Hi guys.
It’s been a few months since I’ve decided to lose weight. I’m 23, 170cm and I started at 100kg now down to 88kg, and I plan to keep going until I hit 70kg. So far what I’ve been doing is maintaining a calorie deficit only eating 6200 kilojoules(max) each day while only eating between 10:30AM and 6:30PM.
I want to start exercising with the intention of gaining muscle. As it stands I can’t do situps/pushups/pullups and it honestly feels pathetic. But that aside;
If I start doing intensive workout and in turn burn more calories, should I be eating enough to fill the gap left by the workout or adjust the calorie intake in any way?
No, lifting/resistance training will help preserve more of your muscle when you’re in a deficit. The way most physique competitors do it is to eat at a calorie surplus in the off season while lifting to try and gain as much muscle mass as they can while adding minimal fat (eating 100-200 calories above maintenance is all it takes). Then when it’s time to cut (loose the fat) they drop into a calorie deficit (250-500 calories below maintenance) allowing them to lose between 0.5 - 1 pound of fat per week. Your lifting/resistance training should continue as normal because while in a deficit, the lifting helps preserve what muscle you have left on your body.
So 5’7”, 193 lbs, approximately 1500 calories daily (for those in the States). So a lifting session probably only burns 100-200 calories (heavy lifting, 1 hour). Let’s just say you lift 3 days a week = max 600 calories burned on top of your current deficit. So to account for that adding about 100 calories more to your diet would keep you at approximately the same deficit you’re currently eating at. Remember though, it’s just an estimate. You could add 100 calories extra daily to your diet, and check weekly weigh-ins to make sure you’re weight is still decreasing. I’d also make sure to be getting at least 0.75-1 gram per pound of body weight to help preserve as much muscle tissue as you can as you’re dropping weight, your goal should really be to lose the fat and keep what muscle you already have.