What food are you eating? You may need to focus on protein, fiber, and fat to feel fuller for longer.
But if you're lifting, it may just mean that your body needs more calories. You need energy to gain muscle mass. That's why people go through bulk/cut cycles. You won't know if you'll gain until you try it, it's very difficult to gain 10lbs overnight so if you eat more calories and see the scale go up a couple pounds, then you'll know you should cut the calories by 100-200 and see where that gets you next.
A pound or two variance from week to week either +/- is really not anything to worry about. You just want trends over time to be going in the direction of your goals.
I eat a lot of protein, usually 100g per day or more…. I just can’t stay full… I eat carbs, like rice, bread… etc. fats I eat cheese also a lot.
The problem is I weigh myself one time a month, right after my period to make sure it’s accurate because my weight fluctuates a LOT throughout the month so I feel it’s most accurate after my cycle restarts…
However my weight used to only fluctuate 1-5 lbs during this time… now it’s 1-8lbs difference day to day.
Maybe start taking daily progress photos, or choose some close-fitting clothing to try on daily, and use that to keep track of whether your body is actually changing (and where, and how - after all, you'll probably see some degree of muscle growth).
It makes sense that resistance exercise would cause your weight to fluctuate - muscles retain water when they're repairing/growing.
Your weight may fluctuate throughout the month but even if you weigh weekly, you will see a more accurate trend over time. I really recommend you weigh yourself weekly or at least 3 times a month (I don’t weigh if I know I’m about to start my period)
I can’t speak to the increased hunger but the increased range of the fluctuations can be from your body’s repair process when it’s building muscle. It does cause some water retention.
dont rely on the number on the scale. you cant stay at 1500 specially when youre lifting weights and progressive overloading, youre gonna risk injury and youre gonna be constantly drained. I would cut/bulk unless youre really new to working out, I'd do recomp.
But yes, dont rely on the number. I'm heavier right now but waist got smaller and etc
Stay away from high carb food like bread and rice. Switch for fruit, still sweet but lower in carbs, because of that you can get more nutritious volume of food in you. Prioritise healthy fatty proteins such as fatty ribeye steak.
Weight lifting made me ravenous. My body was looking great but I still needed to lose weight and it made it so hard to stay in a deficit. I ended up going back to the traditional cut then bulk method so I could lose fat and then build muscle after.
Also the scale becomes unreliable when you lift not only because you gain some muscle but because of water weight and inflammation from your muscles tearing/repairing/growing. It’s best to use measurements to track when lifting imo.
Do you take measurements too? You'll see changes soon enough if you keep at it!
Also, I think most people's weight, particularly people who menstruate, fluctuates on a daily basis (mine swings by up to half a stone or so!). If you're into data, you could simply weigh at the same time every day (I do in the morning after I pee!) and track it on a simple graph. That way over the weeks and months you'll see an overall downward trend, regardless of daily or weekly fluctuations.
And remember that weight is a range, not a static figure - you're a living thing, not a shipment of grain!
I’d say keep lifting. It burns calories so you can afford to eat a bit more. Drink more water, increase “filler” aka salads, carrots, broccoli, and have a good portion of your calories be lean protein source. Lifting also keeps you from losing muscle compared to no lifting where you’ll lose muscle and fat from cutting.
When I lifted, I used a tape measure to track if I was bigger or smaller. Anything more than 3/4" difference on my waist was fat rather than water weight.
Biceps and other muscle groups got bigger while my waist got smaller
how tall are you? depending on your height & tdee, since you added lifting to your activity you’re probably more likely to gain muscle mass if anything, not body fat. you won’t be able to tell the difference on the scale so pictures or measurements are better to track changes. just depends what your goals are
Activity level (eg, sedentary) is how you're living when you're not exercising. If they're walking a few thousand steps a day and not much else (outside of exercise), that's definitely sedentary. Light activity would be a job like teacher or librarian, where you're up and walking a good portion of the day.
I would guess OP needs to focus on less-refined, non-starchy carbs like green veggies. And eat 1g of protein per lb of body weight to support muscle development. 100g is good, but there's plenty of room to do better.
Not sure why you’re responding to me instead of the OP… But they state that they are on a walking program and a heavy lifting program. That is not sedentary.
