Any beginner weight lifters out there?
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Fitnessgirl0913
Posts: 481 Member
Hello! I am a 25 year old female who is 5'5" and I weight 137. I am basically looking to tone up and lose stubborn fat in certain places and I know weights are the answer for this! I met with a trainer who gave me workouts for my back, chest, shoulders, biceps, triceps, abs, and legs so all in all an all encompassing program! I do have some questions for you MFP users as I am new to the site (2 weeks) and am new to tracking my macros. Should you eat more carbs on days you lift and if so should you go over the goals MFP sets for you? I have been trying to hit the goal MFP set for me for carbs on days I lift (it is around 180 g) I am also drinking a whey shake after I lift to help replenish but have heard that may be all hype, thoughts? My last question is on days following your lifting workout (mine is about 60 minutes) do you find yourself ravenous? and what do you do about it? I make sure I hit my calorie goal (1600) every day but those days following my weight training I cannot seem to satisfy my hunger. Thanks! 
PS I am drinking PLENTY of water so that is no issue for me
PS I am drinking PLENTY of water so that is no issue for me
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The whole time I'm reading this I'm thinking "I hope she's drinking enough water!" lol. I've read misc. articles on lifting diets and most do say to eat more carbs on days you work out. I would ask your trainer about balancing your macros and if they don't know I'm sure your doctor will. You can customize your macros goal on MFP in settings. I set my goals for what my macros should look like on a workout day. I've found that when I drink my whey shake within 30 mins after my workout I'm not so hungry the next day but I might just be weird. If you're not getting extra carbs (almost double) on days you work out that might be why you're so hungry the next day. I hope this helps!2
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Lol yes I drink water all day every day! Funny you should mention customizing your macros! I just got an email (literally about 5 minutes ago haha) from my trainer giving me macro goals. She said my carbs should be at 268g (holy smokes!) on days I lift, so that may be part of the reason I am so hungry. I went to customize my macros in MFP and it is all based on percentage so I cannot get the ones she gave me. She told me carbs- 268g, fat- 42g, and protein- 175g but with the percentages I cannot get anywhere close to those macros (it ends up at 178% or something like that) since it has to total 100%. Is there a way to customize them by imputing your own numbers or does it have to be percentage?0
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I focus more on protein than carbs, but yes, I do tend to eat more, generally, on the days I workout. I don't know that timing is a BIG deal, but I notice a difference if I get both pre-workout and post-workout meals.
I never workout on empty. I know some people do fasted cardio, and hey, if it works for you, more power to you, but I can't even do that. If I eat an hour before a workout (cardio or lifting) I find the workout to be more effective. On the rare occasions that I forget to eat, I'm definitely more inclined to run out of gas or just feel unmotivated.
After a workout, I like to get in some protein/carb combination - fairly soon after. I know people will tell you this is bunk unless you're an elite athlete, and maybe it's all in my head, but I definitely notice less same-day exhaustion and less next-day soreness if I get a snack a half hour-hour after working out. Supposedly, chocolate milk is the perfect protein/carb ratio for recovery, so that's a favorite. 1 -
Honestly, just ignore what MFP says and if you go into the red. It's a basic algorithm and works just find for regular Joe but it terrible at customising. Is it possible it's a 40-20-40 split? 'Cause that's what it looks like. Also if you're in a deficit, that will affect your algorithm so you won't be able to get it up to those numbers without the % being whacked. Did your trainer say whether you were working towards gaining muscle or recomposition? Gaining muscle requires a small surplus as you need more calories going in than out to feed the muscle. Recomp is trying to maintain/define what muscle you have while losing body fat, which requires a deficit. Again, all these factors might explain why you're having trouble with the algorithm.
I'm not a lifter but I kickbox, as in training for belts/to compete, so take what you will from my experiences but everyone is different, i.e. I am pretty lean/small, physique-wise so what is required to maintain my shape is not the same as maintaining a lifter's shape. And I have never paid attention to the 30 minute window
. You can consume protein a few hours after your workout and it's fine. Logically speaking your body doesn't just go, 'oh...protein? I needed that an hour ago' and chucks it out. No. If you're fine doing what you're doing now then keep at it, but don't feel like you're tied to it. You can even take your protein before you workout if you want to. I tend to consume as much protein as I can throughout the day (chicken on a stick!), helps with feeling full, and maybe have a protein bar, if I have one, on my way home or have a protein shake when I get in if I'm not up to my numbers.
Carbs serve the purpose of energy. Some people feel that they need to workout fasted so that they can burn their energy stores but I have never been able to train without eating. My blood sugar goes through the floor and while I haven't passed out yet, there's still time.
I eat my dinner roughly two hours before a session as I train two consecutive hours most days and I eat about 600-650cals*/at least 100g of carbs and then I have a small carb-y snack 10 minutes before the start to push me up to about 800*cals/another 30/40g. Without carbs, you can't think for poop and you'll know when you haven't had enough because your brain will be like swiss cheese for trying to retain anything. I can end up over 300g of carbs on a training day and that's completely fine. It also means I generally don't get hungry after working out. Again, play around with what makes you feel full. Maybe it's protein, maybe it's wholemeal/grains (pasta, rice, quinoa, [sweet] potatoes, volume foods like vegetables), that's down to you. Maybe set aside some calories so you can have a snack after you train, maybe some Greek yoghurt?
Definitely come back and let us know how you get on!
*I'm tall and in maintenance so my calorie count will naturally be higher.2 -
Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »Lol yes I drink water all day every day! Funny you should mention customizing your macros! I just got an email (literally about 5 minutes ago haha) from my trainer giving me macro goals. She said my carbs should be at 268g (holy smokes!) on days I lift, so that may be part of the reason I am so hungry. I went to customize my macros in MFP and it is all based on percentage so I cannot get the ones she gave me. She told me carbs- 268g, fat- 42g, and protein- 175g but with the percentages I cannot get anywhere close to those macros (it ends up at 178% or something like that) since it has to total 100%. Is there a way to customize them by imputing your own numbers or does it have to be percentage?
That's a 50-18-32 percent split. You need to up your calories if you want those numbers, because that works out to 2150 calories a day.
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@glassofroses thanks for all the advice! My trainer did not say specifically if I am working towards gaining or recomp but I would lean more towards recomp. I am right there with you on the fasted cardio thing, I tried going on my elliptical for 20 minutes before breakfast one day and ended up throwing up lol! I have gone over the limits MFP set for carbs a few days but haven't gained weight so I am probably fine, I only tend to go over on lifting days. I will definitely try having a high protein snack after my workout and seeing if that helps!
@joallana thanks for breaking down the math for me, what you're saying makes a lot of sense! I may try upping the calories on days I lift to get closer to those macros, then have a small deficit on the off and cardio days to balance it out.0
