Getting Started - Adjusting Calorie Goal?

DarkAngellEyes

Hi All! I got this book a while back yet I am just starting to get into the real meat of it. I wanted to make sure I read the book all the way through before starting so I figure I will begin the workouts around the first of the year.

I just got through the section about calculating the daily calorie goals for workout days and non-workout days and I have a couple questions... Based on the fact that I would like to lose weight - MFP set my calorie goal at 1200 a day. But based on the calculations in NROLFW, I should be eating approximately 1950 calories on non-workout days and 2210 on workout days!

Obviously this is a huge difference from what I've been doing, but I really want to follow this plan correctly, so I'm just wondering (for those who had to) how you all adjusted your calorie ranges? I think I can figure out how to physically change my goals in my food diary, but I was more curious - did you guys just change the goal and make the jump all at once in one day? or did you gradually up you calorie intake over a few days?

Also how did upping your calorie range work for you? I am (obviously) looking to get into lifting to gain some lean muscle and to tone up, but I still need to lose about 10-15 pounds or so.

Any advice, suggestions, tips, or just general comments would help!!

carrie_eggo

I'm at maintenance now, so upping my calories didn't seem like a huge deal to me. But it would have if I still have some weight to go....The book recommends that if you need to eat at a deficit to only do a 300 calorie deficit. So, for example, if on your workout days the book tells you to eat 2210, you would subtract 300 and only eat 1910.

sadiesimp

Upping mine really freaked me out at first. My numbers were pretty similar to yours on workout/non workout days. I changed my goals on MFP to 40/30/30 (carb/protein/fat) and 1800 calories, knowing in my mind that I *should* eat somewhere between 1900-2000 on hard workout days. I've been logging my workouts but have been putting only 1 calorie burned during that workout so the #of calories don't impact my macronutrient goals.

I generally try to eat between 1700-1900 on non-weight lifting days and 1900-2000ish on weights days but sometimes I'm just really hungry or really not hungry and I listen to my body on whether or not to eat more. Regardless of the calories, I try to hit the 40/30/30 as close as possible every day.

With that said...I've been doing this for 2 weeks and even though I've added a decent amount of calories to my diet, my body feels so much less bloated and more toned in just those two weeks. I've really upped my protein (lean fish and meats + protein shakes, yogurt, etc.) compared to before starting the program My jeans are already fitting better and overall I just feel good and feel like I'm getting a better balanced diet and eating less processed carb-y foods than before.

Hope this helps a little!!

DarkAngellEyes

Thanks for the tips! I was thinking about taking 300 off my non-workout day calorie goal (which would put it at 1650), but then I had another MFP friend tell me that was what he ate and he was 6' trying to get to 180! I know everyone is different, but I'll be honest that freaked me out a bit! hahah

I suppose I should just trust the recommendations made in the book and give it a shot. I recently started focusing on lowering my carb intake and upping my protein so that part of things shouldnt be too difficult.

One last question - do you think I should adjust my calorie goals now? Or wait until the first day I really start the program? (which again will probably be the first or second week of January)

sadiesimp

I started adjusting my calories 2 days before starting the workout program just to give myself some 'practice time'. I really didn't plan on doing this but it worked out that I started eating the diet on Sunday and started the workout on Tuesday.

chawntamarie

bump

Jenlwb

Thought I'd add my question to this thread as it's on the same lines:

I've just started and would like to make sure i've got the calorie thing right, with my age/weight/height, my RMR is 1186. So multiply this by 1.4 for a non active day is 1660. I have set this as my calorie limit on here, then any workouts I do I will add (and eat) the calories calculated by my heart rate monitor. By the way i'm in maintenance, just about happy with my weight, just want to change the composition!

Is that right?? The book says to reassess after 4 weeks to make sure it's right for you, but if i've misunderstood I'd rather know sooner obviously...!

FaithHopeBELIEVE

Thought I'd add my question to this thread as it's on the same lines:

I've just started and would like to make sure i've got the calorie thing right, with my age/weight/height, my RMR is 1186. So multiply this by 1.4 for a non active day is 1660. I have set this as my calorie limit on here, then any workouts I do I will add (and eat) the calories calculated by my heart rate monitor. By the way i'm in maintenance, just about happy with my weight, just want to change the composition!

Is that right?? The book says to reassess after 4 weeks to make sure it's right for you, but if i've misunderstood I'd rather know sooner obviously...!

