Stronglifts 5x5 for Women

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Stronglifts with higher BF%

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pintobean
pintobean Posts: 40 Member
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Hello all :)
I'm new to this group and just wanted to ask couple of questions to ease my mind. I apologize if it has been asked before.

Anyone tried this program at a higher BF%? say 40%. My goal is to lose fat/weight definitely. Is it possible to lose fat with this program? I will be adding conditioning BW WOs and/or HIIT on my non-lifting days. So basically WO 5x per week total. I follow a low carb diet with once/week carb refeed.

I'm only 5'1" and no way will I be happy at my current weight or gaining more weight. I'm not new to strength training but have been struggling with losing fat so far...partly cuz of my on/off training for the past few months cuz of injuries and other stressors in my life. I am planning to start on Monday (currently rehabbing my legs).

Thank you :)

Replies

  • BikerGirlElaine
    BikerGirlElaine Posts: 1,631 Member
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    The calculators say that my current BF% is 44% LOL. I've been losing fat right along for months. When I don't lose, it's because I am eating too many calories.

    I will admit that I find that my window -- where I'm eating enough protein, fat, and carbs to fuel myself and not feel hungry, but eating few enough calories to lose fat -- is small. I have to really pay attention. But for me, it's well worth it, because when I'm firing on all cylinders, feeling great, gaining strength, and losing weight all at once, it's awesome. YeeHaw!!

    I have previous experience with eating low carb and lifting. You have to accept that your strength gains will be slower. I no longer do low carb and it makes a huge difference in the weight room to be fueled up with carbs. But you can just work with your body and tweak your food & strength progression as needed, you will find a sweet spot that works for you.

    Feel free to friend me if you'd like -- I'm very interested in how this will go for you!
  • pintobean
    pintobean Posts: 40 Member
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    Thank you for responding :)
    I had a Dexa scan done last week and it was quite sad to see the numbers on the scan. I know I have a long way to go but, I just want to see it consistently go down and I'll be happy. I have felt discouraged and just lost focus on diet and training, both. But, I'm willing to put in the work as long as I see progress.

    Part of my reason for low carbing (following Carb Nite Solution by Kiefer) is that I do well on it mentally...I feel more alert. Another is that I have a desk job and I sit all day at work. So, not a whole lot active. When I go home I'm on my feet most evening - prepping food, workout, run around after my toddlers, lol. So, I agree, I'll have to tweak it little bit to figure it out. I'm glad to hear that you're seeing progress. I totally understand that I will not be gaining too much strength like most other people eating carbs. I just want to lose the fat for now, lol.

    Sure, would love that. But, How do I friend you? :)
  • BikerGirlElaine
    BikerGirlElaine Posts: 1,631 Member
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    But, How do I friend you? :)

    You click on the person's username, and on the next screen, on the center right, there are a few green buttons. Click on the one that says "add as friend" or whatever it says, type in a note, and hit send. :flowerforyou:
  • pintobean
    pintobean Posts: 40 Member
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    Yeah I found it and then I saw you already sent me a request. I accepted it :)
    thanks!!
  • chubby_checkers
    chubby_checkers Posts: 2,354 Member
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    I have a higher BF%. Not sure what it is, though. Online calculators vary from 28% to 57%. I figure I'm around 40%. I just found a place that does BodPod, VO2max, and RMR testing for $130 so I intend to schedule some time to do that. I haven't really gained or lost anything since starting, but I have a hard time keeping my eating in control. TBH, I think the only reason I haven't ballooned is because of lifting.
  • pintobean
    pintobean Posts: 40 Member
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    Yes, food gets you every time!! *sigh*

    I've done bodpod before. Wear compression shorts and a sports bra. Less loose clothes on you less margin of error.
    I got lucky with Dexa. They do it at my PC doctor's office and in Maryland you need a script to get one done. I spoke with her and she was ok with me getting one done...it cost me only $25 for the scan. I couldn't believe it.
  • DaniH826
    DaniH826 Posts: 1,335 Member
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    Military body fat calculators put me in the high 30s, and I've been lifting for several months.

    If you have a lot of body fat to lose, you should lift heavy simply to prevent losing a bunch of lean muscle mass while you drop weight. And actually, people who lug high amounts of body fat around with them, are lifting heavy all along; just not super heavy and on a training program. Ask a 400 pound person what it's like hauling their body weight up a flight of stairs, and there you go. It's hard work!

    Anyhoo, don't let minor things like that stand in the way of your dreams. Lift on, and get strong! Start now!
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    I started about at 44%, and I'm probably now around 39%. I never saw the point in waiting because this way I will help preserve as much muscle mass as possible as I lose.

