Weight Lifters: What do you...

dare2love81
dare2love81 Posts: 928 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
EAT?!? I was listening to a conversation among some fellow co-workers at lunch today and a few of them were arguing about whether or not it's possible to eat what you want (within reason) and lift weight and still lose weight. One of the women said that she eats whatever she wants, just makes sure to hit her protein goals and stays within her calories, but doesn't worry about fat, carbs, sodium, sugar or anything else - and still loses weight because she's lifting. Might I add that she doesn't do ANY cardio. The guy she was talking to said that can't be possible.

I'm leaving my opinion out of this because I'm curious as to what you all have to say. :happy: So...I ask you fellow lifters...if you've successfully lost weight, did you eat whatever you wanted?

And, GO!
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Replies

  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
    if you are eating less than tdee you will lose weight
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Weight loss is created by calorie deficit.
  • Cranktastic
    Cranktastic Posts: 1,517 Member
    This is EXACTLY what i do.
    I do walk on the off days here and there.

    I will be adding stairs on non lifting days to prepare for the Spartan Race.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    The basics are hitting protein and calorie amount. Carb/Fat ratio is personal preference.

    Many people do find that their performance in the gym suffers if their carb intake dips too low.
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    I eat what ever I want, within moderation...just had a pack of m&m's but i know I lift tonight, i walk on non-lifting days...but if i want a kaiser bun with margarine, i'm going to have it.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    Protein powder and oatmeal
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    It depends.

    If you aree 300 lbs., I would say it doesn't matter, just stay within your calorie deficit. If you have 5 lbs to lose, it gets tricky and I think the little things start to matter. So, as usual with these kinds of things, you cannot generalize. Also, you have to take into account their metabolism and their lifestyle outside of exercise. Sitting at a desk all day is different than a mail carrier.
  • MellyGibson
    MellyGibson Posts: 297 Member
    I follow a very strict nutrition and exercise program....

    I lift heavy.
    I eat on average 1 g. of protein per pound of body weight.
    I keep my %'s around 40% Carbs, 40% Protein, 20% fat.
    I do cardio 2-3X / week.

    Once a week I will eat whatever I want - a very sensible portion size.
  • dare2love81
    dare2love81 Posts: 928 Member
    if you are eating less than tdee you will lose weight

    Not arguing that point. The question at hand is whether or not it matters what you eat. Example: eating clean vs. eating junk food. And yes, I'm well aware that I'm opening up a huge can of worms with this topic. LoL I just enjoyed listening to their conversation while keeping my opinion out of it. :bigsmile:
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Weight loss is created by calorie deficit.

    This.


    As far as eating clean? Total energy consumption is the most important factor.

    Macro ratios, or clean eating, more affects well being and such.
  • lacurandera1
    lacurandera1 Posts: 8,083 Member
    I try to keep my carbs and fats at least close to my macros but yes, protein and calories is all i REALLY worry about. (plus my fats are generally a little higher than goal, but a lot of them are unsaturated.) I eat A LOT and am still losing but as I approach my goals it's getting slower.

    i do cardio and a ton of HIIT, too though so idk if i even had any business answering this. lol.
  • sunsnstatheart
    sunsnstatheart Posts: 2,544 Member
    Your co-worker who eats what she wants is right. And I'm sure she's a lot happier than the ones arguing (and trying) otherwise.
  • agbaeb
    agbaeb Posts: 179 Member
    Well, here's me:

    I'm a runner and a lifter. I eat well (and alot) of a variety of things, watching my carbs (and what kind of carbs), fat, sodium, etc. However, I eat more than chicken breasts and steamed broccoli. I have decided that my lifestyle is going to consist of feeding real food to my real family, so why not learn what works out of the real food options that I have. Notice the trend? REAL. I eat real food and avoid crap. I eat fresh foods and avoid processed foods as much as possible. I don't eat fast food. I don't eat junk food, and dessert is rare and low in calorie and portion.

