New...question..gradually increase calories better?

Melarie59

Okay, so I have been reading about eat more to weigh less for awhile now, but have been afraid to actually do it. So today I reconfigured my calorie target based on EMWL, and went from 1200 cals to 1600...would it be better to increase calories gradually?

I have been lifting weights off and on since I was a competitive swimmer 40 years ago. I am currently following Lee Labrada's program...so what actually qualifies as "heavy lifting"? I am 53 years old, have been active most of my life, but I do have some back issues, so I am careful about injuring my back.

I am going on a 2nd honeymoon trip to Costa Rica Feb 21...any way I can look great by then?!! ( haha!) currently in size 10 pants ( tight)..usually 6/8 s...:( gained 15 pounds in a year...

any info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Marylynn

photojunkie28

I vote for a gradual increase in calories especially after an interesting article was shared with me today.

http://www.burnthefat.com/metabolic_damage.html

check it out. It makes quite a bit of sense. best of luck

heybales

Maybe up to 1400 for a week, and then 1600.

Just confirm you are being honest with workout hrs weekly. 1-3 hrs, or 3-5 hrs. Of course you can round up or down from a level.

Lifting heavy is for you.

Do you do sets and reps such the last rep was barely done with good form, going to failure?
And do you rest the day after so they can repair?

Are you using big muscle groups, and first? Like bicep curls and tricep kickbacks should never be first but last, and skipped if you are limited on time.
Compound moves.

If doing a program, hopefully a good one, though I've seen some of the junk advertised to women.

sagj

I'm doing better with a more gradual increase. I tried the big jump up once to TDEE and that didn't work out well (anyone for a 20 lb weight increase in 6 weeks? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?) The difference between where I started and my TDEE was huge in the beginning though to the tune of 1000 cals per day. I slid up slowly at first with little gain but when I tackled a 600 cal jump the weight packed on. I backed off and slowly moved up again; now I'm just under TDEE and I haven't really budged beyond the original 20 lbs.

So my vote is slower is better the further you need to go. I wouldn't increase more than 200-300 cals at a time but that is just me and my metabolism.

AnitraSoto

Some people like to jump right in an up their calories all at once. Personally, I upped them about 200 calories a week over a month or so. I found myself feeling bloated and full so this helped ease that discomfort... I did not gain any weight through this process, and am not sure what to attribute that to, but the slow approach worked for me.

Of course, the final goal is to get up as close as possible to your TDEE, so the fast "pull off the BandAid" approach will get you there quicker -- I just found that I was more comfortable doing it slower (I was scared too - it is definitely a mental thing!) I don't think one is better than the other, it is just finding what works for you...

And yes, you can definitely look better by Feb 21st! When I started lifting consistently, I noticed changes in my arms and shoulders within a few weeks... Do not underestimate the power of the IRON!

Good luck and go for it!
Anitra

Melarie59

I vote for a gradual increase in calories especially after an interesting article was shared with me today.

http://www.burnthefat.com/metabolic_damage.html

check it out. It makes quite a bit of sense. best of luck

thanks! I appreciate your advice! And, by the way, the dog on your ticker is super cute!

Melarie59

Maybe up to 1400 for a week, and then 1600.

Just confirm you are being honest with workout hrs weekly. 1-3 hrs, or 3-5 hrs. Of course you can round up or down from a level.

Lifting heavy is for you.

Do you do sets and reps such the last rep was barely done with good form, going to failure?
And do you rest the day after so they can repair?

Are you using big muscle groups, and first? Like bicep curls and tricep kickbacks should never be first but last, and skipped if you are limited on time.
Compound moves.

If doing a program, hopefully a good one, though I've seen some of the junk advertised to women.

Thanks for the advice. I do back/biceps one day, legs/abs one day, and chest/shoulders/tris one day. The plan has you do 2 weightlifting days in a row ( different body parts), followed by a day of 30 min of HIITcardio. 2 sets of 10-12 reps, then one set to failure. It's supposed to be hard to do the last rep on all sets. I probably need to lift heavier on some body parts...and, yes, large muscles are done first

marylynn

Melarie59

I'm doing better with a more gradual increase. I tried the big jump up once to TDEE and that didn't work out well (anyone for a 20 lb weight increase in 6 weeks? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?) The difference between where I started and my TDEE was huge in the beginning though to the tune of 1000 cals per day. I slid up slowly at first with little gain but when I tackled a 600 cal jump the weight packed on. I backed off and slowly moved up again; now I'm just under TDEE and I haven't really budged beyond the original 20 lbs.

So my vote is slower is better the further you need to go. I wouldn't increase more than 200-300 cals at a time but that is just me and my metabolism.

Thanks for your input! Yes, I am afraid of gaining...especially with my trip coming up!

Marylynn

Melarie59

Some people like to jump right in an up their calories all at once. Personally, I upped them about 200 calories a week over a month or so. I found myself feeling bloated and full so this helped ease that discomfort... I did not gain any weight through this process, and am not sure what to attribute that to, but the slow approach worked for me.

Of course, the final goal is to get up as close as possible to your TDEE, so the fast "pull off the BandAid" approach will get you there quicker -- I just found that I was more comfortable doing it slower (I was scared too - it is definitely a mental thing!) I don't think one is better than the other, it is just finding what works for you...

