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Length of LCD/Length of reset - any correlation?

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kirabob
kirabob Posts: 481 Member
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Short backstory - Started MFP in January of this year. Netted 1200 cals for about a month. Then I read all the information floating around about BMR, and started netting 1500 (my BMR is about 1447). At the beginning of March I started the Stronglifts program, cut way back on my cardio (from 4 hours/week to 1.5 hours max). I was constantly hungry at 1500, so I did a little more research, found IPOARM, and upped my calories to 1800 (somewhere around mid-march). I've had some pretty good muscle gains, even eating at a deficit, and was able to adjust my intake up to 1950 last week.

I'm not overly concerned about the scale number - I have been shrinking, and I'm getting strong, which I love. But I have been getting really tired on my lifting days, and ravenous the entire day after. I poked around some more, and read all the EM2WL stickies, watched the videos, and decided that I need to start incorporating 'TDEE weeks' - but I am also wondering if I should commit to a reset. I was only below BMR for about a month, and since then I have been slowly upping my calories. My weight is pretty stable right now, but I feel like I need more fuel for the lifting, so why not combine that with maybe fixing whatever portions of my metabolism/hormones that were affected by the LCD?

I guess what I am asking is: Should I just start with a week at TDEE, see if I top off more water weight/glycogen stores, and then decide whether or not I need to go longer for a full reset? I'm not in any particular rush - I just want to make sure I am giving my body what it needs to do the work I am asking of it. The long term goal is to lose another 5-7% of my body fat (Right now I am at 31% down from 36% in early February), but I am perfectly fine with that happening over a long period of time as I get stronger and set myself up for a lifetime of being healthy.

Thank you for your help!

Replies

  • aliciab307
    aliciab307 Posts: 370 Member
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    I think you're in a great mental space and have the right expectations of a reset. I think you will find it does more good than harm. I say go for it. Doing a reset could help you find your real tdee and It is possible to lose body fat while lifting heavy and eating at tdee
  • kirabob
    kirabob Posts: 481 Member
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    When you say 'find your real TDEE', what exactly do you mean? The point at which I stabilize? I have used heybales spreadsheet for a while, so I know the general area my TDEE should be in. But maybe there are some other (more subtle) cues I should be looking for. . .

    And if I do a full reset, what do i use as the 'signal' to cut again? A stabilized weight? My body feeling acclimated to the food? I'm not afraid of eating more, and I eat pretty clean already (except for my chocolate habit, LOL). I'm just wanting to make sure I know what to look for.

    Thank you!
  • kitka82
    kitka82 Posts: 350 Member
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    If you don't mind the water gain, go ahead and start at TDEE. It took 5 weeks of gaining for my weight to stabilize. I ate at TDEE for 8 weeks. You are looking for your weight to settle in the same range of a pound or so for at least 2-3 weeks before you start to cut.
  • aliciab307
    aliciab307 Posts: 370 Member
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    When you say 'find your real TDEE', what exactly do you mean? The point at which I stabilize? I have used heybales spreadsheet for a while, so I know the general area my TDEE should be in. But maybe there are some other (more subtle) cues I should be looking for. . .

    And if I do a full reset, what do i use as the 'signal' to cut again? A stabilized weight? My body feeling acclimated to the food? I'm not afraid of eating more, and I eat pretty clean already (except for my chocolate habit, LOL). I'm just wanting to make sure I know what to look for.

    Thank you!

    I know haybales said that after 4 weeks of stable weight i should up cals by 250 for another 2 weeks and see whether i stabilize, gain or lose. If i stabilize or lose increase, if i gain 1 lb from that 250 increase then i know tdee is the prev level I was at. I'm doing an 8 week reset and will be increasing my calories in about 2 weeks to maximize my tdee
  • jyska
    jyska Posts: 728 Member
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    According to what you've given us for your history, I would say you do NOT need a reset. You simply need diet breaks once in a while. You can do that in lots of ways. You can have a day or two during the week where you eat at tdee or you can stay at cut for 10 - 12 weeks, then have a week or two diet break. The main thing you need to concern yourself with is that you don't lower your metabolism by staying at cut for too long without a break. Work breaks around holidays or vacations...

    You are seeing excellent results, your metabolism is working great. Just break up the diet once in a while and give yourself an exercise break every 4 - 6 weeks as well (a week where you bring your workouts down to simple walks, light jogs, stretching, pilates or that kind of thing). That will also help with the fatigue. It gives your body a chance to rest and repair.

    (just a quick note though...you may want to consider a bulk combined with heavy lifting during an off season time - not during bikini weather - after which you'd go back into a cut. That can allow you to eat a bit more and get you some great muscle gains at the same time if you are wanting to go that route. Just make sure you read up on what a lean bulk is. You can check out more info on that on eatmore2weighless.com since many of us just completed a bulk/heavy lifting program)
  • kirabob
    kirabob Posts: 481 Member
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    Thanks for all the input - I decided to take a TDEE week this week, then go another 10 weeks at a smaller cut (10% instead of 20%). If I see a dramatic increase this week (indicating my muscles were glycogen deprived) then I will go longer.

    I'm pretty sure I'm only looking at another 15-18 pound loss total before I hit a nice balance. I'm 5'4" and 163 right now - but my LBM is 112 and I'm going to keep lifting, so ending up somewhere around 145-50 may work for me. It will be all new territory, so I'll get there and then readjust the goals as needed.

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