Nutrition for weight loss while lifting heavy -Women

MindofShannon
MindofShannon Posts: 21 Member
edited November 12 in Food and Nutrition
Hello,

I've been on the yo-yo diet train for far too long, I've been reserving heavy lifting for women and all the benefits it can do. I want that lean and toned look and I know I won't get bulky.

My question (that I've yet to find answered via the almighty Google) is how many calories sold I be eating to lose fat and still weight lift.

I know by lifting that muscle will start to replace fat (yes, I know a pound of fat = a pound of muscle, density is just different). But, I'm 205, 5'3 and 25 year old female, I also want to scale to go down a drastic amount.

So any help nutritionally (also with macros) would be appreciated. Links, actually weight loss whole lifting success stories (pictures to), scientifically backed info. All the good stuff.

Thanks!

ETA: Poor wording choice :)

Replies

  • Diamond05
    Diamond05 Posts: 475 Member
    Sorry I can't be of any help to you regarding this subject, but I am bumping because I am considering to start doing the same....:smile:
  • jillgurnon
    jillgurnon Posts: 2 Member
    I too am curious to what others will say. Bump!
  • adioschubs
    adioschubs Posts: 384 Member
    Bump!
  • beaches222
    beaches222 Posts: 437 Member
    bump
  • cici1028
    cici1028 Posts: 799 Member
    Bump!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    With the amount you have left to lose I suggest either pick a goal to lose 1 or 1.5 lbs/week, or something in between those 2 numbers, and eat back a50-75% of calories burned from exercise, then let MFP do the calculations for you.

    One thing I will suggest though it to change the amount of protein MFP has you set at (15%) and change it to 25-35% whatever fits your lifestyle better
  • ClammyCupcake
    ClammyCupcake Posts: 49 Member
    I'm not an expert but fat can't turn into muscle. You decrease the fat while building and strengthening muscle. Muscle also burns more calories at rest. I'm doing the same thing. Focus on eating at a calorie deficit of 500 less than your BMR (amount of calories your body needs every day. Eat alot of your calories in protein if you can, it gives you energy for the strenth training. Good luck!
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Since you're still wanting to lose weight, you need to keep eating at a deficit. You won't be gaining any appreciable amount of muscle. You'd need to eat a surplus and gain weight to gain muscle. What you'll be doing is lifting to gain strength and preserve the LBM you have.

    So, eat at a deficit, and get plenty of protein and fats. The usual macro breakdown is 40/30/30 carbs/protein/fat.

    I'll let others get into the nitty gritty.
  • Phoenix_Warrior
    Phoenix_Warrior Posts: 1,633 Member
    While I will say there are some minor muscle gains to be had for overweight and newbies in lifting, you will not gain a significant amount of muscle through eating at a deficit in lifting. If you do, it will be minor and nothing that would stall you. Fat is not turned into muscle. You lose fat, it reveals muscle you already have beneath it. The benefits of strength training while at a deficit are strength gains (though they will not be as fast as eating at maintenance or surplus) and it will aid in maintaining your current lean body mass, which is what is going to give you a more toned look as you lose weight.

    I would suggest starting off on a website like www.scoobyworkshop.com to find a moderate calorie deficit like TDEE -20%. Just ignore the advice on there, it's a lot of broscience. Find the calorie calculator. Or there's iifym.com that also has a similar calculator and macro breakdown. I aim to eat 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass.
  • Docpremie
    Docpremie Posts: 228 Member
    Okay, the title of this thread cracked me up! "Nutrition for weight loss while for lifting HEAVY WOMEN!" LOLOLOL!!! of course, it doesn't ale much to me punch-drunk silly after working 25 hours straight at the hospital! :laugh:
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Focus on eating at a calorie deficit of 500 less than your BMR (amount of calories your body needs every day. Eat alot of your calories in protein if you can, it gives you energy for the strenth training. Good luck!

