Stronglifts 5x5 for Women

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Oh what to do? What to do? Diet or Lift?

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sarahlouise7
sarahlouise7 Posts: 198 Member
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Hi All,

Iv been following you all since December and you are all amazing!! Some impressive results !! Im currently doing p90x and Im thinking of what my next move will be once this finishes at the end of this month.

My question.......I have not lost any weight at all with p90x so far but have noticed a little change in my figure, but nothing huge. I still have 45lbs to lose, with 55lbs lost to date done with diet and exercise. Should I lose a bit more of this weight before I start SL 5X5 or should I just go straight into SL 5X5?

I know this subject has come up a few times and I have read them all, but Im still unsure :/ I know a few have said that they dont care what they weigh as long as they look ripped. But I do mind as I really would need to build significant lean mass to change my 45lbs of fat!!

Has anyone lost significant weight with lifting?? Significant body fat reduction??

Any advice would be greatly appreciated and thank you in advance

Sarah x

Replies

  • victoriannsays
    victoriannsays Posts: 568 Member
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    Hello. I started Stronglifts 5x5 on January 18th(or close to there). I have had fantastic results in the short time I have been doing this. I am eating an average of 2,000 calories a day and I am losing roughly .25lb a week. I am 5'5 and 130lbs.. so I'm not entirely concerned with my weight loss but with how I look in the mirror.

    I do very little cardio, and yoga once a week. I think you should give lifting a try! My biggest regret is not starting sooner!
  • Soosannah
    Soosannah Posts: 270 Member
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    Hi All,

    Iv been following you all since December and you are all amazing!! Some impressive results !! Im currently doing p90x and Im thinking of what my next move will be once this finishes at the end of this month.

    My question.......I have not lost any weight at all with p90x so far but have noticed a little change in my figure, but nothing huge. I still have 45lbs to lose, with 55lbs lost to date done with diet and exercise. Should I lose a bit more of this weight before I start SL 5X5 or should I just go straight into SL 5X5?

    I know this subject has come up a few times and I have read them all, but Im still unsure :/ I know a few have said that they dont care what they weigh as long as they look ripped. But I do mind as I really would need to build significant lean mass to change my 45lbs of fat!!

    Has anyone lost significant weight with lifting?? Significant body fat reduction??

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated and thank you in advance

    Sarah x

    Look under the March chat thread and check out Auddii's pics. Impressive. I just started myself so I really can't profess any dramatic changes although it does make me feel like a total bad *kitten*.
  • juliemouse83
    juliemouse83 Posts: 6,663 Member
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    I started on 15 February. Had 29 pounds to lose. I have lost a little over a pound over these two weeks, BUT... I have lost one inch off of my waist, 2.25 inches from my hips and 1.5 inches off my oversized bust (thank you, powers that be!!!). That's just in the two weeks. My body composition is changing and I'm getting my tail into jeans I haven't worn since before my husband had his surgery in 09,

    I am slowly getting used to going by measurements more so than the scale, but losing half a pound a week makes me happy!
  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
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    Its not an either or. Do both - diet and lift. If you start struggling to maintain a deficit through diet because of added hunger from lifting you can always eat more and then add 30 minutes of steady state cardio 3-5x a week to make up the deficit.

    Lifting does not prevent you from losing weight, although you will start to see some water gain in the beginning, and a lot of people never really see the 3-4 lbs of water drop until they take a break, but that doesnt' mean you aren't losing fat. It just makes scale losses really hard to see in the first couple months.
  • sarahlouise7
    sarahlouise7 Posts: 198 Member
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    Thank you so much for your replies!! You do make alot of sense and im glad I wont have to choose between them :) Iv read on here elsewhere that its one or the other so its good to hear from those who actually do know, that I can do both :)

    I cant wait to join you at the end of March after my p90x finishes. I will of course still be roaming about on here though as I totally love it on here and feel right at home :) So thank you for making it so welcoming to newbies :) xx
  • RunDoozer
    RunDoozer Posts: 1,699 Member
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    I do want to say that I've seen a lot of people that don't lose weight until their 3rd month on p90x. And by the end of the 3rd month it's like WOW. So keep with it and I'm sure you'll see results
  • sarahlouise7
    sarahlouise7 Posts: 198 Member
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    I do want to say that I've seen a lot of people that don't lose weight until their 3rd month on p90x. And by the end of the 3rd month it's like WOW. So keep with it and I'm sure you'll see results

