I need to talk this one out
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JulieAnneFIU
Posts: 125 Member
Okay, so I'm on my fourth week of lifting and I love it but I have a question - I was put on a medication that took my appetite away (side effect not on purpose) and was all like "Sweet, now I can eat tdee -20%" and I started doing that but today I struggled with my bench. I'm getting adequate protein and don't feel hungry or weak but I had a hard time completing my set. Would eating at tdee make a difference in performance? My bf is at 27% and I love to get that down so I was hoping to take advantage of this lack of hunger.
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Yes it would help performance. I am eating anything and everything in sight and i felt great with my lifts today. BUT if you really want to lower your BF then you may not be able to make the strength gains that you like. Its up to you what is more important, lower body fat or strength.
How long will you be on the medication?0 -
For as long as it works so years likely. I'm a bipolar insomniac with insomnia and I had a hysterectomy so I have no lady parts so I take pills for that as well. If I'm not on my meds I'm loco, like they lock me up crazy. With the meds and the therapy and the three years (next week) of sobriety I'm awesome but I've developed a fairly unhealthy relationship with my body image as of late and started showing some crazy so they upped my Wellbutrin. I've been on it for years it's just been doubled and weight loss is a side effect.
ETA I also have an inherited autoimmunodeficiency disorder so I get plasma infused monthly. I'm a mess.0 -
Congrats on the 3 yrs!! I'd say if you are ok with not pushing the weights then maybe for your mental health it would be better to lose some BF. You will also look way better with more muscle as well, which will show better after the loss of BF. Do what makes your life easier and better. It sounds like you were handed a raw deal with medical issues as it is.0
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wow, what a lot to deal with. if you love lifting and it's helping you in any way to handle all these challenges it would be a real shame to lose it.
actually, can i ask this? is it necessary to you, psychologically, to keep progressing in order for the lifting to be something you love? i'm kind of fumbling around to dig out my own sweet spot too, in between wanting to drop those last couple of pounds and having rheumatoid arthritis and also wanting to keep on riding, so i sympathize.
at the moment i feel like i have to either let go of the idea of getting strongER and strongER, or let go of lifting entirely. i don't want to let it go, even though it's not turning out to be the fun simple road to spectacular strength that i kind of hoped for, at first.0 -
It's all vanity for me. I want to prove to my mother a woman can have a flat stomach after having kids. She told me since I'm in early menopause and had two kids I shouldn't bother dieting so I'm doing this so I can go "Wa BAM!" Also there's this that I'm having a problem with, the hubs is banning a food scale idea. I said I wanted to run so he bought a treadmill. I decided I absolutely had to lift weights so he bought me a home gym. I said I need to know my tdee so I got a fitbit. I told him I want to start weighing and measuring food and he said absolutely not, I get far too obsessed and he doesn't want to open that can of worms so my logging isn't accurate. Thanks for the congrats, I'm doing my best to take this all one day at a time.0
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Why not try TDEE- anywhere from 15-17%? Those extra calories may give you just enough to push through your harder lifts. Also, from your avatar, you appear slim already. Maybe TDEE-20% is a bit too aggressive for you? (Says the woman who has not eaten the correct amount in days).0
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I'm 5'4, 133 pounds and 27%bf. I weighed about ten pounds less in that picture it was from last year. I started using mfp in January and weigh more now than before I started. I was 129 and wanted to lose vanity pounds and was told to use mfp. I went to 1200 and dropped to 124 then found em2wl and started eating what I thought was maintenance and now I am at 134 and I have developed a super unhealthy relationship with food. None of my doctors are happy with me. Through the em2wl group I found this group and started lifting figuring at least I can change my composition. I'm obsessed, I know I'm obsessed and yet I can't get my head right so the docs are tweaking my meds. I want to progress on my lifts but want to lose bf more. I appreciate all of you helping me here, I don't know anyone else lifting and don't talk to people much.0
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what's em2wl?
i feel like i talk frivolously about being obsessed, but i don't think i know the kind of thing that you're up against. but just sticking to the topic of lifting and food . . . i definitely notice that it seems to need food. i can pretty much keep on keeping on with my bike commuting while living on nothing but coffee and sugar-free gum, and not notice much difference.
but the weights aren't anywhere near as forgiving for me. it's actually making me eat like a responsible human, instead of a 'meh . . . whatever' airatarian kind.0 -
Eat more to weigh less group. I stick to about 1600-1700 per day and my tdee is 2000 according to my fitbit. I eat healthy food (eggs for breakfast, a mammoth salad at lunch, etc.) and allow room for treats because I would go insane without a mini cupcake every day. A girl has to live. I would have no problem eating to that 2000, I love eating. It's all I think about. What I'm asking is that can I lift successfully on the reduced calories if I'm not feeling any hunger? I assumed no hunger equaled plenty of strength but since I sucked at benching yesterday I thought it might be that I need to eat more. I think everyone answered my question. I'm aiming for fat loss so if I don't progress at least I now know why. Thanks to all.0
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I'm on Topomax as a preventative for Migraines but it's also a medication for bipolar disorder (in a different strength) and causes loss of appetite as a side efffect.
After the initial "whoa look how strong I am adding weight every week" my lifts have stalled considerably and yes it can be frustrating. I am losing weight consistently -about a pound a week (but I have a lot more to lose than you -BMI is 28). Even though I'm not adding weight every week (or even this month) I still enjoy lifting and can see a difference in my body.
It sounds like you're working out at home but people talk about getting smaller weights to add (like 1 pounds) to increase weight in small amounts until you can get to a 5 pound increase. My gym has another bar that is only 28 pounds so when I get stuck on a weight sometimes I'll use that bar instead of an oly because it's an odd number. Right now my OHP is 63# but it's a smalller jump to move back to the oly and go to 65.
It is weird to hear everyone say how hungry they are on lifting days becuase I just can't relate.. I eat more out of boredom.. Anyways sorry for the rambling post hope some of that was helpful
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This happens often without meds.
When you are in a deficit you will find lifts suffer...sometimes early in sometimes later on.
That's when you make the choice...lose weight or increase strength faster...you can lose weight and increase strength it just won't be as fast as some of us would like....
When my lifts started stalling I made the choice to deal with it and started going up in lower increments.
Now at maitenance my strength is increase...PR'd on all my lifts...0 -
So glad you posted this! I appreciate your candor and willingness to share about your challenges.
I can't really offer much know-how on this...just wanted to throw in my support.0 -
Thanks to all!0
