Losing strength after being on MFP? :(

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veggiehottie
veggiehottie Posts: 590 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi guys!

I am a long-time weight lifter. Despite being 40 pounds over my goal weight, I was always very strong and able to lift heavy.

I started tracking calories on MFP a few months ago - I have lost 19 pounds BUT I am seriously losing strength. I have had to LOWER my weights consecutively.

What gives? Has anyone else experienced this?

I know part of it is the restriction in calories, but do I really have to compromise my lean muscle for losing weight?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Replies

  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Getting enough iron in your diet? Maybe try a bit more rest, since now you don't have quite the fuel you did before?
  • BaileyBoo13524
    BaileyBoo13524 Posts: 593 Member
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    Maybe you are restricting your intake a little too much?
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    As you lose weight you will lose strength, especially if you lose weight at a rapid pace. Don't feel bad, it happens to everyone, including myself. I'm cutting my calories right now to drop 10 lbs and between that and the cardio my lifts are already down.

    Don't fret over it. Once you reach goal weight and get back to eating full calories you'll be able to regain most of your strength with the added benefit of less bodyfat hiding all your beautiful muscle.
  • RaeganDoucet
    RaeganDoucet Posts: 4 Member
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    Maybe try experimenting with a few more calories and a little more protein... I'm in the same boat as you. Lost a ton of weight and now have ZERO muscle. I would hate for you to have to start over from scratch like I'm having to do. :)
  • offthedeependay
    offthedeependay Posts: 435 Member
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    try increasing your protein,,it worked for me as I was having the same problem ,Onworkoutdays I try to get at least 1 g of protein for every pound of lean weight,i weigh 157 and my bf is 27lbs so I aim for 130 g of protein
  • cbrrabbit25
    cbrrabbit25 Posts: 384 Member
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    As you lose weight you will lose strength, especially if you lose weight at a rapid pace. Don't feel bad, it happens to everyone, including myself. I'm cutting my calories right now to drop 10 lbs and between that and the cardio my lifts are already down.

    Don't fret over it. Once you reach goal weight and get back to eating full calories you'll be able to regain most of your strength with the added benefit of less bodyfat hiding all your beautiful muscle.

    yep...what he said.
  • aliciadpo
    aliciadpo Posts: 69 Member
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    supplementing more protein. The body gets energy from glycogen, fat, and protein so it'll burn all three of those when you reduce calorie. Try getting more PURE protein in your diet (i.e. instead of eating 4oz, eat 6-8 at dinner and lunch) Just a thought! Hope something gives, because it would really blow to lose your muscle mass that you've worked so hard for :(
  • mom2handh1975
    mom2handh1975 Posts: 224 Member
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    As you lose weight you will lose strength, especially if you lose weight at a rapid pace. Don't feel bad, it happens to everyone, including myself. I'm cutting my calories right now to drop 10 lbs and between that and the cardio my lifts are already down.

    Don't fret over it. Once you reach goal weight and get back to eating full calories you'll be able to regain most of your strength with the added benefit of less bodyfat hiding all your beautiful muscle.

    ^ Excellent advice!
  • aschmidt73
    aschmidt73 Posts: 4
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    calories=energy so consequently the more calories you cut the less energy your body has to spend. You have to make sure to maintain enough calories for the type of workout you are doing. Weight lifting requires more calories than normal aerobic exercise. Make sure to get some protein shakes to use as snacks, an hour before and within an hour after exercise is a good time to utilize these. This gives your body the boost of energy needed to workout, as well as the protein after workout to help build and feed your muscles. If you do not take in enough calories, your body can work against you and start depleting muscle mass.
  • herrytews
    herrytews Posts: 38
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    I am on a very low carb diet and the biggest drawback is loss of muscle strength. For me, I could fix it by upping my carbs but in the absence of those I have protein shakes which help.

    Terry
  • Jersey_Devil
    Jersey_Devil Posts: 4,142 Member
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    As you lose weight you will lose strength, especially if you lose weight at a rapid pace. Don't feel bad, it happens to everyone, including myself. I'm cutting my calories right now to drop 10 lbs and between that and the cardio my lifts are already down.

    Don't fret over it. Once you reach goal weight and get back to eating full calories you'll be able to regain most of your strength with the added benefit of less bodyfat hiding all your beautiful muscle.

    THIS^^ Also, your body could be fatigued from overtiring if you don't get enough rest. Or a combo of the two.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
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    Same thing happen to me when I cut my calories too low. In order to preserve my strength I had to do a small deficit but in also mean losing weight really slowly
  • TexasTroy
    TexasTroy Posts: 477 Member
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    More than likely , you are losing a lil muscle mass with the bodyfat...usually happens. Try cycling your calories...a few days low , then a few days moderate intake , and a few days of higher intake. Keep that body confused. This will help you to still lose fat and keep muscle loss to a minimum.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
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    I find that if I keep my deficit small, I don't lose strength, but if I leave too many calories at the end of the day, my lifts really suffer.
  • Jkmumma
    Jkmumma Posts: 254
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    Extra Protein and a good multivitamin.
  • zechks
    zechks Posts: 224
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    Hi guys!

    I am a long-time weight lifter. Despite being 40 pounds over my goal weight, I was always very strong and able to lift heavy.

    I started tracking calories on MFP a few months ago - I have lost 19 pounds BUT I am seriously losing strength. I have had to LOWER my weights consecutively.

    What gives? Has anyone else experienced this?

    I know part of it is the restriction in calories, but do I really have to compromise my lean muscle for losing weight?

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

    Very normal when your body is in a calorie deficit. Just keep lifting at your best and up your protein intake so you won't lose too much muscle in the process. And don't restrict calories for too long.. Take breaks or have a weekly refeeds (not binging on junk) so your body can recover better. Good luck. ;)
  • veggiehottie
    veggiehottie Posts: 590 Member
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    Thanks, guys!!! I am gonna try eating even more protein than I already do... And also increased my calories by just a little bit. :)
  • Big_Daddy6
    Big_Daddy6 Posts: 188
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    I would lower youre calorie deficit some. Seems it may be too large and your muscles are being canibalized.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    yeah, you need tons of protein to stave off muscle loss. What did you lift? What are you lifting now?
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    are you eating too few calories?
    i try to stay 10-20% below TDEE and that seems to be a good amount to gain strength, keep as much lean body mass as possible, recover from my workouts and still burn fat.

    granted eating at a deficit is going to make strength gains a little harder to get than normal. i find that i can progressively increase weights up to a point then i lose strength. that's usually my sign that i need to spend a week eating at maintenance

    for instance last month i was up to 205 pound deadlift then the next workout i could barely do 170. i ate at maintenance for 2 weeks and now i'm back up to 197.5. so basically my strength gains are kind of spiralling rather than progressing in a straight line

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