Losing Weight While Lifting Weights
AdieEve
Posts: 87 Member
I'm confused and am hoping someone more experienced can shed some light on this subject.
I've been tracking calories for the past 43 days and am down 10 pounds so far. I am also 10 weeks postpartum and exclusively breastfeeding. I just began lifting weights a week ago. Here's my confusion: I am following the New Rules of Lifting for Women program, and it specifically says to not try to cut calories while trying to build muscle. My current daily calorie goal is 2000. This past week, since I've been lifting, I have not lost. I am currently 165 pounds, 5'6", and female. My goal weight is 130.
What should my daily calorie goal be while trying to gain muscle but lose weight? I am aiming for a healthy weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week.
I've been tracking calories for the past 43 days and am down 10 pounds so far. I am also 10 weeks postpartum and exclusively breastfeeding. I just began lifting weights a week ago. Here's my confusion: I am following the New Rules of Lifting for Women program, and it specifically says to not try to cut calories while trying to build muscle. My current daily calorie goal is 2000. This past week, since I've been lifting, I have not lost. I am currently 165 pounds, 5'6", and female. My goal weight is 130.
What should my daily calorie goal be while trying to gain muscle but lose weight? I am aiming for a healthy weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week.
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Replies
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I'm confused and am hoping someone more experienced can shed some light on this subject.
I've been tracking calories for the past 43 days and am down 10 pounds so far. I am also 10 weeks postpartum and exclusively breastfeeding. I just began lifting weights a week ago. Here's my confusion: I am following the New Rules of Lifting for Women program, and it specifically says to not try to cut calories while trying to build muscle. My current daily calorie goal is 2000. This past week, since I've been lifting, I have not lost. I am currently 165 pounds, 5'6", and female. My goal weight is 130.
What should my daily calorie goal be while trying to gain muscle but lose weight? I am aiming for a healthy weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week.
Generally, you can't build muscle and lose weight at the same time. The purpose for lifting while in a deficit is to retain the muscle you do have so that you lose more fat than muscle.
As for why you haven't lost, you are retaining water to repair the muscles since you are new to lifting. This is to be expected and should subside in a few weeks.0 -
You can't lose weight and build muscle at the same time. It's one or the other. That is why people utilize bulk and cut cycles.0
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im a man on a 1200 calorie a day diet with MFP
ive lost 20 pounds so far
I lost 2 pounds per week as MFP promised
then I started lifting weights
in my profile there is a few pound upward spike
thats where I started lifting weights
I am gaining muscle on 1200 calories a day
I am a man but im also 42 years old
This is my experience I can't speak for anyone else or what the science says.
I can see my muscles grow and my weighmtloss has halted (but not fat loss) since lifting weights
I do 30-60 min of cardo every day and about 25 minutes of dumbell weight lifting. Nothing very heavy.
oh ya and i eat all my exercise calories back 100% i think thats important.0 -
I am far from an expert but I have lost 35+ lbs and my muscles are more noticeable and much more firmer. I am not adding any muscle?0
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im a man on a 1200 calorie a day diet with MFP
ive lost 20 pounds so far
I lost 2 pounds per week as MFP promised
then I started lifting weights
in my profile there is a few pound upward spike
thats where I started lifting weights
I am gaining muscle on 1200 calories a day
I am a man but im also 42 years old
This is my experience I can't speak for anyone else or what the science says.
I can see my muscles grow and my weighmtloss has halted (but not fat loss) since lifting weights
I do 30-60 min of cardo every day and about 25 minutes of dumbell weight lifting. Nothing very heavy.
1. Noobs to lifting or former fit people who get back into lifting after a long break can have some minimal gains in the beginning but they are short lived.
2. Fat loss causes muscle to show through more which results in people "thinking" they gained mass. Also existing muscles get harder/firmer.
3. As a man, you are not going to gain muscle mass on 1200 per day.0 -
You'll be able to lift and get stronger for a good few months at deficit. This should help maintain the muscle you do have (you may even build a tiny bit of new muscle as you're new to it).
Like above poster said, you've not dropped any weight due to water being stored for repair.
Remember to get enough protein and fat if you're going to continue at deficit - 0.8 G protein per lb body weight and 0.4 fat is a good guideline.0 -
If I'm already overweight and gaining muscle, wouldn't I lose weight because of the resting caloric burn of the muscle? I understand not losing weight while gaining muscle if I'm at/close to where I need to be weight-wise, but I'm still 30-35 pounds from that point.
Why would weight lifting cause water retention? I acknowledge this is most likely the case, but what's the science behind it?
It seems silly to say I can't lift and lose weight. Everything I've read is that weight lifting will get me to my goal weight much more quickly/healthily than just cardio and calorie cutting, and that it ensures that the weight I'm losing is not from lean muscle mass.
Still confused.
