SL and weight loss/fat loss - a few questions

dcresider

Hi all. It has been a while since I posted and my SL training has been at a standstill due to an overused bad shoulder. Meanwhile, this winter hasn't been good on my waistline and I've gained a few extra pounds which definitely shows on my tight fitting clothes.

Here are my stats:

-5'1" , 47, 143 lbs., slight pear shape and carry weight on my lower half
-current activity: cardio 3x week (no bicycling due the temperatures and no weight training for a couple of months due to shoulder problems). Cardio consists of runs and/or HIIT classes.
-calories: 1300 -1500. I know I have been eating more on non-active days, hence my weight gain.
-macros (40C, 30F, 30P)
-16:8 Intermittent fasting but inconsistent (about3-4x a week)

So, what are your macros? Have you seen any body changes (fat or weight loss) just by SL alone? Should I incorporate light cardio on non-SL days? Any advice will be appreciated.

canadianlbs

i'd try to answer this, except i haven't a clue on most of the data points that you're asking about . . . i just can't with logging, so i just don't.

i think the main thing lifting did for me was a shape change. it's fairly subtle though, nothing that i can really pin down. and i guess there's the fact that way back in july 2015 i seem to have recorded some measurements, and i'm preeeeeettty sure summer 2015 was when i weighed in the region of 125.

so for whatever it's worth, i'm 10 - 15 pounds heavier now. i seem to have only measured my legs at various points , but . . . the numbers are still almost exactly the same.

i myself am not even sure what that means. except that i guess technically, i should be able to say that i look about the same now at 135-140, as i used to look when i was at 125-130ish. it does seem like i'm still wearing mostly the same clothes, so there's that.

don't think it answers your question, but to tell the truth i'm not sure about that, so i figured i'd toss it in there.

DawnEmbers

When I did SL, I was trying to lose weight as it was the start of my journey. However, I was also at like 200 lbs at the time, so I could lose weight at a higher calorie point. I tried to get a minimum of 80 grams of protein as it was sometimes a struggle. Didn't really do it based on percentages. I try to not let my fat get too low on a regular basis but I didn't really have a set number for those or carbs. Just focused first on protein and overall calories, then tweaked things later.

I did some walking while doing SL and later started going the couch to 5k during my stint with NROLFW. I did that not really for the calories though but because I like cardio and have goals with that as well as lifting.

That's my experience with SL and trying to lose weight. I haven't done SL in a long time though I'm still lifting and going to be trying to do another cut. Still try to get around .8/bw in protein but think my overall calories will be around 1500 starting out and I'll adjust from there.

jessiferrrb

i'm doing it while trying to lose weight. i've noticed that since starting strength training the scale has slowed considerably. but clothes are fitting better and while i can't see a difference, i get a lot of comments from people that notice that i've "lost weight"

i try to do cardio 2-3 times per week as well because i'm hungry a lot and i want to eat more. or i want to save calories for things like super bowl parties or going out.

dcresider

Thanks ladies. Last year around this time, I was very consistent with SL and managed to lifts heavy weights but I always felt like I was "bulking" up (as in I managed to gain muscle AND keep the fat too). There's gotta be a happy medium and I have yet to find it. Meanwhile, I'll keep watching what I eat.

lbcgirl25

This is a month ago already but this is my issue too - I have been at a deficit in calories, and started SL beginning of Jan. Fast forward two months, I'm up 3 lbs, and my pics I look slightly bulkier, definitely no more toned. I have about 20 lbs to lose, all lower body. I've lost 130 and kept it off for years, so I know how to lose with cardio and moderate strength training or body weight training - but heavy lifting is bulking me a bit (which I find strange considering I'm not eating at a surplus). Trying to give it time, but I feel chubby compared to Jan. Sigh.

amyinthetardis1231

I have found it harder to keep my deficit because I feel hungry after weight lifting, and I'm trying to get more protein. I am losing weight but more slowly because I haven't been keeping as large of a deficit. Now that it's warming up a little I'm going to try adding in more walking again to burn off a few more calories and see if that helps me stay at deficit better. I do have more muscle definition even with the minimal deficit, but I also have 40 plus lbs to lose yet so I need to keep peeling fat off.

NKoz82

So I started SL in February and macros but wasn't great about tracking so I lost 4 pounds and plateaued. This week I kept my macros on point, drank all the water and added cardio back in starting couch25k. I failed on my squat for the first time at 135 and my quads are so sore but I dropped 4 pounds. I am 5'3" started 184 now 176 pounds and eat 1700 calories with 145p/136c/64f I have seen a lot more change in my body than the scale is showing

rhileyschubbygranny

NKoz82 wrote: »

So I started SL in February and macros but wasn't great about tracking so I lost 4 pounds and plateaued. This week I kept my macros on point, drank all the water and added cardio back in starting couch25k. I failed on my squat for the first time at 135 and my quads are so sore but I dropped 4 pounds. I am 5'3" started 184 now 176 pounds and eat 1700 calories with 145p/136c/64f I have seen a lot more change in my body than the scale is showing

I also started SL in February and have lost one pound per week at 1300 calories per day, more carbs than I should be having at, and keeping my fat between 10-20 % of my total calorie in take. I struggle to get my protein macros up due to food allergies. I cannot eat any protein bars or protein powers. I am getting extremely sick of living off of chicken breasts. How have you been taking in you protein?

