When to up calories with lifting?

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LadyTalulah
LadyTalulah Posts: 174 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been lifting for a few years now, and I'm only now starting to see some really nice results.. I've gained a lot of muscle and lost fat but I'm the same weight as when I started (I started after recovering from an ED, so virtually no muscle mass to speak of). When I first started, most calorie calculators told me to eat 1500cals to lose weight. That worked fine. Now I feel like that isn't enough, I'm starving ALL THE TIME. However, since my weight is the same, I can't calculate according to my muscle gain / fat loss.

Question is, do I need significantly more calories because of muscle gain or is it more likely just an extra hundred or so and I should just suck it up and stop whining about being hungry?

Don't know if this helps, but I'm 5'5'' (165cm) and weigh 120 lbs (54.5kgs). Sorry, I don't have specific stats like bf % and would hate to guess wrong.

Replies

  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
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    Are you still actively trying to lose weight? If so, recomposition might be a better option for you where you eat at maintenance. It's a slow process, but it seems like you're in this for the long haul.

    Some folks also do cycling. Eat more on lifting days and less on non-lifting days in a way that your weekly calorie goal is where you want it to be, whether it's to lose or maintain.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    are you trying to lose weight or gain muscle?

    To lose weight you need to be in a deficit but it doesn't have to be a big deficit. AS well if you are finding you are hungry increase protein and fats as they help keep you feeling fuller longer.

    If you want to gain muscle you either move up to maintenance calories and eat there but the muscle gains will be slower

    or

    You eat more than maintenance to gain muscle but along with that comes some fat.

    I don't feel that if you are losing weight you should "suffer through hunger".
  • LadyTalulah
    LadyTalulah Posts: 174 Member
    edited July 2016
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    I would like to lose fat but preserve as much muscle as possible, even if that means taking it very slowly. It's been a very long process to get to where I'm at (and I'm far from where I want to be) because I beat up my body for so long with an ED and alcohol abuse - it was hardly at it's optimal muscle-building capacity when I started. I'd hate to lose what I've worked so hard for with more drastic weight loss but I do want to shed a few pounds so my muscles are more defined.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
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    Your weight sounds healthy, I know it's tough to know exactly what to do after recovering from ED.

    If you want to gain more muscle, you likely need to gain some weight. Perhaps go get your bodyfat tested to see where you are, and whether you could safely lose weight first then bulk. If you are muscled at 120lb you may not have enough fat to do that.

    If you are mentally OK with controlling your diet very tightly, the book Thinner, Leaner, Stronger has a good section on getting more muscle starting from thin.

    Muscle vs. fat does use a little more energy, but I think it's like 4 calories per day per pound? Not a lot.
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
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    You could look at the content & timing of those 1500 calories to see if there is a way to have more satiety - a meal timed for when you are hungry? A late-night protein snack? More fat? More protein?

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