Lifting Weight to Lose Fat

LioshaM

OK, so I have a question, I have been perusing this forum and really like what I read, but have noticed most people seem already at a particular "goal" weight. I'm definitely not at goal weight, but have a question. Has anyone started a weight lifting program with the hopes of losing fat. This may sound crazy, but I weigh around 210 and instead of cardioing to death, I have decided to do a weight lifting regimen. So I've been doing TRX and at the YMCA, my workout program is set for Mass Building. Which has me doing a full body workout focusing on different areas and 20 minutes of cardio.

If I'm eating around 2000 calories a day give or take 2100, work out 5 days a week focusing on lifting around 30-75 pounds (until I get stronger) what could I expect?

tquill

I started working out almost exactly 5 months ago and I've lost 30 pounds. I did not do a single minute of cardio in that time.

EDIT: To answer your question... it just depends on the caloric deficit and how hard you're training. I would definitely lean towards heavier weights... but just track your calories accurately, and adjust them if you're not getting the results you're looking for.

j6o4

All you need is a caloric deficit to lose weight, strength training will help you retain whatever muscle you already have. If you can retain as much muscle as possible while losing weight, you can expect to lower your bodyfat percentage.

tonynguyen75

If 2000 calories is a deficit for you, you can expect to lose weight.
If 2000 calories is a surplus for you, you can expect to gain weight.
If 2000 calories is maintenance for you, you can expect to remain the same weight.

If you have you macros in order in a deficit you can expect fat loss. Maybe some muscle loss too.
If you have your macros in order on a surplus you can expect muscle gain. Perhaps some fat gain as well depending on how much of a surplus.
If you have your macros in order in a maintenance, you can expect a very slow recomp

kateruest

Read "The New Rules of Lifting for Women", I just started and its VERY informative and comes with a workout program. Roughly $15-20 at Chapters.

mustgetmuscles1

I lost my weight while doing mostly weightlifting and little cardio. Weight loss comes from managing calories. Regardless of which form of workout you do you need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight.

So you can definitely lose body fat doing weights but if 2000 calories does not put you in a deficit you would have to lower your calories. Weightlifting does burn some calories but it is not a lot. I burn around 200 calories per hour doing heavy lifting.

Iron_Lotus

Weight loss is all about caloric intake, lifting weights allows you to maintain LBM while losing body fat.

That being said the changes in my body were due to eating at a deficit and lifting heavy

edreyrey

If you want to lose weight you need to watch your calories. LOL. Everyone said the same thing. But it is true! You should also know that Muscle will also burn more calories when your body is resting. So when you have more muscle, you can turn your body into a calorie killing machine.

teaparty75

bump....i just started doing less cardio (25-30 mins of HIIT on the treadmil) and more "heavy" lifting ....less cardio means less room for error on my calore in take - wish me luck !! Best of luck to you - here's to amazing results :drinker:

alyhuggan

I've currently lost about 40lb of fat from just weight work, I do cardio maybe two to three times a month however I do the trolleys at work regularly but that's about it, 90-120 minutes in the gym 6 days a week

beaches222

bump . Wanting to see the replies on this as I am thinking of heavier weights and less cardio as well.

tomcornhole

Eat less to lose fat (had to beat the dead horse). Work out to enjoy yourself. If you like cardio, do cardio. If you like lifting weights, lift weights. If you like yoga, do yoga. Etc... No magical formula here. But I will say that both cardio and weight lifting are beneficial to overall health. And weight lifting to preserve muscle mass whilst losing weight is time well spent. You may not be happy if you get to your goal weight and look like an emaciated fatty. It is very difficult to get it back once it's gone.

presbyreformed

OK, you guys have convinced me too. I've been working out 3-4 days a week with a weight-lifting progression chart that works through all of the muscle groups and riding my bike commuting to work 6 miles a day each work day.

After 3 months of this and trying to keep my calories under 2200, I still haven't lost my middle-age middle fat. While I'm significantly stronger and showing some muscle definition, I can't seem to lose the belly fat. At 5'9" 190lbs, I need to lose 10-20 depending on who you talk to. I'd be happy just losing the belly. I don't think I look that bad, but whenever I get my body fat analysis done, it comes out quite disappointingly high.

So, I'm cutting back.

3laine75

I agree with what others are saying but I'd just like to add, keep an eye on your macros. IMO, MFP's default setting for protein is too low if your looking to maintain or increase your LBM while at a calorie deficit. Especially if you plan on lifting heavy - you won't be able to make progressive strength gains at 15% protein.

I like 40(carbs)/30(protein)/30(fat). There are more complicated ways to work out your exact protein and fat needs but I think this ratio works well as a guesstimate

geekyjock76

You aren't going to be doing any significant mass building while on a caloric deficit. If it were possible, bodybuilders would skip doing bulks (eating a caloric surplus). Realistically, the goal while assuming a deficit is trying to retain the amount of lean mass you presently have.

Hezzietiger1

I've lost a lot of weight without doing much cardio.. but these last 10-15 lbs are taking a lot of extra work.. so rather than cut calories, i'm putting in cardio. so for me.. the time has come where i just need to do more work.

Peppermint_Patty614

bump . Wanting to see the replies on this as I am thinking of heavier weights and less cardio as well.

Me too.

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

I mean yeah, at the end of the day it all comes down to your intake rather than the type of exercise you do. If I could do it over I would probably NOT do the TDEE method while I was lifting. In my case I think I overestimated the number of calories that lifting burned and in turn I didn't lose the way that I thought I would. What DID happen however, is that I really started to transform my body and my confidence went through the roof So while I would have done it different, I'm by no means disappointed by the results.

Where the challenge starts to come in is having enough energy while eating at a deficit to really be able to progress on your lifts. It's kind of a balancing act to be honest. But at the end of the day, it's all about your intake. Easy, peasy.

LaurnWhit

Bump to read later!

Hauntinglyfit

Weight Lifting + reasonable caloric deficit= fat loss.

cmeiron

You can definitely lose weight, and fat, doing either cardio OR weights, since it mostly boils down to intake. However, in terms of physique, personally I had much better luck achieving the physique I wanted once I cut the cardio drastically and replaced it with about 3 hrs of lifting/week and focused more on getting adequate proteins and fats in my day. I did lose weight and fat doing only cardio, but just didn't get the "look" I was after (i.e., visible muscles, lean and fairly tight physique). Here's some pics that illustrate what I mean: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1081300-i-ate-i-trained-i-progressed-w-pics

LioshaM

Awesome!!! Thanks for all of the replys...

ldressle66

I just discovered interval weight training. My PT says just MOVE and nothing is bad!
but, free weights combined with interval cardio has really increased my metabolism.

I do cardio 3x per week and weight intervals 2x per week trying to get to 3

I haven't lost weight but I have definitely gained muscle and feel stronger all over...

Hire a personal trainer to get motivated and get going...