Lifting weights for fat loss. Help please.

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  • rjmudlax13
    rjmudlax13 Posts: 900 Member
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    I worked out on some calculators i needed to go below 1200 to lose fat whilst working out! and i have read that could be bad for a woman. Im sure i eat more than that everyday though. It doesn't help living with parents when they are planning the meals everyday.

    I suggest starting out eating 1550 Calories a day. You may have to adjust after a few weeks depending on your results. The most important thing about the diet is logging your calories accurately. Be honest and use a food scale if you can. What is your macronutrient breakdown (i.e. Fat, Carbs, Protein %)?
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    30 day shred is not strength training like anyone here is talking about. It's a 30 minute cardio workout with a little bit of resistance training thrown in. The average fit person wouldn't see any improvement doing it at all. You don't build muscle eating at a deficit and if you're eating at 1200 calories you may be able to feel and recognize where your muscle is now but you didn't build it up doing 30 day shred while eating 1200 calories.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
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    weight training builds muscle, sure you'll burn a few calories lifting weight... which if it helps you to be in calorie deficit then GREAT!

    It's having a calorie deficit that will burn fat, not resistance training.

    Here's a youtube video which explains it all http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuRWo4iFoGk

    But is it possible to burn fat on a calorie deficit but build muscle? With heavier weights and lower reps? Thanks for the reply!

    That reply was full of fail. Weight training doesn't build muscle if you're eating at a caloric deficit. It maintains the muscle mass you have while helping you build strength. This way after sheding the fat from the muscles you are much more defined. You may have some noob muscle gains right away (it's not much), but after that if you're on a deficit you are maintaining mass and adding strength.

    As far as the stomach area goes.

    Caloric deficit+work (cardio mixed with compound movement weight training)+patience = slimmer midsection. The body burns fat from wherever it wants to, with the midsection normally being the last spot it pulls from.
  • mdcoug
    mdcoug Posts: 397 Member
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    I strongly recommend getting the book (get the print edition, not e-Book), New Rules of Lifting for Women. It will help you answer many of the questions you are asking, set the foundation for your knowledge on strength training and give you a routine to follow for about 6 months.
  • FCVFCVFCV
    FCVFCVFCV Posts: 12
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    I didnt read through everyone's post so I dont know if anyone mentioned this. But you could turn your weight lifting routine into a cardio burn if you rest LESS in between exercises. Also, if you up the reps to 10-12 it will also help.

    Squats and lunges are excellent for your legs and butt. I would advise you to do them.

    As it should be mentioned by someone, there is no such thing as spot reduction. You burn fat from all over.

    Back to weights, I would focus on full body, compound movements, essentially movements that use more than one muscle group. And do your best to find functional weight routines. This isnt all about looking good. Thats a secondary benefit. Its about being healthy and having your body perform like a Ferrari as opposed to Kia-not that there is anything wrong with a KIA in and of itself.

    Look into doing circuit training to get your body revving and burning lots of calories.
    Test it out, I think you will like the results.
    FYI, anything new that the body has not done before will give you results. You have to constantly be tweaking and keeping your body guessing.

    You WILL get there!
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
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    I too recommend the Eat, Train, Progress Group. There are a lot of threads there that would answer most of your basic questions and a "form" you can fill out about yourself that the mods will review and then give you feedback regarding how much you should eat and what type of program will help you to reach your goals. Join here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

    Read all the threads from here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

    Good luck to you.
  • redlion45
    redlion45 Posts: 155 Member
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    I strongly recommend getting the book (get the print edition, not e-Book), New Rules of Lifting for Women. It will help you answer many of the questions you are asking, set the foundation for your knowledge on strength training and give you a routine to follow for about 6 months.

    THIS ^^^^^^ Weight training will help burn off the fat and will replace it with muscle. Don't be afraid of the weights, they don't bite. :happy:
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
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    "It hasn't done a huge improvement to my stomach though. I know ive only just finishd level 1 but I was reading about people just doing weight training and finding they actually lost fat whilst weight training."

    It's really the only thing that's made any of my stubborn fat start to go away - especially my tummy!! . Plus it's amazing fun, and lifting heavy means lifting heavy for you. You start wherever you start and build strength from there. :)

    "Im very paranoid about losing any more fat from my already skinny areas. I have quite the flat pancake *kitten* lol Im scared of losing fat from there. So that's why im tempted to find out about what weight training can do specially for the bum, legs and arms."

    This won't happen. Squats will actually turn that pancake into something to shop for the perfect pair of jeans for! lol

    Please pick up Starting Strength and/or the New Rules of Lifting for Women. Seriously...you will love the results!!!

    Best of luck!

    Thankyou for your positive words :) Im glad it worked for you! When you say lifting heavy for me. How heavy do we mean? How many reps would I need to be doing to build some muscle? Also how did you work out how many calories to eat a day? At the moment im eating at a deficit. Would I need to eat to maintain or up my calories? I still want to be able to lose fat but im unsure how that all works.

    Thankyou so much for the encouragement though and I will take a look into those articles or whatever they are (not really sure lol )

    x

    These are two amazing books, and they will help you know where to start and how much to start lifting with. The New Rules would probably be the best starting point. And this is the calculator I used to figure out my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure).

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    You have to be honest about your activity level, though, or you may end up eating too few or too many calories. And it took me a while to find the right balance. Right now I'm eating at a 10% deficit, 1900-2000 cals per day with my macros set to 35% carbs, 35% protein and 30% fat. I do my best to hit my protein and fat goals and then fill in the rest with (mainly) healthy carbs - and a fair amount of chocolate and wine! LOL

    I lift three times a week for 45-60 minutes and do my warmup and cooldowns on the treadmill, For cardio I do a quick 20 minute HIIT workout twice a week and I do hour long walks the other two days (two active rest days).
  • GuybrushThreepw00d
    GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
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    weight training builds muscle, sure you'll burn a few calories lifting weight... which if it helps you to be in calorie deficit then GREAT!

    It's having a calorie deficit that will burn fat, not resistance training.

    Here's a youtube video which explains it all http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuRWo4iFoGk

    But is it possible to burn fat on a calorie deficit but build muscle? With heavier weights and lower reps? Thanks for the reply!

    In some cases, yes you can lose fat and build muscle at the same time.
    On a calorie deficit for most people, any muscle growth will be minimal.... You're basically trying to hang onto the muscle you have whilst losing weight, i.e. so you're just losing fat.
  • SonnyN9
    SonnyN9 Posts: 9
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    Your body loses fat as whole, not certain spots that you emphasize on. Best thing to do are full body workouts that work the core. Try to mix up your routines between upper and lower body.

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