strength training and overeating

tjthegreatone

Hi everyone,

I hate to keep asking stupid questions on here, but this keeps bugging me and I can't make any satisfactory resolutions in my mind.

Stats: Female, 29, 5'9 and at last weigh-in a month ago I was 70.7kg (155 pounds). I probably weigh a bit more now but too scared to check!

I use the MFP method, eating back exercise calories, as my exercise levels vary depending on work. I have recently changed my goals to maintenance as I love to eat and couldn't be bothered with calorie restriction anymore (it's been 3 years, I've been chasing the last elusive five pounds for over a year, and life's too short). I get 1870 calories a day, which should be plenty. But they are not. I generally eat intuitively but then I've got into a hamster wheel mentality of doing more and more cardio (mostly running, spin biking and exercise classes), which means that I get more hungry and eat more, leading to more cardio etc.

For some genetic reason, I am quite muscular and tend to appear a lot slimmer than I am. For years I refused to do any major lifting as all the comments (mainly from other women) like 'wow look at those guns' didn't help my self-esteem much...I wanted to look feminine, not hard and muscly.

After reading lots of posts about the benefits of lifting heavy, I decided to join the club. The problem is that I am even more hungry now (and it's a hunger I can't describe. When it comes on I pretty much have to eat immediately or else :explode:). And because weight lifting doesn't create the same calorie deficits as running according to MFP, I end up in the red all the time. Furthermore I have a sneaky suspicion that I am putting on weight. I'm not lifting massive amounts (my only distinction is that I am the only woman in the weights area in the gym) but my arms look bigger, my quads look bigger and a layer of softness has appeared over my abs. In short, I am effectively bulking (not what I had in mind, sob).

Also, I have a 10k coming up in two weeks time and the lifting is having a detrimental impact on my training. I get a lot of DOMS with hamstrings that feel like wood so I've not been able to run at all in the last week. I am considering postponing the weights until after the race. Any advice?

I'll temporarily open my diary (I've filled it in as best I could everyday since Dec 2012).

tjthegreatone

Bumping this as no takers first time round. Thanks!

ChrisLindsay9

I can't read your diary since your profile is only viewable by friends, but here are some suggestions.

1) Add some cardio into your fitness program. This could be some 15-20 minute HIIT cardio for AFTER your lifting sessions. Or 30-45 minute steady-state cardio on days separate from your lifting days.

2) Incorporate plyometric routine on your non-rest/non-strength training days.

3) Eat more protein and less carbs. Just keep this as a rule of thumb. If it's a choice between fries and another hamburger, get the second hamburger. If it's a choice between mashed potatoes and veggies or beans, get more of the veggie and beans (or second piece of chicken or steak). This will help satiate you and possibly from keeping going into the red. If you find yourself hungry later at night, pick up a bottle of casein protein. This is the most satiating of powdered protein and one scoop (18g protein/150ish calories) in the evening an hour or so before bed can help stave off hunger (and also not make you feel too hungry in the morning).

4) Eat back a certain amount of calories burned in exercises. Just overwrite the amount by putting in 150 or 100. This would essentially put you in a slight calorie deficit diet, but only on days of exercise.

I've been in a similar position, and these strategies have worked for me at various times. I hope this is of some help. Good luck!

tjthegreatone

Thank you! Will take the suggestions, especially to eat more protein, on board. I'm working on it!

Scrogglez

seeing how you are a t-rex - I'd tell you that you should just eat meat only and ignore anything that isnt meat.

T-Rex's dont do very well with other types of food.

I know this because I watched Jurassic Park when I was a kid.

yogayug

Much obliged to you! Will take the proposals, particularly to consume more protein, ready for. I'm finishing up it!

tjthegreatone

seeing how you are a t-rex - I'd tell you that you should just eat meat only and ignore anything that isnt meat.

T-Rex's dont do very well with other types of food.

I know this because I watched Jurassic Park when I was a kid.

Ha ha I must not be a very good T-Rex (apart from the always being on the hunt for food thing...). Bet if I ate like one of 'em I'd live fast and die young. Working on the protein thing as I love the carbs too much. Currently set at 20%, once I can eat that consistently I'll step the goals up to 25-30%, we'll see.

Toomestwin

What works for me is knowing when to eat. I try to eat eight times a day. Breakfast is the only big meal and the rest are smaller meals to keep the protein intake going. I try to eat smart. A tablespoon of peanut butter on whole wheat bread is enough to keep the metabolism going while giving me the nutrients I need to build muscle. I do this instead of eating something like steak and potatoes and later trying to rationalize it. (Don't get me wrong, I'll eat steak and potatoes, but I'm honest with myself and KNOW that this is a cheat meal.)

Key rule for me is to eat at a certain time rather than waiting until I'm hungry. Otherwise you tend to overeat and a lot of that protein gets stored away as fat because your body's survival instincts kick in. I look at it as controlling the intake to keep the metabolism steady.

I'm not trying to get huge. I'm eating to keep up with my weight lifting and lifting to keep up with my eating (if that makes any sense). Otherwise, I'd be on a 5,000 or 6,000 calories a day plan to get seriously huge. For me, 2500 to 3000 meets my needs.

