Struggling with Diet - Help!

ehmadore

So I've been lifting heavy off and on since January. I really enjoy it and it gets me to the gym. I'm getting stronger. But I'm always struggling with my diet. I do try to eat healthy most of the time but I wouldn't be overweight if I didn't have a problem with food. I'm wondering if I'm just spinning my wheels when I eat close to TDEE or over with not always the most nutritious food and doing 5X5. Will I just just be a muscular chubby person?? Grrr...sorry if this sounds stupid.

kirabob

Never a stupid question, other than the one you don't ask, as my grandaddy always said!

Let me see if I've got this straight - You eat around your TDEE, sometimes over, and you lift heavy, and have done so since January. And you are worried that you will be strong, but not lose any fat. Is that the gist?

Have you ever taken any measurements or photos? Noticing any changes? If you haven't done either, DO THEM NOW!

Getting stronger is always a bonus in my book. So are the psychological benefits of lifting (bada$$ery and all that). Losing fat is a pretty nifty side benefit, IMO. You might be different, of course.

In what ways do you struggle with your food intake? Craving particular kinds of food? Hungry all the time? Sweet tooth? What do your macros look like, and how often do you hit your targets? For instance, I have been completely ravenous lately - two days of getting close to my protein macros and all of a sudden I feel satisfied. Now, protein is not my go-to hungry food, trust me - but that's what works for me, so I'm gonna use it.

If you are hitting TDEE and over, you may actually be able to add some muscle mass, which will burn more calories. Not quickly, mind you. Are you familiar with gokaleo.com? Amber is a good example of one possible outcome when you consistently lift heavy and eat all the foods. And she's awesome.

I have a friend who is a competitive powerlifter, and she is 248 pounds - she is finding that as she trains for her next competition that she is having to eat TONS of extra food in order to stay in her weight class - like TDEE +50%. If she doesn't, she keeps losing weight - so that would seem to indicate that for some people, lots of heavy lifting and eating at maintenance could still lead to losing fat. . .I'm by no means an expert, of course. But like so many aspects of lifting, you may need to embrace your patience - with your diet and your body, keep lifting and see what happens. How's that for an ambiguous response?

jstout365

I think diet really comes down to what your goals are. Eating nutritious foods is important to feeling good, but weight loss can be accomplished without eating nutritious food. If you are trying to lose weight then eating at or above TDEE won't do anything for you where that is concerned. So, yes, doing that will have you just spinning your wheels in that respect. If loss isn't your goal, then eating at TDEE won't make you any smaller, but you will probably see some faster strength gains. As for the muscular chubby person, it gets tricky. Most fat is on top of the muscle and softens out the muscle form. So you can be strong with good muscle definition, but still be unable to see it if the layer of fat smoothes it out. The way you start to see solid muscle definition is to lean out and lose the layer of fat. Some women like the lean and well defined muscle look and others prefer the softer look that goes with a more average body fat percentage. Neither one is better than the other as it all comes down to personal preference.

So the question I would ask of you is what is your goal in this process. Do you want to lose weight while lifting? Do you want to be as strong as you can without worrying about weight? Or would do you want to see progress in both?

Weight loss doesn't have to be a dramatic thing if you don't want it to be. It takes creating a calorie deficit. That can even be 100 calories less than you burn in a day and over the long run you will see the loss. It won't happen quickly, but if you are careful and make the commitment for yourself, you can eventually get to the body you want, eating the foods you enjoy.

ehmadore

I definitely want to lose. I've lost over 25 pounds since last summer with mostly cardio and eating low cal. I've been doing this high cal/lifting thing off and on since Jan. I guess my struggle is that I got pregnant in the middle of this after years of infertility and miscarried. I gained 8 pounds in a month and now a month later, I'm struggling to get it off and get back on track. I kind of went hog wild while pregnant. If I'm struggling so much with diet, should I keep heavy lifting? I don't know...

jstout365

First let me say I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I have fertility issues as well and suffered a miscarriage after years of trying. It is a difficult thing to move forward from. but it is possible.

I would suggest that if you really do enjoy lifting to continue with it. I find that working out helps keep me balanced mentally as well as physically. If you are ready to focus on getting back on track, start with smaller changes back onto the right path. Don't be too hard on yourself either. This round of weight loss for me started with the gym and my eating habits changed as I went along and was feeling better about my level of fitness.

The weight will come off if you are patient and make the changes when you are ready for them. Don't give up the lifting just because you are not happy with your diet. Maybe try adding in short cardio (10-15 min) after the lifting if you have time. Lifting is a great way to feel empowered as a woman. Being strong can give you confidence that helps you know that you can handle things and get the diet under control as well. You have this. You really do. Things have a way of working themselves out if you just do what you know you need to do and give it some time.