Confused - can you eat more if you're lifting heavy?

fknlardarse
fknlardarse Posts: 210 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm thinking of heavy lifting, confused, do you eat more if you lift heavy and still lose weight while gaining strength?

Replies

  • Unknown
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  • fknlardarse
    fknlardarse Posts: 210 Member
    I'm currently eating 1450 to lose 0.5lbs a week so I guess you're saying I couldn't increase my calories if I lifted heavy? :sad:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I'm confused...are you asking about eating those exercise calories back using the MFP method? It's really hard to determine calorie burn from lifting...not only the act itself, but the after burn as well. When I did MFP I just logged a good 60 minute session as 200 calories to eat back...it was likely more than that, but like I said, it's pretty hard to determine with any accuracy. It is one of the numerous reasons I switched to the TDEE method.
  • Sarah4fitness
    Sarah4fitness Posts: 437 Member
    If you are looking to drop FAT while lifting heavy, yes, someone who lifts heavy can eat more than someone who doesn't lift at all. That said, someone who runs 10 miles a day can eat more calories than a sedentary person and still drop weight.

    It all depends on your overall calorie burn every day. If you're keeping whatever you have been doing to drop weight, AND adding heavy lifting, you can increase your calorie intake until you stop dropping pounds. Even then, you might be dropping size instead of pounds because muscle is more dense than fat.
  • fknlardarse
    fknlardarse Posts: 210 Member
    Thank you.
    My current TDEE is 1450 so I've just realised I shouldn't be eating any exercise calories back! Ouch! Might be why progress is slow! I'm just SO hungry!
    I want to lift heavy to lose fat, eat more but also still drop pounds, should I stick to 1450 until I can increase my weights or would extra calories help gain strength? Urgh still feel confused.... Sorry :explode: why am I not getting this!
  • fknlardarse
    fknlardarse Posts: 210 Member
    [/quote] It all depends on your overall calorie burn every day. If you're keeping whatever you have been doing to drop weight, AND adding heavy lifting, you can increase your calorie intake until you stop dropping pounds. Even then, you might be dropping size instead of pounds because muscle is more dense than fat.
    [/quote]

    Just re-read this and it is sinking in! Thank you!
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    No.
  • 2shedz
    2shedz Posts: 14 Member
    yes.



    Lifting burns calories, therefore it is exercise, therefore you are expending more energy, therefore you can eat more food - indeed, depending on your current calorie intake, you may well *need* to eat more food to fuel the exercise.
  • CA_Underdog
    CA_Underdog Posts: 733 Member
    Sure, traditional weight-lifting burns a wee bit of calories you can eat back. If you want to get precise, you can wear a heart monitor to measure your burn, then subtract what you were expected to burn (~100 kcal/hour). I took the easy road today and logged -100 kcal for the 45 minutes (with breaks) I lifted.
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  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    My current TDEE is 1450 so I've just realised I shouldn't be eating any exercise calories back!
    TDEE is only a calculated estimate. And no you shouldn't be eating back your exercise calories back. To find your actual TDEE you need to monitor your progress over several weeks and then make adjustments to the estimate. Once your have a better idea of what your true TDEE is you can vary your calories depending on your goals.

    Also, when you calculated your TDEE did you set your activity to light or moderate? You may need to recalculate your TDEE if you've ramped up your exercise routine.
    Might be why progress is slow! I'm just SO hungry!
    You might be retaining water to help repair the muscles. This is common in the first couple weeks of starting a new routine. How long have you been lifting?

    Don't get too caught up in all the details. Continue your exercise routine and monitor your progress.
  • GreatDepression
    GreatDepression Posts: 347 Member
    Eat based on your desire rate of weight loss.

    Bad advice. Something boiled down to what you said could be interpreted as "don't eat anything" to lose weight the fastest. We all know what kind of results you get from starvation fasts/diets.
  • harphy
    harphy Posts: 290 Member
    Thank you.
    My current TDEE is 1450 so I've just realised I shouldn't be eating any exercise calories back! Ouch! Might be why progress is slow! I'm just SO hungry!
    I want to lift heavy to lose fat, eat more but also still drop pounds, should I stick to 1450 until I can increase my weights or would extra calories help gain strength? Urgh still feel confused.... Sorry :explode: why am I not getting this!

