Losing Weight when Lifting Heavy

pattyproulx
pattyproulx Posts: 603 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Anyone else find that losing weight when lifting is more difficult? As a bit of background, I don't have a ton of weight to lose. To be at my absolute ideal weight, I'd probably want to lose 15-20lbs. Beyond lifting, I also play hockey and volleyball (each a couple of times per week).

I've been doing weights for a while (on and off) and it seems I always seem to have a hard time losing when lifting heavy.

What made me realize this is that I had been lifting 3 times a week (with focus on the big three lifts) for the last 2-3 months with a friend and I lost probably a grand total of 3-4 lbs. I wasn't necessarily eating great, but I wasn't eating poorly either.

Then last week, my wife gave birth and I haven't been able to go to the gym in a week and a half (getting into a new routine and plan on going back in January). During the first week, we did not eat well (pizza, fast food, and take-out for most of the week). I weighed myself earlier this week expecting to have gained 5-6 lbs and I had actually stayed at the same weight (Even lost a pound or so).

Now I'm dialing in my diet and I'm losing weight effortlessly and I'm not lifting. I just find that when I'm lifting heavy, I get famished. It makes sense that my body gets hungry because it needs energy to get stronger, but that also makes it difficult to lose weight.

Then I started thinking back on when I've been at my lowest weight in the past and it seems I've never really lost a lot of weight while lifting (there've been times when I've done it with little formal exercise and there've been times where I was doing HIIT training).

Am I alone with this?

Note: I'm not arguing the benefits of lifting heavy. I love how I feel after an intense lifting session and I love getting stronger every week.

Tl;dr.: I find I have a hard time losing weight when I lift because I'm always hungry.

Replies

  • isabellybelly
    isabellybelly Posts: 9 Member
    You might find intermittent fasting helpful: http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html
  • pattyproulx
    pattyproulx Posts: 603 Member
    Thanks. I've been trying to do the 16hr fast on most days (eat from noon-8pm). Since I work out in the mornings I'd been taking BCAAs to supplement in the mornings, but I still found that too often I'd get hungry before noon came around.

    It probably is a good idea to see if I can follow it more strictly though and see if I get better results.
  • _TastySnoBalls_
    _TastySnoBalls_ Posts: 1,298 Member
    congrats on the baby..

    how are your macros? how well are you tracking (using food scale?)

    I found that when i upped my protein, it was 100 times easier to stick to my calorie goal.

    I'm still a lifting noob though, only about a month in or so and losing at a decent pace.
  • Vonwarr
    Vonwarr Posts: 390 Member
    Lifting heavy can slow down the process, but it increases the quality of your weight loss. Put another way, it's better to lose 3 lbs of pure fat than 3 lbs of fat and 2 lbs of muscle. If you are new to lifting heavy, you could also be getting body recomposition rather than just pure weight loss. If you are a beginner, it is possible to add some muscle, even while in a deficit.

    Picture of me (9 months apart). I am within 3 lbs of the same weight in each of the pictures:

    4tfKe0K.jpg

    On another anecdotal note - I started IF 6 weeks ago and have been sticking to my window fairly rigidly. So far I've been losing an average of almost 2 lbs a week. I am keeping a fair deficit though, it's not magical loss. I've found that drinking black coffee (or w sweetener) distracts me from the hunger.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    The number hasn't changed much on the scale for me since I started lifting heavy but I sure have noticed that my clothes fit a lot better.
  • ma1kenli
    ma1kenli Posts: 2
    Not lising weight when lifting heavy but am losing inches...looks like I'm losing weight ????
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    The number hasn't changed much on the scale for me since I started lifting heavy but I sure have noticed that my clothes fit a lot better.

    I lost 50lbs by eating 1000-1200 calories a day and walking. It was miserable and while I was happy with the loss, I looked like crap. I was flabby all over and after meeting my boyfriend, I gained 30 pounds back really quickly. I started lifting and eating more (about 1800 now) and the scale has just caused me headaches and I don't even look at it anymore.

    I WILL tell you that I lost 4 pant sizes with cardio only, but after gaining back most of the weight, I only gained back 1 pant size of those 4 from lifting. That right there justifies what I see in the mirror in how lifting has changed my shape. My body is thick still but firm everywhere, even my friends comment on how hard my back/legs are.

    I will never give up. I want to get back down a size or two but I don't care if it takes me years, I feel and look better now than I did with cardio alone.
  • pattyproulx
    pattyproulx Posts: 603 Member
    Ya, I guess that's a fair point everyone's making that it's quality vs quantity of weight lost.

    For me, I hadn't seen any big transformations though either. I guess a thing that worries me and I've never fully understood is that you have to be at a caloric deficit to lose fat and a caloric surplus to gain muscle.
    If I'm consistently at an equilibrium, I wouldn't be losing fat (no deficit), or gaining muscle (no surplus). So am I doing this work for nothing?

    I'm thinking that's why most do cutting and bulking 'cycles' and I was hoping to do a cut, but I can't seem to cut when I'm lifting because I'm hungry.

