Starting my cut today - here's the plan!
prettypaleo67
Posts: 44
Hi all,
When I started with EM2WL, I had intended to reset for 6 weeks, but work schedule is such this week that I decided to cut a week early. Plus, I just *feel* ready for it.
For the past 5 weeks I've been eating my TDEE of ~ 2100 calories per day, and lifting heavy 3-4 times per week doing a split routine. No cardio. My weight has fluctuated between 158 and 162 the whole time, but I would attribute this to water retention and hormonal stuff than anything. This morning I weighed in high at 161.8, but I lifted heavy yesterday so that is expected.
Starting today, I'm shooting for TDEE less 15%, or about 1800 calories. I will switch from a split weightlifting routine 4X/week over to "Starting Strength" 3X/week with a few modificiations for more advanced lifters. I will also start adding cardio exercise 2-3x/week.
Macros will not change - I'm still aiming for 40/30/30 carbs/protein/fat.
I feel that by focusing on lifting while eating enough, I've been able to put on some nice muscle. I can definitely feel a difference.
Now I'm looking forward to burning off some of the fat covering my muscles so I can *see* it too!
I'll keep everyone posted on how it's going, and if anyone else wants to jump in for some "cutting support" please feel free!
When I started with EM2WL, I had intended to reset for 6 weeks, but work schedule is such this week that I decided to cut a week early. Plus, I just *feel* ready for it.
For the past 5 weeks I've been eating my TDEE of ~ 2100 calories per day, and lifting heavy 3-4 times per week doing a split routine. No cardio. My weight has fluctuated between 158 and 162 the whole time, but I would attribute this to water retention and hormonal stuff than anything. This morning I weighed in high at 161.8, but I lifted heavy yesterday so that is expected.
Starting today, I'm shooting for TDEE less 15%, or about 1800 calories. I will switch from a split weightlifting routine 4X/week over to "Starting Strength" 3X/week with a few modificiations for more advanced lifters. I will also start adding cardio exercise 2-3x/week.
Macros will not change - I'm still aiming for 40/30/30 carbs/protein/fat.
I feel that by focusing on lifting while eating enough, I've been able to put on some nice muscle. I can definitely feel a difference.
Now I'm looking forward to burning off some of the fat covering my muscles so I can *see* it too!
I'll keep everyone posted on how it's going, and if anyone else wants to jump in for some "cutting support" please feel free!
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Replies
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Good luck!! I will be watching to see how everything turns out for you!0
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Great plan!0
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Good Luck!!! I will be watching to see how it goes...I am beginning my 3rd week in to my reset.. I am still doing a little cardio because I like to run.. I have a couple of 5K's coming up and a 10K I do every year in October so I can't imagine compleately giving up my running but I have cut back and that is the only cardio I am doing right now running 1-2 times a week 3-4 miles.
Tammy0 -
Good luck pretty paleo I hope all goes well and you see great results 0
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Greatness Good luck! 0
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Thanks everyone! I'm excited to switch things up!0
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Best of luck on your endeavor! Sounds like you're ready to kick some serious butt :bigsmile:0
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So your TDEE it seems like you nailed with one routine has now changed because you are very much changing your routine.
What number do you think your TDEE is now with less lifting and much more cardio.
See, you threw another variable in there. You don't know your TDEE now.0 -
awesome plan - glad to hear you have reached this stage, such an accomplishment. best wishes for the results. x0
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The process works. Looking forward to seeing updated reports.0
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>>>So your TDEE it seems like you nailed with one routine has now changed because you are very much changing your routine.
What number do you think your TDEE is now with less lifting and much more cardio.
See, you threw another variable in there. You don't know your TDEE now.<<<
Here's how I figured it. When I lift heavy 4X per week, I burn on average about 600 calories per session (those compound lifts really get the heart rate up!) according to my Garmin heart rate monitor. So, 2400 calories burned per week from intentional exercise.
With my new lifting routine, I'll be doing one less per week, and they will also be shorter duration - the new plans has me doing about half the reps I was doing before. So, I'm gonna guess my new weight routine will burn 400 calories per session, or 1200 calories per week.
That leaves 1200 calories for me to burn doing cardio, so the activity factor remains constant.
Does that help clear it up? It makes sense in my mind, but maybe I am missing something here.0 -
It sounds like you know exactly what you want and how to do it.
As you know, a 15% cut is about 300 calories, so it will take time for the pounds to come off. But better for the loss to be slow and steady while you are eating and retaining muscle than have it be fast--which usually results in temporary weight loss.0 -
>>>So your TDEE it seems like you nailed with one routine has now changed because you are very much changing your routine.
What number do you think your TDEE is now with less lifting and much more cardio.
See, you threw another variable in there. You don't know your TDEE now.<<<
Here's how I figured it. When I lift heavy 4X per week, I burn on average about 600 calories per session (those compound lifts really get the heart rate up!) according to my Garmin heart rate monitor. So, 2400 calories burned per week from intentional exercise.
With my new lifting routine, I'll be doing one less per week, and they will also be shorter duration - the new plans has me doing about half the reps I was doing before. So, I'm gonna guess my new weight routine will burn 400 calories per session, or 1200 calories per week.
That leaves 1200 calories for me to burn doing cardio, so the activity factor remains constant.
Does that help clear it up? It makes sense in my mind, but maybe I am missing something here.
Good plan and method.
But, that HR during anaerobic efforts has no bearing on calories burned, so HRM formula's for trying to tie HR to calories burned are invalid outside steady-state (2-5 min same HR) aerobic exercise.
So lifting is neither steady-state nor aerobic. Usually badly inflated. 600 cal is inflated. That is an estimate based on reaching those levels with aerobic exercise. But that's not why your HR went up there, to provide oxygen to burn fuel. Stress, the load, the effort. Same way that heat, caffeine, drugs, stress, can elevate your HR just standing. Not that you suddenly started burning more calories though.
Now, the Garmin's using Firstbeat algorithms (Forerunners 910XT & 310XT & 610 & 410 & 210 & 110, 405CX, Edges 800 & 500) can be a touch more correct if setup right, because they try to tell if the breathing rate matches the HR, if it appears anaerobic, it's ignored for calorie estimate.
I see what you are doing then. I'd re-calc though using MFP estimate for strength training though. Appears low, as it indeed is. So it still may end up the same type of trade off.0 -
Yeah, it will be interesting to see. Scooby doesn't differentiate between "weight lifting exercise" and "cardio exercise" in their calculator, so I guess if I still work out only 5X per week I would continue to fall into the "moderate" category.
My main thing is to get the balance just right so that I see a slow fat loss, it may indeed take some tinkering. I'll be doing a lot
more weighing/measuring/eyeballing of my body during this phase so I can course correct if needed. The last thing I want to do is undereat and set off another 6 month plateau! :-(0 -
Yeah, it will be interesting to see. Scooby doesn't differentiate between "weight lifting exercise" and "cardio exercise" in their calculator, so I guess if I still work out only 5X per week I would continue to fall into the "moderate" category.
My main thing is to get the balance just right so that I see a slow fat loss, it may indeed take some tinkering. I'll be doing a lot
more weighing/measuring/eyeballing of my body during this phase so I can course correct if needed. The last thing I want to do is undereat and set off another 6 month plateau! :-(
Oh yeah, if you can get decent estimate of the calories burned during that reset where no weight gain or lost or inches lost, then you have your personal multiplier.
Eaten divided by current weight BMR. There ya go.
And as you are attempting to do, trade some lifting calories for cardio calories, that personal multiplier stays the same.
So as you lose weight, BMR goes down, just multiply again for new TDEE, and deficit again. Easy.0
