1 month full break....now what?

[theymademedoit]

Hi,
I had been cutting for a year and went from 285-224lbs in that time.
This was achieved by cutting cals by quite a lot (1600-2000 a day during the year).
I adjusted the cals and macros as and when I stalled but I now realise that I was cutting cals by too much.
I decided to take a month off training and dieting to try and rev up my metabolism.
During this time I didn’t count cals but I did make sure my protein was high, and in that time I have put on about 10lbs.
Now I am ready to start afresh, however I am not sure where my cals should be at?
Should I keep going at around 1800?
Also should I have the following marcos as a starting point?

· 1g of protein per pound of LBM

· 0.35g of fat per pound of body weight

· The rest is made up of carbs

I plan on lifting heavy 4 x week and doing 30 mins of cardio 4 x week.
My goal is to get down to about 200lbs and get to 12% BF.
Cheers,
Al

[FatLenny]

First of all, congrats on all your previous progress! You obviously have some determination. Hit the sticky threads in the beginners forum here and pay close attention to the nutrition information.

Secondly, if it had been me, I would have counted everything during the full break. I also would have continued lifting through it. Those two things would have given you all the info and 'rev' you need.

Tracking your nutrition during a diet break allows you to discover what is actually maintenance for your body. It also allows you to avoid getting too far off task. You took a small step backwards(10 pounds) that could have easily been avoided. Had you counted everything on your break, you would also have the starting point of your intake and would easily be able to figure what you need.

As for the lifting... why would you up you intake and not up your intensity lifting? Perfect opportunity to maintain fat levels and build some muscle. More muscle also means a higher metabolism and the ability to lift heavier(think afterburn). The EPOC from a heavy session can really kick fat loss into high gear, especially when you can go heavy a few times a week... why not bolster that while you are getting much more fuel?

In any event, I think you'll sort it all out. You seem to be headed in the right direction anyway. You will just need to tweak some things. I'll suggest that you log everything you eat and lift along with your measurements and scale weight... at least for a while so you can see how your body responds to different strategies.

[theymademedoit]

Originally Posted by FatLenny

First of all, congrats on all your previous progress! You obviously have some determination. Hit the sticky threads in the beginners forum here and pay close attention to the nutrition information.

Secondly, if it had been me, I would have counted everything during the full break. I also would have continued lifting through it. Those two things would have given you all the info and 'rev' you need.

Tracking your nutrition during a diet break allows you to discover what is actually maintenance for your body. It also allows you to avoid getting too far off task. You took a small step backwards(10 pounds) that could have easily been avoided. Had you counted everything on your break, you would also have the starting point of your intake and would easily be able to figure what you need.

As for the lifting... why would you up you intake and not up your intensity lifting? Perfect opportunity to maintain fat levels and build some muscle. More muscle also means a higher metabolism and the ability to lift heavier(think afterburn). The EPOC from a heavy session can really kick fat loss into high gear, especially when you can go heavy a few times a week... why not bolster that while you are getting much more fuel?

In any event, I think you'll sort it all out. You seem to be headed in the right direction anyway. You will just need to tweak some things. I'll suggest that you log everything you eat and lift along with your measurements and scale weight... at least for a while so you can see how your body responds to different strategies.

Hi,
Thanks very much for the info and the support!
I didn’t log as I just felt I needed a total break from it….I work 6 days a week and was in the gym 6 days a week, sometimes I leave the house at 6.30 am and don’t get home till 20.30pm….it’s been hard!
But now I am back and in full swing, I have always counted cals and I weigh food etc.
I started back on Monday and have dropped 6lbs in 4 days (a lot of it will be water weight).
Anyway, cheers again!
Al

[Robert2006]

One of the things is to develop a sense of enough/too much/not enough food. You shouldn't need to log your food intake forever.