How much is too much?

starspecks
starspecks Posts: 49 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone! So I was wanting to increase the amount of exercise I do on a daily basis. I wanted to know how much is too much and when do I start increasing my daily calorie intake to compensate for the extra work? I've been eating 1100-1300 calories daily (clean eating except for Friday and Saturdays I will eat 1 thing that's "bad" without going too overboard). I haven't been eating extra calories to compensate for my workouts that average 250-350 burned 4 days and 500-600 1 day with a 2 day break. If I was to increase to a 600-800 calorie burn 5 day a week schedule how much should I increase? What about on my two off days? If I'm alternating muscle groups with weight lifting plus doing cardio as my daily routine could I workout 6 days a week without hurting myself?

My stats are 5 6" 119lbs I'm not trying to lose weight but lower body fat % and increase muscle.

Any and all advice is appreciated thank you!

Replies

  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    You aren't going to increase any muscle eating so little.

    To lower body fat percentage while maintaining lean body mass, or muscle, you want a small calorie deficit from your TDEE, with plenty of protein for those muscles.

    Great info here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13 I've had my best success since following the info there and setting up my profile according to the links and instructions Dan provides.
  • starspecks
    starspecks Posts: 49 Member
    You aren't going to increase any muscle eating so little.

    To lower body fat percentage while maintaining lean body mass, or muscle, you want a small calorie deficit from your TDEE, with plenty of protein for those muscles.

    Great info here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13 I've had my best success since following the info there and setting up my profile according to the links and instructions Dan provides.

    Thank you for the link! However the fat 2 fit radio tools link is dead. I did however calculate everything else but i'm not sure what to do with it so i'll provide my results here

    Bodyfat is 16.83%
    Mifflin - St Jeor BMR- 1352 TDEE-1977
    Katch - McCardle BMR-1340 TDEE-1959


    ok i got the link to work in another browser!
  • starspecks
    starspecks Posts: 49 Member
    ok now i'm confused....

    According to everything I just did I would be considered "Moderately active" with an allotted 2096 calories daily. That would be without "eating" calories burned correct?

    I have 99lbs lean body mass and 20lbs of body fat.... What percentages do I set MFP to in order to figure out carbs and this is AFTER I change my daily calorie goal to 2096? According to that info I should be eating 99 grams of protein and 14 grams of fat.

    Doing this will help me to continue to lower body fat and increase muscle gain correct?
  • PJPrimrose
    PJPrimrose Posts: 916 Member
    Being under weight 5'6" 119 is borderline underweight. 16% body fat IS underweight especially for a female. Losing even more weight will not help you gain muscle or even be healthy. A healthy weight range for 5'6" pretty much starts at 130-135.

    A 16% body fat on a woman is a great way to screw up hormones, stop the period, bone loss, lose hair etc....

    Please stop dieting to lose. You're too thin. Your BF is too low. You'll only put more stress on your already stressed out body over exercising too.
  • starspecks
    starspecks Posts: 49 Member
    I mentioned SEVERAL times i'm NOT looking to lose pounds..... instead I am looking to lower body fat while gaining muscle. I don't even own a scale and could care less about that number but I know people need to know to help me.

    I also came here looking to find out how much MORE food I should be eating, not less. I appreciate your concern (however genuine it may be considering how little you read what I wrote and just saw the numbers posted). I will be increasing my exercise regardless so if that means adding LOTS of calories I have ZERO problem with that. I just want to know how to do it safely, what my goals should be BEFORE increasing my workload.
  • f1redshoes
    f1redshoes Posts: 79
    A 16% body fat on a woman is a great way to screw up hormones, stop the period, bone loss, lose hair etc....

    Please stop dieting to lose. You're too thin. Your BF is too low. You'll only put more stress on your already stressed out body over exercising too.
    As someone with 16% body fat and aiming for lower, who also happens to be in PERFECT HEALTH with ridiculously thick-and-healthy hair, regular-as-clockwork periods, and the most balanced hormones of any woman I know, I think you really need to stop generalising. It may not be healthy for some people, but for others it is fine.

    OP, feel free to add me as a friend! I'm a little bit shorter, but with similar goals and activity levels :)
  • GillianMcK
    GillianMcK Posts: 401 Member
    Maybe post this in the Gaining Weight section of the forums, that forum has a lot of people who are or are looking to gain lean muscle and you'll probably get a better response from a nutritional point of view (you'll run into the first world problems of not wanting to eat 4000calories (this is extreme and are the guys building serious muscles)).
    I'm not much help as I'm still in the weight loss section so haven't done any sort of research on the increasing calories.

    ETA: whilst if you had got to 16% body fat by starving yourself would have an impact on you physically and hormonally, if you've got there through exercise and lifting I don't see the problem (you're not telling me female Olympic athletes are screwing up their bodies by having a low body fat percentage)!!!
  • starspecks
    starspecks Posts: 49 Member
    Thank you, will do!

    I also appreciate you READING what my goals were! Women can lift too! :smile: :laugh:
  • GillianMcK
    GillianMcK Posts: 401 Member
    Thank you, will do!

    I also appreciate you READING what my goals were! Women can lift too! :smile: :laugh:

    I love my weights sessions and whilst the majority of my training currently is cardio (doing a marathon next Sunday) I also do weight as well to help with the legs muscles, once I have the techniques sorted I can actually lift quite heavy (up to 80kg on the dead-lift and 75kg on the squat, just learning the Olympic clean and press so only on 30kg at the moment whilst getting my form correct).

    Lots of women on that forum as well that lift so they can also help from a female perspective:)

    In response to working 6 days, that's what I do, I run 4 days a week, weights one day and a PT session (can be weights, cardio or both) and 1 rest day, your body will tell you if you're over-training (tired constantly, aching from doing exercises that shouldn't make you ache, picking up minor injuries are the obvious ones).
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    Research body recomposition.

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