What happens eating at maintenance - lifting heavy?

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decblessings
decblessings Posts: 113 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
If you are a woman with a relatively small amount of weight to lose (15 pounds) and you're eating close to maintenance (slight deficit - utilizing Fitbit and a food scale) and lifting heavy (Stronglift 5x5s), what kind of changes could you expect to see, if any? I love working out. I hate eating at a deficit.

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  • greypilgrimess
    greypilgrimess Posts: 353 Member
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    Not an expert, but I would imagine you would slowly lower your BF% and lose inches. I'm not sure your weight would go down much but you'd look leaner.
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    This is basically a recomp. It's going to be a long slow process, but you're body fat will eventually lower, you may gain a bit of muscle (if you're eating at maintenance), and you'll probably lose inches. But, it will be slow.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    If you're in a slight deficit, you will lose weight slowly. If you are lifting heavy and getting adequate protein, it should be mostly, if not entirely, fat, so you should see very gradual changes in your appearance. I would take progress pics once a month or so and measurements/weigh-in every 2 weeks, or weigh daily and take a 7-day average for purposes of establishing dietary waypoints.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    Obviously everyone is different but this did nothing for me. I had exhausted 'newbie gains' so I didn't gain any muscle and all my lifts stalled. I basically wasted about 3 months.

    I did great at deficit, making strength gains,wasted time at maintainance then went for a clean (250 cal,surplus) bulk - worked much better for me.

    I'd say, if you're new to lifting you could get something out of eating at maintainance but if you've been at it a while, you'll just be spinning your wheels.
  • decblessings
    decblessings Posts: 113 Member
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    Obviously everyone is different but this did nothing for me. I had exhausted 'newbie gains' so I didn't gain any muscle and all my lifts stalled. I basically wasted about 3 months.

    I did great at deficit, making strength gains,wasted time at maintainance then went for a clean (250 cal,surplus) bulk - worked much better for me.

    I'd say, if you're new to lifting you could get something out of eating at maintainance but if you've been at it a while, you'll just be spinning your wheels.

    So you made strength gains at a deficit but not at maintenance? Wanting to keep gaining strength is a driving factor in my interest in eating at/around maintenance...
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
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    If you are eating at a slight deficit, then you are not eating at maintenance. You will lose weight (albeit slowly).

    If you are eating at maintenance, you theoretically will not gain or lose true scale weight (it may fluctuate based on other factors), and if done so while lifting heavy you will recomp for a while, though it is a slow process. Take measurements since the scale won't move much if at all. Your measurements should go down for a while while you decrease body fat.
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
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    Obviously everyone is different but this did nothing for me. I had exhausted 'newbie gains' so I didn't gain any muscle and all my lifts stalled. I basically wasted about 3 months.

    I did great at deficit, making strength gains,wasted time at maintainance then went for a clean (250 cal,surplus) bulk - worked much better for me.

    I'd say, if you're new to lifting you could get something out of eating at maintainance but if you've been at it a while, you'll just be spinning your wheels.

    So you made strength gains at a deficit but not at maintenance? Wanting to keep gaining strength is a driving factor in my interest in eating at/around maintenance...

    keep in mind that strength does not equal muscle mass gains. You can get strength gains at a deficit as they are neuro-muscular adaptations .
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I spent a year eating at maintenance and lifting. In that time I lost no weight but I did lose 2 pants sizes. I saw some muscle growth during my newbie gains period, but not a lot. I went from about 24% body fat to about 18-19%.

    I've switched over to a very slow bulk now, but I wanted to wait until I was leaner to do that. Also spending my first year of lifting recomping was nice because I learned a lot about proper technique and form.
  • DavidSTC
    DavidSTC Posts: 173 Member
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    Obviously everyone is different but this did nothing for me. I had exhausted 'newbie gains' so I didn't gain any muscle and all my lifts stalled. I basically wasted about 3 months.

    I did great at deficit, making strength gains,wasted time at maintainance then went for a clean (250 cal,surplus) bulk - worked much better for me.

    I'd say, if you're new to lifting you could get something out of eating at maintainance but if you've been at it a while, you'll just be spinning your wheels.

    So you made strength gains at a deficit but not at maintenance? Wanting to keep gaining strength is a driving factor in my interest in eating at/around maintenance...

    keep in mind that strength does not equal muscle mass gains. You can get strength gains at a deficit as they are neuro-muscular adaptations .

    That's good to know. I'm getting stronger even though I'm in a deficit. Not worried about gaining bulk as I continue to lose weight, but I do plan to continue gaining strength.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    I basically did this for 2 years, actually, my net result was a slight surplus on accident. I gained about 5lbs in 2 years, but there were no great changes to my physique or strength.
  • decblessings
    decblessings Posts: 113 Member
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    I spent a year eating at maintenance and lifting. In that time I lost no weight but I did lose 2 pants sizes. I saw some muscle growth during my newbie gains period, but not a lot. I went from about 24% body fat to about 18-19%.

    I've switched over to a very slow bulk now, but I wanted to wait until I was leaner to do that. Also spending my first year of lifting recomping was nice because I learned a lot about proper technique and form.

    THIS is what I'd love to see! I'm mostly beyond caring about the number on the scale. I just love feeling strong. I love to eat food. And I'd love if my pants were a bit looser. :)
  • decblessings
    decblessings Posts: 113 Member
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    I basically did this for 2 years, actually, my net result was a slight surplus on accident. I gained about 5lbs in 2 years, but there were no great changes to my physique or strength.

