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Should I be changing my weekly goal?

Derek_19
Derek_19 Posts: 5 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, I have enjoyed reading these message boards for a long time and decided that it was finally time to post something!

I have recently had a lot of success using MFP in combination with my Fitbit to lose a total of 38 pounds over the last 18 weeks going from 235.2 to 196.4.

In order to achieve this goal, I set MFP to lose a total of 2lbs per week giving me a calorie goal of 1790. As I have lost weight, I have also increased the amount of exercise that I do weekly and have been adding bodyweight workouts to my cardio routine to keep the momentum going.

Now that I am at 196, my calorie goal at 2lbs a week is now 1580. I have never found any of the calorie goals difficult to stay under until I started adding body weight routines to my exercise schedule. I feel like I am not eating enough but I have been in such a groove when it comes to my weight loss that I am afraid to alter anything.

I have never stuck to anything this long and I usually lose all my weight doing cardio and calorie counting without any strength training. I still want to lose 20-25 lbs in order to reach my goals but I want to do so in a healthy way.

Based on everything above, do you think I should be changing my weekly goal in order to increase my calorie consumption?

Derek

Replies

  • Derek_19
    Derek_19 Posts: 5 Member
    edited April 2020
    Thank you for the quick reply! I am hoping that with this approach while continuing with my workouts and strength training, that I will still be able to lose weight while building lean muscle as I get towards my goal.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    You have already gotten the answer you need so all that is left to say is:

    "Welcome to pre-maintenance"

    At least that is what I am calling it. Like you I still have a little weight left to lose but it won't be long before maintenance arrives so I am giving it a fair amount of attention. I had a plan to do maintenance/recomp for 4 months but the virus closed my gym so I am back to losing for now.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,458 Member
    Derek_19 wrote: »
    Thank you for the quick reply! I am hoping that with this approach while continuing with my workouts and strength training, that I will still be able to lose weight while building lean muscle as I get towards my goal.

    Your "lose weight" and "build muscles" goals are in tension with one another. There are myths that it's completely impossible for anyone to do both at the same time . . . but it is true that going extreme with weight loss makes muscle gain less likely, and that some people will have difficulty building muscle at all in a calorie deficit, because (among other factors) there's a genetic component. (For pretty much anyone, strength training in a deficit will help preserve existing muscle tissue, which is worthwhile because it's slow/difficult to rebuild.**).

    I agree with others suggesting that it would be a really good plan to reduce your loss rate now, to a pound a week or less. That will better prepare you for maintenance, but also will be muscle-sparing if not muscle-encouraging, and may be both. It should also help your energy level, which in turn will foster better workouts. Possibly, it might also reduce the chances of a counter-productive effect on hunger/satiation hormones in the longer run. There are several potential benefits of slowing, and the only down-side is a little longer wait to reach goal weight.

    If you got your calorie goal from MFP, and you followed the profile set-up instructions accurately, I hope you've been eating back your exercise calories, too, on top of base calories . . . or at least a fair fraction of them.

    Beyond that, Strive to get enough protein, to support your goals, and good overall nutrition generally.

    ** Some people think they're building lots of muscle in a big calorie deficit because they're increasing strength, and looking more defined. Especially in beginners, strength increase is significantly about neuromuscular adaptation (NMA), which amounts to better recruiting and using muscle tissue one already has. That can happen very fast, with proper stimulus. Also, it's fairly common for people to look more defined even before gaining meaningful muscle mass, because a combination of water retention for muscle repair, and the beginnings of fat loss, make muscles more visible and defined-looking.

    Best wishes for continuing success!
  • Derek_19
    Derek_19 Posts: 5 Member
    Thank you for your in-depth response! I really appreciate the replies and the amount of support that this community gives to everyone.

    I am definitely going to change my goal to a pound a week in order to allow myself more calories and better prepare myself for eventual maintenance. As far as eating my calories back, I only use the exercise calories that my Fitbit puts back into MFP instead of logging workouts. I usually try to avoid eating these calories so that is also something that will have to change.

    To tell you the truth, I have started this weight loss program plenty of times and have never come to a point where I started doing some form of strength training, or where I was even close to maintaining my weight. I guess this new territory has made me a little nervous and has me questioning what the next steps are in order to continue success...

    Your guidance has been a big help! Thanks again :)
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