Figuring out Maintenance Cals while Lifting
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Eve_e
Posts: 57
Hey there! So, I'm essentially working on body recomposition at this point, because I'm at a healthy weight, but I want to decrease my BF%. So, I've been lifting heavy - or learning to - for the past few weeks. My issue is that I'm still unsure what my calories are for maintaining. People say to eat at a number for a few weeks, and see what the scale does, and then adjust. But, people have also told me that if I'm lifting, the scale might go up due to muscle gains. Since I can't know the difference between a few pounds on the scale being fat or muscle, how am I supposed to determine the right amount of calories to be eating? I don't want to stop lifting for three weeks just so I can figure it out, that seems dumb. I know people say to go by the mirror, not the scale, but that also varies day to day due to bloating, the level of my self-confidence that particular day, etc. Thoughts?
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Replies
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You won't put on any weight if you're not eating in a surplus. If you're new to lifting you will gain a few pounds from water retention and such but that should level off after say a week or two. If you've already been lifting, pay attention to your weight the next few weeks and adjust from there. Doing a recomp means your weight stays roughly the same. You may gain a little muscle and lose a little fat along the way, but they will balance out if you're eating exactly at maintenance.0
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You won't put on any weight if you're not eating in a surplus. If you're new to lifting you will gain a few pounds from water retention and such but that should level off after say a week or two. If you've already been lifting, pay attention to your weight the next few weeks and adjust from there. Doing a recomp means your weight stays roughly the same. You may gain a little muscle and lose a little fat along the way, but they will balance out if you're eating exactly at maintenance.
Well, the issue is I don't know if I'm eating at a surplus or not, especially if any weight I put on may or may not be newbie gains. I'll look to seeing if my weight remains the same though, for the most part. How many pounds can newbie gains be?0 -
You won't put on any weight if you're not eating in a surplus. If you're new to lifting you will gain a few pounds from water retention and such but that should level off after say a week or two. If you've already been lifting, pay attention to your weight the next few weeks and adjust from there. Doing a recomp means your weight stays roughly the same. You may gain a little muscle and lose a little fat along the way, but they will balance out if you're eating exactly at maintenance.
Well, the issue is I don't know if I'm eating at a surplus or not, especially if any weight I put on may or may not be newbie gains. I'll look to seeing if my weight remains the same though, for the most part. How many pounds can newbie gains be?
I don't think it's really worth worrying about. I gained around 2-3lbs, as a 6'3" male. It will level out pretty fast.0 -
bump0
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Calculate your TDEE and eat at that level. Adjust as needed if you see the scale creeping up or down.0
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Calculate your TDEE and eat at that level. Adjust as needed if you see the scale creeping up or down.
But, how do I know if the scale is creeping up due to fat or muscle? That's my issue.0 -
Calculate your TDEE and eat at that level. Adjust as needed if you see the scale creeping up or down.
But, how do I know if the scale is creeping up due to fat or muscle? That's my issue.
You don't. If you're following a good progressive lifting program, any weight gain will be a combination of muscle and fat. 50/50 if you're lucky. There's no exact science to any of this, it's all pretty much trial and error. You just have to try it and examine results after X number of months. Give it 3 months maybe. Keep in mind that recomps, if successful/possible, have very, very very slow results. It could be several months before you see any changes at all.0 -
i am still trying to figure this our myself... all of last year i was pretty consistent, and did gain 3 lbs for a month or so when i started lifting. but it did level out and i seen in my pic my body was changing so all was good. This year i am bouncing all over the place weight wise.. it's so frustrating.. up to 6 lbs. I started a new program as i thought my body needed a change in routine and i haven't seen any consistency at all and no changes in composition at all so far
i am confused as to why i am bouncing all over the place now? i still eat 1500 cals and i still exercise 5-6 days a week for 30 min... 0 -
Forgot the scale, get a measuring tape and measure your waist. if you are putting on bad weight you will notice your waist measurement increasing. I know I've put weight on but I've lost an inch off my waist. I binned the scales!0
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See my measurements are all the same but yet some clothes feel snugger and I haven't lower belly pooching out way more. I measure, use calipers and scale0
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Eat what you were before and have healthy snacks, as needed, when you're hungry. Listen to your body.0
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Calculate your TDEE and eat at that level. Adjust as needed if you see the scale creeping up or down.
But, how do I know if the scale is creeping up due to fat or muscle? That's my issue.
if you are going to gain muscle, you are going to gain fat …your body is not 100% efficient enough to take all of your calorie surplus and put it towards building muscle.
Just go with the flow and if the scale goes up too much, the back your calories down …
also, if you are eating at maintenance you really should not be gaining any muscle….0 -
It is all trial and error to some extent. If you gain weight, eat a little less. If you lose, eat a little more. Your body is going to make continual adjustments based on your composition anyway, particularly if you have a successful recomposition.
Two women who look exactly alike can have different caloric needs based on lean body mass, age, etc. It generally isn't far off, but it still needs tweaking. Calorie intake and counting isn't an exact science; it's more of a small ballpark kind of thing.0 -
Even accounting for newbie gains, women gain muscle slooooowly. Successful female bulkers aim for around .25 to .5 pound a week, so if you're gaining more than that consistently, you're gaining fat too quickly. Keep in mind that most people see a bump of a couple of pounds when they switch to maintenence, so this is to be expected. Unless you do want to make an effort to gain weight, pick a 5-pound maintenence range and adjust accordingly to stay within that for a few months, then reassess.0
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For the first month I lifted I retained about 3 lbs of water. Then it went away except in certain circumstances (new lifting routine, salt, time of month, alcohol).
