Heavy lifters - Did you do it during weight loss?

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Reneefit135
Reneefit135 Posts: 170
in Fitness and Exercise
For those of you who lift heavy - Did you lift heavy and do cardio to lose the weight? How often do you do heavy lifting and how much cardio? Im not talking about during maintenance but during losing weight phase how did you do it? I need to increase something ... I prefer lifting weights but i only do zumba for cardio and wonder if i should increase cardio. Im not losing as fast i as i think i should be given my exercise workload the last month or so.

I am at 1200 calories, lifting heavy and doing cardio. Im not making the progress that i want and it was suggested that i up my cardio. I have lost fat because my tight size 10's have turned into a comfy size 8 (my goal is comfy 6). Anyway i understand the scale saying I have gained with lifting heavy (kind of, because i've learned on this site that its hard for women to actually gain muscle). What i was most discouraged about is that my waist and lower belly measurement didnt go down. how could that be when im zipping clothes that i couldnt zip before?? I just want to finally reach my goals and cant figure out why i cant get there. I push myself hard for months and this always happens...i dont progress so i stop...gain back the little that i lost and start the cycle all over again. I've been doing this for 6 years now. Ok vent is over :) I just want to know if you guys think increasing my weight lift days or increasing my cardio will do the trick.
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Replies

  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
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    I do both. I lift 3 times a week, do cardio 2-3 times a week & abs twice a week.
    Ur not eating enough. Something I've learned recently is that when ur on a deficit, u will lose fat and muscle. Eating lost of protein will minimize muscle lose. So 1st of all you need to eat more & increase ur protein intake.
    You cannot gain muscle while eating a deficit. To gain muscle u have to eat a surplus. There is something called newbie gains, but Idk exactly how to explain it. Mayb sum1 else will.
    You're probably losing inches in places ur not measuring. Clothing can be better indicators than tape measure sometimes.
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
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    well i did(and still do) heavy lifting mon we fri afternoons, moderate interval training on treadmil mon wed fri mornings, and liss tue thur afternoons, but the cardio is an optional way to eat more. you may want to look into whether you are actually eating too little. do a search on here for "eat more to weight less" and check with other women on the subject.
  • TravisBurns
    TravisBurns Posts: 354 Member
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    I do. A majority of my lifting is all pretty heavy. I do cardio AFTER lifting-- usually right after. Mixing in serious heavy lifting will slow your weight-loss, but that is the best way to lose--Slow and steady
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Strength 2x to 3x per week. Cardio 2x per week. In recent weeks dues to time pressures I've only been able to focus on one and strength get's priority as it is most efficient for fat burning and muscle building.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Strength 4x a week. Cardio 1x a week if I am lucky and only for about 30 mins at most.

    PS: 1200 cals is too low imo, especially if you are exercising a lot.
  • Sthrncupcake
    Sthrncupcake Posts: 79 Member
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    I lift 3-4 times a week! I try to take in 1600 cals a day. I still have about 20 to lose...but weight lifting has been the best thing I have done for myself!
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Sorry, blew by the calorie number first time around! That is not really enough to recover effectively. When strength training and mixing in cardio you need to fuel your body. Also, the scale should not be your measuring stick. If you eat enough, you will burn fat and retain and develop muscle tissus. This will cause the muscle tissue to fill with water and nutrients for recovery and repair. The scale may not go down much but your measurements or clothes sizes might as you are expereincing. What is your strength routine and how is your recovery lafterward?
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Sounds like you're progressing to me. You've lost 2 full dress sizes. Keep going.

    1200 calories sounds like too little to me, but I don't know your height and weight. But there is a very small percentage of the population for which 1200 is the right number. VERY small. Yet it seems 80% of the women on MFP start off at 1200. That doesn't math out for me. Double check your required and reset your macros if needed. (most likely it's needed).

