I am lifting heavy, should I go from 1000 deficit to 500 def

mightn
mightn Posts: 35
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi Guys,

My stats are 6 foot 6 height.
248 pounds (down from 274 on January 3rd this year)
I am 11 pounds from my goal

My calories are currently 1730 a day which is a 1000 deficit.

Some people have told me this is too low. I am a newbie so just following what MFP has told me. At the start I wanted to lose weight after a big xmas, had no idea what I was doing so just chucked in 2 pounds loss a week when MFP asked me and started.

I used to be a professional footballer so have a background in heavy lifting and training but being retired for 12 years, things have changed in theories and practices (we used to have to eat one loaf of white bread a day, pasta + cereal instructed by world's best trainers ;)

So I am loving getting back into training a lot but everything has changed.

My body is starting to look like it used to which is great. My goal is my old playing weight.

I do want to get to my weight goal but I also want to eventually get my muscles back. Same old story. Get rid of fat and get some muscle.

I was told today on another thread that I am not eating anywhere near enough Protein. MFP is saying 65 a day (admittedly this figure does rise when I exercise) but some experienced lifters are saying that I need about 150-180.

I am finding 1730 calories fine to achieve. I exercise and burn a lot and I eat them all back so it feels like I am eating enough food. Some of my macros are daunting. Potassium is a shocker for me. I just cannot get enough into me. And I often have too much sodium. I always seem to be having an orange and two carrots at the end of the day so my Vitamin A and C are up to scratch.

But my losses are great and I am having fun with the challenge.

Should I up my calories from 1000 deficit to 500 to feed my exercise obsession. Particularly my heavy lifting regime? I am doing 6 cardio sessions a week and 4 heavy lifting sessions.

I usually get to the end of the day and find I need to catch up calories rather than worrying about going over so I have some oats and honey. This weekend I am going out to buy some protein powder for the first time in my life.

In a nutshell, getting my physique back is just as important to me as losing the weight- if you catch my drift.

Am I doing the right things? Any advice would be so much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Replies

  • thefuzz1290
    thefuzz1290 Posts: 777 Member
    If you want to try to keep some of the muscle, yes.
  • DixiedoesMFP
    DixiedoesMFP Posts: 935 Member
    Absolutely need more protein and I doubt you will continue to sustain that much exercise on a 1000 deficit.
  • mightn
    mightn Posts: 35
    So go to a 500 deficit?

    Then when I get to my goal, should I up my calories by 500 again to maintain my weight?

    Is that how it works
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    with only 11 pounds to go I would actually suggest a 250 cal deficit (0.5lbs/week) in order to retain most of your lean muscle. even 500 cal/day deficit is quite large and is recommended for those with more than 25 lbs to lose.
    Here is a guide in setting appropriate caloric deficits:
    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,073 Member
    Hit the weights heavy, hit the protein heavy and go to a 750 deficit and see what happens.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • mightn
    mightn Posts: 35
    It's just so encouraging when I have lost 26 pounds in 50 days.

    But I don't want to do anything unhealthy. The purpose of this is to change my lifestyle. Drop some pounds and most importantly, get fit again.

    Also, I am getting married at the end of the year :)
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    So go to a 500 deficit?

    Then when I get to my goal, should I up my calories by 500 again to maintain my weight?

    Is that how it works

    You may want to change it to 500 cals for a week or 2 then down to 250 until you reach your goal then add back the final 250 when you are happy with your weight.
  • Phrak
    Phrak Posts: 353 Member
    You are a big man, doing a lot of activity. It would not be out of the realm of possiblity you could eat 3000 a day and still lose weight. I know i average about ~3500 a day and drop 1lb a week. Im 6'3 270lb. People dont understand they should try to eat as much as possible while maintaining 1lb a week loss. At 1700cal a day, you dont have much room to drop your calories any further.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    It's just so encouraging when I have lost 26 pounds in 50 days.

    But I don't want to do anything unhealthy. The purpose of this is to change my lifestyle. Drop some pounds and most importantly, get fit again.

    Also, I am getting married at the end of the year :)

    If you lost that fast a good proton would have been water and lean mass.
  • DixiedoesMFP
    DixiedoesMFP Posts: 935 Member
    I would start by estimating your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) - you can google a calculator for that.
    Subtract 10 - 20 % for your goal if you are still wanting to lose. Eating a ton of protein will help you keep the muscle you have right now while burning the fat.

    At 6'6" and 280+, I'm going to guess your TDEE is awesomely large and you can probably eat a lot more than you're eating.

