Should I continue to eat at a deficit?

_lyndseybrooke_
_lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
in Motivation and Support
I'm 3 lbs from goal and I've been slowly increasing my calories to find my true TDEE. Right now I'm eating an average of 1800 gross calories daily when averaged over the week. Last week, my first week eating 1800, I still lost .8 lb. I don't weigh in again until Saturday, so I'm not sure if that's a fluke or what. I was dropping about .5 lb/week eating 1600-1700, so it seems odd that I'd lose more by eating more. We'll see.

I'm 5'5" and my goal weight is 130 lbs. I'm wondering whether or not I should drop that down to 125 lbs. I really don't care what the scale says at this point - I'm lifting heavy and I'd rather look good at 130 lbs than just be 125 lbs. I still have some excess fat in my midsection, it seems. I can't sit down and retain a flat belly and looking up at my stomach in the downward dog position is just depressing. Standing straight I look good, most days, but I don't see how these last 3 lbs would eliminate this extra fat. I haven't been 125 lbs since I was 17 and had the body of a child. I figured that, now that I had my hips and slightly bigger breasts, maintaining my weight at 125 was near impossible. I'm not so sure now.

So, here's my question. I've only been lifting heavy for about 8 weeks. Once I hit 130, should I increase my calories to maintenance and continue to lift in order to get the body I want or should I continue to eat at a deficit until I'm down to 125 while still lifting? OR should I eat at a tiny deficit in order to lose fat and gain muscle? I know this is up to me, but I don't want to eat at maintenance and keep lifting if this fat is just going to stay put no matter how much I work my muscles. I guess I'm just looking for opinions. Be honest with me. You can see my most recent progress picture in my pics (the second one). That's the past two months of progress since I started lifting.

Replies

  • cwoyto123
    cwoyto123 Posts: 308
    Are you weight training? If not, really recommend it.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    Are you weight training? If not, really recommend it.

    +1
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Since you are new to heavy lifting you may be able to gain some muscle in a deficit so I would suggest TDEE-10% and continue training until you are happy with what you see, then transition to TDEE or to a bulk if you want to add even more muscle at that time.
  • lrmall01
    lrmall01 Posts: 377 Member
    IMHO go into little maintain / cut cycles to eliminate fat over time. Like 4 weeks with a 250 - 500 cal deficit and 8 weeks at TDEE.

    Keep lifting heavy, do HIIT cardio 5 days a week on your cut cycles.
  • Julzanne72
    Julzanne72 Posts: 468 Member
    She did say she has been lifting heavy for about 8 weeks.
  • BDWhite72
    BDWhite72 Posts: 47 Member
    I am exactly where you are. It's tough to get away from what the scale says when we beat ourselves over the head with it on a daily basis. I would recommend body comps. I am coming off a 100lb weight loss, but my weight fluctuates between 3-5 pounds regularly (doing my woman thing). First I set a weight goal, then a body comp goal which led to my size goal. So I'm 5'10", weigh in at 155 on average and my latest body fat testing had me at 12%. I eat 1700(ish) calories 5 days a week and 2200 2 days a week. It's the best way I've been able to find balance. Good luck and GREAT JOB, you look amazing!
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    Are you weight training? If not, really recommend it.

    +1

    ...did either of you read my post?
  • douglasedward
    douglasedward Posts: 20 Member
    ...did either of you read my post?

    ...Or notice that her screen name is "Lyndsey Loves To Lift"?
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    I am exactly where you are. It's tough to get away from what the scale says when we beat ourselves over the head with it on a daily basis. I would recommend body comps. I am coming off a 100lb weight loss, but my weight fluctuates between 3-5 pounds regularly (doing my woman thing). First I set a weight goal, then a body comp goal which led to my size goal. So I'm 5'10", weigh in at 155 on average and my latest body fat testing had me at 12%. I eat 1700(ish) calories 5 days a week and 2200 2 days a week. It's the best way I've been able to find balance. Good luck and GREAT JOB, you look amazing!

    Forgive my ignorance...I haven't done much research on body comp. I'll have to look into what that is exactly. What I bolded is pretty much what I do now. I stick to about 1650 M-F and 2200 on weekends. Doing that, I've been losing steadily, and it evens out to about 1800 per day. That's my TDEE-10%.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    Are you weight training? If not, really recommend it.

    +1

    ...did either of you read my post?

    lol, never change MFP.

    But in answer to your question, I basically got to my goal weight, and then decided to keep eating at a small deficit while continuing to lift heavy. I'm still technically "maintaining" because I've only lost about 2 pounds, but the physical changes are there.

    What you decide to do is up to you of course, but what I described has been working pretty well for me.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    Personally, I would do a slight deficit and continue to lift. You're still pretty new to lifting, and I think a slight deficit will let you see the definition you want sooner than eating at maintenance/recomping will. Just to reiterate, as I'm sure you already know this, but make sure you're being as accurate as possible on your logging. That tiny deficit will be gone in a heartbeat if you slack off.
  • MagnumBurrito
    MagnumBurrito Posts: 1,070 Member
    I say keep doing what you're doing. Your body is losing fat at the right pace, and you're getting stronger. Reevaluate at the end of summer.
  • BDWhite72
    BDWhite72 Posts: 47 Member
    I am exactly where you are. It's tough to get away from what the scale says when we beat ourselves over the head with it on a daily basis. I would recommend body comps. I am coming off a 100lb weight loss, but my weight fluctuates between 3-5 pounds regularly (doing my woman thing). First I set a weight goal, then a body comp goal which led to my size goal. So I'm 5'10", weigh in at 155 on average and my latest body fat testing had me at 12%. I eat 1700(ish) calories 5 days a week and 2200 2 days a week. It's the best way I've been able to find balance. Good luck and GREAT JOB, you look amazing!

    Forgive my ignorance...I haven't done much research on body comp. I'll have to look into what that is exactly. What I bolded is pretty much what I do now. I stick to about 1650 M-F and 2200 on weekends. Doing that, I've been losing steadily, and it evens out to about 1800 per day. That's my TDEE-10%.


    You can find more about body comps here. http://weightloss.about.com/od/exercis1/a/What-Is-Body-Composition.htm Just basic info, I'm sure you'll come across much more in your research. I think you should just continue what you're doing, monitor it over a greater period of time and reevaluate in a couple of months.
  • BDWhite72
    BDWhite72 Posts: 47 Member
    I say keep doing what you're doing. Your body is losing fat at the right pace, and you're getting stronger. Reevaluate at the end of summer.

    ^^ I agree.

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