Whats the Point? Heavy Lifting & Calorie Deficit

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Replies

  • professorRAT
    professorRAT Posts: 690 Member
    I just started lifting 5 weeks ago; during that time I ate about a 500 cal/day deficit (2000+ gross cals/day; my TDEE is around 2500-2600). I dropped my cardio from 300+ min/week to about 120 min/week.

    I took progress pics this morning. Here's what happened (before and after):

    2lxef6a.png

    I also lost inches and about 6 lbs in this time frame. I am stronger.

    Yes, I do believe I will keep doing this :bigsmile:

    ^^I love this.

    ^ditto!

    Yep, it does a body good :smile:
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    I just started lifting 5 weeks ago; during that time I ate about a 500 cal/day deficit (2000+ gross cals/day; my TDEE is around 2500-2600). I dropped my cardio from 300+ min/week to about 120 min/week.

    I took progress pics this morning. Here's what happened (before and after):

    2lxef6a.png

    I also lost inches and about 6 lbs in this time frame. I am stronger.

    Yes, I do believe I will keep doing this :bigsmile:

    dat back :love: :drinker:
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    You lower bf% by losing weight while retaining lean muscle mass. Heavy lifting retains muscle mass while in a calorie deficit. Its much harder to get to your desired bf% level if you lose lbm at a similar rate as you lose fat.

    :drinker:
  • alissadough84
    alissadough84 Posts: 95 Member
    I eat a slight calorie deficit and lift heavy. I dunno all the sciency stuff but it's making me f'in SEXY. I feel great inside and out. I feel strong and I enjoy it. It's a long process but it's so worth it. Sorry I'm no help :)


    ^^^ THIS!!
  • mmddwechanged
    mmddwechanged Posts: 1,687 Member
    I love the change in shoulders. I can't believe it was only five weeks:)
    (Cmeirun)
  • Energizer06
    Energizer06 Posts: 311 Member
    You do work abs and do pushups in the SL5x5.

    Workout A
    Squats x5
    Bench Press x5
    Inverted Rows x5
    Pushups - to fatigue x 3
    Reverse Ab Crunch- til it bloody hurts and tears roll down your face

    Workout B
    Squats x5
    Overhead Press x5
    Deadlift x1
    Pullups or Chin ups Alternate every other - to fatigue x3
    Plank 30sec intervals x 3
  • _namaste_
    _namaste_ Posts: 246
    Subbing. Love this thread.
  • bkknauer
    bkknauer Posts: 28
    Generally speaking pregnancy stretches your skin and muscles out in such a way that they dont quite ever look the same even with alot of work. It also changers your body chemistry, metabolism and how you store fat. A lot of women struggle around the midsection afterward. Keep at it though you can improve it. I find core work helps me the most...
  • bkknauer
    bkknauer Posts: 28
    thanks for the answer while i do some different and some the same exercises in my thrive class 5 days a week i do them at least that heavy or more in most cases so i guess what i do is "heavy" lifting just never thought of it that way. I also do a lot of core work, planking, rope climping, pull ups and push around sleds that weigh 200-300 pounds. I would be pretty happy overall if i didnt have 30 pounds of excess skin to work around but thats my chain of shame for letting my self go for 15 years. Sooo much happier this way though!
  • bkknauer
    bkknauer Posts: 28
    Generally speaking that is what i do so that answers my question. Well than in my opinion you can both lose fat and gain muscle on a calorie deficit because all of 2011 and 2012 i ate around 800-1000 calories a day and worked out 6-7 times a week. I have lost 170 lbs and have gained alot of muscle. I have between 15 and 20 more pounds to lose depending on how much of it is skin. so i now eat 1500 calories a day because i work out so hard if i go much lower cant seem to make it though the day. Am thinking about trying to go to 1200 which is what my husband does but he is a cardio junky and only lifts a couple times a week. He is another example of being able to do both as he has lost 120 lbs and gained a ton of muscle on 800-1200 calories also.
  • JoanB5
    JoanB5 Posts: 610 Member
    I had to be very careful what I did ab wise after pregnancies for a very long time...I had some muscles that wanted to pop through the then thinner abdominal wall...so do be careful. I had a very large first baby for my body size though. There was a LOT of stretching going on. Muscles really are much more lax for a while after pregnancies. Be patient with yourself and enjoy the benefits of strength and cardio conditioning...you'll enjoy that toddler much more without arm cramps! :)