    Thank you!! :) We shall soon see lol iv seen a change in my shape, muscles, strength ect but i think i still have such high body fat, only i know its there lol but i sure will finish what iv started :)
  • jstout365
    jstout365 Posts: 1,686 Member
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    I agree that you can and should do both! I lost a good chunk of weight with the mostly cardio and some cardio lifting classes, but I saw a big shift in BF% when I switched over to lifting 6x/week in January with some cardio mixed in. I didn't really lose much on the scale, but I did drop close to 3% BF in 7 weeks. I was also eating around 1800 cal/day. I just switched to SL and bumped up to 2000 ish calories. On non-SL days I fill in with some cardio, plyometrics, core work and calisthenics. It's too early to tell how this is doing with my BF%, but lifting is a good way to get it down.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    Thought I heard my ears burning :smile:

    I decided to start lifting to preserve muscle mass while losing weight and eating at a deficit. I know I will make strength gains slower, but that's fine because my primary goal is still weight loss.

    I am eating at about a 25% deficit from TDEE, which should result in a 1-1.5 lb loss a week. It's slower than a lot of people like, but I'm hoping that it's sustainable (I tend to binge when I restrict too much) and that my skin will keep up with the weight loss. I started in January, and lift 3 times a week and do 45 minutes of cardio twice a week. Since January I've lost 14lbs. My progress pics are the last post on this page in the march thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/909986-march-check-in-chat-green-beer-to-fuel-your-lifts?page=2
  • Soosannah
    Soosannah Posts: 270 Member
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    Thought I heard my ears burning :smile:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/909986-march-check-in-chat-green-beer-to-fuel-your-lifts?page=2

    I had to talk about someone today.. You my friend were that lucky duck! :bigsmile:
  • sarahlouise7
    sarahlouise7 Posts: 198 Member
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    Thought I heard my ears burning :smile:

    I decided to start lifting to preserve muscle mass while losing weight and eating at a deficit. I know I will make strength gains slower, but that's fine because my primary goal is still weight loss.

    I am eating at about a 25% deficit from TDEE, which should result in a 1-1.5 lb loss a week. It's slower than a lot of people like, but I'm hoping that it's sustainable (I tend to binge when I restrict too much) and that my skin will keep up with the weight loss. I started in January, and lift 3 times a week and do 45 minutes of cardio twice a week. Since January I've lost 14lbs. My progress pics are the last post on this page in the march thread:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/909986-march-check-in-chat-green-beer-to-fuel-your-lifts?page=2

    Hi, I have had a look and wow, you are doing amazing!! Such a big difference too!! If I could lose 1.5lb a week id be very happy :)
  • cleotherio
    cleotherio Posts: 712 Member
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    I just finished P90x this weekend and started stronglifts today :). I probably lost 8 lbs overall (I stopped weighing myself), but two pants sizes.
  • wannabf1t
    wannabf1t Posts: 94 Member
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    Hi Sarah, I am also doing the P90x, just starting Phase two today. I have not really seen a the scale go down that much either mayba 2-3 lbs so far but I know I am getting stronger as well. I am going to start SL as soon as I am done with the p90x! You can friend me if you want.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,454 Member
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    I've lost all my weight while doing strength training of some sort. I don't think I lost weight any slower while doing heavy lifting (I'm doing a bodyweight programme at the moment, with a bit of lifting mixed in). I don't know how much I can trust my bodyfat scales but I've been keeping an eye on the figures and according to them, I'm losing fat, rather than lean body mass.
  • FluffyDogsRule
    FluffyDogsRule Posts: 366 Member
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    I'm also in the doing both to preserve muscle mass while losing camp. working really well for me!! eating around 15% below TDEE.

    by the way, it only took about 3 weeks for the initial 3-4 pound water retention weight to drop off.
    good luck!! :)
  • sarahlouise7
    sarahlouise7 Posts: 198 Member
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    Hi,

    Thank you everyone for your replies, advice and experiences :) I love reading your experiences on how you have found the programme and what its doing for you, It makes me all the more eager and excited to be starting it in a couple of weeks :)

    I cant wait to join you :) x

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