Lifting for Fat Loss?
Replies
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tristen_leigh wrote: »Alright. I bought the Strong Curves book and will start the program when I finish reading it. In the meantime, I'm lifting 4x/week and cardio 1x/week.
Now that I'm not doing cardio constantly, I'm a little confused about my calorie deficit. MFP suggests 1420 cals/day for -1lb/week. But Scooby's calculator suggests 2375 for my "gain muscle, lose fat" goal. SO confused. What should I be doing here?
I think this is one of those times you have to modify your calorie goal as you go. The two calculators you used were set to two different goals. Scooby to recomp and MFP to lose weight. I think Scooby takes into account your workouts in addition to everyday activity, and MFP only accounted for everyday activity. The 2375 sounds a little on the high side. When you put in your activity level, did you count the lifting days? Because that would up your calorie number, even though the actual burn isn't that much. And if you set it to gain muscle and lose fat, it's going to give you maintenance calories. The MFP calculator tells you what you need to lose weight. You won't build much muscle with that much deficit.
I set my calories to a deficit, and when I was closer to goal weight I upped them to have a very slight deficit, maybe even at maintenance (my TDEE is impossible for me to calculate, given my fluctuating thyroid at the moment). I've had to fiddle with it a bit and am just going off the scale and what I see in the mirror.0 -
cerise_noir wrote: »
This is amazing! @jemhh Thank you for the links.You'll want to focus on losing fat with a calorie deficit. When you get closer to goal, you may want to switch to recomping, which will have you eating at maintenance. In both situations, lifting weights (or another form of progressive resistance) will help you to build strength and retain and/or build muscle.
As a beginner to weightlifting, I'd encourage you to look at established programs rather than try to figure out high reps vs low reps and high weight vs low weight. Here's a list of several beginner programs that may interest you. Read through them, pick one, and go for it:
* All Pro's - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843
* Fierce 5 (note that there are several variations from beginner to advanced, 3-5 day, plus a dumbbell program) - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=162916931&p=1266578971&viewfull=1#post1266578971
* Full body dumbbell routine (note: women and men can use the same rep range, if you want to go low do it, if you want to go high do it. I promise that neither will make you gain or lose a Y chromosome.) - https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html
* Lyle McDonald's barbell and machine routines - http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/beginning-weight-training-part-4.html/
* NROLFW - http://www.thenewrulesoflifting.com/nrol-for-women
* Starting Strength (book) - http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Training/dp/0982522738/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1P1RP215KTX5JG6G80Q6
* Practical Programming (book) - http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Programming-Strength-Training-Rippetoe/dp/0982522754?ie=UTF8&qid=&ref_=tmm_pap_swatch_0&sr=
* Strong Curves - http://bretcontreras.com/wp-content/uploads/Strong-Curves-Workout-Templates.pdf
* Stronglifts - http://stronglifts.com/
Closer to goal...I'd like more clarification, though. I have 50lbs to lose until goal (85lbs down now). I now that number will change since I will be strength training again (after injury), so If I were to recomp, should I start at say 10lbs to goal or 20lbs to goal or can a recomp be done now?By definition, a recomp means maintaining the same body weight, so you technically won't start a recomp until you reach your goal weight. (someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here)
Right, recomping is maintaining your body weight. However, you may find that you get to a healthy weight for your height but still a few pounds above your original goal weight and want to try recomping. I think that's more likely for somebody who is weight training along the way (this is speculation on my part but I think you're more likely to like what you see in the mirror and just want to work on detail work at that point if you've been training along the way than if you were not.)
@kwtilbury @jemhh
I'm doing to disagree slightly as the clue is in the name. Recomposition is changing your body composition by dropping fat and gaining muscle simultaneously. It's possible in a small band either side of perfect maintenance calories.
Most people do however regard it as something to do at maintenance calories.
As an example I spent a few months in a tiny deficit losing just 1lb a month but scans showed I was gaining 1lb of lean mass and losing 2lbs of fat.
Someone younger and less training years would have an advantage over me and might be able to do the same with a bigger deficit.
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cerise_noir wrote: »
This is amazing! @jemhh Thank you for the links.You'll want to focus on losing fat with a calorie deficit. When you get closer to goal, you may want to switch to recomping, which will have you eating at maintenance. In both situations, lifting weights (or another form of progressive resistance) will help you to build strength and retain and/or build muscle.
As a beginner to weightlifting, I'd encourage you to look at established programs rather than try to figure out high reps vs low reps and high weight vs low weight. Here's a list of several beginner programs that may interest you. Read through them, pick one, and go for it:
* All Pro's - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843
* Fierce 5 (note that there are several variations from beginner to advanced, 3-5 day, plus a dumbbell program) - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=162916931&p=1266578971&viewfull=1#post1266578971
* Full body dumbbell routine (note: women and men can use the same rep range, if you want to go low do it, if you want to go high do it. I promise that neither will make you gain or lose a Y chromosome.) - https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html
* Lyle McDonald's barbell and machine routines - http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/beginning-weight-training-part-4.html/
* NROLFW - http://www.thenewrulesoflifting.com/nrol-for-women
* Starting Strength (book) - http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Training/dp/0982522738/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1P1RP215KTX5JG6G80Q6
* Practical Programming (book) - http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Programming-Strength-Training-Rippetoe/dp/0982522754?ie=UTF8&qid=&ref_=tmm_pap_swatch_0&sr=
* Strong Curves - http://bretcontreras.com/wp-content/uploads/Strong-Curves-Workout-Templates.pdf
* Stronglifts - http://stronglifts.com/
Closer to goal...I'd like more clarification, though. I have 50lbs to lose until goal (85lbs down now). I now that number will change since I will be strength training again (after injury), so If I were to recomp, should I start at say 10lbs to goal or 20lbs to goal or can a recomp be done now?By definition, a recomp means maintaining the same body weight, so you technically won't start a recomp until you reach your goal weight. (someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here)
Right, recomping is maintaining your body weight. However, you may find that you get to a healthy weight for your height but still a few pounds above your original goal weight and want to try recomping. I think that's more likely for somebody who is weight training along the way (this is speculation on my part but I think you're more likely to like what you see in the mirror and just want to work on detail work at that point if you've been training along the way than if you were not.)
