Is it ever appropriate to eat over maintenance calories?

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renitawalker9
renitawalker9 Posts: 108
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 5'2", 124 lbs, about 23% bodyfat. My goal is to get under 20% bodyfat but stay around the same weight or gain consequently. I do not want to really lose that much more weight.

I'm doing stronglifts 3x per week with 20 minutes cardio following. I was alternatiing cardio days with stronglifts and found that I was exhausted all the time so I scaled the cardio back to have a full rest day in between my stronglifts days.

My TDEE is approximately 1894 calories. I've been averaging about 1800 calories (TDEE-5%,) but on my lift days I find myself SO HUNGRY on 1800 calories.

so....is it appropriate to eat more than my TDEE on those days? If so should the calories be primarily from protein? Am I going to gain a bunch of fat doing this? Is it a rough form of calorie cycling?

Replies

  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    It's all about the intake in the long term--think of your calories as

    1894 x 7 = 13258 per week

    If you lift 3x per week maybe eat 2150 per day which would be 6450 calories

    Then you're left with 6808 for the other 4 days...

    Which would be 1702 calories per day on non-weight lifting days.
  • Angiesolomon
    Angiesolomon Posts: 144 Member
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    Of course, as longer as it averages out over the week you're fine. But don't be scared of having treat nights and celebrating important occasions, life is for living!
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    If on average you eat over TDEE you will gain weight. If you eat over TDEE sometimes, but still maintain an overall deficit, then you will lose weight.
  • nadz6012
    nadz6012 Posts: 126 Member
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    I think it really depends on your goals. If you want to build muscle you need a caloric surplus. This will unfortunately make you gain fat as well, but I think the consensus from what I understand, is that the cleaner (more whole foods) you eat the less of that weight gain will be fat.

    I've heard of people that follow a recomp diet, where they eat in surplus on lifting days and at a deficit on non-lifting days. Maybe a little bit of trial and error is in order?
  • gimpygramma
    gimpygramma Posts: 383 Member
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    No expert here but I think your TDEE is based on a weekly activity pattern. When calculating your maintenance calories you should perhaps look at it in the same way...ie on a weekly basis. So on your heavy exercise days eat more, on your rest days eat less. Just make sure that over the course of the week your numbers balance.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    I hope someone gives you structured/proper advice :)

    all I wanted to say wasn't you SHOULDN'T be hungry, thats a sign that you need to feed your body more.


    Ruth
  • renitawalker9
    renitawalker9 Posts: 108
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    ah...calorie deficit over the course of a week. So three high days and 4 lower days. nice. why did that never occur to me? Thanks folks.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    I hope someone gives you structured/proper advice :)

    all I wanted to say wasn't you SHOULDN'T be hungry, thats a sign that you need to feed your body more.


    Ruth

    Acute hunger on a diet is normal.
    Feeling like you're going to stab someone for a carrot is not.
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
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    TDEE is good to maintain. If you want to gain be it fat or muscle you need to eat over TDEE. If you have ever heard the terms bulking and cuttings those pretty much mean gaining mass(preferably muscle) or losing weight(fat preferably)
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    If on average you eat over TDEE you will gain weight. If you eat over TDEE sometimes, but still maintain an overall deficit, then you will lose weight.

    Yep.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    ah...calorie deficit over the course of a week. So three high days and 4 lower days. nice. why did that never occur to me? Thanks folks.

    You're welcome!
  • renitawalker9
    renitawalker9 Posts: 108
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    I hope someone gives you structured/proper advice :)

    all I wanted to say wasn't you SHOULDN'T be hungry, thats a sign that you need to feed your body more.


    Ruth

    Acute hunger on a diet is normal.
    Feeling like you're going to stab someone for a carrot is not.

    on lift days I feel like a very hangry person on 1800 calories. last lift day I ate 2000 because I just couldn't take it anymore and I was gentle as a lamb :)
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    I hope someone gives you structured/proper advice :)

    all I wanted to say wasn't you SHOULDN'T be hungry, thats a sign that you need to feed your body more.