    I will say that I have seen similar results doing body weight circuit training with no weights except body weight. My arms look tons better after four weeks (no wagging now!) I stuck with cardio for the first month, moved to some cross training the second month (DVDs), and the third month did treadmill, DVD X 4, my NoNonsense group on MFP. Of all of them, I saw the biggest changes from that MFP group.

    It looked easy enough (jumping jacks, squats, burpees, pushups, mountain climbers), but with all the planking and core work...everything gets a good workout, even cardio. I couldn't even do a full set of push ups on my toes the first week, now I can do 80 in one day!

    If you get bored with what you are doing, or aren't seeing results, I'd just switch it up for a while, cals, approach. And...keep logging, weighing, and measuring...you really need to. If nothing else, if nothing is working, it helps to have those records to really back up your consistency if you need to see a doctor or anyone about it.

    The thing is...muscle burns more calories during the day than other tissues...so if you can run or put any stress on your body during the day to build major muscle groups (bum/quads), those two muscles alone are going to really work for you. The rest just keep them evened out, and are things people see (calves, arms). Have fun! You are going to look great again!
  • lwagnitz
    lwagnitz Posts: 1,321 Member
    Calorie deficit makes you lose weight, lifting makes you look sexy doing it.

    What I would say.

    I've barely lost any weight but I have my husband drooling.
  • lwagnitz
    lwagnitz Posts: 1,321 Member
    I just started lifting 5 weeks ago; during that time I ate about a 500 cal/day deficit (2000+ gross cals/day; my TDEE is around 2500-2600). I dropped my cardio from 300+ min/week to about 120 min/week.

    I took progress pics this morning. Here's what happened (before and after):

    2lxef6a.png

    I also lost inches and about 6 lbs in this time frame. I am stronger.

    Yes, I do believe I will keep doing this :bigsmile:

    dat back :love: :drinker:

    You're stronger?...Weird..I would've never guessed by your freaking awesome muscles. :flowerforyou: :drinker:
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
    I love the change in shoulders. I can't believe it was only five weeks:)
    dat back :love: :drinker:
    You're stronger?...Weird..I would've never guessed by your freaking awesome muscles. :flowerforyou: :drinker:

    Thank you, guys :flowerforyou: :bigsmile:
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    Great answers guys and girls!!!! Continuing on with Strong Lifts and about a 400cal a day deficit! Couple intense cardio a week and an easy walk or two. Strong Lifts doesn't seem to include tris/bis or ab exercises or pushups - so i will incorporate them as well. Sexy here I come!

    This is one of the reasons I prefer SS to SL, but for starters, you're dead wrong about abs. Any standing barbell compound is an awesome ab workout. It's just isometric so you don't feel the pain you're used to with eccentric/concentric ab work. You're getting tricep work with press and bench press; if you want more, take a narrower training grip. You're getting bicep work with rows and a wee bit with deads, but you could always throw chin-ups into the mix, too. That's all you'd need
  • rjorekit
    rjorekit Posts: 1 Member
    Just weighing in here (no pun intended, I promise!)

    I've been lifting heavy for about 3 months and have been using a pretty steady 500 calorie daily deficit. I weigh myself every morning. My weight loss before I started lifting was a very steady 1 lb per week (the 3500 cal math was dead on.) Ever since I started lifting, that weight loss has leveled off a little, but it's more like half a pound lost per week. I take that to mean I'm losing a pound of fat and gaining a half pound of muscle, and it's very obvious when looking in the mirror that that's what's happening.

    A couple notes.... I use the recommended 0.7 grams of daily protein per pound of body weight (approx 120 grams of protein for me) and eat all the fat I want. I just keep carbs and sugar under control. Heavy weights, few reps/sets, 2 days off to rest. It's working great for me and would recommend anyone else try it who is looking to get leaner and and add muscle. :smile:

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