    I am wondering if I'll get better results if I move to less heavy lifting (body weight exercises, HIIT) to cut, and then get back to heavy weights to bulk once I've gotten in my ideal weight range (which would probably take a couple months).
  • Vonwarr
    Vonwarr Posts: 390 Member
    It's not quite so black and white in terms of surplus vs deficit. You can definitely "do both" at the same time - this is called body recomposition. It is slower than doing one or the other though (hence why many lifters cycle bulks and cuts).

    If you're doing 16/8 IF you've probably read some stuff from Martin Berkhan - one of the protocols he talks about is eating a slight surplus on lifting days and a slight deficit on non-lifting days for a slow, steady recomp.

    Lyle McDonald has some great info about diet and training as well. http://www.bodyrecomposition.com

    It helps to modify your workouts when you are cutting - I don't know enough about your training and goals to give you concrete advice, but it is possible to lift 1/3 of your regular volume at the same intensity and maintain your strength. In other words, do a third of the sets but keep your lifted weight the same while you are cutting. You won't gain strength, but you shouldn't lose much (if any) either. If I try to do full volume workouts while cutting I also get super hungry and start to struggle both in completing workouts and diet adherence.

    I wouldn't recommend less heavy lifting while cutting if your goal is to keep optimal amounts of muscle and strength.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    for me not really but then again i do have quite a bit to lose.

    the only thing is that it's hard to balance eating enough deficit to lose as much as i want but still enough to help with recovering from training.
  • pattyproulx
    pattyproulx Posts: 603 Member
    It's not quite so black and white in terms of surplus vs deficit. You can definitely "do both" at the same time - this is called body recomposition. It is slower than doing one or the other though (hence why many lifters cycle bulks and cuts).

    If you're doing 16/8 IF you've probably read some stuff from Martin Berkhan - one of the protocols he talks about is eating a slight surplus on lifting days and a slight deficit on non-lifting days for a slow, steady recomp.

    Lyle McDonald has some great info about diet and training as well. http://www.bodyrecomposition.com

    It helps to modify your workouts when you are cutting - I don't know enough about your training and goals to give you concrete advice, but it is possible to lift 1/3 of your regular volume at the same intensity and maintain your strength. In other words, do a third of the sets but keep your lifted weight the same while you are cutting. You won't gain strength, but you shouldn't lose much (if any) either. If I try to do full volume workouts while cutting I also get super hungry and start to struggle both in completing workouts and diet adherence.

    I wouldn't recommend less heavy lifting while cutting if your goal is to keep optimal amounts of muscle and strength.

    Thanks - that is really helpful. I really should read more of Lyle's stuff. I hear a lot of great things from him.

    Ya, I've read a lot from Martin Berkhan. I started doing that before (more on lifting days, less on rest), but back then I was working out in the evenings and it was the next day that I was hungry and on workout days, I wasn't hungry at all.

    I should really give that another try with workouts in the morning. I feel like it might make more sense that I'd be hungrier on workout days like that.

    Also, that's great advice for lifting less volume. I've been doing full volume no matter what my goal was so that will likely help.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    If you're trying to lose fat and lift as your primary form of exercise, I recommend keeping the volume down and the intensity high. It only takes a small amount of high-intensity stimulus to provoke muscle retention, and if you refrain from pounding yourself with a lot of volume, it helps keep the appetite from running rampant.
  • lknjohnson
    lknjohnson Posts: 351 Member
    Bump for later
  • eryquem
    eryquem Posts: 66 Member
    Lifting heavy can slow down the process, but it increases the quality of your weight loss. Put another way, it's better to lose 3 lbs of pure fat than 3 lbs of fat and 2 lbs of muscle. If you are new to lifting heavy, you could also be getting body recomposition rather than just pure weight loss. If you are a beginner, it is possible to add some muscle, even while in a deficit.

    Picture of me (9 months apart). I am within 3 lbs of the same weight in each of the pictures:

    4tfKe0K.jpg

    On another anecdotal note - I started IF 6 weeks ago and have been sticking to my window fairly rigidly. So far I've been losing an average of almost 2 lbs a week. I am keeping a fair deficit though, it's not magical loss. I've found that drinking black coffee (or w sweetener) distracts me from the hunger.

    Sorry, but this photo comparison doesn't carry any weight. Considering the dramatically different lighting, and the lack of any real change to the silhouette, they could have been taken hours apart rather than months.

    Don't take this as any kind of insult, you certainly look fit enough. It's just that looking at these two photos doesn't exactly prove the point you're trying to make.
  • pattyproulx
    pattyproulx Posts: 603 Member
    If you're trying to lose fat and lift as your primary form of exercise, I recommend keeping the volume down and the intensity high. It only takes a small amount of high-intensity stimulus to provoke muscle retention, and if you refrain from pounding yourself with a lot of volume, it helps keep the appetite from running rampant.

    Thanks - this to me is the top piece of advice I think I've gotten in this thread (I know a few others have mentioned it as well).