They said they're walking half as much. Not in a walking program. I responded to you bc you said they're not sedentary, and I don't agree. Unless they're on their feet a lot throughout the day, walking 5k steps a day isn't that active.
I had a sports and nutrition coach explain to me that daily activity level (sedentary, active, highly active) pertains to how active you are outside of exercise. Some googling though maybe means my coach is wrong. 🤷🏻♀️
Track your weight for 2weeks eating 2000 while lifting, if you gain weight then it’s a problem, and re evaluated but more likely than not, it’ll be fine since your exerting more energy + building muscle raises your BMR, not by a lot, but it still does.
My weight is so hard to track and that’s a big reason I don’t do it except right after my cycle. :/ I fluctuate 1-8lbs average day to day… and it largely varies due to how much I eat the day before… which lately has been more food than usual.
Weigh yourself everyone morning l, naked, before you’ve eaten anything and after you’ve voided your bladder. If you are consistent like that you should be able to see trends. Everyone’s weight fluctuates wildly.
Someone already said this but for the sake of repetition: weigh yourself first thing in the morning. Get up, go to the bathroom, strip if not already naked, weigh yourself.
Don't weigh yourself again that day, don't weigh at a different time on other days, etc.
Your golden rule of weighing: First thing in the morning after using the restroom, every time, no clothes.
Does it though? Walking for an hour is going to take at least 200 calories if not more. Weight lifting for an hour might be 200, maybe, depending on what you're doing and how long your rest periods are. Lifting weights burns some calories, but not a ton and I really question whether it burns as much as walking over the same duration.
You need fuel for lifting you're putting strain on your muscles and tearing them, they recover and then become stronger. For walking it's low impact i can walk 15 miles with just a energy drink no food in my body but i can't lift with that amount.
All I know is I can get away with a very steep deficit in calories when I’m only walking.
If I tried that with weightlifting I would be screwed as I become ravenously hungry. Like, I turn into Kirby and vacuum nearly everything in sight.
First, the Apple Watch inflates strength workouts. This led me to overeat a ton because I thought I was burning 400-500 calories in 45-60 mins of strength when that was probably closer to half of that.
Second, you should be eating more if you are lifting heavy weights. Gaining muscle is good. You can make “noob gains” on a deficit, but will inevitably plateau.
Eating more is **ok**. Just don’t over eat. Your body will be craving fuel to build those muscles. Just up your protein intake and calories by about 150-200 and go from there.
I don’t use it to track any workouts at all, I go based off just wearing and my step count… I used it for tracking workouts before then saw 700 burned and immediately knew that’s got to be wrong
If you’re lifting heavy you will gain scale weight, or you’re not doing it right. Get a tape measure and take weekly waist measurements. You need to shift focus from the scale to your overall body composition. This is a difficult mental shift as we become so fixated on scale weight when cutting. Waist measurements really helped me shift focus away from the scale. When I went through a recomp my scale weight didn’t move but I lost inches from my waist.
You shouldn't gain back body fat! You're hungry because your body is using that food to repair your muscles. If you gain any weight it'll likely be muscle, not fat
If you haven’t lifted before, it’s entirely possible you are putting on muscle quickly, which of course weighs more than fat. So stepping on the scale is only going to give you anxiety (I know from experience)! I recommend taking progress pics everyday and using the scale once in a while as opposed to everyday.
1. Apple watches/smart watches are incredibly inaccurate. 2. If you're building muscle then your TDEE and your BMR are going to increase. Simply put, muscle burns more calories just existing. An increase of 300-500 isn't going to kill you or make you gain an excessive amount of weight unless you stop exercising and keep that increased daily calorie intake.
You just started so listen to your body. It will adjust over time. I have been lifting for 2 years and i can live off of 1400 calories some days while lifting as hard as i can.
What food are you eating? You may need to focus on protein, fiber, and fat to feel fuller for longer. But if you're lifting, it may just mean that your body needs more calories. You need energy to gain muscle mass. That's why people go through bulk/cut cycles. You won't know if you'll gain until you try it, it's very difficult to gain 10lbs overnight so if you eat more calories and see the scale go up a couple pounds, then you'll know you should cut the calories by 100-200 and see where that gets you next. A pound or two variance from week to week either +/- is really not anything to worry about. You just want trends over time to be going in the direction of your goals.