    First advice: please DO NOT go hungry or at least very hungry day after day. Find better, nutritious food options, more meals, sometimes more food. Once you hit your goal weight you might swing into jo-jo effect and you'll be back where you started in no time.
    Weight lifting can have very different effect on people. Some loose weight and inches, some loose just inches while their weight stays the same or even goes up the scale. One thing is for sure - you can not lift heavy on a large deficit. There is no strength in your body to lift 100+ pounds of weights three times a week. 1300-1450 calories is the bottom line for lifting but I would suggest you eat even more. Health and strength are more important than number on a scale.
  • kuolo
    kuolo Posts: 251 Member
    1450 TDEE sounds rather low for someone who weighs around 140 lbs. If you're constantly hungry you might have miscalculated somewhere.

    Also yes exercise in general (I don't know specifically about strength training but just re: your point about not eating exercise cals) could increase the calories you can eat if it ups your activity level and thus your TDEE.
  • tectactoe
    tectactoe Posts: 73 Member
    You'll find that if you lift heavy, you will *NEED* to eat more. Otherwise, bye-bye gains.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,002 Member
    OP, what is your height and weight? How many days are you going to be training and for how long during each session?
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  • fknlardarse
    fknlardarse Posts: 210 Member
    OP, what is your height and weight? How many days are you going to be training and for how long during each session?

    I'm 5ft 6, 148lbs. I started stronglifts 5x5 today, I plan to do this 2-3 times a week (it took me about 40minutes) and I currently cycle 2-3 times a week(about 40 minutes) but might drop this to twice a week.

    Thanks for all the advice everyone, really appreciate it!
  • 12by311
    12by311 Posts: 1,716 Member
    OP, what is your height and weight? How many days are you going to be training and for how long during each session?

    I'm 5ft 6, 148lbs. I started stronglifts 5x5 today, I plan to do this 2-3 times a week (it took me about 40minutes) and I currently cycle 2-3 times a week(about 40 minutes) but might drop this to twice a week.

    Thanks for all the advice everyone, really appreciate it!

    Scooby's site estimates your TDEE - 20% at 1670 per day. A 15% cut gives you 1775. Looks like you have less than 20 lbs to lose, a smaller cut would probably be more beneficial in the long run and would give you fuel for your workouts.

    You have to be really strict with weighing/measuring when you get closer to goal weight too because the deficit is smaller.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    OP, what is your height and weight? How many days are you going to be training and for how long during each session?

    I'm 5ft 6, 148lbs. I started stronglifts 5x5 today, I plan to do this 2-3 times a week (it took me about 40minutes) and I currently cycle 2-3 times a week(about 40 minutes) but might drop this to twice a week.

    Thanks for all the advice everyone, really appreciate it!

    Scooby's site estimates your TDEE - 20% at 1670 per day. A 15% cut gives you 1775. Looks like you have less than 20 lbs to lose, a smaller cut would probably be more beneficial in the long run and would give you fuel for your workouts.

    You have to be really strict with weighing/measuring when you get closer to goal weight too because the deficit is smaller.

    Just echoing this point...

    OP, with your activity level...cycling and lifting, etc there is know way your TDEE is 1450 calories. My guess is that number is a more aggressive cut from your TDEE as mentioned above, with only 20 Lbs to lose an aggressive calorie cut is not optimal, particularly as you workout.
  • fknlardarse
    fknlardarse Posts: 210 Member
    OP, what is your height and weight? How many days are you going to be training and for how long during each session?

    I'm 5ft 6, 148lbs. I started stronglifts 5x5 today, I plan to do this 2-3 times a week (it took me about 40minutes) and I currently cycle 2-3 times a week(about 40 minutes) but might drop this to twice a week.

    Thanks for all the advice everyone, really appreciate it!

    Scooby's site estimates your TDEE - 20% at 1670 per day. A 15% cut gives you 1775. Looks like you have less than 20 lbs to lose, a smaller cut would probably be more beneficial in the long run and would give you fuel for your workouts.

    You have to be really strict with weighing/measuring when you get closer to goal weight too because the deficit is smaller.

    Just echoing this point...

    OP, with your activity level...cycling and lifting, etc there is know way your TDEE is 1450 calories. My guess is that number is a more aggressive cut from your TDEE as mentioned above, with only 20 Lbs to lose an aggressive calorie cut is not optimal, particularly as you workout.

    Just double checked and think I must have put the wrong info into scooby because that's the site I used but originally came out with 1450 to lose just under a pound a week, I think I put down sedentary as I was worried I was being over optimistic. Thank god for you guys though, now I can eat more and get strong, yay!

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