I also do a lot of cardio but as a way of burning off whatever energy I didn't burn at the gym. In other words, I don't do cardio just for the sake of cardio. By cardio, I mean Burpees, Tabatas, jump rope and elliptical...every once in a while I'll go out for a run. The humidity in South Texas is a killer so I run more often in the winter but nothing crazy: just enough to spike the heart rate and trim some fat.

Your mileage may vary.

LorinaLynn

I typically run 3x a week and strength train 3x a week, on alternate days, but when my weights are really heavy, my running suffers big time. Since I'm not doing any racing at the moment, and get a bigger bang from my buck from lifting, I'm ok with my running being a bit slower now, and sometimes just go for long walks or hikes instead if I'm really sore.

With your 10k just a few weeks away, I'd say cut back on lifting until after it's over.

runzalot81

I can't read your diary since your profile is only viewable by friends, but here are some suggestions.

1) Add some cardio into your fitness program. This could be some 15-20 minute HIIT cardio for AFTER your lifting sessions. Or 30-45 minute steady-state cardio on days separate from your lifting days.

2) Incorporate plyometric routine on your non-rest/non-strength training days.

3) Eat more protein and less carbs. Just keep this as a rule of thumb. If it's a choice between fries and another hamburger, get the second hamburger. If it's a choice between mashed potatoes and veggies or beans, get more of the veggie and beans (or second piece of chicken or steak). This will help satiate you and possibly from keeping going into the red. If you find yourself hungry later at night, pick up a bottle of casein protein. This is the most satiating of powdered protein and one scoop (18g protein/150ish calories) in the evening an hour or so before bed can help stave off hunger (and also not make you feel too hungry in the morning).

4) Eat back a certain amount of calories burned in exercises. Just overwrite the amount by putting in 150 or 100. This would essentially put you in a slight calorie deficit diet, but only on days of exercise.

I've been in a similar position, and these strategies have worked for me at various times. I hope this is of some help. Good luck!

Great advice! Thanks for sharing. Helps me, too.

rick_po

If you've got a 10K coming, cut your strength training back to twice a week until after the race.

BeachIron

After reading your post, I honestly don't know whether you're serious or not.

Intuitive eating and not losing weight? That's a large part of your answer. You need to weigh and measure everything and record it. Otherwise, you don't know how much you're eating and how much protein and fat you're getting.

And yes. You're going to be hungry losing weight. It comes with the program. You're accustomed to eating too much. If you eat more vegetables that may help fill you up, and many of us use intermittent fasting so that we don't eat during a good chunk of the day and then fill up later, but you will be hungry when losing weight. We all are.

Strive to get one gram of protein per pound of lean body mass and 0.35 grams of fat per pound of body weight. Feel free to eat carbs for the rest of your diet but make sure you get enough fiber and micronutrients. Vegetables, fruit and grains are your friends for this.

Make sure that you strength train for body recomposition and use cardio to help you get more calories to eat. If you use MFP then eat back at least 1/2 of your exercise calories but be honest about how much you're eating and how many calories you are actually burning.

ETA: And at your weight you are not "quite muscular." You have excess body fat. Work on losing that and you will see the lean come out. Too many women think that they are "bulky" because of muscles and it's rarely true. Body fat and water retention from starting an exercise program account for the vast majority of what is misinterpreted as muscle mass.

tjthegreatone

After reading your post, I honestly don't know whether you're serious or not.

Intuitive eating and not losing weight? That's a large part of your answer. You need to weigh and measure everything and record it. Otherwise, you don't know how much you're eating and how much protein and fat you're getting.

And yes. You're going to be hungry losing weight. It comes with the program. You're accustomed to eating too much. If you eat more vegetables that may help fill you up, and many of us use intermittent fasting so that we don't eat during a good chunk of the day and then fill up later, but you will be hungry when losing weight. We all are.

Strive to get one gram of protein per pound of lean body mass and 0.35 grams of fat per pound of body weight. Feel free to eat carbs for the rest of your diet but make sure you get enough fiber and micronutrients. Vegetables, fruit and grains are your friends for this.

Make sure that you strength train for body recomposition and use cardio to help you get more calories to eat. If you use MFP then eat back at least 1/2 of your exercise calories but be honest about how much you're eating and how many calories you are actually burning.

ETA: And at your weight you are not "quite muscular." You have excess body fat. Work on losing that and you will see the lean come out. Too many women think that they are "bulky" because of muscles and it's rarely true. Body fat and water retention from starting an exercise program account for the vast majority of what is misinterpreted as muscle mass.

I guess this is what they call 'tough love' . But thanks for the honesty.

Especially with regard to accepting some kind of hunger.

The one good thing I'll say about intuitive eating is that it works at maintenance (I weigh exactly the same this morning as two months ago). The reason I went for IE was because about 2 years ago I basically starved myself down to 150lb (from my high weight of 190lb), which led to misery and disordered eating . I read up on IE as a way of restoring my relationship with food to normal and think I'm getting there, however, I haven't yet mastered the art of eating at a reasonable deficit.

I don't think I have MUCH excess body fat, that is not what the mirror tells me; but unless I post photos of myself (which I am not willing to do) I can't prove anything. However, my measurements yesterday were: neck 13, bust 33.5, waist 29, hips 38 (yeah I'm an apple). I have prominent muscles in every group, including visible abs and obliques.

I will take the other advice and limit the strength training until after the race. Currently batting at 57min/10K (would like to be faster, but need to be leaner to achieve that).