Adding Weight to Lifts While Eating @ Deficit
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bakerkate221
Posts: 52 Member
I've been doing StrongLifts for about 2 weeks or so, and have started adding weight to my lifts. My question is: What should I expect in terms of adding weight while I'm eating at a caloric deficit? (I'm probably at about a 1000 calorie deficit per day.)
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When I started SL in Feb, I was eating around 1300/day (5'3"). I do it 2x/week and was able to keep that up for a few months. But, eventually, I started feeling very fatigued during and after lifting. My progress slowed and I generally felt unhappy. I upped it to 1500 and everything improved. I was adding weight to most lifts every session, my energy level went back up, and my attitude improved
I took a diet break and ate at maintenance since mid June to mid July. Also didn't do SL regularly because of travel. So, more calories and a couple of de-loads have me feeling quite strong and breaking through some former plateaus.
I'm back to eating 1500/day and will follow some advice I read in one of Lyle McDonald's articles. I'll eat at a deficit for 12 weeks, then maintenance for 2 weeks, and cycle. My mental and physical well-being really benefitted from my break and my lifting is improving! Here is the link for reference.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/0 -
For me, once the weight started getting heavy I started getting really hungry on rest days. For diet, I'm ITFYM. My deficit isn't too aggressive, but I'm in for a long haul + enjoyment of lifting than feeling like crap but losing weight fast.
I lift at 7 or 8pm. The next day around noon I would become crazy hungry. Like, I could eat a whole 1,200 calorie burrito and not even feel it. I also feel I have to lift in the evening, when I got 3 meals in me, or there is no way I can lift work weight - morning lifting I have absolutely no gas tank. Then the obvious, if I was eating maintenance, I'm sure I could lift more. You gotta really watch it too - you don't want to be too burnt out and hurt yourself with sloppy tired form.
What I do is I have to take a slow acting protein after lifting and before bed, plus increase my protein on rest day. If I don't have my shot of casein, I get a hangry melt down and cannot function + eat everything.0 -
I'll check out that diet break link!
I've been trying to eat plenty of protein and timing my workouts just before dinner, so I can eat right after. I'm not going to try adding weight every session like Mehdi says; I'll just see how it goes, I guess. If I start feeling crazy hungry, I'll re-assess my diet.
My main reason for starting SL when I did was to minimize muscle loss while dieting, but I didn't expect to enjoy lifting so much!
Also, now I want a burrito. =D0 -
bakerkate221 wrote: »I'll check out that diet break link!
I've been trying to eat plenty of protein and timing my workouts just before dinner, so I can eat right after. I'm not going to try adding weight every session like Mehdi says; I'll just see how it goes, I guess. If I start feeling crazy hungry, I'll re-assess my diet.
My main reason for starting SL when I did was to minimize muscle loss while dieting, but I didn't expect to enjoy lifting so much!
Also, now I want a burrito. =D
Me too! I also go to a yoga class twice a week and the difference strength training has made there amazes me.
I lift at around 11 am on Tues/Thurs. On these days I make myself a meal that's heavy on protein with a good amount of fat and decent carbs, about 30-1 hour before getting to the gym...bagel, egg, and cheese sandwich has been a favorite lately! It's made a big difference in how I feel during the workout. Otherwise I don't usually eat anything until around lunch time. I also try to get at least 90 g of protein, preferably more, on lifting days.
It has taken me a while to dial in what works. Hormones, sleep, etc all play a part and I find myself tweaking things regularly. On the days I'm starving and go over, I'll just adjust calories for a weekly deficit instead of holding onto a 1500/day rule. No reason to be miserable!
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I did 12 weeks of SL on a deficit before I did NROLFW also on a deficit. I haven't had problems really at all with hunger or anything from lifting, but I do a lot of the lifting late at night, before bed, and I'm easy to distract.
I had some slower points in SL and like many certain lifts were way slower than others, mostly OHP. Still, I went from just lifting the bar on many of them to: 150 squat, 85 bench, 65/70 OHP, 105 row and 200 deadlift. Since then some are a little lower from not training them as much in favor of other lifts in NROLFW and I've found the decrease in body weight does have a little affect. When I first got 185 on deadlift, that was just above body weight. now that I weigh less than 150, 185 feels so much heavier.
I have my deficit at losing 1 lb a week. At first in SL it was at 1.5 but eventually MFP wanted to recommend 1200 before exercise and I didn't want that so I changed the goal to 1 a week instead and got to eat a tiny bit more. I try to get enough protein but it's still a challenge.
As for what to expect, your mileage may vary but you can see some decent strength gains even on a deficit, or at least that's what I've noticed so far.0 -
I'm back to eating 1500/day and will follow some advice I read in one of Lyle McDonald's articles. I'll eat at a deficit for 12 weeks, then maintenance for 2 weeks, and cycle. My mental and physical well-being really benefitted from my break and my lifting is improving! Here is the link for reference.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/
I love the sound of this approach and will definitely read this link. Sustainable adherence is a beautiful thing!0 -
bakerkate221 wrote: »(I'm probably at about a 1000 calorie deficit per day.)
1000 sounds to me like a lot. what i've been taught is that any more of a deficit than that will drive your body into breaking down muscle instead of/as well as fat to provide for your energy needs. so basically, at that point you'd be 'spending' some muscle just in order to support whatever you're doing to try and gain it (i.e. lifting). ironic really.
based on my own experience (which may be wrong for you): your body will keep up for as long as it can, but eventually if you're not eating enough to support what you're trying to do in the gym, you'll probably know. i think i lasted on 1200 calories while lifting for a few months, but i honestly can't say that i got very far with the lifts. total inexperience and probably every form mistake in the book were part of that too, of course. but it's still true that i never really made any progress at all until i gave up the 1200-calorie thing.0
