TLDR: preparing myself to start a calorie surplus phase and tackling some barriers to the change.
Setting the Signs
Do you ever find yourself heading into an uncomfortable phase knowing it’s going to be good once you get through it?
It has been four months since I set the goal the change my habits around health and fitness back in January. I started my attempt at a calorie deficit to reduce my overall weight. Over the four months, I have lost 9kg of total body weight which I am happy about. But there was only so long that I can keep that trajectory and with the cooler weather into winter I am wanting to eat more.
I think now is as good a time as ever to attempt my first planned caloric surplus; I have wanted to rebuild my muscles to pre-covid condition and you can’t do that on the deficit – So here goes!
Honesty, I have felt a lot of internal resistance in making that decision after all the hard work I put in to control my eating to decrease my total body weight (hoping it was a higher percentage of fat rather than muscle) to get my body back into some of my old clothes. But progress doesn’t happen in our comfort zones, so the best I can do is to take the step and try it out. There is one message that plays on repeat in my head and that is “I am in control of this, and I can stop whenever I like”.
Calculating my Calories
I used a TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calculator to find a round-about target for my calorie intake. This number is entirely individual and depends on my body measurements and daily movement levels.
I then added +200 calories on top of this value so that I can ensure that I definitely was in a surplus.
It is worth noting, that the maths is just the starting point. Our bodies are complex and a simple equation can vary greatly from how our body is actually performing. That said, starting with the calculated TDEE for a couple of weeks to see how my body responds is the method.
Food changes
On the food front, I tried to make minimal changes as I didn’t want to add a chocolate bar and be done with it or spend a lot of energy coming up with new meals. I wanted to have minor adjustments to what I was currently eating between January to April.
| Adjusted | Previous | |
| Pre-Work | – Chiko Roll – Yoghurt – Cheese and crackers | – Chiko Roll |
| Lunch | – 1 vermicelli noodles – 1 Primo Shredded meat (Pork/Chicken) – 30g Satay / Curry paste – 12.5g Coconut milk powder | – 1 Woolworths pre-made Salad – 1 Primo Shredded meat (Pork/Chicken) |
| Pre Gym | – 1 fruit | – 1 fruit |
| Post Gym | – 1 fruit – Protein shake + creatine | – 1 fruit |
| Dinner | – steak – 200g potato – 100g peas and corn – 1 egg | – steak – 150g potato |
| Dessert | – Metamucil | – Protein shake – Metamucil |
The above table gives an idea of the changes that I have made moving into this phase. Some things to note are:
- I have moved away from the salads option for a warmer vermicelli noodle soup for lunch
- Extra calories could be added and dropped in my soup by slightly adjusting the flavour (curry paste/coconut milk)
- I moved my protein shake to my post-gym meal, for two reasons (1) I am hungrier this time of the day now that it is cold (2) after a bigger dinner I am less inclined to want the shake.
- I also note that I started taking creatine as I had it sitting in my pantry needing to be used up – what good timing?
Training and Mindset
Having to refocus my goals away from total body weight and towards the increased ability to lift heavier in the gym takes a bit of adjusting but there are two things that I am using to support me through it:
- The hardest work: I revisiting what it means to be a hard worker. I have my own copy on my camera roll to remind me.
- Self-talk: While in the session I will say to myself, “Well I am eating a surplus for a reason – so push harder”
I have also set some goals to work towards:
| Current | Goal | PB | |
| Deadlift | 50kg | 70kg | 110kg |
| Bench Press | 35kg | 50kg | 50kg |
| Squat | 40kg | 60kg | 90kg |
Setting up signs
To ease myself into the idea, I identified some signs to watch that would make me want to stop.
These triggers included:
- up to 90kg total body weight (+ 3 kg tolerance)
- Tightness in skin bloating
- the way clothing fits, getting tight
I need to weigh these triggers up against the progress of my training goals.
The takeaway // define your concerns
I find I can put myself at ease with change, especially when change seems difficult when I try to map out items of concern (setting the signs). In this case, all my items of concern are inevitable and almost unavoidable so the exercise is about raising awareness, accepting and defining a range that is acceptable during this phase to help me know what to expect.
By doing this I am equipping myself to not make impulsive changes on triggers that should have been expected.
Below are some questions ask:
- How will I emotionally feel when I complete it / during it?
- What is the end goal/lesson to be learnt from this?
- What are some changes to anticipate as a result of what is happening?
- Can I set a limit that I can tolerate before I make a change?
- Are there any benchmarks that I can compare the results to?
- How have I coped with similar difficulties in the past, and can those strategies be applied now?
- How can I take care of myself physically, mentally, and emotionally during this time?
- What are some alternative perspectives or ways of thinking about this situation that I haven’t considered?
- How can I find meaning or purpose in this difficult phase of my life?
- Can I change the way I measure my sense of progress through this phase?
I am a lover of a good messy mind map, and would write all my self-reflections in a chaotic mess!
CHANGELOG
| Date | Information |
| 28/05/2023 | Added progress entry |
Follow up
3 weeks [28/05]
I did have a freak out because my total body weight jumped up to 5 kg (50% of my range) but I was mindful to consider that it was water weight and extra food in my body and carbs storing
After three weeks the ability to lift increased significantly – light night and day
– Dead Lift 70 (55kg) (PB 110kg)
– Bench Press 50 (35kg) (PB 50kg)
– Squat 60 (50) (PB 90kg)
Every second day I was second-guessing myself about stopping because the initial numbers jumped quickly. But each time persevering, because I knew that when the time came I will be able to turn it around (hopefully).
6 weeks [18/06]
Overall weight gained was 88.9
– Dead Lift 70 (60kg) (PB 110kg)
– Bench Press 50 (45kg) (PB 50kg)
– Squat 60 (50) (PB 90kg)
Clothes started to feel tight at week four but I was very happy with what I was lifting that I knew I wanted to continue. Because I knew that I could get the TBW down when I set my mind to it.
The increase in TBW settled after week four, I became used to eating the food and with the colder weather, it started to become hard to not eat more.