    So, eat up.. .of all kinds of nutrient-rich goodness, and stay active! Change the foods that are going in, and the amount of it that you eat, and you'll lose weight and be healthier as a result!
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
    Weight loss is calorie deficit.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    Teh twinklie diet worked. The Special K diet works. I think anything will work for weight loss. But, is it healthy for the long term? Is it maintainable?

    Also, what is the age. Yes, at 20 and into my 30's I could work out and eat whatever I wanted. But, at 47, it's a whole different ballgame.
  • eatcleanNtraindirty
    eatcleanNtraindirty Posts: 444 Member
    EAT?!? I was listening to a conversation among some fellow co-workers at lunch today and a few of them were arguing about whether or not it's possible to eat what you want (within reason) and lift weight and still lose weight. One of the women said that she eats whatever she wants, just makes sure to hit her protein goals and stays within her calories, but doesn't worry about fat, carbs, sodium, sugar or anything else - and still loses weight because she's lifting. Might I add that she doesn't do ANY cardio. The guy she was talking to said that can't be possible.

    I'm leaving my opinion out of this because I'm curious as to what you all have to say. :happy: So...I ask you fellow lifters...if you've successfully lost weight, did you eat whatever you wanted?

    And, GO!

    Look at my journal. Track your calories, eat >80% fresh vegetables fruits and meats, don't eat fried ANYTHING, don't drink soda, and try to consume the least amount of refined sugars as possible.
  • tabi26
    tabi26 Posts: 535 Member
    It depends.

    If you aree 300 lbs., I would say it doesn't matter, just stay within your calorie deficit. If you have 5 lbs to lose, it gets tricky and I think the little things start to matter. So, as usual with these kinds of things, you cannot generalize. Also, you have to take into account their metabolism and their lifestyle outside of exercise. Sitting at a desk all day is different than a mail carrier.

    This! I've just recently started lifting, and I haven't technically lost any weight, but I have already lost over 3 inches in three weeks....I eat ALOT! Lol! (well I consider it alot...around 2400/day) but I live on a farm, and do farm things. Such as carrying water in five gallon pails all over hecks half acre every day. Hahaha!
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Your co-worker who eats what she wants is right. And I'm sure she's a lot happier than the ones arguing (and trying) otherwise.

    Yep.

    You mentioned that she eats within her calorie target - that's why she can lose weight.

    I do the same thing pretty much. I eat within my calorie budget, get enough protein and fats and try to get fruits and veggies in - after that, I eat what I want. In fact, I am eating a poptart ice cream sammich right now.
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
    I lift, do minimal cardio, and eat what I want within my calorie and protein goals. I also happen to like foods that are also relatively healthy, but I do end up eating pizza once a week most weeks and eating dinner out usually once other than that, and often lunch out once a week.

    My diary is open if you'd like to see what I am consuming, I log everything every day but Saturday (and I try to log Saturdays but sometimes I don't get around to it). I am not trying to lose weight, but I've maintained my weight since August.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    if you are eating less than tdee you will lose weight

    Not arguing that point. The question at hand is whether or not it matters what you eat. Example: eating clean vs. eating junk food. And yes, I'm well aware that I'm opening up a huge can of worms with this topic. LoL I just enjoyed listening to their conversation while keeping my opinion out of it. :bigsmile:

    Knowledgeable people agree that those terms are useless without context.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Weight loss is calorie deficit.

    But *health* is slightly...or grossly, depending on who you believe...more complicated.
  • dare2love81
    dare2love81 Posts: 928 Member
    I have my opinion, and will weigh in (see what I did there?) at some point.

    For the record, I'm not asking these questions because I'm looking for advice...what I'm doing works. I just knew this would be a good topic of conversation.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    Weight loss is calorie deficit.

    But *health* is slightly...or grossly, depending on who you believe...more complicated.

