Recovery Day-Calorie Question

alexialmann
alexialmann Posts: 36 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Alright, here is what I have...

I have been steady working out since June, lost nearly 20lbs since February. I noticed if I push myself 7 days a week, my body refuses to drop any weight or even gain muscle. I am on a 1000 calorie deprivation (equating 2lbs a week). If I know I'd like to have a bit more than what that allows for the day (a standard of around 1300-1500 calories) then I make sure I go to the gym and burn the extra 500-1000 with weight training and cardio combo.

My question is this, during the "recovery day" (which I usually use to go to the park or slow hike a mountain, or take dogs out) should I eat all the way up to the 2300-2500 mark or just hang out around the 1300-1500 mark? It hasn't seemed to affect me either way when I've tried both, but which would be more effective for recovery? I am not trying to shock my body and I want to do this as healthy as possible...

Replies

  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    For starters, you are eating 1000 calories a VLCD? I am sorry but your entire calorie structure is setup wrong. I will let others here in the community do the deed of giving you the rules of weight loss here on MFP.

    So the short answer is yes eat more calories!
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    @RoxieDawn I think it is a 1000 deficit for a 2lbs a week loss.

    @alexialmann, you will gain little to no muscle with a 2lbs a week deficit. Lifting/ resistance work will help you to retain and strengthen the muscle you have.

    I think you are probably eating back too many exercise calories which is why your weight loss stops at a 7 day work out.

    If your deficit set by MFP is 1500 eat that daily with an additional 500 when you work out. Try this for a month and see if your loss is at a 2 lbs a week average. If you are losing more than 2lbs up your calories by a couple of hundred; if you are not losing at 2lbs drop your calories by a hundred or so.

    FYI, a 2 lbs deficit is most suited to those who have close to 100 lbs to lose. You may do better, and retain more muscle if you dropped to 1-1.5 lbs loss per week.

    On your rest day, good to have for recovery, eat at your deficit. If you are really active on that day add just 100-200.

    Cheers, h.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    @RoxieDawn I think it is a 1000 deficit for a 2lbs a week loss.

    @alexialmann, you will gain little to no muscle with a 2lbs a week deficit. Lifting/ resistance work will help you to retain and strengthen the muscle you have.

    I think you are probably eating back too many exercise calories which is why your weight loss stops at a 7 day work out.

    If your deficit set by MFP is 1500 eat that daily with an additional 500 when you work out. Try this for a month and see if your loss is at a 2 lbs a week average. If you are losing more than 2lbs up your calories by a couple of hundred; if you are not losing at 2lbs drop your calories by a hundred or so.

    FYI, a 2 lbs deficit is most suited to those who have close to 100 lbs to lose. You may do better, and retain more muscle if you dropped to 1-1.5 lbs loss per week.

    On your rest day, good to have for recovery, eat at your deficit. If you are really active on that day add just 100-200.

    Cheers, h.

    This is totally my bad. I saw 1000 calorie deprivation meaning that 1000 calories does allow a 2 pound weight loss, not the other way around..
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    @RoxieDawn, no bad. I often see that initially, get half way through a 'you need to eat' tirade before it dawns on me I miss read and abandon the post.

    Cheers, h :)
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    Varying calories is not something that I do personally but seems to be a popular method for many. Of those that partake I think the concept is that you eat more on your work out days (to fuel your through the gruelling work outs) and then less on rest days.

    I think that for all, not just those that vary calories per work-out/rest days, it's appropriate to think of the weekly calories in and out and this is probably why you see little difference when eating at 2300-2500 once a week (since that a relatively small uplift of 140 cals per day).

    I'm a little confused as to your primary goal - lose weight (fat) or gain muscle and although you can (very, very slowly) do both over a given time period, your calorific input would be determined by which of these two goals is your primary aim.

  • alexialmann
    alexialmann Posts: 36 Member
    @middlehaitch
    I only have it at 2lbs until I get out of this 60 day Challenge thingy I am doing for lifetime...I will be returning to 1-1.5 lbs after that. At this point I only have about 40lbs to lose but that is entirely subjective because I am also trying to gain muscle. Basically, when I am happy with the size and shape I am, and healthier, then I move to maintaining. As far as "eating back" exercise calories, I keep my deficit at 1000, meaning standard 1500-ish, so if I exercise to increase what I can have, to say 2700 for the day, I only eat an extra 200.

    @StealthHealth I have gained lost 3% body fat since the challenge began, so yes doing both. I am fine with slowly.

    I wonder if I have phrased this wrong...
    I think perhaps I will go with the weekly average instead, spread the extra around on the 7 days. Definitely looking forward to maintaining! Thanks!

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