables, milk, etc.

The best investment you can make is buying a digital food scale and weighing all your food. Measuring cups and nutrition panels are VERY misleading. I bought mine for around $20 and I can't live without it. Best of luck, you can do this!

Edit: don't forget to save your custom settings.

I edited them and saved them! I'll look at my fiber and sodium, those 2 are BOTH on my list of what I track on my diary. I also have a food scale, I use it every day! And I measure pretty much everything! Cereal, meat, veggies, fruit, etc.

weightofyourskin

I used to be at a 1 lb/week deficit but when I started NROL I changed it to half a pound. I also changed my macros from 50/30/20 to 40/30/30 but it's honestly a struggle to get even 100 grams of protein every day (my target is 150). I'm 10 workouts into Stage 1. I haven't lost weight - in fact I'm up 1.4 pounds from my lowest weigh-in which was about 5-6 weeks ago - and I haven't taken my measurements since I started but I have noticed a good improvement in my strength and endurance in most exercises. Like you said, I'd rather weigh more and be toned than be skinny-fat!

kkauz42

I haven't been able to get my protein where it's supposed to be either! I try and I make an effort to eat a lot of protein...maybe one day lol