    This is incorrect. You will lose weight eating at BMR because BMR is what you would burn in a coma, the minute you sit, stand, eat, move, you burn more than BMR. Many people suggest not eating below BMR. I suggest following MFP, provided you put in a reasonable weekly weight loss goal given your stats.
  • FindingMyPerfection
    FindingMyPerfection Posts: 702 Member
    Eat 1g per Lb of lean body weight in protein
    .45g per Lb of total body weight in fat
    The balance of your cals you eat from what ever you want.

    Set your goal to a reasonable deficit. You will lose fat and gain strength in your existing muscle. You will not build new muscle on a cal deficit!
  • greggrieves
    greggrieves Posts: 4
    If you have a significant muscle mass, it's hard to trust things like the BMI index for determining what your goal weight should be.
    I did not think the suggested BMI weight for my height was appropriate because I know guys my height that are "proper" BMI and look like twigs. I knew I wasn't going to get that thin, even though I wanted my body fat percentage to be low. After some searching, I found this website that gives you a picture of someone of a given height at different weights so you can see what you might look like at your own weight and at other weights. I found it very helpful, in particular because it really showed me ways I was fooling myself into thinking I was in better shape than I really am. This realization has been driving my motivation since I found this (just a couple weeks ago) maybe it will help you identify a good goal weight and body image too.

    Once you have a goal weight, then the calories are determined from any one of a number of formulas, including MFP.

    http://www.cockeyed.com/photos/bodies/heightweight.html

    you may also like this one
    http://www.mybodygallery.com/index.html
  • Phoenix_Warrior
    Phoenix_Warrior Posts: 1,633 Member
    I'm not an expert but fat can't turn into muscle. You decrease the fat while building and strengthening muscle. Muscle also burns more calories at rest. I'm doing the same thing. Focus on eating at a calorie deficit of 500 less than your BMR (amount of calories your body needs every day. Eat alot of your calories in protein if you can, it gives you energy for the strenth training. Good luck!

    500 less than her TDEE. BMR is the amount needed when bedridden or in a comatose state. While I understand there aren't any imminent dangers to eating below this number, creating a huge deficit will be counter productive to the goals of retaining lean body mass and losing fat.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member


    I know by lifting that my fat will start to turn to muscle

    I sincerely hope you do not actually believe that fat cells will spontaneously turn into muscle cells by lifting weights...this is weight lifting, not alchemy! :laugh:
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
    Hi

    first of all fat doesnt turn to muscle, and its pretty much impossible to gain muscle while in a calorie deficit but with the correct training and diet you can reduce your fat mass and maintain your muscle mass,which will eventually give you the 'toned' look you are after.

    I used this calculator to work out my maintenance cals >>>>>>> http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
    Once that was done, I reduced by 500 and that gives me a loss of 1lb per week. Aiming to lose too quickly just ends in feeling deprived and giving up, slow and steady is what has worked for me, I am 5'5, 32 and on 2000ish cals (exercise is already accounted for in that). Macros I aim for 1g per lb of body weight protein which comes to around 30%, and then carbs and fat I just split at 35% each. Cook from scratch as much as possible, plenty of protein for muscle repair after exercise and to help keep you feeling full for longer, avoid too many processed foods, get plenty of fruit and veg, and the occasional treat is not a disaster.
    I do heavy weights 3x a week, and boxing/kickboxing 3x a week and have gone from 256lbs to 150lbs in just over 2 years. I have before and after pic in my profile, dont know how to post pics on here.
    This is a long term process, you wont get instant / drastic results but keep at it and you will get there :-)
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    I know by lifting that my fat will start to turn to muscle (yes, I know a pound of fat = a pound of muscle, density is just different). But, I'm 205, 5'3 and 25 year old female, I also want to scale to go down a drastic amount.

    Uh... I dont know where you heard that but that is not physiologically possible.

    To lose weight (meaning fat, muscle and water) you need to eat less calories than your body is burning. To gain weight (meaning fat, muscle, and water) you need to eat more than your body is burning. This still applies whether you are lifting or doing cardio.

    As far as your macros, that will be a personal preferance for you. My suggestion would be protein at 30% (for most people it makes it about 1 gram per pound LBM) which you can find out assuming you know your body fat %. The carbs and fat you can adjust according to your liking/satiety levels.
  • 33Freya
    33Freya Posts: 468 Member
    Tom Venuto's book BURN THE FAT, FEED THE MUSCLE is a great book for this question. I HIGHLY recommend it.