Edited to add: how does water repair muscle? I thought that was protein's job!0 -
There is potential to gain a bit of muscle if you are new to lifting however you are more likely to see mostly strength gains. You can gain strength without gaining muscle. The importance of lifting while losing weight is to keep the muscle you have and to gain strength. It's very difficult and time consuming to gain muscle so it's important to keep whatever muscle you have. You may notice your muscles more as you lose weight because they were hidden under fat before but this doesn't mean that you gained muscle. Make sure you are getting enough protein each day as well.0
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1. Noobs to lifting or former fit people who get back into lifting after a long break can have some minimal gains in the beginning but they are short lived.
2. Fat loss causes muscle to show through more which results in people "thinking" they gained mass. Also existing muscles get harder/firmer.
3. As a man, you are not going to gain muscle mass on 1200 per day.
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fat loss does not make arms bigger in diameter.
my weight has gone up since incorporating weights. on the same number of calories.0 -
If I'm already overweight and gaining muscle, wouldn't I lose weight because of the resting caloric burn of the muscle? I understand not losing weight while gaining muscle if I'm at/close to where I need to be weight-wise, but I'm still 30-35 pounds from that point.
Why would weight lifting cause water retention? I acknowledge this is most likely the case, but what's the science behind it?
It seems silly to say I can't lift and lose weight. Everything I've read is that weight lifting will get me to my goal weight much more quickly/healthily than just cardio and calorie cutting, and that it ensures that the weight I'm losing is not from lean muscle mass.
Still confused.
No one is saying you can't lift and lose. It's temporary, don't sweat it.
Your muscles are hanging onto extra glycogen to repair the damage you caused while lifting - totally normal. You'll start losing again soon if you're eating at deficit.
You can't build any serious amount of muscle at deficit but you will strengthen what is already there and because you're losing weight the muscle that's already there will be more visible. AND you'll be strong
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Gaining strength DOES mean muscle was gained. If I'm gaining strength, it means I've grown more muscle fibers.0
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If I'm already overweight and gaining muscle, wouldn't I lose weight because of the resting caloric burn of the muscle? I understand not losing weight while gaining muscle if I'm at/close to where I need to be weight-wise, but I'm still 30-35 pounds from that point.
Why would weight lifting cause water retention? I acknowledge this is most likely the case, but what's the science behind it?
It seems silly to say I can't lift and lose weight. Everything I've read is that weight lifting will get me to my goal weight much more quickly/healthily than just cardio and calorie cutting, and that it ensures that the weight I'm losing is not from lean muscle mass.
Still confused.
Edited to add: how does water repair muscle? I thought that was protein's job!
You said what we said in this post. You lift weight in a deficit to retain the muscle you have. So if you lost 10lbs, you hope that it's 10lbs of fat, and 0lbs of muscle rather than 5lbs of muscle and 5lbs of fat. Those are just numbers used to portray the point. You can still lift and lose weight.0 -
1. Noobs to lifting or former fit people who get back into lifting after a long break can have some minimal gains in the beginning but they are short lived.
2. Fat loss causes muscle to show through more which results in people "thinking" they gained mass. Also existing muscles get harder/firmer.
3. As a man, you are not going to gain muscle mass on 1200 per day.
fat loss does not make arms bigger in diameter.
my weight has gone up since incorporating weights. on the same number of calories.
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You should lay off the juice then.
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Gaining strength DOES mean muscle was gained. If I'm gaining strength, it means I've grown more muscle fibers.
No..... no it doesn't.0 -
You say my muscles are hanging on to glycogen, others say water. Which is it? Any sources behind the physiology?0
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Gaining strength DOES mean muscle was gained. If I'm gaining strength, it means I've grown more muscle fibers.
Nope. It means you strengthened the muscle that you already had.0 -
If I'm already overweight and gaining muscle, wouldn't I lose weight because of the resting caloric burn of the muscle? I understand not losing weight while gaining muscle if I'm at/close to where I need to be weight-wise, but I'm still 30-35 pounds from that point.
Why would weight lifting cause water retention? I acknowledge this is most likely the case, but what's the science behind it?
It seems silly to say I can't lift and lose weight. Everything I've read is that weight lifting will get me to my goal weight much more quickly/healthily than just cardio and calorie cutting, and that it ensures that the weight I'm losing is not from lean muscle mass.
Still confused.
Your body retains water for a number of reasons due to different stresses that occur in life. When you lift weights, your muscles are being torn and repaired which causes them to get stronger. I don't know much on the topic so maybe someone with more knowledge would be able to explain in greater detail. During this process, water is retained to help "heal" your muscles. This does go away once your body is used to the new stress you put on it. You will stop retaining water and you may stop getting sore. You are likely to still be losing fat during this time but the extra water your body is storing for the next few weeks can hide that on the scale. You should see a decrease on the scale in a few weeks once the water is not retained. I suggest taking measurements since they can show progress even when the scale does not.
The reason programs like New Rules suggest that you don't lose weight while lifting is that once your newbie gains are exhausted its extremely hard to continue to progress without eating at maintenance or at a surplus. You can lift while losing weight but at one point you may not see strength gains as often as you were in the beginning. It's still important to lift while losing weight but you may not see as much progress as one might like. Programs like that are meant to build muscle/strength so they suggest you eat to support that but that isn't necessary to follow if your goal isn't to gain muscle at this time.
