Weight Lifting Question....

MsHulkMN

I LOVE WEIGHT LIFTING! No questions there! but I am not cutting weight OR losing inches, so my question is should I cut down on the weights and add more cardio? When I lift, I lift to the point where I am breathing hard and sweating like a pig in heat! in one hour according to my HRM I burned 505 calories, just lifting alone!

About a month ago I cut out processed sugar, added more lean protein and I still see no change.... I actually gained 3# this weekend (plus it was my monthly time...). FRUSTRATING.

Any and all suggestions are welcomed. My diary is opened as well. THANKS!

yopeeps025

I recommend never cut back on lifting(way to preserve muscle mass in a cut). If you like to add more cardio for a deficit well why not.

ew_david

If you are counting your HRM calories burned toward your calorie goal, this is where you're going wrong. HRMs are not accurate for lifting.

ETA: your diary is not public.

ninerbuff

If you're using an HRM for counting calories lifting, then it's being overestimated. HRM's count heart rate and that doesn't translate well when you're counting BPM's for ANAEROBIC exercise. I'd probably count that workout as 350 max in calories burned.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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mirrim52

Yep, one hour of lifting would probably be under 200 calories.
3 lbs of weight gain in a weekend is not fat though, so I wouldn't worry about that.
Check the accuracy in your logging first and foremost if you aren't getting the loss you are expecting. Weigh ALL solids, measure ALL liquids (except water). Your diary is still closed.

AllanMisner

Calories in/out are all estimates. The HRM was designed with very specific assumptions and you’re not meeting very many of them when you lift, so expect it to be way off. To cut fat, you need to focus on what and how much you eat. It seems you’re looking at what, but may need to cut the volume a tad. I’d make a small adjustment and recheck your results in a few weeks.

_lyndseybrooke_

What the others said about HRMs.

The issue is that you're not eating at a calorie deficit. You don't HAVE to change anything about your workout routine - you need to eat fewer calories. Are you weighing all of your solids and measuring all of your liquids? Cutting out sugar is totally unnecessary. Protein is great, but you're only going to lose weight if you're eating fewer calories than your body burns throughout the day. Simple as that.

PikaKnight

_dracarys_ wrote: »

If you are counting your HRM calories burned toward your calorie goal, this is where you're going wrong. HRMs are not accurate for lifting.

ETA: your diary is not public.

^This

HRMs are for steady state cardio only. Using them for other things like strength training, HIIT, yoga, etc is just going to give you exaggerated burns. Assuming you are eating those cals back (and there are no issues/problem points with your food logging), it's probably worked out that you are at maintenance.

dieselbyte

Cutting out processed sugar and eating more lean protein isn't a magic solution. With an overstated caloric burn, you may still be eating at maintenance or even above. If your goal is to lose weight and preserve muscle, continue to lift while at a caloric deficit. Adding cardio to your regimine will increase your caloric burn and hopefully put you in a sufficient deficit to lose weight. Either that, or calculate (estimate) your TDEE and eat at a sufficient deficit to lose weight slowly while maintaining as much muscle as possible.

RBXChas

OP, you may want to check out this group for advice: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/10118-eat-train-progress

Good luck!

Sam_I_Am77

katrinkaMN wrote: »

I LOVE WEIGHT LIFTING! No questions there! but I am not cutting weight OR losing inches, so my question is should I cut down on the weights and add more cardio? When I lift, I lift to the point where I am breathing hard and sweating like a pig in heat! in one hour according to my HRM I burned 505 calories, just lifting alone!

About a month ago I cut out processed sugar, added more lean protein and I still see no change.... I actually gained 3# this weekend (plus it was my monthly time...). FRUSTRATING.

Any and all suggestions are welcomed. My diary is opened as well. THANKS!

I believe the average woman can gain anywhere from 3 to 10 lbs during their TOM, don' even bother weighing yourself right now. If you're gaining weight then make sure to look at your total calorie intake because that could be the problem. Getting rid of junk food has it's merits but it's largely about maintaining a healthy negative calorie balance.