Starting a serious lifting program with 10lbs to go: too soon? Really need help!

amiwills

Please read everything! First of all, stats:

Female
5ft 3.5
Starting Weight: 151lbs (Feb 2016)
Starting Measurements: Waist 31.5, (Love handle bit) 38, didn’t take any other measurements.
Current Weight: 125lbs
Current Measurements: Waist 27.9, (love handle bit) 33.9, thighs 21, arms 10.8.
GOAL: 115lbs and 26” waist!
Current workout routine: 50mins cardio 7 days a week, hardly picked up a weight in weeks.
1200-1500 calories per day

I’m 10lbs away from my goal weight. I’m getting quite frustrated feeling like I don’t look any better despite continuing to lose weight. I absolutely look better than before but for the past few weeks feel nothing has visibly changed. Also I have also come to a point where, for the first time, I am getting a bit fed up of the calorie restrictions and find that I really beat myself up over a few hundred calories, trying to stick to 1200 is proving difficult (hence going up to 1500 sometimes.) I thought I was able to eat 1500 due to 50mins cardio every day but somebody else on another post said I was eating too much.

ANYWAY. My main goal through all of this was to look great! To get back to my 26” waist and look lean. My love handles still have a fair bit of flab and so do my thighs, and a bit behind my arms - those are the things I am dying to shift now. Without clothes on I look terrible, wobbly and zero definition. I miss my butt. From behind, my love handle area (what is the proper word for this?!) is a bit wider than my butt which I absolutely hate!!! I need to get rid of that flab and fix my butt. So I am at this point where I am pretty certain I need to take up a lifting program and focus on that but I have some questions…

What workout routine should I get in to? I have no problems going to the gym every day I’m there at 5am every day anyway! How many calories should I eat if I am lifting? How much cardio if I am lifting? Will I lose any fat if I am lifting and not doing cardio? How do I properly monitor fat loss? And most importantly of all, will lifting get rid of the flab left on my love handles and thighs?

Or is all of this wrong? Do I need to lose more fat begin a serious lifting routine? Also will programs such as strong lifts give you ab definition also? Will I even get any ab definition with this flab still left?!

So many questions. I apologise for that! Just really need some good advice!! Thank you everyone.

Maxematics

Unfortunately it would have been best for you to incorporate resistance training when you started losing weight, but it's never too late to start. Cardio is great and all, but if you want changes to your body composition you're going to want to start a resistance program. Cardio doesn't burn more fat than any other workout; the only way to get rid of fat is to lose weight. The fact that you're doing cardio 50 minutes per day for 7 days per week is overkill. You should at least have one day of active rest where the only cardio you do is walking if anything. I'd be cutting the cardio to 2 to 3 days per week and adding resistance training in place of the days you cut cardio. You can recomp if you'd like, which is eating at maintenance or slightly above/below while taking on a resistance program. No need to start lifting ultra heavy right away, but if you do want to get into a progressive overload lifting program that would also be beneficial for your body composition. Also, ignore the person who said 1500 is too many calories. Everyone is different and I am able to maintain on 2000+ calories. If you're not gaining weight on 1500 calories, then you're all good. If you're tired of eating at a deficit, eating at maintenance for a few weeks truly is a good idea. However, don't be alarmed if the scale shifts up a couple of pounds in the process, as that usually happens at first.

You and I have similar stats. I'm 5'3.5" but I started at 139 pounds. Throughout my entire weight loss journey I did a mix of cardio and weights to preserve lean mass. I was like you in that I felt like I didn't see much change. It wasn't until I looked at progress pictures that I saw all the changes I made to my body. With patience and persistence comes change, even within a few pounds. I noticed huge changes to my waistline just by giving it a few months and eating at maintenance/a slight deficit. I'm 112 pounds now and I'm just eating at maintenance and continuing a mix of cardio and resistance training. Here is my progress photo collection, it shows just how much difference time makes, even within a few pounds.

amiwills

@synacious Thank you!! Your progress pictures are truly inspiring!! You look absolutely amazing. Were you eating at maintenance since June 2015? Or slightly below? And what sort of program have you been following?

Unfortunately I was too scared to eat close to maintenance, I was just thinking "I want to lose all this fat and I want to lose it now!"

I'm definitely going to recomp, how much of a deficit do you think I should be eating at? And should I pay much attention to the number on the scale when I begin?

ilex70

How many calories should I eat if I am lifting? How much cardio if I am lifting? Will I lose any fat if I am lifting and not doing cardio? How do I properly monitor fat loss? And most importantly of all, will lifting get rid of the flab left on my love handles and thighs?

Calories: cutting - deficit; recomp - maintenance; bulking (adding muscle/fat) - maintenance + 300 calories a day or so

Cardio: Whatever you like...some say do none to maximize gains, some say do some...if you like it and are trying to lose weight I would keep it.

Lose fat lifting: Fat loss is still about staying in a calorie deficit.

Monitor fat loss: measurements, pics, DEXA/BodPod if you like

Flab: Fat loss is still about staying in a calorie deficit.

I'm definitely going to recomp, how much of a deficit do you think I should be eating at? And should I pay much attention to the number on the scale when I begin?

Recomp = eating at maintenance, not a deficit. Eating more/moving to maintenance is scary, so some move up slowly. But if you jump right in you should stabilize fairly quickly anyway. Expect 5 pounds, not that it will stay, just that it will show up.

And ignoring the scale might be easier, certainly for the first few weeks if you are eating more and retaining water due to starting to lift.

Maxematics

amiwills wrote: »

@synacious Thank you!! Your progress pictures are truly inspiring!! You look absolutely amazing. Were you eating at maintenance since June 2015? Or slightly below? And what sort of program have you been following?

Unfortunately I was too scared to eat close to maintenance, I was just thinking "I want to lose all this fat and I want to lose it now!"

I'm definitely going to recomp, how much of a deficit do you think I should be eating at? And should I pay much attention to the number on the scale when I begin?

Thanks! No I wasn't at maintenance since June. I was at a deficit until November then let myself eat closer to maintenance from Thanksgiving through Christmas. From January to February I ate at a deficit and then from February to April I ate at a surplus. Since then I've been eating at maintenance for the most part. I did full body for a while then broke up my resistance by body part, now I'm back to full body. I agree that the scale isn't everything but I'd be lying if I said I didn't get worried when it temporarily creeped up. Don't though. Expect a fluctuation of up to five pounds and don't give up or eat less during that time.