DawnEmbers

rhileyschubbygranny wrote: »

I also started SL in February and have lost one pound per week at 1300 calories per day, more carbs than I should be having at, and keeping my fat between 10-20 % of my total calorie in take. I struggle to get my protein macros up due to food allergies. I cannot eat any protein bars or protein powers. I am getting extremely sick of living off of chicken breasts. How have you been taking in you protein?

What aspect of bars and powders don't work for you? I have issue with dairy so know it can be challenging. What about eggs and other types of meat? Some veggies have protein (more so than others) and there are options like beans, some pastas have added protein too and such. Many different sources out there that can add up. Also, just out of curiosity: Any reason for the 1300 calories? I just ask because I'm 4'11.5" and that's my BMR so I go higher than that even when cutting (eating in deficit).

tsawrie

There's a non-meat source called "Beyond Beef" that is tasty and a great protein source. I buy it in the gluten frozen section at Wal-Mart

figureitout87

NKoz82 wrote: »

So I started SL in February and macros but wasn't great about tracking so I lost 4 pounds and plateaued. This week I kept my macros on point, drank all the water and added cardio back in starting couch25k. I failed on my squat for the first time at 135 and my quads are so sore but I dropped 4 pounds. I am 5'3" started 184 now 176 pounds and eat 1700 calories with 145p/136c/64f I have seen a lot more change in my body than the scale is showing

We're the exact same stats - I haven't started SL yet, but this a great insight.

NKoz82 wrote: »

I am getting extremely sick of living off of chicken breasts. How have you been taking in you protein?

Chicken THIGHS (higher fat, but cheaper and so much tastier) - try different marinades. I have been doing a Sriracha/Orange marinade almost every week. I have chicken breast this week, and I made fajitas... it's just not as good or satiating as thigh.

Turkey - I get frozen turkey patties for something quick. Also turkey and Chinese 5 Spice is delicious! Add some peanut sauce and grab some lettuce to make some delicious wraps.

Cottage cheese has a ton of protein. I usually mix it with hot sauce, but apparently most people add in sweet items...

Get creative with eggs. Hard boiled eggs make my stomach churn nowadays, but I made little egg muffins this week with feta and green onion and they're bomb. Make pancakes, cloud bread, etc.

Edamame makes a great protein snack. I don't have it often because I watch my soy intake but it's a good way to mix up protein.

I struggled with my protein but I'm solidly hitting about 120+g without feeling like all I'm eating is protein.

jessiferrrb

i don't eat red meat or chicken and i struggle to hit my protein goal as well sometimes but here are my go-to's

greek yogurt (in like everything, for everything, on everything - even subbed it for cream in quiche)
eggs
shrimp (frozen and thrown in stir fries or pastas)
fish
canned tuna (*MVP of protein for me as a can has about 50 grams)
meat substitutes like beyond meat, gardein, quorn, etc.
rarely protein powder

SarahMorganP

Instated SL in the beginning of March. I started at 207lbs and am now at 199. I have my calories set to lose 1/2lb a week because I love to eat. LOVE to eat! lol so until recently I was allowed almost 1800 calories a day, now that I changed my weight I'm only allowed 1700. I do eat all my exercise calories back though so most days I'm eating around 2000-2300. I'm 5'2 btw.

The only thing I do other than SL 3 days a week is walk. Most days I take two 30-45min walks, so about 3-4 miles per day. On the weekends it's more like 6-8 miles a day. I hate cardio with a passion though so that's all I do.

figureitout87

SarahMorganP wrote: »

Instated SL in the beginning of March. I started at 207lbs and am now at 199. I have my calories set to lose 1/2lb a week because I love to eat. LOVE to eat! lol so until recently I was allowed almost 1800 calories a day, now that I changed my weight I'm only allowed 1700. I do eat all my exercise calories back though so most days I'm eating around 2000-2300. I'm 5'2 btw.

The only thing I do other than SL 3 days a week is walk. Most days I take two 30-45min walks, so about 3-4 miles per day. On the weekends it's more like 6-8 miles a day. I hate cardio with a passion though so that's all I do.

I hope this is what happens for me! I'm 5'3 and 175 - also not a fan of cardio (and the program says to not incorporate it, so I've been curious)

skellymama1

Can I jump in here?
Just started SL at the beginning of April.
Stats 166lbs 5'3"
I did a lifting program last year with a trainer and definitely bulked, 2 pairs of my favorite jeans ripped across the hamstrings

skellymama1

Don't know where the rest of my post went.