I would love to know this too. I am also 38 but 5'2". I set my MFP goal at 1600 (maintenance non workout day cals). I am started NROL on Monday. Sometimes I burn 300-600 cals according to my HRM but the book doesnt have me eating too much of that back. So when i enter it on mFP (kije to do this) do I ignor that excercise cals earned or eat them? UGH.

aregensb

I upped my calories all at once. I was eating about 1500 net calories before starting NROLFW (I was set on lose 1# per week). According to the book, I had to up my calories to about 2130 on nonworkout days and 2400 on workout days. I did that for about a month, and then recently cut off 300 calories for every day (I'm still trying to lose some fat). It was pretty intense at first to go from 1500 to 2100, but I got used to it after about a week. Eventually, your body kicks it into gear and you're hungry for all that food.

The first few days though, I felt like I might explode with the meals and snacks. Before I changed my diet, I would still eat some calorie dense, nutrient poor foods... I was eating those calories but not getting anything good from them. Now my focus is on high protein, nutrient rich foods... and those high quality foods tend to be lower in calories compared to what I was eating before, so I get to eat a lot more of them!

I just finished my lunch actually and I'm sitting at about 1000 calories for the day from breakfast, snack, and lunch... and I'm still hungry! Might have to have that afternoon snack early...

jae6704

I am also having a hard time figuring out what I should eat for calories. Im 5.5 162 pounds... could someone help me

Jenlwb

I would love to know this too. I am also 38 but 5'2". I set my MFP goal at 1600 (maintenance non workout day cals). I am started NROL on Monday. Sometimes I burn 300-600 cals according to my HRM but the book doesnt have me eating too much of that back. So when i enter it on mFP (kije to do this) do I ignor that excercise cals earned or eat them? UGH.

Wow, that's a helluva burn. Anyone else get this? With my polar when i did the first workout (45 mins) i got under 300 cal burn. But as a rule i eat my exercise cals, so i'm adding this onto my 1660 base and eating them. We'll see i guess!

Aregensb- I would have no trouble eating 2100 cals, but the quality of it would be bad if i had my way! I'm currently trying to get up to 120g protein, arrrgghhh. Looking for greek yoghurt and protein powder that doesn't taste foul.

HotKanye

I would love to know this too. I am also 38 but 5'2". I set my MFP goal at 1600 (maintenance non workout day cals). I am started NROL on Monday. Sometimes I burn 300-600 cals according to my HRM but the book doesnt have me eating too much of that back. So when i enter it on mFP (kije to do this) do I ignor that excercise cals earned or eat them? UGH.

Wow, that's a helluva burn. Anyone else get this? With my polar when i did the first workout (45 mins) i got under 300 cal burn. But as a rule i eat my exercise cals, so i'm adding this onto my 1660 base and eating them. We'll see i guess!

To my understanding an HRM can only accurately gauge calories burned for cardio exercises, not strength training. I think it's still a useful tool but I wouldn't trust the calories count at the end of your workout.

FaithHopeBELIEVE

I would love to know this too. I am also 38 but 5'2". I set my MFP goal at 1600 (maintenance non workout day cals). I am started NROL on Monday. Sometimes I burn 300-600 cals according to my HRM but the book doesnt have me eating too much of that back. So when i enter it on mFP (kije to do this) do I ignor that excercise cals earned or eat them? UGH.

Wow, that's a helluva burn. Anyone else get this? With my polar when i did the first workout (45 mins) i got under 300 cal burn. But as a rule i eat my exercise cals, so i'm adding this onto my 1660 base and eating them. We'll see i guess!

Aregensb- I would have no trouble eating 2100 cals, but the quality of it would be bad if i had my way! I'm currently trying to get up to 120g protein, arrrgghhh. Looking for greek yoghurt and protein powder that doesn't taste foul.

I'm sorry I was vague on that burn. 300 is about during weightlifting like from Supreme90 DVDs as I havent started NROL yet (will on Monday)and up to 600 is when I do 60 minutes of cardio on cardio days. I was concerned because NROL doesnt have me eating that much more on workout days. If I continue to burn that much I'm wondering if I up my cals even more than what NROL is suggesting. ?????

Anyone know or have suggestions?

FaithHopeBELIEVE

I would love to know this too. I am also 38 but 5'2". I set my MFP goal at 1600 (maintenance non workout day cals). I am started NROL on Monday. Sometimes I burn 300-600 cals according to my HRM but the book doesnt have me eating too much of that back. So when i enter it on mFP (kije to do this) do I ignor that excercise cals earned or eat them? UGH.