    I'll definitely be giving that a try. I'm also reading some Lyle McDonald and have already gotten some good bits of advice.
  • suzsy312
    suzsy312 Posts: 12
    Loosing weight while lifting is definitely not easy. If you still have more weight you want to loose, you probably should do other exercises or HIIT workouts to burn fat for long periods of time. I am not a professional but from what I know, lifting weights will only build muscle. So muscle mass will weigh more, you probably wouldn't "loose" weight.
  • Vonwarr
    Vonwarr Posts: 390 Member
    Sorry, but this photo comparison doesn't carry any weight. Considering the dramatically different lighting, and the lack of any real change to the silhouette, they could have been taken hours apart rather than months.

    Don't take this as any kind of insult, you certainly look fit enough. It's just that looking at these two photos doesn't exactly prove the point you're trying to make.

    Think what you want. I didn't take these pictures to prove a point, they're just old progress pictures. Yes, with different lighting, taken by different (bad) cameras even. I'm not trying to win any "most extreme transformation" contest. I felt there was enough of a change to give an anecdotal example to illustrate the point I was making - that a very minor weight loss while lifting is only a portion of the story.

    OP, let us know how it goes!
  • pattyproulx
    pattyproulx Posts: 603 Member
    Sorry, but this photo comparison doesn't carry any weight. Considering the dramatically different lighting, and the lack of any real change to the silhouette, they could have been taken hours apart rather than months.

    Don't take this as any kind of insult, you certainly look fit enough. It's just that looking at these two photos doesn't exactly prove the point you're trying to make.

    Think what you want. I didn't take these pictures to prove a point, they're just old progress pictures. Yes, with different lighting, taken by different (bad) cameras even. I'm not trying to win any "most extreme transformation" contest. I felt there was enough of a change to give an anecdotal example to illustrate the point I was making - that a very minor weight loss while lifting is only a portion of the story.

    OP, let us know how it goes!

    Thanks for the advice! Will do!

    With the new baby and family visiting for the next few weeks, I'm not sure I'll be able to get back to the gym until the new year, but I will definitely be giving that a go. I'm very motivated now :)
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    If you're trying to lose fat and lift as your primary form of exercise, I recommend keeping the volume down and the intensity high. It only takes a small amount of high-intensity stimulus to provoke muscle retention, and if you refrain from pounding yourself with a lot of volume, it helps keep the appetite from running rampant.

    Thanks - this to me is the top piece of advice I think I've gotten in this thread (I know a few others have mentioned it as well).

    I'll definitely be giving that a try. I'm also reading some Lyle McDonald and have already gotten some good bits of advice.

    Be careful with any/all of the internet gurus. Lyle is a smart dude, but also a bit radical (as are most of them), so be sure to research the opposite side of his assertions, also. I know some people who have crashed like bricks on his programs, and some who have excelled.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Sorry, but this photo comparison doesn't carry any weight. Considering the dramatically different lighting, and the lack of any real change to the silhouette, they could have been taken hours apart rather than months.

    Don't take this as any kind of insult, you certainly look fit enough. It's just that looking at these two photos doesn't exactly prove the point you're trying to make.

    Think what you want. I didn't take these pictures to prove a point, they're just old progress pictures. Yes, with different lighting, taken by different (bad) cameras even. I'm not trying to win any "most extreme transformation" contest. I felt there was enough of a change to give an anecdotal example to illustrate the point I was making - that a very minor weight loss while lifting is only a portion of the story.

    OP, let us know how it goes!

    I think your lats definitely grew, like no doubt about it :)

    OP, I don't have any good advice. My hunger from lifting went away after about 6 weeks, and now I get less hungry than before. It was awful at first, though, so I feel ya.
  • summertime_girl
    summertime_girl Posts: 3,945 Member
    Eh. I'm not losing anything. And I've actually gained some back. But my clothes fit better, and I definitely have less body fat. So I don't care as much about the scale.
  • reneekise
    reneekise Posts: 91 Member
    bump to read later :bigsmile:
  • patrickfish7
    patrickfish7 Posts: 190 Member
    Never heard the scales shout 'your fat' at me...but the mirror did. Hint right there...
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    OP, you stopped lifting heavy and started losing muscular hypertrophy and thus, weight. Unless I am gravely mistaken, it isn't very surprising.
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like you weren't really watching your diet while lifting, but have just recently began to do so and that is when you really started losing weight, right? This isn't surprising at all. Weight loss comes from eating less, not the type of workout you do.

    Losing weight is all about calorie deficit, and the only thing that makes losing weight while lifting heavy harder is that you tend to do so at a smaller deficit to help preserve muscle mass. Also, lifting burns less calories than cardio, so if you're eating the same amount each day and doing lifting, you will have a smaller deficit than if you were doing cardio every day (assuming you aren't eating back exercise calories). But eating at a 500 calorie deficit from your TDEE while lifting should provide pretty close to the same rate of loss as eating 500 calories under TDEE and doing cardio or nothing. Just remember that the faster you lose weight, the more muscle you are losing along with the fat.

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