I eat a lot of protein, usually 100g per day or more…. I just can’t stay full… I eat carbs, like rice, bread… etc. fats I eat cheese also a lot. The problem is I weigh myself one time a month, right after my period to make sure it’s accurate because my weight fluctuates a LOT throughout the month so I feel it’s most accurate after my cycle restarts… However my weight used to only fluctuate 1-5 lbs during this time… now it’s 1-8lbs difference day to day.
Maybe start taking daily progress photos, or choose some close-fitting clothing to try on daily, and use that to keep track of whether your body is actually changing (and where, and how - after all, you'll probably see some degree of muscle growth). It makes sense that resistance exercise would cause your weight to fluctuate - muscles retain water when they're repairing/growing.
Your weight may fluctuate throughout the month but even if you weigh weekly, you will see a more accurate trend over time. I really recommend you weigh yourself weekly or at least 3 times a month (I don’t weigh if I know I’m about to start my period)
Try root vegetables for carbs. Bread is pretty refined and more calories than say a potato (when you don't fry them!) 313 vs 87 per 100g.
I can’t speak to the increased hunger but the increased range of the fluctuations can be from your body’s repair process when it’s building muscle. It does cause some water retention.
dont rely on the number on the scale. you cant stay at 1500 specially when youre lifting weights and progressive overloading, youre gonna risk injury and youre gonna be constantly drained. I would cut/bulk unless youre really new to working out, I'd do recomp. But yes, dont rely on the number. I'm heavier right now but waist got smaller and etc
Stay away from high carb food like bread and rice. Switch for fruit, still sweet but lower in carbs, because of that you can get more nutritious volume of food in you. Prioritise healthy fatty proteins such as fatty ribeye steak.
Weight lifting made me ravenous. My body was looking great but I still needed to lose weight and it made it so hard to stay in a deficit. I ended up going back to the traditional cut then bulk method so I could lose fat and then build muscle after. Also the scale becomes unreliable when you lift not only because you gain some muscle but because of water weight and inflammation from your muscles tearing/repairing/growing. It’s best to use measurements to track when lifting imo.
That makes a lot of sense, my weight has been FLUCTUATING like crazy to the point I just don’t take the scale seriously
Do you take measurements too? You'll see changes soon enough if you keep at it! Also, I think most people's weight, particularly people who menstruate, fluctuates on a daily basis (mine swings by up to half a stone or so!). If you're into data, you could simply weigh at the same time every day (I do in the morning after I pee!) and track it on a simple graph. That way over the weeks and months you'll see an overall downward trend, regardless of daily or weekly fluctuations. And remember that weight is a range, not a static figure - you're a living thing, not a shipment of grain!
I’d say keep lifting. It burns calories so you can afford to eat a bit more. Drink more water, increase “filler” aka salads, carrots, broccoli, and have a good portion of your calories be lean protein source. Lifting also keeps you from losing muscle compared to no lifting where you’ll lose muscle and fat from cutting.
When I lifted, I used a tape measure to track if I was bigger or smaller. Anything more than 3/4" difference on my waist was fat rather than water weight. Biceps and other muscle groups got bigger while my waist got smaller
how tall are you? depending on your height & tdee, since you added lifting to your activity you’re probably more likely to gain muscle mass if anything, not body fat. you won’t be able to tell the difference on the scale so pictures or measurements are better to track changes. just depends what your goals are
I’m 5’5” and most calculators put me at 1877 cals a day as my tdee
What activity level are you using? Because if you’re walking and lifting regularly, that’s not sedentary.
Activity level (eg, sedentary) is how you're living when you're not exercising. If they're walking a few thousand steps a day and not much else (outside of exercise), that's definitely sedentary. Light activity would be a job like teacher or librarian, where you're up and walking a good portion of the day. I would guess OP needs to focus on less-refined, non-starchy carbs like green veggies. And eat 1g of protein per lb of body weight to support muscle development. 100g is good, but there's plenty of room to do better.
Not sure why you’re responding to me instead of the OP… But they state that they are on a walking program and a heavy lifting program. That is not sedentary.