@kwtilbury @jemhh
I'm doing to disagree slightly as the clue is in the name. Recomposition is changing your body composition by dropping fat and gaining muscle simultaneously. It's possible in a small band either side of perfect maintenance calories.
Most people do however regard it as something to do at maintenance calories.
As an example I spent a few months in a tiny deficit losing just 1lb a month but scans showed I was gaining 1lb of lean mass and losing 2lbs of fat.
Someone younger and less training years would have an advantage over me and might be able to do the same with a bigger deficit.
@sijomial
Hmm. I'm trying to understand what you are saying. I would consider the part I bolded to be building muscle while eating in a deficit, something I've always believed possible under the right conditions. Are you saying you'd consider that to be recomping? I always thought of recomping as staying the same weight, meaning that you could eat in that small band on either side of maintenance but would be averaging maintenance overall. (Maybe my idea of "the same weight" is more narrow than necessary, as I think of it as X weight = X weight and maybe it's more like a 5 lb zone? I tend to interpret things very literally sometimes and maybe this is one of those times.)0 -
@jemhhcerise_noir wrote: »
This is amazing! @jemhh Thank you for the links.You'll want to focus on losing fat with a calorie deficit. When you get closer to goal, you may want to switch to recomping, which will have you eating at maintenance. In both situations, lifting weights (or another form of progressive resistance) will help you to build strength and retain and/or build muscle.
As a beginner to weightlifting, I'd encourage you to look at established programs rather than try to figure out high reps vs low reps and high weight vs low weight. Here's a list of several beginner programs that may interest you. Read through them, pick one, and go for it:
* All Pro's - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843
* Fierce 5 (note that there are several variations from beginner to advanced, 3-5 day, plus a dumbbell program) - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=162916931&p=1266578971&viewfull=1#post1266578971
* Full body dumbbell routine (note: women and men can use the same rep range, if you want to go low do it, if you want to go high do it. I promise that neither will make you gain or lose a Y chromosome.) - https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html
* Lyle McDonald's barbell and machine routines - http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/beginning-weight-training-part-4.html/
* NROLFW - http://www.thenewrulesoflifting.com/nrol-for-women
* Starting Strength (book) - http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Training/dp/0982522738/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1P1RP215KTX5JG6G80Q6
* Practical Programming (book) - http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Programming-Strength-Training-Rippetoe/dp/0982522754?ie=UTF8&qid=&ref_=tmm_pap_swatch_0&sr=
* Strong Curves - http://bretcontreras.com/wp-content/uploads/Strong-Curves-Workout-Templates.pdf
* Stronglifts - http://stronglifts.com/
Closer to goal...I'd like more clarification, though. I have 50lbs to lose until goal (85lbs down now). I now that number will change since I will be strength training again (after injury), so If I were to recomp, should I start at say 10lbs to goal or 20lbs to goal or can a recomp be done now?By definition, a recomp means maintaining the same body weight, so you technically won't start a recomp until you reach your goal weight. (someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here)
Right, recomping is maintaining your body weight. However, you may find that you get to a healthy weight for your height but still a few pounds above your original goal weight and want to try recomping. I think that's more likely for somebody who is weight training along the way (this is speculation on my part but I think you're more likely to like what you see in the mirror and just want to work on detail work at that point if you've been training along the way than if you were not.)
@kwtilbury @jemhh
I'm doing to disagree slightly as the clue is in the name. Recomposition is changing your body composition by dropping fat and gaining muscle simultaneously. It's possible in a small band either side of perfect maintenance calories.
Most people do however regard it as something to do at maintenance calories.
As an example I spent a few months in a tiny deficit losing just 1lb a month but scans showed I was gaining 1lb of lean mass and losing 2lbs of fat.
Someone younger and less training years would have an advantage over me and might be able to do the same with a bigger deficit.
@sijomial
Hmm. I'm trying to understand what you are saying. I would consider the part I bolded to be building muscle while eating in a deficit, something I've always believed possible under the right conditions. Are you saying you'd consider that to be recomping? I always thought of recomping as staying the same weight, meaning that you could eat in that small band on either side of maintenance but would be averaging maintenance overall. (Maybe my idea of "the same weight" is more narrow than necessary, as I think of it as X weight = X weight and maybe it's more like a 5 lb zone? I tend to interpret things very literally sometimes and maybe this is one of those times.)
Really weight maintenance is one thing and recomp is another although typically done at the same time.
But I was deliberately losing weight, albeit very slowly, over a period of six months.
There are recomp programs like you are describing where people calorie cycle (high days / low days) but that's just one approach. I just stuck to the same net calories daily.
In many ways I'm an incidental recomper - recomp is the result of me getting fitter/stronger/faster rather than being a standalone body composition goal.0
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