Lots of Questions
newyorkcitymom
Posts: 48 Member
I'll preface this by saying that this may not be the group for me. I am a very firm believer in figuring out how to eat as much as you can while losing weight and I tend to eat at a high calorie level compared to most of what I see. So in that sense I gravitate towards this group. But I've gained a lot of weight over the last couple of years - at least 80 excess pounds - and am not really content to stick to a 15% deficit at this stage in my weight loss. I probably would be in a few months once I'm down under 200lbs, but I feel like I have enough excess fat and a high enough level of activity to sustain greater fat loss in the beginning. But I'll throw out my story and questions and you can let me know what you think and hopefully answer any questions.
Briefly, my story and stats:
-about 5 years ago I started losing weight and lost about 50 or 60 pounds over probably 2 years, mostly concentrated in a one-year period but spread out; it was not rapid weight loss and certainly not crash dieting. I logged (on livestrong), I did NROLW and after that C25K and began running while keeping up weights. I got down to about 150lbs - my goal was 140 but I looked really good at 150. I have a lot of muscle and weight distributes pretty evenly on my body and I think my lifting program meant that I looked pretty lean for someone 150lbs.
-over the last 2 years, however, I've gained that and more back to the point that I weighed 225lbs by this summer. This happened very gradually. I've calculated that it was about a 300 calorie surplus over TDEE on average. I think this was the result of a combination of lowered activity (I mostly stopped running and lifting, though I am very active on a daily basis) and just eating a bit over my TDEE - largely through getting into the habit of drinking 1-3 beers almost every day and just relatively large portion sizes. Nothing major or that unusual - just a very slow and gradual accumulation of excess fat.
-I definitely am not coming from a place of lowered metabolism or having eaten too few calories. I live in NYC and walk everywhere, am a mom so pretty active there and do a lot of running around. So even without formal exercise I probably have a TDEE in the 2,500 to 3,000 range and have, as I said, been eating a little bit over that. I got a fitbit almost 2 weeks ago and my average TDEE according to it has been 3,077. This does correspond with me being more active in terms of biking to my various committments but still little in the way of formal exercise. I've been doing bodyweight workouts with a phone app and today I started couch to 5K again, but still not serious daily exercise. That being said, my goal is to run, do a longer walk, bike or lift weights/do bodyweight exercises most days of the week. I'd like to average between 2700 and 3200 calories burned each day if possible - and for now, this seems totally possible. I've been aiming for a 1,000 calorie deficit from TDEE and have mostly been meeting that - this has meant grossing about 2,000 calories/day and equals on avg a little over a 30% cut, so about double what's recommended most often here. My weight loss is very new as I just started so hard to get averages, but thus far it seems to be correlating with the stats as entered, which gives me a high degree of confidence in my logging and fitbit's calculations (it's a charge HR). I eat whole, nutrient rich foods and get lots of protein.
So, my questions would be:
1) Can I get away with this larger deficit until I've lost 20lbs or so and then slow it down? If not, why not? If so, at what point do I need to slow it down? If I do choose to be more aggressive, can taking diet breaks every 6 weeks or so help to keep my metabolism up?
2) I entered my info in a calculator and it said that to drop from my current body fat % of approximately 40% to 23% (very aggressive - lowest healthy percentage for my age) that my goal weight should be 174. This would mean losing only fat I presume. Is this even possible? Obviously, if my goal were only to lose 44lbs of body fat then I'd be much more content to lose more slowly. But it seems inevitable, and perhaps even desirable, to at least lose a little LBM along with the fat. Thoughts?
3) People criticize "cardio bunnies" and worry about them losing LBM. But doesn't any exercise help to maintain muscle mass (though I know it can't add it, but that's not really an issue for me at this point, I just want to maintain and keep strength). I feel like I'm working out my muscles a lot without lifting - for example, doing laundry yesterday involved carrying 70lbs of laundry up and down 5 flights of stairs; when I bike, it's hilly and I keep resistance up and I can really feel my leg muscles working; when I do running intervals, on the harder intervals (hard to me!), I can feel my leg muscles working; swimming seems to work my upper body. I am totally in favor of strength workouts, lifting, etc. I downloaded the "your body is a gym" app and have been doing 10-25 minutes every other day of body weight exercises, but I won't be able to really lift heavy until October when I can re-join the Y. Will I still be able to retain LBM? I walk a lot just as part of my normal routine - I average between 3 and 7 miles/day of walking without any dedicated walking.
I guess those are my questions - mostly around what my goals should be, expectations for preserving LBM and maximizing fat loss and how best to go about this. I've never really had a problem with metabolism or eating too little. I love food - cooking it, entertaining, exploring different food cultures, etc, etc - and have no intention of letting go of that, so I am looking to get back in shape in a way that allows me to sustain that.
Thanks for reading this long perhaps rambling post:)
Briefly, my story and stats:
-about 5 years ago I started losing weight and lost about 50 or 60 pounds over probably 2 years, mostly concentrated in a one-year period but spread out; it was not rapid weight loss and certainly not crash dieting. I logged (on livestrong), I did NROLW and after that C25K and began running while keeping up weights. I got down to about 150lbs - my goal was 140 but I looked really good at 150. I have a lot of muscle and weight distributes pretty evenly on my body and I think my lifting program meant that I looked pretty lean for someone 150lbs.