    And yes, I lift heavy while losing. I also lift heavy while gaining. And during maintenance. If you're not lifting heavy, why lift at all?
  • Reneefit135
    Reneefit135 Posts: 170
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    Sorry, blew by the calorie number first time around! That is not really enough to recover effectively. When strength training and mixing in cardio you need to fuel your body. Also, the scale should not be your measuring stick. If you eat enough, you will burn fat and retain and develop muscle tissus. This will cause the muscle tissue to fill with water and nutrients for recovery and repair. The scale may not go down much but your measurements or clothes sizes might as you are expereincing. What is your strength routine and how is your recovery lafterward?

    Well i do eat my exercise calories back most times. Feel free to look at my diary. Its not like im really sticking to the 1200 every day but that had been my goal until Shorty mentioned to me last wee about not eating enough. My routine is 3-4 days heavy lifting about an hour anywhere from 8 - 20 lbs when using free weights whatever will bring me to failure before 12 reps. I usually do Either a Jari love routine usually ripped and chiisled or i follow a program someone on here directed me to simplyshredded.com. and then 4 days a week of Zumba 1-2hours. Sometimes i will add in belly dancing or pilates. I know i need to mix up my routines as well. and im working on figuring out my calorie intake.
  • Reneefit135
    Reneefit135 Posts: 170
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    Sounds like you're progressing to me. You've lost 2 full dress sizes. Keep going.

    1200 calories sounds like too little to me, but I don't know your height and weight. But there is a very small percentage of the population for which 1200 is the right number. VERY small. Yet it seems 80% of the women on MFP start off at 1200. That doesn't math out for me. Double check your required and reset your macros if needed. (most likely it's needed).

    And yes, I lift heavy while losing. I also lift heavy while gaining. And during maintenance. If you're not lifting heavy, why lift at all?

    Congrats on 34lbs!! MFP put me on 1200 calories. I do notice a lot of us ladies start out here at 1200. I am 5ft 9 and weight ranges from 159-167.
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    I did about 10kg ago. I lost inches (people refuse to believe me when I sayi weigh 99kg) but my weight loss slowed to a crawl. So I stopped and am currently doing running only. This has been shrinking my thighs. When my ew gym opens I'll be starting weightlifting again. I ate 1600 calories then, I'll actuallybe following the calorie plan that NROLFW advocates this time around though!
  • Reneefit135
    Reneefit135 Posts: 170
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    I do both. I lift 3 times a week, do cardio 2-3 times a week & abs twice a week.
    Ur not eating enough. Something I've learned recently is that when ur on a deficit, u will lose fat and muscle. Eating lost of protein will minimize muscle lose. So 1st of all you need to eat more & increase ur protein intake.
    You cannot gain muscle while eating a deficit. To gain muscle u have to eat a surplus. There is something called newbie gains, but Idk exactly how to explain it. Mayb sum1 else will.
    You're probably losing inches in places ur not measuring. Clothing can be better indicators than tape measure sometimes.

    Shorty you have been such a huge help and i do believe you about the calories. I took a look at the site you sent to me and it suggested 1600 calories which of course freaks me out. I should probably do what you do and just increase gradually with the majority being an increase in protein. This is the reason i stopped being a vegetarian after 4 years. I felt like i was having to hard a time cutting my carbs and getting enough quality protein.
  • shorty35565
    shorty35565 Posts: 1,425 Member
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    I do both. I lift 3 times a week, do cardio 2-3 times a week & abs twice a week.
    Ur not eating enough. Something I've learned recently is that when ur on a deficit, u will lose fat and muscle. Eating lost of protein will minimize muscle lose. So 1st of all you need to eat more & increase ur protein intake.
    You cannot gain muscle while eating a deficit. To gain muscle u have to eat a surplus. There is something called newbie gains, but Idk exactly how to explain it. Mayb sum1 else will.
    You're probably losing inches in places ur not measuring. Clothing can be better indicators than tape measure sometimes.

    Shorty you have been such a huge help and i do believe you about the calories. I took a look at the site you sent to me and it suggested 1600 calories which of course freaks me out. I should probably do what you do and just increase gradually with the majority being an increase in protein. This is the reason i stopped being a vegetarian after 4 years. I felt like i was having to hard a time cutting my carbs and getting enough quality protein.