    His main point is that there is no one-size-fitls-all solution, and we must tailor fitness programs to our body/needs/goals.

    According to him, it's good to stay at a calorie deficit to lose your fat, and he suggests reducing your calories by 20% of your TDEE. (If your Today Daily Energy Expenditure is 2000 calories for example, then you would reduce by 400 and shoot for 1600 calories per day).

    He suggests a starting point of 50% maximum carbs, 30% minimum protein, and 20% fat. When you begin adjusting, adjust the carbs down and replace with protein. For example, for my goals, I am doing 40/40/20.

    Lift heavy, do cardio, get enough sleep, write down your goals, keep your self-talk positive, and remember that it's all guidelines. You will have to find out what works best for you.
  • MindofShannon
    MindofShannon Posts: 21 Member
    Thank you all!

    Sorry for my poor wording at first (fat will turn into muscle), I know that does not happen! :D

    I have changed as to not confuse anybody else.

    Thank you for all the links and such!
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    I eat 500 below TDEE, and have increased my protein. It's going to be trial and error for the first little bit to see how you're feeling. Keep a close eye on how your body feels, if you're tired or constantly sore, and adjust your eating from there. I don't eat dairy, and have found that I really need protein after I lift heavy (no whey protein shakes), so I have 2 fried eggs after working out. I also eat around 100g of carbs a day and I watch my calcium intake to make sure it's "up there".
  • ltl_leah
    ltl_leah Posts: 57 Member
    I'm not an expert and not claiming to be, but I will share some info that has worked for me and what I've learned over the years.

    Other posters are correct. Find a calculator online, like the Scooby or fat2fitratio and calculate how many calories you should consume while incorporating your daily activity (TDEE). No need to eat back exercise calories if it already calculates this into your formula. I would recommend setting your macros at 40/40/20 or 40/30/30.

    I'm a big fan of Layne Norton (BioLayne) and he has a lot of videos on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/user/biolayne. He has a PhD in Nutritional Sciences, so I think he's very credible. Some may disagree. He suggests starting a nutitional plan with the smallest calorie deficit possible, while still losing weight at a steady rate. Try to stay at a 10-14% calorie deficit. Then, as you lose weight and encounter some plateaus, you can adjust your deficit to 15-20%. Most people make the mistake of setting too high of a calorie deficit, lose a bunch of weight really quickly, and then encounter plateaus. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Keep a gradual calorie deficit. Plus, your calorie needs get smaller once you lose weight. As you lose weight, recalculate your TDEE.

    Now my experience: I've been at this for 3.5 years. I started at over 175# at 5'2" with around 39% bf. It's taken me 3 years to lose about 30-35 pounds and 18% bf. I've accomplished this gradually by not eating at a large deficit. Although I would have been happy with losing it all within the first year, I'm happy I've lost the weight gradually because I've kept it off and stay consistent at my weight and bf%. I set my macros at 40/40/20 or 40/30/30 and maintained a moderate to strenuous activity level 5-6 days a week.

    Good luck and I hope this is informative.
  • livefitwithjess
    livefitwithjess Posts: 11 Member
    I lost 40 lbs 3 years ago by doing a total body workout class twice a week and cardio 3 days a week for 28-45 minutes. I restricted my calories to my bodyweight x 10. It is not a scientific formula obviously but it worked. Good luck and remember that you can do anything if you are consistent and not afraid to push yourself in the weight room!
  • Jcolonel49
    Jcolonel49 Posts: 14 Member
    I read an amazing article, which might help you rev up eating right and working out
    http://authoritynutrition.com/6-reasons-why-a-calorie-is-not-a-calorie/:smile:
  • aWildFlowere
    aWildFlowere Posts: 76 Member
    I hear ya. Looking for mfp friends on this same journey.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    aWildFlowere wrote: »
    I hear ya. Looking for mfp friends on this same journey.

    This thread is 4 years old.... Not sure you'll find many friends in it. There are many women who lift though, with various physique goals (losing weight, recomp or bulking)
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