-over the last 2 years, however, I've gained that and more back to the point that I weighed 225lbs by this summer. This happened very gradually. I've calculated that it was about a 300 calorie surplus over TDEE on average. I think this was the result of a combination of lowered activity (I mostly stopped running and lifting, though I am very active on a daily basis) and just eating a bit over my TDEE - largely through getting into the habit of drinking 1-3 beers almost every day and just relatively large portion sizes. Nothing major or that unusual - just a very slow and gradual accumulation of excess fat.
-I definitely am not coming from a place of lowered metabolism or having eaten too few calories. I live in NYC and walk everywhere, am a mom so pretty active there and do a lot of running around. So even without formal exercise I probably have a TDEE in the 2,500 to 3,000 range and have, as I said, been eating a little bit over that. I got a fitbit almost 2 weeks ago and my average TDEE according to it has been 3,077. This does correspond with me being more active in terms of biking to my various committments but still little in the way of formal exercise. I've been doing bodyweight workouts with a phone app and today I started couch to 5K again, but still not serious daily exercise. That being said, my goal is to run, do a longer walk, bike or lift weights/do bodyweight exercises most days of the week. I'd like to average between 2700 and 3200 calories burned each day if possible - and for now, this seems totally possible. I've been aiming for a 1,000 calorie deficit from TDEE and have mostly been meeting that - this has meant grossing about 2,000 calories/day and equals on avg a little over a 30% cut, so about double what's recommended most often here. My weight loss is very new as I just started so hard to get averages, but thus far it seems to be correlating with the stats as entered, which gives me a high degree of confidence in my logging and fitbit's calculations (it's a charge HR). I eat whole, nutrient rich foods and get lots of protein.
So, my questions would be:
1) Can I get away with this larger deficit until I've lost 20lbs or so and then slow it down? If not, why not? If so, at what point do I need to slow it down? If I do choose to be more aggressive, can taking diet breaks every 6 weeks or so help to keep my metabolism up?
2) I entered my info in a calculator and it said that to drop from my current body fat % of approximately 40% to 23% (very aggressive - lowest healthy percentage for my age) that my goal weight should be 174. This would mean losing only fat I presume. Is this even possible? Obviously, if my goal were only to lose 44lbs of body fat then I'd be much more content to lose more slowly. But it seems inevitable, and perhaps even desirable, to at least lose a little LBM along with the fat. Thoughts?
3) People criticize "cardio bunnies" and worry about them losing LBM. But doesn't any exercise help to maintain muscle mass (though I know it can't add it, but that's not really an issue for me at this point, I just want to maintain and keep strength). I feel like I'm working out my muscles a lot without lifting - for example, doing laundry yesterday involved carrying 70lbs of laundry up and down 5 flights of stairs; when I bike, it's hilly and I keep resistance up and I can really feel my leg muscles working; when I do running intervals, on the harder intervals (hard to me!), I can feel my leg muscles working; swimming seems to work my upper body. I am totally in favor of strength workouts, lifting, etc. I downloaded the "your body is a gym" app and have been doing 10-25 minutes every other day of body weight exercises, but I won't be able to really lift heavy until October when I can re-join the Y. Will I still be able to retain LBM? I walk a lot just as part of my normal routine - I average between 3 and 7 miles/day of walking without any dedicated walking.
I guess those are my questions - mostly around what my goals should be, expectations for preserving LBM and maximizing fat loss and how best to go about this. I've never really had a problem with metabolism or eating too little. I love food - cooking it, entertaining, exploring different food cultures, etc, etc - and have no intention of letting go of that, so I am looking to get back in shape in a way that allows me to sustain that.
Thanks for reading this long perhaps rambling post:)
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Replies
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1 - Yes to all, even first couple weeks - if starting with a healthy body NOT having been in a diet - 30% would be useful, then bounce back to 20% deficit until down to 50 lbs left, then 15%. And needed method for non-diet week or two every so often.
2 - LBM is ALL non-fat mass, which happens to include muscle, and water, ect. You will lose LBM. For big starter, don't need the same blood volume to support a smaller body. You'll have yearly changes of LBM as summer comes and you got hot more (usually). You may lose some muscle if it's no longer needed to support moving around more mass - like big calves may not be needed, or desired. That'll happen naturally as a loss unless you specifically strength train them.
3 - Cardio will help to maintain the muscle needed to do the cardio. If it's muscle not used in it - the cardio is easier to setup a situation where some muscle isn't rebuilt. Having minor deficit and enough protein may help that.
But - you seen pro or age group runners/bikers. That's what can happen to upper body before you've lost the fat or gotten to goal weight. Now with less muscle, it'll be harder to accomplish and maintain afterwards.
But cardio also doesn't require a lot of muscle, just with great aerobic capacity to endure. Intervals helps, and could be enough - for those muscles.
Several examples of runners that started as mid-distance speed - looking closer to sprinters than marathoners in total body makeup. But then switched to long distance, and even their legs become thinner as unneeded muscle is lost there along with upper body.
Now if that is goal and you want body to be streamlined for certain type of goal, then even unneeded muscle elsewhere isn't desired. But your swimming, especially with intervals like running - can help.
Just get your TDEE right so the deficit is reasonable. Like you don't mention daily life outside exercise or job, and the TDEE charts don't look at anything besides exercise, so you'll have to bump up a level if you have kids.0 -
Great questions and answers. I'm learning a lot!
newyorkcity, if you are looking for more MFP friends with similar goals I would love to add you as a friend. I will send a request, but please don't feel obligated to accept. I know some people might like to be a little more private.0