    That's fine. I totally understand that the higher numbers are scary! Try to bump it up a little every week until you get there. I started out at 1200 too. I think it's common for many women to just do the bottom number, cuz they wanna lose a lot. I wasn't on mfp back then, so no 1 told me I could eat more. So now eating a lot is hard for me mentally, even tho I totally get why I should it, there is that little voice in the back of my head. But I'm up to 1560 now, slowing inching up. Protein powder helps if you dont like to eat a lot of meat. Try some tofu or egg whites as well. Nuts have it too. My carbs went down when I raised my protein, so I think urs will too. I eat 40/30/30 (Carbs/fat/protein)
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Shorty you have been such a huge help and i do believe you about the calories. I took a look at the site you sent to me and it suggested 1600 calories which of course freaks me out. I should probably do what you do and just increase gradually with the majority being an increase in protein. This is the reason i stopped being a vegetarian after 4 years. I felt like i was having to hard a time cutting my carbs and getting enough quality protein.

    I don't lift heavy and am not helpful to the topic but I figured I'd step in and perhaps give you some relief.

    You:
    5'9
    Start weight: 159-167lb
    MFP recommends: 1200 cals

    Me:
    5'7
    Start weight: over 150lb
    Current weight: 120lb
    MFP recommends: 1200 cals
    CoderGal NETS: 1700 calories when not exercising...I can get upwards to 3xxx sometimes and I'm not fat yet :tongue:

    If you're a fairly healthy individual without any metabolic diseases I can assure you 1600 cals is not going to make you fat if it can make a shorter lighter person skinnier. Also, make sure to eat back your exercise cals!
  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
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    i still lift as heavy as i can during my 'cut phase'...i just lift as much and mostly do whole body, then i hit the cardio..i only decrease my calories by 300 or so.
  • Reneefit135
    Reneefit135 Posts: 170
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    Codergal, that is extremely helpful. I cannot believe you can eat that many calories and lost. Every time i hear one of those stories it just confuses me LOL. I guess what confuses me is i always thought the reason i gained the weight is because of eating so many calories. Well i guess i wasnt exercising either. But at one point i did work out but ate what i wanted and that didnt work either. I guess is the quality of calories that make a difference as well. Thanks.
  • Reneefit135
    Reneefit135 Posts: 170
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    I lift 3-4 times a week! I try to take in 1600 cals a day. I still have about 20 to lose...but weight lifting has been the best thing I have done for myself!

    LOVED your post about heavy lifting "ruining" your body. that was too cute but so helpful .Thanks
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Codergal, that is extremely helpful. I cannot believe you can eat that many calories and lost. Every time i hear one of those stories it just confuses me LOL. I guess what confuses me is i always thought the reason i gained the weight is because of eating so many calories. Well i guess i wasnt exercising either. But at one point i did work out but ate what i wanted and that didnt work either. I guess is the quality of calories that make a difference as well. Thanks.

    It is, but much more then 1200 cals. The average healthy female adult from every demographic consumes 2000 calories to get 97-98% of the recommended nutrient intake level according to the RDI/FDA/Canada Health. If the average female is eating less then that, they're probably on a diet or maintaining a pretty low weight. So you shouldn't look at 2000 as a large number if you plan on getting your nutrients. Especially for yourself since you're taller then average. And vitamin pills don't exactly work if your body doesn't have enough fat to absorb the nutrients.
  • Elen_Sia
    Elen_Sia Posts: 638 Member
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    1200 calories a day stopped being enough for me after I started lifting in Feb. I now lift 3x a week and bike outside on the other days. I have to net at least 1500 calories a day or I'll go into Hulk mode. It's not pretty. :laugh:

    Oh, I'm 5'2" btw.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    Yes. I stay pretty stable.

    My wife eats about 1800 calories, which is a small deficit. She's strong as hell in no time at all.
    The fat is coming off. She just did a 210lb deadlift the other day and a 190lb squat!

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