Can i eat above maintenance and still lose weight?

[simong86]

Hi guys, just a quick question about calorie intake. So iv been trying to lose bodyfat by doing a 750 kcal deficit food plan, and i have lost weight, almost 4 kg but only 3% bf since sep. It seems im losing more muscle than bf. When i calculate my RMR including activity level i usually get between 2800-3200 Kcal. Even when i use the highest activity level when calculating i still end up at around 3600kcal (2850kcal for a deficit). The problem is that i have a low activity desk job that involves little movement but i work out 6 days a week and according to my fitbit i burn between 3400-3700 Kcal per day, sometimes over 4000 if i add a cardio session. The question i have is should i stick to eating in a deficit of 750 kcal no matter how many calories i burn or should i stick to my RMR figures? I just dont see how i could function and workout properly if im in a deficit of almost 2000kcal per day over a long period. I use the Harris Benedict equation and my stats are 5ft 11in, 183lbs and around 19%bf(dont know how accurate the bf is, its taken from my weighing scales)

[Baltoscott]

Hi @simong86.  It sounds like you are on the right track in just trying to find maintenance for a while.

I ran your numbers in the NIH body weight planner using the 'very active' for leisure time and 'very light' physical activity at work.  It comes up with a TDEE of about 3400 calories.  I don't know your age so I put in 30.  This number is in line with the lower end of what you said Fitbit calculates.  It might still be a bit high depending on how long your rest periods are during your weight lifting workouts.  (If you are trying to build muscle by lifting heavy weight with long rest periods, you are probably spending more than half your training sessions not moving much at all).  If you use the 'active' level for you leisure time your TDEE may be closer to around 3000.  In any event, I suspect that fitbit's reports of over 4000 calories burned/day is inflated.  

If you eat around 2500-2750 cal/day and getting adequate protein I suspect you will experience a slow weight loss and a continued reduction in body fat % without much loss in your lifts. 

[simong86]

@Baltoscott Thanks for your reply. Im 32 years old so the figures you gave are probably not far off. I had a somewhat active day at work yday so combine that with my workout my calories burned was 4040 Kcal. At the moment i am trying to lose bodyfat so im working in the 8-15 rep range and taking around 45-60 secs rest between sets to keep the blood pumping. When i train to add size i usually work in the 5/6-10 rep range with up to 2/3 mins rest between sets. 

[Rona1117]

I had to come up with my own levels of how to lose, maintain, or even gain weight.  I ignored Fitbit’s food plan and counted calories carefully for 3 months while eating only healthy foods and exercising daily.  At the end of 3 months I had an accurate picture of weight maintenance for me, which was different than what Fitbit had in mind. I discovered that for me 2200 calories was maintenance.  I lost weight consuming less than that number and gained weight consuming more than 2200. The problem is that at the end of any given day, (stopping at 2200),  Fitbit stated I could keep eating—sometimes as many as 600 calories more.  If I followed Fitbit’s plan, I’d gain weight.  Fitbit’s plan may work for you, but I had to find my own weight-maintenance calorie number. It’s working: 23 pounds lost and it’s staying off.  

[Dominique]

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@simong86 wrote:

At the moment i am trying to lose bodyfat so im working in the 8-15 rep range and taking around 45-60 secs rest between sets to keep the blood pumping. When i train to add size i usually work in the 5/6-10 rep range with up to 2/3 mins rest between sets. 

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I usually see this being described as training for hypertrophy i.e. size (bodybuilders) vs. training for strength (powerlifters). Losing body fat is normally achieved primarily through your diet. Of course, if you manage to add muscle while keeping fat the same, body fat % will come down.

The strongest guys (powerlifters/strongmen) who typically train primarily in lower rep ranges usually aren’t the leanest. In fact, some sport quite impressive bellies. Conversely, the biggest & leanest guys (bodybuilders) are comparatively weaker for their size.