    Here are some of my *shameless plug* progress photos:

    Junecomparisonfront_zpsab0edd32.jpg

    Junecomparisonside_zps5372ae95.jpg
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,454 Member
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    I felt the same as Auddii, except that I'm older so knew that my muscles were naturally wasting with age and I wanted to stop that happening! I started at a much higher body fat % (in the mid 50s), and am now about 39%. To be honest, I don't know how effective lifting is (I did Starting Strength rather than Stronglifts) as I've nothing to compare it to, but as I was so keen to preserve muscle I thought it was best to get stuck into it, regardless of size. According to my scales, I have succeeded in preserving LBM while losing body fat.
  • pintobean
    pintobean Posts: 40 Member
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    Thank you, ladies for responding and helping me ease my mind. I love lifting and I actually enjoy doing it. I did starting strength for about 3 months a while back and while I gained strength on it I didn't lose much fat. Diet, I know, is 80% of the equation but, I believe just doing strength training with no cardio did not work in my favor. So, this time I wanted to make sure that I'm not wasting time with SL and see if others have noticed some fat loss with this program. I guess all of you answered my questions :smile: I'm going to add some metabolic stuff on my non-lifting days to help with the progress.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,454 Member
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    Oh, I should have said that I've been dieting all the way through, and I presume it was the calorie deficit that helped me lose the fat and weight, rather than my exercise programme (I have also always done a small amount of cardio). I think I've maintained muscle because of the strength training, but I don't think it made me lose fat (although, I can't know that for sure). I do some cardio because I have heart disease and it's meant to be good to do a certain amount.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    Thank you, ladies for responding and helping me ease my mind. I love lifting and I actually enjoy doing it. I did starting strength for about 3 months a while back and while I gained strength on it I didn't lose much fat. Diet, I know, is 80% of the equation but, I believe just doing strength training with no cardio did not work in my favor. So, this time I wanted to make sure that I'm not wasting time with SL and see if others have noticed some fat loss with this program. I guess all of you answered my questions :smile: I'm going to add some metabolic stuff on my non-lifting days to help with the progress.

    I agree with that. I do two days of cardio, which gives me two complete rest days. I also eat at TDEE-20% (ish).
  • beautifulswan1
    beautifulswan1 Posts: 58 Member
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    Are you doing SL only? Do you add cardio? I'm at a higher bf and I know I need to lose fat, but want to gain as much strength as possible. Thanks.
  • pintobean
    pintobean Posts: 40 Member
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    Are you doing SL only? Do you add cardio? I'm at a higher bf and I know I need to lose fat, but want to gain as much strength as possible. Thanks.

    I haven't started SL yet. I took a month off cuz of injury and will be starting SL next week. Before June, I was doing strength training 3x and cardio 2x per week. I was doing treadmill LISS or HIIT depending on my mood on my non-lifting days. I hate HIIT to be honest. But, right now, I understand that without some cardio I won't be able to achieve my goals especially when I have a 100% desk job. SO, it is a necessary evil :grumble:

    Also, right now, I will be staying away from any running cuz I don't want to aggravate my current injury into anything worse. So, I'm looking into doing other forms of cardio type stuff that does not involve any pounding on my feet.

    I found this article today -- http://www.tonygentilcore.com/blog/pre-or-post-workout-cardio-when-is-it-ideal/
  • pintobean
    pintobean Posts: 40 Member
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    I started about at 44%, and I'm probably now around 39%. I never saw the point in waiting because this way I will help preserve as much muscle mass as possible as I lose.

    Here are some of my *shameless plug* progress photos:

    Junecomparisonfront_zpsab0edd32.jpg

    Junecomparisonside_zps5372ae95.jpg

    Thanks for sharing your progress pictures. It took me a while to respond to this post cuz I can't see pictures at work (99%) cuz they have blocked it. And, I rarely check MFP from home. Well, I've been meaning to check your pictures since you posted. I definitely see lot of progress in such a short time. You look great :smile:

    And, no shame in posting progress pictures. It is always motivating!!

    Do you mind sharing what you do diet wise? What do you generally eat? Calories? Thanks!
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    Do you mind sharing what you do diet wise? What do you generally eat? Calories? Thanks!

    When I started I was trying to strictly eat 1800 calories. I took a diet and lifting break when I went out of town a few times, and I came back weighing less each time (after initial bloat). So, now I try to eat somewhere between 1800 and 2400. It's basically TDEE-20% and TDEE. Although it is some of the lower guestimates. I've seen other calculators give me up to 3200 for TDEE. I personally use HeyBales's spreadsheet.

    That has not been going well this week, but my diary is open. I usually go out to eat 3-4 times a week, which is my down fall, but at home I try to bring lunch to work, and I batch cook a lot since I don't mind eating the same thing all the time and it's easier since I live alone. Dinners and weekend meals are usually salads (but I actually really like salads). Lunches at work just depend, but can be chili or chicken, some kind of fruit, some kind of veggie, and a snack is usually cottage cheese. And I eat a fair amount of peanut butter.

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