LuluProteinFueled Member

My pleasure :smile: Yeah 20% cut would definitely be too much. And maybe even 10%... because I read something interesting on my newsfeed today from Lucia (one of the EM2WL creators). She had her cut figured at 1900, this had always worked. However as she is now under 30% body fat, she had started to gain again. She had to…

I starved on 1200 (and some days much less) for so long without losing any weight. Now I'm eating between 1800-2200 depending on my goals. I want everyone to know (especially us women that have the tendency to starve ourselves - which the media likes to exploit) that it doesn't have to be like that. :flowerforyou: This…

My pleasure. And trust me, your body will love the extra cals that it needs to survive. "Starvation mode" may be a myth, but metabolic damage from consistently netting below your BMR is definitely real. I edited my previous post to include the calculator. Enjoy!

Calculating your BMR is plugging some numbers (like height, weight & wage) into an online form and telling it how active you are. Takes all of about 60 seconds. If you are not netting your BMR, you are effectively not giving your body enough calories it needs to live if you were in a coma. If you continue to do so, you may…

^^^this. all of this.

I'm about to get myself into an argument but there are plenty of healthy, natural foods that are high in fat and calories. Nuts, avocados, full-fat dairy, I could go on. Also, I just checked your diary, you're a runner and it's set to 1200. How are you even netting over BMR? I would understand you struggling to get cals in…

The EM2WL philosophy suggests manually altering your ratios to 40% carb, 30 % protein & 30% fat. Also, I think 100 sounds low-ish, but not too low. As long as you're much higher in your protein and fats and coming close to your protein macro consistently you should be fine. I am an advocate for a lower carb (definitely not…

Just one thing you may not have considered... sometimes body composition is changing without changes in scale OR measurements. I have seen a lot of people (and I think myself too) where their tummies get flatter but measurement stays the same. If you are seeing more definition (which you say you are) then these things may…

Just posted this on a different topic Leigh, but given your discussion over carbs, thought you may find it helpful: Further, I am a big believer that the protein/carb macros are uber-importance. I have seen people at cut recently not getting the results they're expecting and IMHO (without any judgement) I think it may have…

Can I just say oh my goodness what an AMAZING attitude you have to challenge that RMR rather than swinging back down to a very low calorie diet. :love: I don't have much advice on this one, you seem to have tried all the calorie levels! I wonder if it's worth you setting your devices to be in line with your RMR and see how…

But if you know it's not true, why do you still let it affect you? MFP calculates in a totally different way. It thinks that if you don't have a calorie deficit, you're not losing weight. However your deficit has already been calculated for you in your cut number. So it really really doesn't matter what MFP says, I…

T, you are seriously just too cool! Always so positive and full of good info and motivation!! OP, listen to this girl!! :love:

Hi there and welcome :) It's funny you know, some days I wasn't hungry eating 1200 but after upping calories I quickly realised that was because my metabolism had grinded to a halt. Once you start upping your calories (1600 sounds like a good start, and keep going from there) you will feel hungrier. Your metabolism will…

if you're on your feet most of the day and you're also doing a high intensity workout every day, you may want to work out your numbers for the level above that, and if that's slightly too much you could always do a happy medium between the two. with all that running and bootcamp that i know you do, i think moderate might…

I'm 5'3 and currently eating at TDEE to build muscle. At the moment I'm using my BMF to determine TDEE so every day this number will be slightly different. Currently sitting around the 2100 mark, but rest days will be much lower as I have a desk job. Good cut number for me however is around 1850, but don't want to cut…

Absolutely correct! Scooby incorporates your exercise into that number and yes, the only time you'd have to worry about eating more is if you net under BMR. FYI I'm eating at TDEE too for the next couple of weeks, but going by my BMF burn for the numbers. So my rest days will be much lower, while you'll be eating the same…

Just because you're not in *true* starvation mode, doesn't mean you're not damaging your metabolism by eating under your BMR everyday. "Starvation mode" really should be called "metabolic damage" and then we wouldn't have these arguments. Science has proven time and again that eating under BMR slows down your metabolism.…

oh i know, i know, so much to consider and play with!!! however if you're lacking energy for your workouts, there's definitely something going on. friend requested you so we can check in with each other :)

Oh yes indeedy!! For me, the scale has gone up as I have gotten smaller. It makes me laugh :laugh: As long as you know that the scale is not the be all and end all to your progression, then you'll be just fine! Don't keep expecting those numbers to change, you are building muscle and retaining fluid from the lifting…

Women in general are not genetically made to bulk up. A heavy lifting/strength training program will not make a woman bulk up. It's a huge myth that we have all been led to believe for a long time. Lift heavy, eat lots, lose fat rather than "weight", be happy.

Hey there. IMHO I think it's better to go over fat and stay under on carbs. Just an idea, a good quality protein shake should keep you under on both and simply increase your protein which is the most important one of the lot! Are you doing the 40/30/30 macro ratio? Weights are recommended because they are the most…

Firstly, congrats OP.... wonderful news!! Hey littlepink hearts, just wondering how much you've cut by? It's funny, you know, I can't cut by more than 10%. I get faaaar to hungry on 15%. So as long as I'm on 10, I'm ok. Have you got any room to move on cut? Also, eating at TDEE as a plan in general isn't so bad. You will…

yes yes yes, oh yes! awesome! don't worry, many of us buried our heads in the low-calorie-diet-sand for years!! EM2WL is truly a blessing :)

You may not necessarily gain under TDEE, however you are still shaping your body and changing its composition. In most jails I thought inmates ate fairly well? In others... is it at all possible that they are getting their hands on substances that assist and promote muscular growth? Anyway, I think it would be impossible…

Thanks Becca. So many people need to keep hearing the positives and that was awesome. Thank you for sharing :flowerforyou:

Kiki... your rambles are one of my favourite parts of this whole journey!!! Thank you ALWAYS :love: :love: :love:

Hey lovely! Definitely start with the New Rules of Lifting for Women. It's a 6 month program and gets you started with full body workouts. The great thing is, it's perfect for beginners, but even still good if you've lifted before. I'm about a third of the way into it, absolutely loving it, and can see awesome changes…

Just FYI... I'm going on holiday in three days. I won't be lifting or HiiT-ing, but I will be moving around more than what I usually do (desk job). So... usually my TDEE is set to moderate, but I will be eating the TDEE of lightly active whilst away. This should account for the walking around but also give me a "diet…

Love!!!

make sure you take photos & measurements too! lifting heavy plus eating at TDEE you will gain or maintain on the scale (prob best to just chuck it out, seriously!), but you will be feeding those muscles like they've never been fed before so you will definitely see your body will change.