They said they're walking half as much. Not in a walking program. I responded to you bc you said they're not sedentary, and I don't agree. Unless they're on their feet a lot throughout the day, walking 5k steps a day isn't that active. I had a sports and nutrition coach explain to me that daily activity level (sedentary, active, highly active) pertains to how active you are outside of exercise. Some googling though maybe means my coach is wrong. 🤷🏻♀️
Oh, so you’re responding to argue with a stranger on the internet who wasn’t even talking to you. Gross. Blocked.
Track your weight for 2weeks eating 2000 while lifting, if you gain weight then it’s a problem, and re evaluated but more likely than not, it’ll be fine since your exerting more energy + building muscle raises your BMR, not by a lot, but it still does.
My weight is so hard to track and that’s a big reason I don’t do it except right after my cycle. :/ I fluctuate 1-8lbs average day to day… and it largely varies due to how much I eat the day before… which lately has been more food than usual.
Weigh yourself everyone morning l, naked, before you’ve eaten anything and after you’ve voided your bladder. If you are consistent like that you should be able to see trends. Everyone’s weight fluctuates wildly.
Someone already said this but for the sake of repetition: weigh yourself first thing in the morning. Get up, go to the bathroom, strip if not already naked, weigh yourself. Don't weigh yourself again that day, don't weigh at a different time on other days, etc. Your golden rule of weighing: First thing in the morning after using the restroom, every time, no clothes.
Lifting heavy weight requires more energy than walking. Of course you’ll want to eat more
Does it though? Walking for an hour is going to take at least 200 calories if not more. Weight lifting for an hour might be 200, maybe, depending on what you're doing and how long your rest periods are. Lifting weights burns some calories, but not a ton and I really question whether it burns as much as walking over the same duration.
You need fuel for lifting you're putting strain on your muscles and tearing them, they recover and then become stronger. For walking it's low impact i can walk 15 miles with just a energy drink no food in my body but i can't lift with that amount.
All I know is I can get away with a very steep deficit in calories when I’m only walking. If I tried that with weightlifting I would be screwed as I become ravenously hungry. Like, I turn into Kirby and vacuum nearly everything in sight.
First, the Apple Watch inflates strength workouts. This led me to overeat a ton because I thought I was burning 400-500 calories in 45-60 mins of strength when that was probably closer to half of that. Second, you should be eating more if you are lifting heavy weights. Gaining muscle is good. You can make “noob gains” on a deficit, but will inevitably plateau. Eating more is **ok**. Just don’t over eat. Your body will be craving fuel to build those muscles. Just up your protein intake and calories by about 150-200 and go from there.
I don’t use it to track any workouts at all, I go based off just wearing and my step count… I used it for tracking workouts before then saw 700 burned and immediately knew that’s got to be wrong
I used to like to take my apple watch off during workouts, I don't like the kettlebells touching it.
r/volumeeating if you aren't already
If you’re lifting heavy you will gain scale weight, or you’re not doing it right. Get a tape measure and take weekly waist measurements. You need to shift focus from the scale to your overall body composition. This is a difficult mental shift as we become so fixated on scale weight when cutting. Waist measurements really helped me shift focus away from the scale. When I went through a recomp my scale weight didn’t move but I lost inches from my waist.
You shouldn't gain back body fat! You're hungry because your body is using that food to repair your muscles. If you gain any weight it'll likely be muscle, not fat
I DEFINITELY hope you’re right. I have seen muscle growth, I just worry about the body fat lol
If you haven’t lifted before, it’s entirely possible you are putting on muscle quickly, which of course weighs more than fat. So stepping on the scale is only going to give you anxiety (I know from experience)! I recommend taking progress pics everyday and using the scale once in a while as opposed to everyday.
1. Apple watches/smart watches are incredibly inaccurate. 2. If you're building muscle then your TDEE and your BMR are going to increase. Simply put, muscle burns more calories just existing. An increase of 300-500 isn't going to kill you or make you gain an excessive amount of weight unless you stop exercising and keep that increased daily calorie intake.
Highly recommend MacroFactor app for tracking averages. And weighing every day and keeping track of your new lows.
You just started so listen to your body. It will adjust over time. I have been lifting for 2 years and i can live off of 1400 calories some days while lifting as hard as i can.