My advice is to set your calorie goal at what you think your TDEE should be. Eat that amount for a month at least. If your weight fluctuates but stays within an acceptable range (say 5-6 lbs) then that's close enough to your TDEE. If your weight drops, increase calories. If it creeps up slowly, reduce just a little.
It's trial and error. I've maintained for the past 18 months and my weight could still be anywhere from 123 to 128 lbs.
Also, if you're eating at maintenance and lifting you will gain some muscle. You'll also be very slowly losing fat (VERY slowly). You should not gain much (if any) actual scale weight (beyond water fluctuations). To gain enough muscle to actually register noticeably on the scale you'd need to be at a surplus, and if that happens you know what to do-- just lower your goal slightly.
In the past year I've stayed the same weight but I've lost two pants sizes.0 -
Hey there! So, I'm essentially working on body recomposition at this point, because I'm at a healthy weight, but I want to decrease my BF%. So, I've been lifting heavy - or learning to - for the past few weeks. My issue is that I'm still unsure what my calories are for maintaining. People say to eat at a number for a few weeks, and see what the scale does, and then adjust. But, people have also told me that if I'm lifting, the scale might go up due to muscle gains. Since I can't know the difference between a few pounds on the scale being fat or muscle, how am I supposed to determine the right amount of calories to be eating? I don't want to stop lifting for three weeks just so I can figure it out, that seems dumb. I know people say to go by the mirror, not the scale, but that also varies day to day due to bloating, the level of my self-confidence that particular day, etc. Thoughts?
I've been lifting heavy for over a year....and I am by no means a pro but I'm getting it done. First let me say that I am healthier now at 146 with 16.5% BF than I was at 137 with a 17% bodyfat....and I am the same pants size....lifting will reshape your entire body. Stay the course and TRUST THE PROCESS, Most of all have patience.
I underastand your anxiety but just want to relay that with time and dedication it will happen. Best of luck girl.0 -
For the first month I lifted I retained about 3 lbs of water. Then it went away except in certain circumstances (new lifting routine, salt, time of month, alcohol).
My advice is to set your calorie goal at what you think your TDEE should be. Eat that amount for a month at least. If your weight fluctuates but stays within an acceptable range (say 5-6 lbs) then that's close enough to your TDEE. If your weight drops, increase calories. If it creeps up slowly, reduce just a little.
It's trial and error. I've maintained for the past 18 months and my weight could still be anywhere from 123 to 128 lbs.
Also, if you're eating at maintenance and lifting you will gain some muscle. You'll also be very slowly losing fat (VERY slowly). You should not gain much (if any) actual scale weight (beyond water fluctuations). To gain enough muscle to actually register noticeably on the scale you'd need to be at a surplus, and if that happens you know what to do-- just lower your goal slightly.
In the past year I've stayed the same weight but I've lost two pants sizes.
This post was super helpful to me. :flowerforyou:
@op - I wish I had advice to offer, but alas am in the same boat. Looks like you got some great advice above though!0 -
For the first month I lifted I retained about 3 lbs of water. Then it went away except in certain circumstances (new lifting routine, salt, time of month, alcohol).
My advice is to set your calorie goal at what you think your TDEE should be. Eat that amount for a month at least. If your weight fluctuates but stays within an acceptable range (say 5-6 lbs) then that's close enough to your TDEE. If your weight drops, increase calories. If it creeps up slowly, reduce just a little.
It's trial and error. I've maintained for the past 18 months and my weight could still be anywhere from 123 to 128 lbs.
Also, if you're eating at maintenance and lifting you will gain some muscle. You'll also be very slowly losing fat (VERY slowly). You should not gain much (if any) actual scale weight (beyond water fluctuations). To gain enough muscle to actually register noticeably on the scale you'd need to be at a surplus, and if that happens you know what to do-- just lower your goal slightly.
In the past year I've stayed the same weight but I've lost two pants sizes.
This post was super helpful to me. :flowerforyou:
Yay :flowerforyou:0 -
Good advice from ILiftHeavyAcrylics so won't repeat any of that.
Just need to pick up on the "how do I tell it's working?" part... As someone who's been either at a small deficit or recomping for a year all I can say that you need to think long term.
The various ways of measuring body fat are a guide but have a margin of error. Tape measure is valuable to track changes month on month but even that can throw some tricks - I've lost fat off my chest and gained muscle on my lats so my chest measurements have stayed the same. In my opinion progress photos are the best way to see changes over time.
BTW - you can add lean mass and lose fat at maintenance, it's just slow. Everyone's progress will be unique depending on age, genetics, training, diet etc...
Just keep it simple, find your maintenance calories, train hard, eat well, get enough rest and repeat.0 -
after 4 weeks of doing this I loss 1.5% of body fat (measured at gym via pinch by trainer) and managed to maintain and gain 0.5lb lean muscle. My over all weight loss was about 1.2 lb (2 lbs of fat)
calculate your tdee using eat to perform's calculator,
eat about 10-15% below tdee
I have my macros set at 30, 35, 35 (c,f,p).
I eat extremely clean, only a handful of meals during these 4 weeks were eating out and maybe 1 was fast food (chic-fil-a)
best of luck!0
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