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Taking a break from the deficit.
GuybrushThreepw00d
Posts: 784 Member
My goal is to get down to 12% body fat. I'm currently 83kg, and 19.5% fat. I'm estimating i'll need to drop down to 71.5kg-75kg to reach my goal, depending on what ratio of fat-muscle i lose.
I'm currently on a 700 calorie deficit from my TDEE, when i started my weight loss in July 2012 i was 104kg.
What's prompting the decision to eat at maintenance is my stalling of progress doing the stronglifts program (50kg bench press, although my other lifts are progressing fine). I'm also seeing very little weight loss in the past few months and i think i could probably use a "metabolic reboot".
I'm looking for advice, as to whether
1. Eat at maintenance. I'd add on 150 calories to my daily allowance each week until it represents my TDEE.
2. Keep with the current plan, and just keep lifting... even if i'm stuck on the same weight for weeks at end.
Here's my weight loss over time (image is a little too wide, might need to open in new tab y'all)
I'm currently on a 700 calorie deficit from my TDEE, when i started my weight loss in July 2012 i was 104kg.
What's prompting the decision to eat at maintenance is my stalling of progress doing the stronglifts program (50kg bench press, although my other lifts are progressing fine). I'm also seeing very little weight loss in the past few months and i think i could probably use a "metabolic reboot".
I'm looking for advice, as to whether
1. Eat at maintenance. I'd add on 150 calories to my daily allowance each week until it represents my TDEE.
2. Keep with the current plan, and just keep lifting... even if i'm stuck on the same weight for weeks at end.
Here's my weight loss over time (image is a little too wide, might need to open in new tab y'all)
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Replies
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What's your current intake at and what are your macros in grams?
Have you been at a deficit since you started or were there breaks/a few cheats?
How do you FEEL right now about food and dieting?0 -
To add to SideSteel's questions, when you say you have stalled in bench, how many times have you failed at the same weight?0
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What's your current intake at and what are your macros in grams?
Have you been at a deficit since you started or were there breaks/a few cheats?
How do you FEEL right now about food and dieting?
Protein : 150g
Fat : 50g
Carbs : meh, 175g - 200g ish
I've been pretty good at with my intake. I had a couple of days before Christmas which went up to 3500cals.. But i don't do cheat days, and i reckon in 6 month's i've only gone over a handful of times.0 -
Feel really good to be honest. I'm not hungry, i'm enjoying what i'm eating.How do you FEEL right now about food and dieting?
I also quite like using MFP to plan my food and to ensure i hit my macro's.
Twice now. It's just annoying because i don't have a power cage.. i'm using a freestanding bench and have some random gym dude spotting me. I'm tempted to go back to the smith machinewhen you say you have stalled in bench, how many times have you failed at the same weight?0 -
SideSteel may well weigh in with additional thoughts here, but as you are stalling out in only one lift and you are feeling good, I would not go to maintenance.
What calories have you averaged over the last say 2 months? How much have you lost over that period?0 -
What calories have you averaged over the last say 2 months? How much have you lost over that period?
05/12/2012 85.6kg
02/02/2013 83.1kg
So i've lost 2.5kg
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What calories have you averaged over the last say 2 months? How much have you lost over that period?
05/12/2012 85.6kg
02/02/2013 83.1kg
So i've lost 2.5kg
That seems like a reasonable pace to me. I would keep at it and try to work on your form on the bench. You may want to drop the calories down by 100 - 200 to nudge it along a bit - however, I would look to increasing your NEAT first.0 -
You may want to drop the calories down by 100 - 200 to nudge it along a bit - however, I would look to increasing your NEAT first.
I've cranked up my cardio that i do on my non-weight days, but have thus far been eating all the exercise calories back.. I'll try eating back "most" of them for a while.0 -
Interesting. I was lifting heavy 2x and light 1x per week. Doing 30 min of cardio after every session and playing ball on one of the othe off days.
My bench was also stalling and I was trying to lose just a few lbs but couldn't.
I ended up spraining my ankle so cardio was out. 1st week after I could hobble around and still do the chest/back/arms/shoulders etc.. I tried to do a front squat with 135lbs and found out it didn't hurt (ankle still swollen). So for the last 3 weeks, I could basically do all my lifts but no cardio. I feel stronger and my bench has improved. Squat and deads feel okay but I think it's mostly me being a wimp and not loading more weight. Anyway....
Eating basically the same essentially "probably" puts me at a slight surplus as I'm not buring calories during cardio anymore.
I wonder if my observation jives with yours? Although we got to the surplus different ways?0 -
I agree with Sara.0
This discussion has been closed.