For those that lift heavy weights.....

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  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    I've been eating at a surplus for 2 months. I've only gained 3 pounds and my deadlifts have give from 65 to 135, squats from 45 to 115.
  • thecrossfitter
    thecrossfitter Posts: 424 Member
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    I'm currently still trying to cut a bit a fat, so I'm not doing the bulking/calorie surplus things.

    I keep my diary set to maintenance (for a lightly active lifestyle - I walk to work and the gym which are each a mile away). This gives me 1900 cals. I usually eat right around here. I figure I create my deficit with my workouts (5 days a week).

    On non-gym days, I eat closer to 1600-1700 cals.

    So yeah - I eat more on lifting days. But mostly I just stick to intuitive eating - eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full, and use the MFP numbers as a general guideline. I'll eat over if I am very hungry for it, but this rarely happens ... when it does, it's a heavy lifting day.
  • Shyloh1
    Shyloh1 Posts: 422 Member
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    I'm currently still trying to cut a bit a fat, so I'm not doing the bulking/calorie surplus things.

    I keep my diary set to maintenance (for a lightly active lifestyle - I walk to work and the gym which are each a mile away). This gives me 1900 cals. I usually eat right around here. I figure I create my deficit with my workouts (5 days a week).

    On non-gym days, I eat closer to 1600-1700 cals.

    So yeah - I eat more on lifting days. But mostly I just stick to intuitive eating - eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full, and use the MFP numbers as a general guideline. I'll eat over if I am very hungry for it, but this rarely happens ... when it does, it's a heavy lifting day.

    Maybe I will do what you're doing until I can cut a bit more fat and then worry about eating at a surplus once I'm happy with my body fat %. I am very close to my goal weight,I just need to cut some fat while I'm lifting. I eventually want to bulk.
  • thecrossfitter
    thecrossfitter Posts: 424 Member
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    I'm currently still trying to cut a bit a fat, so I'm not doing the bulking/calorie surplus things.

    I keep my diary set to maintenance (for a lightly active lifestyle - I walk to work and the gym which are each a mile away). This gives me 1900 cals. I usually eat right around here. I figure I create my deficit with my workouts (5 days a week).

    On non-gym days, I eat closer to 1600-1700 cals.

    So yeah - I eat more on lifting days. But mostly I just stick to intuitive eating - eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full, and use the MFP numbers as a general guideline. I'll eat over if I am very hungry for it, but this rarely happens ... when it does, it's a heavy lifting day.

    Maybe I will do what you're doing until I can cut a bit more fat and then worry about eating at a surplus once I'm happy with my body fat %. I am very close to my goal weight,I just need to cut some fat while I'm lifting. I eventually want to bulk.

    I've heard a lot of people say to bulk first - so keep asking around for more opinions. I totally get why they say that, but for a myriad of reasons it's just the way I'm going about it. I'm by no means saying that this is the "correct" way :)
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    I started my bulk while I had 10 or so pounds of fat to lose. Mainly I was tired of dieting and winter seemed like a good time to do it (sweaters are very forgiving).
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
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    I tend to follow a very simple EOD approach.

    Protein and Fat are roughly the same every day.

    In non-training days, I eat low-carb (usually under 100g), for a net deficit.

    On training days, I eat high-carb (300-400g), putting me at maintenance or a surplus, depending on my goals.


    I've found that this best suits my lifestyle and training performance. I tend to be ravenous on days that I lift, and less hungry on days that I don't. Psychologically, it gives me more wiggle-room for higher calorie foods, even when I'm cutting fat.

    But it all boils down to personal preference, YMMV.
  • Shyloh1
    Shyloh1 Posts: 422 Member
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    I'm currently still trying to cut a bit a fat, so I'm not doing the bulking/calorie surplus things.

    I keep my diary set to maintenance (for a lightly active lifestyle - I walk to work and the gym which are each a mile away). This gives me 1900 cals. I usually eat right around here. I figure I create my deficit with my workouts (5 days a week).

    On non-gym days, I eat closer to 1600-1700 cals.

    So yeah - I eat more on lifting days. But mostly I just stick to intuitive eating - eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full, and use the MFP numbers as a general guideline. I'll eat over if I am very hungry for it, but this rarely happens ... when it does, it's a heavy lifting day.

    Maybe I will do what you're doing until I can cut a bit more fat and then worry about eating at a surplus once I'm happy with my body fat %. I am very close to my goal weight,I just need to cut some fat while I'm lifting. I eventually want to bulk.

    I've heard a lot of people say to bulk first - so keep asking around for more opinions. I totally get why they say that, but for a myriad of reasons it's just the way I'm going about it. I'm by no means saying that this is the "correct" way :)

    I get what you're saying....You're doing what is right for you for the time being...
  • Shyloh1
    Shyloh1 Posts: 422 Member
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    I started my bulk while I had 10 or so pounds of fat to lose. Mainly I was tired of dieting and winter seemed like a good time to do it (sweaters are very forgiving).

    I didn't realize that you did that,I just assumed you did that when you were within a few pounds of your goal weight.
  • sportsforfun
    sportsforfun Posts: 353
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    I tend to eat more on lifting days but I try to keep protein and fats constant everyday. I keep my carb intake high enough on lifting days to have a total surplus of about 500 calories as I am trying to gain weight. On non-lifting days, my carb intake is decreased to a level where my total caloric intake is at maintence. While I will still gain some fat on this type of diet I will not gain as much fat as I would by eating a 500 surplus everyday whether lifting or not.

    If you are in the cutting phase, a good strategy would be to eat enough carbs on lifting days to hit your maintence requirements and lower your carb intake on non-lifting days to a deficit.

    That being said, everyone's body reacts differently to carbs and you must experiment to find what works for you. This has just been my experience.
  • caveats
    caveats Posts: 493 Member
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    I don't purposefully eat in a spike pattern. I let my body dictate what I need. Some days when I'm resting, I'm still starving near bedtime, so I check my macros for the day to see what I'm short on (especially protein), and I eat something then. Some days I'm not hungry, so I don't eat as much, but I still try to get 1800+ calories/day so my body has the fuel it needs to keep repairing.
  • rouge07
    rouge07 Posts: 3 Member
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    hi no keep mine the same when im cutting keep my protien high 1gram per lb off body weight
  • Jeff92se
    Jeff92se Posts: 3,369 Member
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    I eat more on the days I exercise (cardio, lifting light/heavy) because the calorie burn allows me to. Might eat more protein than normal (or at least make sure the intake is enough)

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