When did you switch to excess calories?

karisma81

If you are eating "positive" calories -

How close were you to your ideal weight (BMI, body fat estimate etc) before you got serious about strength training and upped your calories to maintenance or higher? Did you continue to lose body fat?

Ohbutiloveicecream

ooh. good question. I'd like to know too...

fiberartist219

I don't count calories, and I haven't in months. I eat when I'm hungry, and stop eating when I'm not hungry. It's kind of the intuitive eating approach.

Of course, I don't track body fat percentages or exactly how much weight I lift either. I use resistance bands and just look at myself in the mirror or judge by the way my clothes fit. I do step on the scale, but it's hard to tell what is going on. It's not very predictable.

deninevi

I was at good weight for me( 5'8", 145lbs., around 23% BF) and eating at maintenance when I started lifting-NROLFW-that was last September. I upped my cals. when I started . The first month I was hungry a lot, so I eat more than I was supposed to, so I gained weight, but dropped to around 21.5%BF. I finished NROLFW couple weeks ago and I'm 146 lbs. and around 21% BF.I check BF% with the hand held Omron so that is not very accurate. Strength training will def. drop BF % even if you don't see drop on the scale.

fiberartist219

Hmm.... maybe I should find a way to track this body fat percentage. I can't do the tape measure very well, because my waist size goes up when I'm experiencing indigestion. I should get some calipers or something. My weight isn't budging, but my arms and legs are looking foxy.