I was lifting at a deficit for 1.5 months before I stalled on my lifts. I decided I rather increase my lifts than lose weight so I switched to maintenance for about 1.5 months. At that time I decided I still had some fat to lose and went back to eating at a deficit. I've noticed its hard to increase my strength gains now that I'm eating less calories but my muscles are still getting stronger.. just slowly.0 -
Gaining strength DOES mean muscle was gained. If I'm gaining strength, it means I've grown more muscle fibers.
No..... no it doesn't.
^ This. you are just engaging more of the muscle fibres you already have, the other part is neuromuscular adaptation (getting better at doing that lift, form, and movement pattern) http://www.ptdirect.com/training-design/anatomy-and-physiology/adaptations-to-exercise/chronic-neuromuscular-adaptations-to-exercise0 -
The health benefits of weight lifting go much farther than gaining muscle. You will gain lean mass and lose fat while in a deficit. Lean mass is everything in the body besides fat. Your bones will strengthen (important for breastfeeding moms), your neuromuscular adaptations will improve everyday life, etc. etc.
And yes, after about 8 weeks of lifting (you get primarily neuromuscular adaptation during the first 8 weeks, when you gain the most strength as a percentage of overall strength gain), you will have some muscle growth if you are on a progressive-loading program that is relatively high in volume/time under tension. It just won't be extreme growth, and a lot of it will be intramuscular growth as you burn intramuscular fat (your overall dimensions won't change, but the muscle fibers themselves will be harder, denser, and stronger).
Here's a quick synopsis of some of the benefits beyond hypertrophy.
http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article folder/resistben.html0 -
You say my muscles are hanging on to glycogen, others say water. Which is it? Any sources behind the physiology?
Sorry, glycogen is (in terms I understand anyway) carbs stored for easy access by your muscles like RAM in a computer. It's stored in water. Your muscles and liver carry it most of the time but when you start a new regime they carry more.
ETA: for sources use the google0 -
You say my muscles are hanging on to glycogen, others say water. Which is it? Any sources behind the physiology?
glycogen stores water, this is why when cutting carbs you see a large weight loss at first. Depleted glycogen stores, so you retain less water and the scale says good job, when most of the loss was just water.
Think of when you bang your head and a bump forms, that is water which helps protect the injury and aid in recovery, your muscles do the same when they are pushed, they get "hurt" retain water to protect them which makes it easier for your body to repair.
So some is water due to damaging your muscles (which is a good thing), but chances are you also increased glycogen in the muscles, unless you are on low carb, them much less likely.0 -
fat loss does not make arms bigger in diameter.
my weight has gone up since incorporating weights. on the same number of calories.
The only way your weight has "gone up" while on 1,200 calories a day like you say, could be related to you eating more than you think you are. You cannot gain muscle mass in a deficit, and certainly not on 1,200 calories for a male.0 -
1. Noobs to lifting or former fit people who get back into lifting after a long break can have some minimal gains in the beginning but they are short lived.
2. Fat loss causes muscle to show through more which results in people "thinking" they gained mass. Also existing muscles get harder/firmer.
3. As a man, you are not going to gain muscle mass on 1200 per day.
fat loss does not make arms bigger in diameter.
my weight has gone up since incorporating weights. on the same number of calories.
The only way your weight has "gone up" while on 1,200 calories a day like you say, could be related to you eating more than you think you are. You cannot gain muscle mass in a deficit, and certainly not on 1,200 calories for a male.
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Or a combo of eating more than he thinks and water retention, which can increase diameter as water takes up space.0 -
You say my muscles are hanging on to glycogen, others say water. Which is it? Any sources behind the physiology?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/70682930 -
Thanks for the links, all!
Okay, so if I am to continue weight lifting (and strengthening the muscles I have while not necessarily gaining new muscle), what on earth should my calorie goal be to lose the weight I need to lose?0 -
I just began lifting weights a week ago. Here's my confusion: I am following the New Rules of Lifting for Women program, and it specifically says to not try to cut calories while trying to build muscle.
Are you on facebook? There are two great NROL groups that have supportive, friendly women that offer lots of advice, encouragement and feedback! The general consensus is to follow the plan as written and to fuel our bodies by eating at or close to maintenance.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/519783901443555/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NROL4W/
edit to add that with breastfeeding, you are burning more cals and need to refuel!0 -
We don't know your stats and your diary's private.
I'm 5'6, cutting at the moment on 1470 - that's for a 1lb a week loss, if that helps.
ETA: when I first started, I lifted at 1200 net for around 6 months before my lifts stalled out (I didn't gain any appreciable muscle, just strength).0 -
Great post and great replies. Thank you. I'm learning a lot as well.0
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My stats are in the original post. Diary doesn't need to be public, I'm always at or below my daily goal of 2000 calories.0
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I would stick with your current 2000 calorie goal. I'm 5'6" and in the 160s. I lose 1.5-2 pounds a week averaging 1800 calories per day. Since you are nursing, you need to eat more calories than that. Usually the guideline is 300-500 extra calories for nursing moms.
Source: http://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-calories-fluids/0
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