Hi- newbie questions...

indiechickuk
indiechickuk Posts: 14 Member
Hi, apologies of these questions are obvious! I've been trying to follow the em2wl approach for about 8 weeks now- I upped from 1200-1300 (several years at this level) to now averaging about 1850-2000 a day, with around 40% protein and not too much sodium. I initially gained 4lbs, 3 of which came off again almost immediately, but my question is what's next?
I'm 5'6", currently 147 and would like to lose about 10-15lbs (or a clothes size, the weights not the main thing), have tdee at 2273, working out 3-4 times a week (3x45mins of weights, and 1x45min run, plus 40mins walking each day to and from the train station).

I'm enjoying the fact I'm eating more and not gaining, but I'm not seeing any differences, and I would really like to eventually lose a few pounds- just to fit back into last summers clothes! So should I eat more, or less or what? And do I need to change my workouts?

I'd really appreciate the advice here!

Replies

  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    So the difference between eating level and estimated TDEE is 273-423 calories daily, so you should be seeing 1 to almost 2 lbs every 2 weeks loss, unless still making body improvements from the exercise, but it sounds like not with no inches lost.

    So first, what level did you select for Activity level?

    What BMR is your TDEE based on, meaning Katch BMR using bodyfat %, or what other method.

    So either you are eating at or near TDEE right now, though you should see inches drop as lifting should be causing great improvements eating at or near maintenance.
    Or you are still eating at to great a deficit and body is too stressed to raise the metabolism to give you a deficit, or not much of one.

    With eating so little for so long, did you ever eat at estimated TDEE?

    The fast gain and loss shows water weight, beyond that, nothing it sounds like basically.

    And have you spent 2 weeks weighing all food being eaten, to see how good or bad your normal methods are?

    And what size deficit did you take? Should be at 15% and then 10% with 10 lbs left to lose.

    And are the lifting workouts really heavy for you? Body feels no need to improve if you aren't overloading it.
  • indiechickuk
    indiechickuk Posts: 14 Member
    Thanks for replying!

    I just used the Scooby calculator, and went for moderate as my activity level, with a 15% cut.

    I haven't yet done measurements, so that might be the next step, to try and get a bodyfat%

    No - I've not yet made it to TDEE - willing to give it a go though! Is it necessary to go above your Cut level before coming back down?

    It's tricky for me to weigh my food as a lot of it comes from the office canteen, but it's relatively defined quantities (e.g. things like slices of bread, pre-measured pots of chicken/tuna, pots of yogurt), and when I do eat things like rice/pasta for dinner then I weigh, so don't think I'm too far out.

    And yes, I think my weights count as 'heavy' - based on the other info I've read about # of reps you should be able to achieve etc... Will try adding a couple of lbs anyway!

    Thanks again - I'll report back once I've found a tape measure!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    So you might want to reread the stickies for the group, if you missed the metabolism reset you may have missed some other info.

    Reset is removing the diet stress from your body for a period of time, so hormones can be reset and metabolism can come back up.

    Might use this if your activity and exercise needs tweaking to find better TDEE, that may be inflated, or very deflated.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/961054-spreadsheet-for-bodyfat-bmr-tdee-progress-tracker
  • indiechickuk
    indiechickuk Posts: 14 Member
    I've done all the measuring and the maths and the numbers still seem pretty much right, so I guess next step is to take the plunge and aim for reset! Wish me luck!