New Rules of Lifting For Women (NROL4W)

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"Strenuous Work and Workout Day"

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huckleberry0070
huckleberry0070 Posts: 64 Member
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Hello all! I've just joined this group and plan to start the first stage of NROLFW later this week. I have calculated my calories using the guidelines in the book but I do have one question. I work as a cook and am on my feet running around the kitchen (some days are more hectic than others) for a full 8 hours 6 days a week. I will occasionally take a 10 minute break but, generally, it's the full 8 hours. My question is whether I should use the "strenuous work and workout day" calculations or just stick to the "no workout" and "workout" ones.

I was doing P90X for a while and found that the calorie suggestion their program gave me was too low... I was doing a lot of extra cardio and just wasn't seeing the results I wanted. I only started this new job a few weeks ago and lost a few pounds at first from all the extra activity but now I've gained it back... I've been struggling a bit with the urge to stuff my face at night. I'm not sure if it's my body telling me that it isn't getting enough during the day or if it's just stress/emotional eating. Anyway, any thoughts/suggestions would be welcomed!

Here's my info:
25 years old, 120ish lbs (fluctuates between 118 and 121), 5'4"
NROLFW calorie suggestions = no workout (1904) active workout (2142)

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  • jamkat
    jamkat Posts: 77 Member
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    From what I've read in the book, MFP, and other sites/books, I believe you should calculate your calories using "strenuous work" on the days you work and workout. I have a desk job so even on non-workout days for both of us, you will need more calories than someone like me who only gets up to walk to the bathroom/copier/break room.

    With an active job like yours you should consider your 8 hour day on your feet like a cardio session in itself! Many moons ago, I was a server so I know how hard and fast cooks work! Check out the "eat more to lose more" group on MFP.

    Good luck!
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    Your height and weight suggets you are at a healthy weight, so what you probably want to be doing is building muscle to get a good figure. To that extent you probably need to be eating at a surplus, in order to build muscle on top of the calories you need during the day.

    I would consider your normal day to be a pretty active one, so work out your maintenance from that. Add extra for lifting days.

    As a cook, the one thing you will probably need to watch out for is all the bits of tasting you do during the day....... Make sure you stop and eat during the day and that should stop you from wanting to pig out in the evening.
  • huckleberry0070
    huckleberry0070 Posts: 64 Member
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    Thanks for the feedback so far! I actually wore my heart rate monitor today at work because I was curious to see what I was burning. It was a super slow day, though, so I only burned about 650 (and I know some of that is just part of maintaining bodily functions). I know I don't need to lose a lot of weight, I'm just hoping that some heavy lifting will help me tone my thighs and core... those are the only problem areas I really see on my body. Maybe I will try using the regular non-workout and workout day calculations for calories for a few weeks to see how I feel and if I am not seeing results or still feel hungry I will add some more calories. I will probably also count weekend shifts that I work as strenuous work and workout days because I'm pretty much constantly running around the kitchen on weekends.

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