Unintentional Reset!

gjriddle

Hi friends! I've been really back and forth emotionally the past few weeks after following the guidelines my trainer/nutritionist gave me. She has advised me to eat 2,000-2,200 calories per day, at least 150g of protein and 200 carbs every day. There are other items, but these are the biggies. I've been doing this since the end of June and have gained. I got rid of my own scale a few weeks ago (because I'm more concerned with how I look/feel than what I weigh..) but as part of my training she weighs me monthly. I've gone from 128 to 135. Eek! I definitely feel bigger, and my clothes are tighter. I do feel stronger but I just feel so... puffy.

I've finally done the calculations again.. and according to Scooby, 2040 is my TDEE right now (and higher than my TDEE back when I was 128), which would certainly explain the gain. SO, it seems as though I've been doing an unintentional metabolism reset for 6 1/2 weeks now! Hm.

EDIT: I estimated myself at 1-3 hours/wk of light exercise for activity. I lift heavy 25-30 min 4 days/wk, and 20 min HIIT 2 days/wk..
So, what I'm wondering is: should I stick with this for another week and half or so (to get to the 8 week mark) and then do a cut? How large of a cut should I do? Is 10% adequate?

I definitely am feeling stronger than before, so I can tell my strength training is paying off, but the whole point of this whole new lifestyle was to LOSE. Not weight, necessarily (because yes.. the scale lies!), but inches and fat. I do want to be smaller.

Help? Thanks!

juliebeannn

EDIT: I estimated myself at 1-3 hours/wk of light exercise for activity. I lift heavy 25-30 min 4 days/wk, and 20 min HIIT 2 days/wk..
So, what I'm wondering is: should I stick with this for another week and half or so (to get to the 8 week mark) and then do a cut? How large of a cut should I do? Is 10% adequate?

i feel like you'd qualify for moderate activity. just a day of commuting, cleaning, cooking gets me to my "light activity" number on my days.

i'm definitely not an expert as i'm still trying to figure everything out, but i'd say, just stick it out until that bloated/puffy feeling goes away. once you feel like you've stabilized, then you can start with a 10% cut. stay there for a while and see how you feel. if nothing's changing after a few weeks, drop to 15%. unless you have a lot to lose, i don't think it's recommended to cut below 15%.

good luck!!

Greenrun99

If you paid for a nutritionist to tell you to eat that calorie amount, did you inform the person you wanted to lose or maintain? Cant see your diary so can't really see what you have been eating or your calorie amount but ya sounds like a reset and alot of people do gain some weight when doing a reset.. but if your trainer/nutritionist has a certain plan for you to follow I would check back with them..
Of course if you went to them for 1 time advice, then yes start your cut (either next week or now if you feel comfortable).. and I would put you just a the lower end of moderate exercise as well, but you can pick which calorie number may work best for you.

Noor13

I agree with the activity level. You certainly qualify for the moderate level

CoderGal

I agree with the activity level. You certainly qualify for the moderate level

^this. If I were you I'd cut down slowly to see where you level out. ie 100 cals down a week so you''re not hungry and can still lift and be superwoman.

gjriddle

If you paid for a nutritionist to tell you to eat that calorie amount, did you inform the person you wanted to lose or maintain? Cant see your diary so can't really see what you have been eating or your calorie amount but ya sounds like a reset and alot of people do gain some weight when doing a reset.. but if your trainer/nutritionist has a certain plan for you to follow I would check back with them..
Of course if you went to them for 1 time advice, then yes start your cut (either next week or now if you feel comfortable).. and I would put you just a the lower end of moderate exercise as well, but you can pick which calorie number may work best for you.

It was a one-time thing with the nutritionist (free for the first session type of deal...) and she was basing this on the idea that I would be heavy lifting. But, it did feel a bit like a standard number she told everyone. I have a feeling that if I had paid for additional sessions she would have created a more tailored plan.

I don't have "a lot" of weight to lose, as I don't really have a goal weight. I'm 5'5" and back in the day I would say my goal weight is 120, but rather than a goal weight I have a goal body fat percentage. At the moment I'm at about 26% and my goal is 20% or less. So.. whatever that looks like on the scale! But I am definitely holding onto fat which is my key concern here.

Thanks for the input, everyone!! I think I'm going to hover where I am for another week or so and then start cutting back little by little and see what happens.