The feeling hotter is great sign your metabolism is starting to rev up.
I used to have cold feet all the time, even in summer. Now, I'm always warm. Yes, everything you are reporting is totally normal and to be expected.
Ichel
EM2WL ambassador and Moderator

Sounds like things are going ok for you Erik! Keep at it!!
Kelly

beverlyriley900 wrote: »

I have been looking all over for the comments on 'if you should eat back the calories burned' I cannot seem to find them. I have set a goal of burning 500 calories a day and I am wondering if I should be eating back that much in maintenance and in 15% deficit? Can you direct me to that discussion?

Hi Beverly
Not sure where that conversation is, but lets see if this helps..

In this way of thinking, TDEE accounts for all activity in your given week, therefore you are "eatingback" your calories earned in your workout.

but it will matter on how you decide to set up your diary targets. For example, I set mine to my TDEE (which is the level I am currently eating at). This accounts for all my activity in my week, so when I enter in a workout into my tracker, I adjust the calories to 1, rather than the 350 it automatically picks for me. That way its not changing my calories goals and I dont have to worry about adjusting my thinking to "remove" that 350 when im tracking.

However, if your diary is set to anything less than your tdee (for example your BMR calories) and you are adding in your exercise daily, then yes, you would eat those back. So lets say your diary was set to 1700 cals, but should be 2200 to meet your target.. you would then want to eat back the exercise cals you earned, so your body is eating correctly. otherwise, you are shorting your body those 500 cals it needs.


For me, I find the easiest way to do my tracker is to set the cals to whatever my target is.. whether im eating at TDEE, or eating at a cut.. then I just adjust my exercise cals to 1 when I burn them. That way my diary always stays at the level I need and I dont get confused about adding in 300 cals and then having to "remove' them after..

Hope this makes sense for you

Kelly
EM2WL Ambassador and Moderator

You are doing great Erik! Yes, its normal. Your body is working to repair those muscles!

This is a great article on water weight and a wonky scale: http://eatmore2weighless.com/water-weight-gain/

Tereza
Team EM2WL

Hello @ErikElgerot
With burns between 3000 and 5000, you are definitely still underrating at 2200-2800 and that could be the culprit for the weight stall. Keep increasing, slowly but surely. Working out 4 times a week should put you above average on the activity level on the calculator. What's the average your fitbit gives you in a week? That's a nice starting point.

On protein, check out 7 day protein challenge http://eatmore2weighless.com/eat-enough-protein/ , it should give some good ideas. Also, forget low fat and diet foods. You are looking i to increasing your calories and protein and fat will help you feel fuller and satisfied. Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, poultry, fish, nuts, beans and pulses, dairy in general.

Also a nice article n macros is http://eatmore2weighless.com/macronutrients-series-basics-proteins-carbs-fats/

I'm glad to see your workouts are going well and you are moving forward with increasing your calories. Eating more calories and staying at the same weight is a great start!

Tereza
Team EM2WL

I imagine getting protein that high is a challenge. I can hit my goals everyday with eggs for breakfast. Add in some chicken sausage. Either make a breakfast burrito or a scramble with some potatoes. Yum.

Do you like cottage cheese? A great protein source. If you want something sweet add fruit. Or sweetener and cinnamon. Want something savory? Pepper and parmesan cheese on top is so good. I do eat low fat cottage cheese because it's easier to find.

Protein shakes, especially after working out is a good protein source. I like to add chocolate protein powder, frozen banana slices, peanut butter and milk for a shake that tastss like a milkshake.

Chicken for lunch and or dinner. So many different options. My favorite is to throw some breasts in the Crock-Pot with salsa and cream of mushroom soup. Cook all day and add some cream cheese. Serve over rice or cauliflower. Yum. Or taco soup- I've seen refried beans used to thicken it. Very yummy, and a fiber booster.

I would only concern myself with protein and getting calories up at this point. When that's a habit (or if you get to another stall), adjusting your fat intake can then become more important.

Hi Eric
Yes, that's a very steep deficit. Definitely make your main focus increasing calories.
I have protein shake and protein sausage (vegan) for breakfast every day so that it tips my day in favour of protein as I tend to have more carbs in my family evening meal, so it all balances out.
These are some good Q and A's about how increasing your calories will actually help you lose fat.
http://eatmore2weighless.com/q-a-how-exactly-do-i-go-about-eating-more/
Ichel
EM2WL ambassador and moderator

Thank you all for the advice. Protein powder (I do whey protein atm) is definitely going to help, but I suspect I won't reach that 350g protein goal overnight. I'll do some recipe crunching over the weekend, no doubt.

im at 240ish grams of protein so I know what you are going through. Its hard to get the numbers up there, but take your time and do it slowly. I still rely heavily on protein shakes and bars in order to get my numbers in. Other things to consider is making sure you have a good amount of protein at each meal. Cook an extra ounce or two of meat/fish when you have it.. Add in nuts and lentils to your meals and snacks. And just be patient with it all. It took me about two years to get my Protein levels up where they needed to be... then another 7ish months of being consistent at hitting the number. You can do it.. just go slowly!

Kelly
EM2WL Ambassador and Moderator