And yes, you can definitely look better by Feb 21st! When I started lifting consistently, I noticed changes in my arms and shoulders within a few weeks... Do not underestimate the power of the IRON!



Good luck and go for it!
Anitra

Thanks for the advice and encouragement! I do love lifting weights...definitely makes a difference! And I will follow your advice about going up in cals slowly! appreciate it!

Marylynn

heybales

Thanks for the advice. I do back/biceps one day, legs/abs one day, and chest/shoulders/tris one day. The plan has you do 2 weightlifting days in a row ( different body parts), followed by a day of 30 min of HIITcardio. 2 sets of 10-12 reps, then one set to failure. It's supposed to be hard to do the last rep on all sets. I probably need to lift heavier on some body parts...and, yes, large muscles are done first

marylynn

I'll mention some rules about getting the most out of your lifting. Because really, if you are doing them, you want the most impact from it for putting effort in to it, right?

If that HIIT the day after lifting is using the same muscles you used the day before, you are putting an intense enough load on muscles trying to repair you are killing that process, getting little to no improvement.
Cardio day after should be kept in the Active Recovery HR zone so you aren't trying to add extra load to muscles trying to repair stronger because of a good lifting session that caused micro-tears.

HIIT should be viewed as lifting actually in scheduling, same anaerobic heavy load on muscles that will require repair - it's just sport specific. It became a fad for cardio to counter the fat-burning only zone fad. If doing good lifting - skip it.

Cardio day before lifting should usually be Aerobic HR zone or less if you'll be lifting with same muscles the next day. Otherwise you'll just be making them tired. And the toughness of finishing reps isn't because of the heavy load placed on them, but because they were tired. Therefore you don't get the damage that requires repairing stronger.

You will indeed feel like you've been working hard doing it the wrong way, but no where near has hard as it could feel doing it the right way, nor the improvement that could be had.

Melarie59

Thanks for the advice. I do back/biceps one day, legs/abs one day, and chest/shoulders/tris one day. The plan has you do 2 weightlifting days in a row ( different body parts), followed by a day of 30 min of HIITcardio. 2 sets of 10-12 reps, then one set to failure. It's supposed to be hard to do the last rep on all sets. I probably need to lift heavier on some body parts...and, yes, large muscles are done first

marylynn

I'll mention some rules about getting the most out of your lifting. Because really, if you are doing them, you want the most impact from it for putting effort in to it, right?

If that HIIT the day after lifting is using the same muscles you used the day before, you are putting an intense enough load on muscles trying to repair you are killing that process, getting little to no improvement.
Cardio day after should be kept in the Active Recovery HR zone so you aren't trying to add extra load to muscles trying to repair stronger because of a good lifting session that caused micro-tears.

HIIT should be viewed as lifting actually in scheduling, same anaerobic heavy load on muscles that will require repair - it's just sport specific. It became a fad for cardio to counter the fat-burning only zone fad. If doing good lifting - skip it.

Cardio day before lifting should usually be Aerobic HR zone or less if you'll be lifting with same muscles the next day. Otherwise you'll just be making them tired. And the toughness of finishing reps isn't because of the heavy load placed on them, but because they were tired. Therefore you don't get the damage that requires repairing stronger.

You will indeed feel like you've been working hard doing it the wrong way, but no where near has hard as it could feel doing it the right way, nor the improvement that could be had.

Thanks...great info!

Marylynn

Gapwedge01

I vote for a gradual increase in calories especially after an interesting article was shared with me today.

http://www.burnthefat.com/metabolic_damage.html

check it out. It makes quite a bit of sense. best of luck

Good article btw. Thanks for sharing.

Gapwedge01

Thanks for the advice. I do back/biceps one day, legs/abs one day, and chest/shoulders/tris one day. The plan has you do 2 weightlifting days in a row ( different body parts), followed by a day of 30 min of HIITcardio. 2 sets of 10-12 reps, then one set to failure. It's supposed to be hard to do the last rep on all sets. I probably need to lift heavier on some body parts...and, yes, large muscles are done first

marylynn

I'll mention some rules about getting the most out of your lifting. Because really, if you are doing them, you want the most impact from it for putting effort in to it, right?

If that HIIT the day after lifting is using the same muscles you used the day before, you are putting an intense enough load on muscles trying to repair you are killing that process, getting little to no improvement.
Cardio day after should be kept in the Active Recovery HR zone so you aren't trying to add extra load to muscles trying to repair stronger because of a good lifting session that caused micro-tears.

HIIT should be viewed as lifting actually in scheduling, same anaerobic heavy load on muscles that will require repair - it's just sport specific. It became a fad for cardio to counter the fat-burning only zone fad. If doing good lifting - skip it.

Cardio day before lifting should usually be Aerobic HR zone or less if you'll be lifting with same muscles the next day. Otherwise you'll just be making them tired. And the toughness of finishing reps isn't because of the heavy load placed on them, but because they were tired. Therefore you don't get the damage that requires repairing stronger.

You will indeed feel like you've been working hard doing it the wrong way, but no where near has hard as it could feel doing it the right way, nor the improvement that could be had.

Thanks...great info!

Marylynn

Thanks heybales,
One that rides hard on during normal cycling season and now having incorporated a weight training program I will need to be mindful of the anaerobic zones prior to and after a lift day. Looks like I will need to cycle in some aerobic HR zones more often.