calorie counting help

newmooon56
newmooon56 Posts: 347 Member
in Food and Nutrition
First some stats - Im 5 2''- 40 years old- start weight was 152 in July. Now am 133 (as of today).

For about 6 weeks I ate 1200 calories and did a ton of cardio (run/walk 3-5 miles, step aerobics, zumba etc) 5-7 days a week.
Then I upped it to 1400 and continued the cardio- but started adding in light weights.

At this time I still need to lose some fat (going by mirror more than the scale) but I have also started the Strong Lift 5x5 program. I have the olympic bar and am slowly adding weight. Pretty excited to see how heavy I can lift each week. Still new at lifting this heavy but I love it and will continue.

Finally the question: I still have fat to lose (how much? not sure - 10 lbs maybe?) and I want to lift heavy 3x a week- and maybe do HIIT those days (or some of those lift days) and 1 or 2 other cardio days. How many calories should I be eating ?? I dont NEED to see giant muscle gains- Im not trying to become a fitness model- BUT- I want to treat my body right so this agrees with me and gives me the best results I can get. I feel GREAT! - but I wonder if 1400-1500 calories is correct or will I start to not feel so great.

Where is the happy middle of fat loss and lifting recovery? I am aware I need protein and always try to eat around 85-100 grams a day - I keep carbs low -ish, but Im not a stickler. Diary is open btw.

If it helps - TDEE -set to moderate is approx. 2000 (rounding to make it easy) BMR is around 1360. (rounded).

Thank you in advance for any advice or links to help me figure this out!

Replies

  • lhayim
    lhayim Posts: 1
    REMOVE DAIRY FROM YOUR DIET! IT HOLDS A TON OF FAT (SOMETIMES SATURATED) AND CAN DELAY GASTRIC MOTILITY AND DIGESTION. ITS PRETTY EASY TO DO (WITH ALTERNATIVES OUT THERE) AND ITS WORTH A TRY! :)
  • spammyanna
    spammyanna Posts: 871 Member
    I'd eat close to your maintainence, or TDEE - 20%. You don't really need to lose more weight, just lose the fat. Try it for about a month and see how it goes.

    And you don't need to cut dairy, or yell at people on the internet. I've lost 4% body fat since I started lifting, and I've been eating more and I have dairy every day.

    Congrats on your weight loss already!
  • petechiae
    petechiae Posts: 147 Member
    Don't remove dairy from your diet, it's too delicious! :)

    I think you should be okay at 1400. Your net calories should not be more than 30% lower than your TDEE.

    Try HIIT as you suggested which is the most efficient kind of workout to burn fat. I've heard it helps to keep yourself in the "fat burning zone" during your workouts, which usually requires a moderate to low intensity... Speaking of which, I just bought a heart rate monitor to monitor my training. It truly helps.

    Try incorporating green tea in your diet. It is scientifically proven that it aids a lot in the fat burning process.
  • newmooon56
    newmooon56 Posts: 347 Member
    Thanks for the responses so far. I wont cut any food group. I seem to be happiest on a balanced diet. And by balanced I mean ice cream and all :)

    I am not concerned with a scale number but I know I need to shed more actual fat from my frame. I also know I need to fuel the work outs so have been letting myself get closer to 1500 calories most days lately. I dont log or eat back work out calories as I believe at 1500 daily - thats fine enough, especially since Ive cut cardio back these days.

    But then I second guess it all - so was here trying to find some opinions to go with my research and reading.

    Appreciate all who answer.

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