Wow, that's a helluva burn. Anyone else get this? With my polar when i did the first workout (45 mins) i got under 300 cal burn. But as a rule i eat my exercise cals, so i'm adding this onto my 1660 base and eating them. We'll see i guess!

To my understanding an HRM can only accurately gauge calories burned for cardio exercises, not strength training. I think it's still a useful tool but I wouldn't trust the calories count at the end of your workout.

I'm not saying with NROL but with supersets that supreme90 had me doing my heartrate was constantly up within my range during the whole workout so I consider that cardio as well.

jarrettd

If the HRM is off during strength training, I think it would tend more towards underestimating the burn. I wear mine, and my HR is elevated a good bit of the workout. But some of the moves where I think it would be ramped up (sweating, breathing hard), I look and I'm sitting around 95.

So I just log what it gives me, for lack of a better assumption, and we'll see where I end up!

Btw: I added 300 to my maintenance across the board, to create an AVERAGE surplus, went to 40/30/30 on macros, and I eat back my exercise cals. I'm 8 weeks in and my weight is up just under a pound. I decided I would rather gain back a little weight, even if some portion of it is fat, rather than risk pissing my time away trying to build muscle with inadequate nutrition. I plan to cut that surplus back in April to start slimming for summer. I should, theoretically, uncover all the lovely muscles I will have built by then!

HotKanye

If the HRM is off during strength training, I think it would tend more towards underestimating the burn. I wear mine, and my HR is elevated a good bit of the workout. But some of the moves where I think it would be ramped up (sweating, breathing hard), I look and I'm sitting around 95.

So I just log what it gives me, for lack of a better assumption, and we'll see where I end up!

Btw: I added 300 to my maintenance across the board, to create an AVERAGE surplus, went to 40/30/30 on macros, and I eat back my exercise cals. I'm 8 weeks in and my weight is up just under a pound. I decided I would rather gain back a little weight, even if some portion of it is fat, rather than risk pissing my time away trying to build muscle with inadequate nutrition. I plan to cut that surplus back in April to start slimming for summer. I should, theoretically, uncover all the lovely muscles I will have built by then!

From the information I've read this is not true. A heart rate monitor will often overestimate your calories burned doing strength training I won't write it all out myself because it's already been done by more knowledgeable individuals but here's why you shouldn't log your calorie output from your HRM when doing strength training.

"A heart rate monitor (HRM) is capable of estimating calorie burn pretty accurately—but only for aerobic (cardio) exercise, not for strength training. Here's why:

A HRM won't give you an accurate idea of how many calories you burn during strength training, because the relationship between heart rate and calorie expenditure is not the same during strength training as during cardio exercise, which is what the HRM's estimate is based on. Unless your weight training is very vigorous circuit training, the heart rate monitor will be overestimating your calorie burn by a fair amount.

The problem is a technical one. Calorie burning isn't determined by heart rate, it's determined by the number of muscle cells that are activated to perform a given activity. It's the working cells that actually use the energy (calories) and consume oxygen. When working muscle cells need more energy and oxygen, your heart rate goes up to deliver these things to the cells via the blood stream.

Any muscle that performs a high intensity or maximum effort (strength training) will trigger an increase in heart rate and blood flow. But if only a single muscle group is on the receiving end to utilize that extra oxygen (doing a strength exercise that isolates your biceps, for example), only a relatively small amount of oxygen (and calories) will actually be consumed.

So while a series of strength training exercises may elevate your heart rate like aerobic exercise does, you're not actually using as much oxygen and burning as many calories as you would be if you were steadily using several large muscles all at once, as when walking, running, swimming, or doing aerobics for example.

The heart rate monitor doesn’t know whether your increase in heart rate is due to several large muscle groups working (cardio), an isolated muscle group lifting a weight (strength training), or even if adrenaline or excitement is increasing your heart rate. It just knows your heart rate, and the formulas it uses to estimate calories are based on studies of aerobic exercise, not other activities. So, it's going to overestimate your calorie expenditure when the rise in heart rate is stimulated by using isolated muscles at maximum intensity, which is what occurs during strength training.