    Ruth

    Acute hunger on a diet is normal.
    Feeling like you're going to stab someone for a carrot is not.

    on lift days I feel like a very hangry person on 1800 calories. last lift day I ate 2000 because I just couldn't take it anymore and I was gentle as a lamb :)

    How long have you been eating at a calorie deficit for and how much weight have you lost in that time?
    Do you ever take a few days or weeks at maintenance, like a diet break?
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    Options
    I hope someone gives you structured/proper advice :)

    all I wanted to say wasn't you SHOULDN'T be hungry, thats a sign that you need to feed your body more.


    Ruth

    Acute hunger on a diet is normal.
    Feeling like you're going to stab someone for a carrot is not.

    on lift days I feel like a very hangry person on 1800 calories. last lift day I ate 2000 because I just couldn't take it anymore and I was gentle as a lamb :)

    how long are your workouts? How did you workout your TDEE? I'm only 4'11 and eat 2000-2200 every day and 2500-2600 1x a week.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
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    on lift days I feel like a very hangry person on 1800 calories. last lift day I ate 2000 because I just couldn't take it anymore and I was gentle as a lamb :)

    That's not really unusual.

    Exercise, particularly intense exercise, affects people differently - for some it curbs hunger, for some it heightens it.
  • CielArdent9
    CielArdent9 Posts: 32
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    I guess every once in a while. If there's a BBQ or a holiday party or wedding, yes. Treat yourself then!

    Just don't make it a weekly habit, or even daily.
  • renitawalker9
    renitawalker9 Posts: 108
    Options
    I hope someone gives you structured/proper advice :)

    all I wanted to say wasn't you SHOULDN'T be hungry, thats a sign that you need to feed your body more.


    Ruth

    Acute hunger on a diet is normal.
    Feeling like you're going to stab someone for a carrot is not.

    on lift days I feel like a very hangry person on 1800 calories. last lift day I ate 2000 because I just couldn't take it anymore and I was gentle as a lamb :)

    how long are your workouts? How did you workout your TDEE? I'm only 4'11 and eat 2000-2200 every day and 2500-2600 1x a week.

    right now Stronglifts and my cardio only take about an hour 3 days per week. I'm up and down with my kids. I have a walking job as well. I've used haybales spreadsheet, scooby's workshop and fattofit radio's calculators. All put my TDEE under 2000 calories. Perhaps I've undercalculated my caloric needs? perhaps its my body fat percentage that makes my TDEE less? I'm definitely willing to experiment because Stronglifts increases weight load every session and honestly today I had some difficulty...like "I dont' know how I'm going to be able to lift more than this" kind of difficulty and I'm only on my 2nd week.
  • jacklis
    jacklis Posts: 280 Member
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    Acute hunger on a diet is normal.
    Feeling like you're going to stab someone for a carrot is not.
    :laugh:
    When I really began to understand the intake/output continuum I mentioned to my trainer that I "felt a little hungry". My trainer's response was "everyone feels hungry when they try to reduce". No words of comfort or encouragement... within 3 days I adjusted and never mentioned it again.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    Options
    I hope someone gives you structured/proper advice :)

    all I wanted to say wasn't you SHOULDN'T be hungry, thats a sign that you need to feed your body more.


    Ruth

    Acute hunger on a diet is normal.
    Feeling like you're going to stab someone for a carrot is not.

    on lift days I feel like a very hangry person on 1800 calories. last lift day I ate 2000 because I just couldn't take it anymore and I was gentle as a lamb :)

    how long are your workouts? How did you workout your TDEE? I'm only 4'11 and eat 2000-2200 every day and 2500-2600 1x a week.

    right now Stronglifts and my cardio only take about an hour 3 days per week. I'm up and down with my kids. I have a walking job as well. I've used haybales spreadsheet, scooby's workshop and fattofit radio's calculators. All put my TDEE under 2000 calories. Perhaps I've undercalculated my caloric needs? perhaps its my body fat percentage that makes my TDEE less? I'm definitely willing to experiment because Stronglifts increases weight load every session and honestly today I had some difficulty...like "I dont' know how I'm going to be able to lift more than this" kind of difficulty and I'm only on my 2nd week.

    Can you PM me your information? Weight/Height/Bodyfat/ Workout Length, Frequency, and Type

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