Great thread!

I love seeing your updates!!

go go go. can't wait to see where you end up!

rastaempress wrote: »

You are doing so great. Especially as you didn't just quit and go back to 1200 calorie when you saw a little gain on the scale. How are you fining the lifting with a little more fuel on board? Getting any strength gains there? Keep going!

+1 Great determination! I look forward to seeing your future updates!!!

That is so exiting!! I love it when old weights seem easy, can't wait to see your PR's once the strength phase starts for you too!

ambsnic17 wrote: »

With weight gain how do you know it's water weight vs. true fat gain? That's what I struggle with with finding my tdee.

Fat is not fast, lost or gained.

And after some initial differences - there is no more water weight big fluctuations over weekly time periods - daily sure.

Like if you have just started increasing calories from a low level - could have couple weeks of increased carb storage causing faster water weight gain.
But unless the workouts keep improving so much to store more carbs - that type of increase levels out to maybe just a little more if you are actually improving in intensity or duration of carb burning workouts.

But fat gain pretty much is close to the loss formula - 1 lb change requires a difference of 3500 calories over the course of whatever time you are looking at.
Gain takes slightly more calories because you don't store as fat all the extra that you eat as some calories are used in processing, that's the burn formula though pretty close.

So if you gain 1 lb slowly over 2 weeks with valid weigh-ins - you could be eating 250 daily over true TDEE.
That is assuming you are not still in increased eating phase nor initial leveling phase.
And then that 250 extra eating over true TDEE must at least appear valid.
Like if you are pretty sure you under-estimated activity level, then could be something else.
Food logging could enter in to that too.
250 more daily is about 10% if eating around 2000-2500 - acceptable and expected level of inaccuracy - so you adjust for it.
But that much more eating around 1200 is just sloppy logging probably.

excellent! I sometimes wonder if having the Fitbit HR is helpful. I hate non gym days because I only get to eat around 2000 lol

Wow a reset on 2400 :-) Happy days ! I'm hoping when I approach Reset my cals will be sufficiently UP like yours :-)

Too long - hence the 2 week 250 test when you think you are at TDEE already.

2 weeks eat 250 more daily than you were.

If truly over TDEE by 250 then there would be a slow 1 lb weight gain over that 2 weeks.

Of course need valid weigh-ins on both sides of that to minimize expected water weight fluctuations.
So 5 meat pizza night the day before is out, as is endurance cardio workout and light meal afterwards, or killer lifting routine.
Also need the correct 2 weeks during your cycle to minimize that expected change in BMR and water weight.

If weight stays the same or drops - your potential daily burn either sped up or body became more unstressed and dropped water weight.
If weight increases faster at once - you appear to have had more glucose stores to top off with attached water.
If weight is that 1 lb only - your prior level was indeed TDEE.

And if lifting during this time - won't even be all fat, but it'll still be slow.