Written by Dean Anderson, Certified Personal Trainer"

ecrogers4

Upping mine really freaked me out at first. My numbers were pretty similar to yours on workout/non workout days. I changed my goals on MFP to 40/30/30 (carb/protein/fat) and 1800 calories, knowing in my mind that I *should* eat somewhere between 1900-2000 on hard workout days. I've been logging my workouts but have been putting only 1 calorie burned during that workout so the #of calories don't impact my macronutrient goals.

I generally try to eat between 1700-1900 on non-weight lifting days and 1900-2000ish on weights days but sometimes I'm just really hungry or really not hungry and I listen to my body on whether or not to eat more. Regardless of the calories, I try to hit the 40/30/30 as close as possible every day.

With that said...I've been doing this for 2 weeks and even though I've added a decent amount of calories to my diet, my body feels so much less bloated and more toned in just those two weeks. I've really upped my protein (lean fish and meats + protein shakes, yogurt, etc.) compared to before starting the program My jeans are already fitting better and overall I just feel good and feel like I'm getting a better balanced diet and eating less processed carb-y foods than before.

Hope this helps a little!!

Thanks for posting this!!! I am totally struggling with trying to wrap my head around "eat more & workout less = more progress?" I just did the first workout and have put my calorie goals about where yours are... but it's strange to go from a 1200 calorie diet to 1800... feels wrong!!!

Jenlwb

I decided I would rather gain back a little weight, even if some portion of it is fat, rather than risk pissing my time away trying to build muscle with inadequate nutrition

Jarretd ^^^^^ my thoughts exactly!! Well put.

lexagon

Thanks for posting this!!! I am totally struggling with trying to wrap my head around "eat more & workout less = more progress?" I just did the first workout and have put my calorie goals about where yours are... but it's strange to go from a 1200 calorie diet to 1800... feels wrong!!!

Tripped me out some too, but I've gotten more used to it. I still have trouble on my workout days though, eating more calories just has me REALLY full! But I know it's for the best! Hard to wrap your head around though esp when most diets tell you to eat at such a large deficit.

FaithHopeBELIEVE

If the HRM is off during strength training, I think it would tend more towards underestimating the burn. I wear mine, and my HR is elevated a good bit of the workout. But some of the moves where I think it would be ramped up (sweating, breathing hard), I look and I'm sitting around 95.

So I just log what it gives me, for lack of a better assumption, and we'll see where I end up!

Btw: I added 300 to my maintenance across the board, to create an AVERAGE surplus, went to 40/30/30 on macros, and I eat back my exercise cals. I'm 8 weeks in and my weight is up just under a pound. I decided I would rather gain back a little weight, even if some portion of it is fat, rather than risk pissing my time away trying to build muscle with inadequate nutrition. I plan to cut that surplus back in April to start slimming for summer. I should, theoretically, uncover all the lovely muscles I will have built by then!

This is how I feel. How tall are you so I can compare where I should have mine (cals) set. I dont want to waste my time either. Like how you worded it.

kelseyhere

If the HRM is off during strength training, I think it would tend more towards underestimating the burn. I wear mine, and my HR is elevated a good bit of the workout. But some of the moves where I think it would be ramped up (sweating, breathing hard), I look and I'm sitting around 95.

So I just log what it gives me, for lack of a better assumption, and we'll see where I end up!

I do the same thing. I usually do a 10-20 minute cardio warm-up, so by the time I start lifting my heart rate is already elevated. I do jumping jacks or walk around fast during "rests" to try and maintain my heart rate as much as possible. I know it's not 100% accurate, but it's at least a general gauge of how hard I'm working one workout to the next.

FaithHopeBELIEVE

If the HRM is off during strength training, I think it would tend more towards underestimating the burn. I wear mine, and my HR is elevated a good bit of the workout. But some of the moves where I think it would be ramped up (sweating, breathing hard), I look and I'm sitting around 95.

So I just log what it gives me, for lack of a better assumption, and we'll see where I end up!

I do the same thing. I usually do a 10-20 minute cardio warm-up, so by the time I start lifting my heart rate is already elevated. I do jumping jacks or walk around fast during "rests" to try and maintain my heart rate as much as possible. I know it's not 100% accurate, but it's at least a general gauge of how hard I'm working one workout to the next.

Amen! :drinker:

jarrettd

How tall are you so I can compare where I should have mine (cals) set. I dont want to waste my time either. Like how you worded it.

I'm a Glamazon ...5'11" and 151 pounds. I'm at goal weight, more or less; just working on a little recomposition and, of course, getting stronger!