    Have you changed what you were doing and have you seen different results since then?
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    I spent a year eating at maintenance and lifting. In that time I lost no weight but I did lose 2 pants sizes. I saw some muscle growth during my newbie gains period, but not a lot. I went from about 24% body fat to about 18-19%.

    I've switched over to a very slow bulk now, but I wanted to wait until I was leaner to do that. Also spending my first year of lifting recomping was nice because I learned a lot about proper technique and form.

    THIS is what I'd love to see! I'm mostly beyond caring about the number on the scale. I just love feeling strong. I love to eat food. And I'd love if my pants were a bit looser. :)

    this is what I will be doing for the next 6 months, well in a couple weeks when I hit maintenance. I have been lifting for 6 months already at a deficet...hopefully I too will see changes over the summer.

    Eating at a deficet can cause issues with strength gains more so than maintenance.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I spent a year eating at maintenance and lifting. In that time I lost no weight but I did lose 2 pants sizes. I saw some muscle growth during my newbie gains period, but not a lot. I went from about 24% body fat to about 18-19%.

    I've switched over to a very slow bulk now, but I wanted to wait until I was leaner to do that. Also spending my first year of lifting recomping was nice because I learned a lot about proper technique and form.

    THIS is what I'd love to see! I'm mostly beyond caring about the number on the scale. I just love feeling strong. I love to eat food. And I'd love if my pants were a bit looser. :)

    It gets a little frustrating at times because it is so slow You won't really see changes from week to week or really even from month to month. It's extremely gradual. So just be prepared for that. You also need to be fairly dialed in on your calories/macros.
  • lrmall01
    lrmall01 Posts: 377 Member
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    keep in mind that strength does not equal muscle mass gains. You can get strength gains at a deficit as they are neuro-muscular adaptations .

    But doesn't the neuro-muscular adaptations stop at some point and then the only way to continue to gain strength is by eating at a surplus and building muscle? I agree with your statement and it does explain how you still get strong even eating at a defecit, but I want to clarify that there will be a point of diminishing returns. When you get there, if you want to get stronger, you need to eat above maintenance and build more muscle tissue.

    To the OP - your plan sounds fine until you stop getting stronger. If you stall out and are unable to add weight, then you have to decide if you are happy with your current level of strength or if you want more muscle.

    Good luck!
  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
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    After about 6 months, and the newbie gains phase was over, I didn't see a lot of changes in my body. I saw the most significant changes in the last three months of a bulk that just ended. My problem is now that I've bulked, I like to eat and don't really want to cut, even though I want to get the fat off. I'm at maintenance until I can get my mind around eating less to lose fat. However, for actual results, nothing beats a bulk coupled with a periodization lifting program (hypertrophy).

    For you, you still have weight you would like to lose, so eating at a slight deficit while lifting should result in you retaining the muscle you have, or a good bit of it, while losing mostly fat. Definitely lift and keep one eye on the mirror and the other on the tape measure. It may turn out that you don't need to lose as many pounds as you think.
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
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    keep in mind that strength does not equal muscle mass gains. You can get strength gains at a deficit as they are neuro-muscular adaptations .

    But doesn't the neuro-muscular adaptations stop at some point and then the only way to continue to gain strength is by eating at a surplus and building muscle? I agree with your statement and it does explain how you still get strong even eating at a defecit, but I want to clarify that there will be a point of diminishing returns. When you get there, if you want to get stronger, you need to eat above maintenance and build more muscle tissue.

    To the OP - your plan sounds fine until you stop getting stronger. If you stall out and are unable to add weight, then you have to decide if you are happy with your current level of strength or if you want more muscle.

    Good luck!


    I agree. There is certainly a point of diminishing returns. I loved being on a bulk because strength gains shot up significantly but scaled back at a cut.

    I suppose my point was to stress that building strength and muscle should not be confused.
  • jussy123
    jussy123 Posts: 22 Member
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    Hi,

    I am currently in maintenance, and have been so for about a year after losing 25lb. I'm around 130-132 at 5'8". I eat 1800 calories a day, and I eat back half my exercise calories (to account for some underestimations in my calorie count, as I don't weigh and measure everything). I use a fitbit to get a more accurate picture of how active I am. It's been a year, and has worked for me very well.

    I added weights to my workouts about 2 months ago. Prior to this, I would run 5K three times a week.

    Now, I use a universal gym (I know this is frowned upon here, but it is what I have, and I don't have room for anything else right now), but focus on lifting as heavy as I can (2 reps of 10 - I am still so new with lifting, that I am increasing my max weights all the time), and do squats with weights 3x/week. This takes me about 30 min.

    I also do hot yoga once a week, and I run 5K 2 or 3 times a week, depending on my schedule. I also have 2 little ones and work full-time so I try to be efficient, and sometimes I can't get everything in, but that is okay.

    I also changed my composition of intake. I increased my protein percentage, and decreased my fat and carb intake slightly. I aim for a goal of about 80g of protein per day.

    Results? Exact same weight, which I was expecting. However, I am much stronger than I was before. I have visible arm, shoulder and back muscles, and my legs are stronger too. They were well muscled with my running, and not much has changed with that. My waist is smaller (I didn't take measurements before), and my clothes fit better. An added benefit is that my running has gotten a lot better too, in that I find it less of an effort.

    I am sure I could be doing things better (using Stronglifts, only doing free weights, increasing calories), but this is what I am currently doing, and it is working for me, and I am happy with it. One day, I'll change things up again, but I like things right now.

    Good luck!

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