too fat to lift?

AngInCanada

Hey everyone. I am a 33 year old female, 5'8, 226 lbs. I've dabbled with lifting over the past couple of years and am currently doing Les Mills Pump 3x a week and running 3x a week. I haven't been tracking my nutrition until a couple days ago. I'm at 2100 calories. 40/30/30 macros. I seem to gain and lose the same 5 lbs. Anyways I work in nursing and my coworkers are all on some sort of diet. Some are doing the Scarsdale diet. Some are doing the ideal protein diet. Some low fat. Etc etc etc. So with scarsdale and ideal protein , that crew is discouraged from any sort of exercise where they sweat. I've watched them shrink and lots 3,4,5 lbs a week. So in the lunchroom I was basically told that I'm not losing weight becausd I lift. I should only be doing cardio and I need to cut WAY back on how much I eat. No more than 1200 calories a day. I swear sometimes I want to beat my head against a brick wall.

So anyways, for MY size, is 3 lifting sessions and 3 cardio sessions a week fine? I really love running because I go with friends and its like a therapy session lol.

DopeItUp

Lifting does absolutely nothing to hinder fat loss. Absolutely nothing. So any suggestion not to lift is just plain silly.

The reason they are losing so much weight is because they are utilizing very low calorie diets (Scarsdale is what, 850 calories a day?). Of course they are going to lose weight rapidly...and a lot of it will be lean mass. Not to mention, eating that low is not sustainable.

So basically they will end up:

1) Skinny fat if they stick with it
2) More than likely fail and regain the weight
3) Probably both (regain weight but be at a higher bodyfat percentage than before)

Not really good options. Your plan of 3 lifting/3 running sessions is probably fine depending on intensity and volume and all that. Pretty typical and common really.

As for your own personal diet recommendations, I will leave that to the group leaders since that's they prefer.

heybales

Keep doing what you are doing right.

Wait 6 months and see where they really end up, though it may take them longer if they encourage each other through a ridiculously low maintenance level and somehow survive that.

Make sure to challenge them to arm wrestling too during the summer and shorter sleeves, so they can see the difference between chicken wings flapping and strong arms.

TavistockToad

AngInCanada wrote: »

Hey everyone. I am a 33 year old female, 5'8, 226 lbs. I've dabbled with lifting over the past couple of years and am currently doing Les Mills Pump 3x a week and running 3x a week. I haven't been tracking my nutrition until a couple days ago. I'm at 2100 calories. 40/30/30 macros. I seem to gain and lose the same 5 lbs. Anyways I work in nursing and my coworkers are all on some sort of diet. Some are doing the Scarsdale diet. Some are doing the ideal protein diet. Some low fat. Etc etc etc. So with scarsdale and ideal protein , that crew is discouraged from any sort of exercise where they sweat. I've watched them shrink and lots 3,4,5 lbs a week. So in the lunchroom I was basically told that I'm not losing weight becausd I lift. I should only be doing cardio and I need to cut WAY back on how much I eat. No more than 1200 calories a day. I swear sometimes I want to beat my head against a brick wall.

So anyways, for MY size, is 3 lifting sessions and 3 cardio sessions a week fine? I really love running because I go with friends and its like a therapy session lol.

you haven't been losing weight because you haven't been tracking what you eat.

2100 seems a smidge high? is that TDEE minus a %?

nossmf

My TDEE is 2200 at BW 182, so 2100 at BW 226 should definitely be below TDEE. That said, accuracy in tracking is paramount.

From a more practical standpoint, if given the choice of do nothing but feel grumpy and starved all the time, or exercise and actually EAT, give me the latter. I can (and have) keep that up indefinitely.

SideSteel

DopeItUp wrote: »

Lifting does absolutely nothing to hinder fat loss. Absolutely nothing. So any suggestion not to lift is just plain silly.

The reason they are losing so much weight is because they are utilizing very low calorie diets (Scarsdale is what, 850 calories a day?). Of course they are going to lose weight rapidly...and a lot of it will be lean mass. Not to mention, eating that low is not sustainable.

So basically they will end up:

1) Skinny fat if they stick with it
2) More than likely fail and regain the weight
3) Probably both (regain weight but be at a higher bodyfat percentage than before)

Not really good options. Your plan of 3 lifting/3 running sessions is probably fine depending on intensity and volume and all that. Pretty typical and common really.

As for your own personal diet recommendations, I will leave that to the group leaders since that's they prefer.

^ That.


To the OP, the biggest factor you should be concerning yourself with is the adherence to your program. So honestly whether you lift 2 days per week or 5 days per week or something in between --- whether you do cardio 2 days per week or 7 days per week or whatever -- you need to find a sustainable practice.

Same goes for your diet.

As far as nutrient tracking and calorie levels, choose a starting point (which you've done) and focus on accurate logging. After a few weeks go by, if you are not losing, make a small reduction to your intake and repeat. If you are new to resistance training then expect some fluid retention for a few weeks that could easily be masking fat loss.

I'd say after about 4-6 weeks if you see nothing change on the scale I would make a reduction in calories and repeat.

AngInCanada

Thanks for the replies everyone. I dusted off my scale and started weighing everything I eat. I am already amazed at the difference in some counts! I'll keep up with the pump and running since it seems like a good combo that I enjoy

retirehappy

AngInCanada wrote: »

I'll keep up with the pump and running since it seems like a good combo that I enjoy

And enjoy is the magic word.

All the best on your journey. I also second heybales suggestion to arm wrestle them.