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Metabolism reset - Slowly raising cals toward TDEE

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JessXOVanity
JessXOVanity Posts: 33
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Hi everyone!

I posted a topic a little while ago about how I was making the change from 1300 cals a day to higher cals because I've realised that it's not sustainable for the long run.

Alittle about myself - I'm 26 and weigh 126.5lbs but would like to get down to 120lbs....BMR is 1320... I workout 6 days a week - 4 days of heavy lifitng and 2 days of intense cardio (eg. P90X) (45mins per session)..... I eat clean and organic almost all of the time but sometimes have a 'treat' meal once a week :)

I'm currently 4 weeks into upping my cals (I've been taking it slow and raising it 100 cals a week) so this week I'll be raising it to 1700 cals. My TDEE is 2100 according to Scooby (as well as a number of other calorie calculators etc.) and I would eventually like to cut at 20% so down to 1650 cals to lose another 7lbs

It's been slow (anxiety-producing) work....

BUT my question is.... once I raise my cals to 2100 (so in 4 weeks time) do I THEN start my reset and continue for 8 weeks or should I consider my reset "done" and cut down 20% to 1700 cals because I have been upping my cals gradually over 9 weeks already?

Any advice or similar experiences are welcome! THANK YOU! :)

Replies

  • Doberdawn
    Doberdawn Posts: 732 Member
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    I didn't do it that way. I'm just now back into deficit by a few days after doing a 15-day full diet break reset. But, I've already lost a pound, so I'm optimistic that it worked. I just cold turkey went up to maintenance & after the reset, returned to deficit. Here is the article that I followed http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html
  • sagj
    sagj Posts: 256 Member
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    Nothing wrong with doing this process slow. The first time I did the jump in with both feet, eyes closed, fingers crossed and it did not turn out well. Other people jump right in and are fine; it just depends on the person.

    To your questions, once you get up to TDEE hang out there for 8 weeks if that is how long you want to reset. Generally the longer the better so your body reestablishes that the new calorie level is normal. Then when you lower down and your body will recognize that as a deficit.

    Also, 20% cut is probably to big for the amount of weight you want to lose. Maybe try 10% first. It might come off more slowly but that is better for maintenance anyway. Trying for too much may also be detrimental to reaching your goal.

    Good luck!
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
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    When you reach your estimated TDEE your going to want to see if there is any weight change.. since its just an estimate your TDEE could be higher so you are really looking for a point where you either gain .5 lb, or stay flat for a period of time. After eating so low for a long time as you increase you may see fluctuations in weight (refilling your stores, water weight, etc) but your looking for flat (more than 2 weeks/3 weeks) then an increase or just flat because estimations maybe off, you could be underestimating your activity (or even over estimating) etc..
    I would also suggest a lesser cut since you only have 6 lbs to lose, and even eating more you may even want to focus on lifting instead of weight number.. set lifting goals and you body maybe able to use those 6 lbs to give you more of a toned look, even though the scale won't move.
  • Flowers4Julia
    Flowers4Julia Posts: 521 Member
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    I'd also recommend a 10%deficit when you cut. I came to this with 6 pounds to lose and since Jan 1 have lost 4 as of today. I do a TDEE minus 10%.

    I'm not sure what to recommend on your first question.....I did a full on eat at my TDEE for 8 weeks and yeah, it was scary gaining some water weight, I won't kid ya! I wanted to give up, and just go back to the stupid 1200 plan......but I knew I was sick of yo-yo dieting and I just wanted to eat like a normal (LOL) person again! Fortunately, this all happened in Nov and Dec, so I had the holidays to eat and be distracted.

    But adding cals slowly is not a bad idea either, I don't know for sure, but I'd think it would take longer???

    Whatever you do, be fearless! You really can get your weight just where you want it. :)
  • Gapwedge01
    Gapwedge01 Posts: 494
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    When you reach your estimated TDEE your going to want to see if there is any weight change.. since its just an estimate your TDEE could be higher so you are really looking for a point where you either gain .5 lb, or stay flat for a period of time. After eating so low for a long time as you increase you may see fluctuations in weight (refilling your stores, water weight, etc) but your looking for flat (more than 2 weeks/3 weeks) then an increase or just flat because estimations maybe off, you could be underestimating your activity (or even over estimating) etc..
    I would also suggest a lesser cut since you only have 6 lbs to lose, and even eating more you may even want to focus on lifting instead of weight number.. set lifting goals and you body maybe able to use those 6 lbs to give you more of a toned look, even though the scale won't move.

    ^^^^Agree with the above.
  • JessXOVanity
    JessXOVanity Posts: 33
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    Alright awesome advice! Thank you so much everyone!

    I'll stick to my slow-upping of calories (sorry for the bad english hahah) so I've raised it to 1700 this week and then next week up to 1800 and so on, and you say to stay at TDEE for 8 weeks after that?

    A little nervous about that! but will definately give it a shot!

    Any success stories would be welcome for those of you who have done it this way :)
  • sagj
    sagj Posts: 256 Member
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    Well, I'm still in my second reset at week 5 at TDEE so don't know if I'm a success yet... But I took this reset slow to increase to my TDEE (2650 cals) and haven't had much of any weight gain even though I'm eating 800 cals more than before I started this reset process. The first reset I did too quick and gained a lot before quitting. I'm actually bumping my calories up another hundred this week to see if true TDEE is still higher since I've had no gain. I plan to stick it out at 2750 until the end of my 12 weeks of reset. Then I will add more cardio while keeping calories constant and assess if there is weight loss. Form there I will adjust until it works for me.

    So, I'm a big believer in the slow but steady method you are trying. It may take longer but, for me, it is working out so much better.

    Best of luck,
    J
  • Gapwedge01
    Gapwedge01 Posts: 494
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    Alright awesome advice! Thank you so much everyone!

    I'll stick to my slow-upping of calories (sorry for the bad english hahah) so I've raised it to 1700 this week and then next week up to 1800 and so on, and you say to stay at TDEE for 8 weeks after that?

    A little nervous about that! but will definately give it a shot!

    Any success stories would be welcome for those of you who have done it this way :)

    It is a process. I think it is wise to gradually add as you near your TDEE. For me I only ate at TDEE for 4 weeks, but I was just trying to move off a 90 day stall. During my 4 weeks I gained 2.5-3 pounds so I may have eaten a little above my actual TDEE. Since my reset I have lost those pounds plus 5 additional pounds and 3% BF. Once I complete this deficit cycle of 4-6 weeks I will eat at TDEE for a week and begin again.
    For you it may be 4 weeks, 8 weeks, or 12 weeks for a reset. It all depends, but 8-12 weeks seems to be typical especially if you have eaten low calorie for some time. But once you begin your reset I suggest not more than 10-15% deficit and as you get closer to goal maybe 5-10% at which point it will be important to log carefully and even weigh your food with a scale because your margin of error will be so small.

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