Eating at maintenance

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pholcroft84
pholcroft84 Posts: 2 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi

I have been cutting for a little while now and want to start to move towards eating at my maintenance level. At the same time, I am looking to start the stronglifts 5X5 program. Taking an example maintenance level of 2,500 calories, how do you factor in the strength training you do?

For example, if I eat 2,500 calories and then burn calories training, should I technically eat a little bit more to get back up to my maintenance level?

What is the general consensus about how many calories are burned in a weights session? I appreciate this is a massively open question as it depends on intensity, duration and a whole host of other considerations.

Thanks in advance

Replies

  • stevesample76
    stevesample76 Posts: 248 Member
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    Determining maintenance can be tough. You have an idea that 2500 is that level but you wont know until you are eating there and doing your "normal" routine. You may want to add in 100 calories every couple week and track your body fat and weight and take some time to find YOUR true maintenance level.
  • Talan79
    Talan79 Posts: 782 Member
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    I've been working on a recomp, so I eat at maintenance. This includes the assumed calories I burn during a 30 min lifting session and my 20 min cardio. TDEE calculators put me at a higher burn, I got my number by tracking my daily burn in excel and seeing what the avg number was. I use a fitness band, UP24 so I went based on that.
  • ricardo510diaz
    ricardo510diaz Posts: 64 Member
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    Most calorie calculators ask how many times a week you work out. If you're doing Stronglifts 5x5 you would put in that you work out 3 times a week and it will give you an estimated number. You can eat these calories for a few weeks and see how it goes and adjust accordingly. The only thing you'll have to account for is cardio performed outside of those three workouts. The IIFYM dot com TDEE calculator is a good one.
  • pholcroft84
    pholcroft84 Posts: 2 Member
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    Thanks guys - much appreciated!

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