    True, but there are objective measures of health, and all reasonable dieting approaches are basically different paths to the same destination.
  • ZoeLifts
    ZoeLifts Posts: 10,347 Member
    Plenty do it just as your friend said, they stay in their calorie goal, aim for high protein and may or may not pay attention to their other macros, do absolutely no cardio whatsoever and are losing body fat. This is me as well. I don't even hit my protein macros as much as I should and I eat a lot of junk, too, admittedly, and I am steadily decreasing in body fat as well as weight, if that's your thing to measure. I lift 3 days a week, for approximately an hour each time.
  • zaph0d
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
    and still loses weight because she's lifting

    she loses weight because she is in a calorie deficit
  • KiltFuPanda
    KiltFuPanda Posts: 574 Member
    I eat... anything. Some people will hate me, but as long as I stay under my calorie limit, the menu is WIDE OPEN.

    Granted, my TDEE is around 2500 calories a day, and when I get a good lifting day in, that can jump another 300-400 calories easily. My cardio consist of about 10 minutes of punching the day's annoyances away on a heavy bag.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    Your co-worker who eats what she wants is right. And I'm sure she's a lot happier than the ones arguing (and trying) otherwise.

    Yep.

    You mentioned that she eats within her calorie target - that's why she can lose weight.

    I do the same thing pretty much. I eat within my calorie budget, get enough protein and fats and try to get fruits and veggies in - after that, I eat what I want. In fact, I am eating a poptart ice cream sammich right now.

    Agreed!! I stay within my caloric intake I only watch my 3 main Macro's (Carbs, Protein, and fat) beyond that I have never tracked sugar, sodium, etc..... and I get in around 125 oz. of water a day (32 oz. gatorade bottle filled 4 times..) I lift 4 days a week and was doing cardio 6 days a week but I was in the process of loosing over 300 lbs. now that I am closing in on goal I am slowing my cardio down because I am getting very close to my maintenance weight.. Best of Luck...
  • dare2love81
    dare2love81 Posts: 928 Member
    Your co-worker who eats what she wants is right. And I'm sure she's a lot happier than the ones arguing (and trying) otherwise.

    Yep.

    You mentioned that she eats within her calorie target - that's why she can lose weight.

    I do the same thing pretty much. I eat within my calorie budget, get enough protein and fats and try to get fruits and veggies in - after that, I eat what I want. In fact, I am eating a poptart ice cream sammich right now.

    All I heard was Poptart ice cream sammich. :drinker:
  • sarahz5
    sarahz5 Posts: 1,363 Member
    if you are eating less than tdee you will lose weight

    Not arguing that point. The question at hand is whether or not it matters what you eat. Example: eating clean vs. eating junk food. And yes, I'm well aware that I'm opening up a huge can of worms with this topic. LoL I just enjoyed listening to their conversation while keeping my opinion out of it. :bigsmile:

    If a person suggested that it mattered WHAT you ate, then that person WOULD be arguing this point. I'm pretty sure the poster was saying no matter what you eat, if it's less than your TDEE you will lose weight. And I heartily concur. :drinker:

    I think it's misrepresenting this chick to say she is "eating whatever she wants" though. She is eating at a deficit. Maybe she magically has no desire to eat more than that, but she IS managing her intake. If the issue was "can you do no tracking of your intake and eat as much as you want and still lose weight because you lift" that would be a different and sort of unanswerable question.
  • malystrasza
    malystrasza Posts: 26
    Whether you eat clean or eat junk food you'll lose as long as you eat at a deficit. Whichever way you chose to eat is ultimately up to you. Whatever you feel comfortable with.

    For my cut, I chose to eat clean since I figured it'd be better for my long term health and also cooking for myself was better for my wallet, than eating out or buying premade frozen foods at the market. I lost all my weight, lifting 3 days a week with no cardio. Now that I'm on a bulk, I still eat relatively clean, but I do sneak in some "junk" food to meet my caloric goal. lol

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