Powerlifting and losing weight

RachNRoll

I had a weight gain of 8-9 Kg in a short period of time (about 6 months) after moving to a new country, some health issues and the whole adapting to a new culture and work thing.

When things settled down a bit I joined the gym and my boyfriend introduced me to Powerlifting which is something I’ve been enjoying a lot, opposed to just cardio (I hate the indoors treadmill and it’s snowy and icy outside).

Anyway, I’ve noticed some small improvements in my body shape but my main goal (for now) is to lose the weight, and this is really important to me.

I’ve been counting calories and creating a deficit, and eating healthy 80% of the time but the weight is dropping super slowly, to a point where I’m feeling so frustrated and thinking that maybe all this effort is for nothing and I should just stay home on lazy weekends instead of facing the negative temperatures outside to go to the gym, and not have these DOMS.

Should I be more strict with myself? Should I stop Powerlifting and bear with the cardio?

Please help me.. (and please don’t tell me that scale is just a number and that what matters is how you look. I don’t feel like myself with this weight and it’s crushing me).

ew_david

I'm having a hard time understanding. You like powerlifting and you're noticing improvements in your body shape. I wouldn't give up something I like that's helping me look better because the scale doesn't say a certain number, but that's just me. However, if you want to see that scale number go down faster, eat less or add in more cardio.

StealthHealth

Drop the carbs, crop the cals, drop the weights and do lots and lots of long, steady state cardio - The weight will drop. BUT it will be at the expense of your well-being and muscle.

If that is what you want then <shrug> go for it. If you want healthy, or "fit", or something else then plan and word towards that.

At the moment it seems like you are conflicted in what your goals are. Until you understand that, and the compromises that you may have to make to get there, you will probably struggle.

Wheelhouse15

Powerlifting is a good thing to do while losing weight since it will help preserve muscle and does burn calories. Also, I'm not sure why you think it's either one or the other. There is no reason you can't adjust your program to do both cardio and strength training together unless there is a time issue. In the end, it's all about how much you eat and how much you burn so you might need to eat less if you only do powerlifting but it shouldn't be an issue.

nordlead2005

I lost over 45lb doing pretty much only power lifting (and counting calories). I went from a ~10x120lb squat at 220lb to a 5x285lb squat at 173lb.

If you want to lose weight faster, stay to your calorie limit 100% of the time, and if your CO estimate is off, adjust your CI goal to lose weight at the rate you want.

If you want to do some cardio, go ahead. It won't magically make you lose weight faster, but it may improve your cardiovascular health and endurance.

EDIT: also, what program are you doing for lifting? You shouldn't be suffering eternal DOMs. I haven't suffered DOMs in months. I might get slightly sore for a few hours after doing a heavy lift, but none of that leg crippling soreness for 2-3 days after.

kwtilbury

There's no reason why you can't lift and do cardio at the same time.

lisalsd1

I've been powerlifting for 2.5 years. I'm the exact same weight, but I can see my abs now. The scale is pointless for me. What does the # on the scale even matter if your body is improving?

ovidnine

Don't give up hope!

Some suggestions to consider:

Calories/Eating- Try sticking to your daily goals for 2 weeks straight. If after 2 weeks you're dying for a a little bit of cheating, go a few hundred over, then aim for another 2 weeks straight. If you aren't dying for a little extra, see how long you can keep rolling hitting your daily goal. It can be easier to mentally stick with your calories if you have a slightly longer term goal in mind.

Cardio- You say you hate the treadmill, I do too. But if you can get on it a few times a week and do some high incline fast walking it won't beat your legs up for lifting and it will help chew up some calories as well as keep your cardio up a bit. I really think you'll be surprised how much this can help.

DOMS- Interesting, I'm curious what sort of program you're doing as well. IME (limited as it is) most powerlifting programs tend not to produce horrible DOMS but I haven't tried a ton of different ones nor am I a competitive powerlifter.

Cut/bulk- If you really feel you need to lose the weight faster for a mental boost then do so! Cut back on the weight you're moving and up your cardio bit more. Running a higher deficit will cost you some strength gains but you'll lose weight faster. Then once you get down around your goal either slow your weight loss or power past your goal and then "bulk" back up to it a bit.

Really, it all comes down to what makes you happy and motivated. That's going to produce the best results!

SonyaCele

i powerlift on a deficit all the time to lose weight, but its at the expense of not hitting PR's. When i wanna hit PR's i gotta eat a lot. So its choose one or the other, weight loss or PR's. But always powerlift