    I'm 5'4" 145 and my TDEE is at least 2300 - 2800 depending on the day. I usually eat around 1600 calories a day and 110 - 120 grams of protein.
  • kirstyg1980
    kirstyg1980 Posts: 302
    you really need to eat more protein if you are lifting heavy or even just wanting to build/repair muscle

    do some research into strength training

    but if you are a guy, you really should be eating more than 1700 calories a day - I'm at 1400 (non exercise days)
  • mightn
    mightn Posts: 35
    with only 11 pounds to go I would actually suggest a 250 cal deficit (0.5lbs/week) in order to retain most of your lean muscle. even 500 cal/day deficit is quite large and is recommended for those with more than 25 lbs to lose.
    Here is a guide in setting appropriate caloric deficits:
    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.


    Thanks. This is really great advice.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Also, I am getting married at the end of the year :)
    In which case you need all the strength you can get! :wink:

    Yup, cut that deficit right back and stay strong while you lose.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    Yeah, .... I'm 5'4" and my base calories are 1380 and I'm a woman. Your calories are WAY too low. I think you could eat a lot more calories and you could just cut down on starchy carbs to get the last 10 lbs off.
  • dlcam61
    dlcam61 Posts: 228 Member
    I came across this training program from the forum, and after some research I think this is a great program. He suggests supplements & protein shakes & explains why he uses them. He's a heavy lifter too, so you know. There's also a nutritional plan too, though it's limited for food choices (which may or may not matter). Anyway, here's the link:

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/kris-gethin-12-week-daily-trainer.html

    Good luck with your training! :flowerforyou:

    Also...keep in mind if you are not eating enough & are trying to build muscle you won't get far because your body will catabolise lean muscle to make up for the nutritional deficit.
  • mightn
    mightn Posts: 35
    Thanks so much guys.

    In 12 minutes, I have asked a serious question and have got exactly the answers I needed so I have already changed my deficit to 500 with a view to dropping that further when I get closer to my goal.

    I am upping my protein to about 150-180 a day. With good foods and some protein powder/bars to supplement.

    My calories are up to 2230 a day. I usually burn 700 or sometimes up to 1500 with cardio so I will be eating at least 3000 calories a day.

    You guys are great :smile:
  • carpp107
    carpp107 Posts: 99
    Hey,

    Your stats are similar to mine....I'm 6 foot 6 1/2.....I was 321 pounds and now at 232....I started out using a 1000+ calorie deficit and now have cut it back to 500 for the last 11 pounds to my goal....I find that eating in the 2700-2900 calorie range is actually helping me lose the fat and keep the muscle (getting stronger in the gym)....My Protein is very high, some days in the 300 range....I do 3 days of weights/cardio and 2-3 days of cardio only...I lift as heavy as I possibly can each time and run my *kitten* off on cardio days........My goal is to get to 6-7% body fat and still be able to bench +300Lbs. , Add me if you like....I have some before and during pics......It's good to see a tall guy on the boards....It's always good to compare and contrast with someone who has a similar body type...

    -Rob
  • mightn
    mightn Posts: 35
    Rob,

    Yes mate, I will add you for sure. Not quite sure how to do it but I will do some exploring.

    How do you get 300 of protein in? I am struggling to get 120 today when I realised I needed to up it. How much of it is powder/bars etc.

    EDIT- ok just worked it out and have added you :smile:
  • Phrak
    Phrak Posts: 353 Member
    Rob,

    Yes mate, I will add you for sure. Not quite sure how to do it but I will do some exploring.

    How do you get 300 of protein in? I am struggling to get 120 today when I realised I needed to up it. How much of it is powder/bars etc.

    EDIT- ok just worked it out and have added you :smile:

    Eat lots of meat. My post-workout meal is close to 300g of protien. I do IF so i only really eat once a day.
  • Z_I_L_L_A
    Z_I_L_L_A Posts: 2,399 Member
    Rob,

    Yes mate, I will add you for sure. Not quite sure how to do it but I will do some exploring.

    How do you get 300 of protein in? I am struggling to get 120 today when I realised I needed to up it. How much of it is powder/bars etc.

    EDIT- ok just worked it out and have added you :smile:

    I'm 6"3" and I started at 270 back in September I weigh 224 now. I did it in 3.5 to 4 months but noticed I wasn't eating enough and was losing muscle too. A lot of the power lifters and heavy lifters will tell you more protein and calories which is true. I get 1/3 to a half in powders. Friend me if you want I've got a pretty good group of lifters for friends and we pass info back and forth.
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