At that time I paid no attention to my diet , if anything I was eating more.
Currently I'm on 1500 cals, 35C 35F 30P.
Have some foot and back issues so only cardio is a couple of walks with the dog.
Numbers on the scales don't really bother me but I do need to drop at least 20lbs and lower my bf for health reasons alone. Having said that I'm fed up of feeling frumpy and clothes not fitting well.
I will weigh and do measurements at the end of the month. Hoping to see even small losses on both. I'm feeling good and enjoying the program so there's that too.
I'm new to macros etc so enjoy reading all the threads and posts from you guys and seeing your results.

motivatedsister

Hi all!

I started SL in earnest on March 9th (at least that's the earliest I see it tracked on my fitbit workouts). I have been teetering 2lbs over or under 200lbs since then. I'm short (about 5'0) so I obviously have a lot of weight to lose to get to a healthy BMI. I love lifting and am a firm believer of the effects that it can have on your body shape...so I'm trying to not focus on the fact that the scale isn't moving and stick with it.

BUT!!! Lol, I would like to see the scale move a bit and I am becoming a little frustrated because I feel like I'm busting my butt and not getting any results.

My workout schedule right now includes boxing 3-4x/wk, cardio dance class 3x/wk, SL 3x/wk, BodyPump 2-3x/wk, and maybe an Insanity class 1x/wk. So I definitely have a good mix of cardio in there as well. I eat about 1200 calories + a portion of my exercise calories back with an average deficit somewhere between 500-1000 calories. In looking at my macros, I definitely see I need to make a more conscious effort to get more protein in.

But any suggestions to get the scale to move? Or should I just get that out of my mind altogether?

For those who used SL strictly to lose weight, what was the rate in which you lost?

canadianlbs

my first half-year of stronglifts (which was also my first half-year of lifting at all) overlapped with my logging and continued attempts to lose weight. i was at a different point in the process from you, in that i started lifting at about 135 and was trying to fight myself free of a final 5-10 pounds. iirc lifting actually crossed my screen because i was so frustrated by a pure deficit-and-cycling stall.

within that context though, i'm pretty sure i remember a looong patch of being really frustrated with it because nothing changed on the scale. at all. it was three years ago now so not guaranteed-sure, but i have a feeling things hung like a stalled elevator for maybe as long as two months. and then suddenly i had a 'whoosh' (hate that term) and the elevator got going again.

i'm 5'3ish and turned 49 in that year, if it helps you any. my own calorie limit was 1200 as well. but yes, it definitely did sort of save itself up and all happen at once. lifting seemed to really paralyse it for a while.

motivatedsister

Ok thanks! @canadianlbs

Maybe I just need to give it some more time to see some movement on the scale. I think I definitely need to get better at taking measurements...lol I just feel like I never end up taking it in the same spot per se so I don't really feel like it's accurate. I think I need to do photos in like the same outfit once a month.

Anyone else have any insight? Or what was your experience?

Katiebear_81

motivatedsister wrote: »

Hi all!

I started SL in earnest on March 9th (at least that's the earliest I see it tracked on my fitbit workouts). I have been teetering 2lbs over or under 200lbs since then. I'm short (about 5'0) so I obviously have a lot of weight to lose to get to a healthy BMI. I love lifting and am a firm believer of the effects that it can have on your body shape...so I'm trying to not focus on the fact that the scale isn't moving and stick with it.

BUT!!! Lol, I would like to see the scale move a bit and I am becoming a little frustrated because I feel like I'm busting my butt and not getting any results.

My workout schedule right now includes boxing 3-4x/wk, cardio dance class 3x/wk, SL 3x/wk, BodyPump 2-3x/wk, and maybe an Insanity class 1x/wk. So I definitely have a good mix of cardio in there as well. I eat about 1200 calories + a portion of my exercise calories back with an average deficit somewhere between 500-1000 calories. In looking at my macros, I definitely see I need to make a more conscious effort to get more protein in.

But any suggestions to get the scale to move? Or should I just get that out of my mind altogether?

For those who used SL strictly to lose weight, what was the rate in which you lost?

Dude... do you go to the gym twice a day? What is your recovery plan, because as I see it, you're taxing your muscles every day or damn near that. Rest and recovery is important!

motivatedsister

Twice a day only two days a week; pretty much 2 hours a day most days, either two consecutive hours at night or 1 hour at lunch followed by another hour after work.

So for example on the days I do SL, I do an hour of boxing in the evening. On the other days it's usually an hour of cardio plus BodyPump (I usually make it a point to go lighter now, than I would have when I wasn't doing SL to try and not overdo it). Maybe I should get rid of BodyPump to have truly a full rest day in terms of lifting. I eventually want to get rid of BodyPump as I felt like I had been going for awhile but never really getting stronger...hence why I started SL. It's a good workout, but I just didn't feel like I was progressing.

I'm open to suggestions! Maybe I should replace BodyPump with a short 30 minute c25K workout instead...more cardio.

amyinthetardis1231

It sounds like you may be overtraining, especially on a pretty modest amount of calories. Try taking some time off and see how that feels?

motivatedsister

Ok. Well I didn't do anything yesterday, and I will plan to skip BodyPump the rest of the week. I've got some stuff to do Saturday, so I might just do SL only and no additional cardio class.

Will see how it goes this week!