Question for women who are heavy lifting...

drinkingflower
drinkingflower Posts: 4
in Fitness and Exercise
I am thinking of starting New Rules this week. My question is... do you eat at a deficit or not? The book says not to eat at a deficit or do any cardio. Just curious to hear from people who have had success. I also plan to run as I signed up for a 5k in June and can currently only run for 1k! :laugh:

TIA:)

Replies

  • SnatchPosse
    SnatchPosse Posts: 28 Member
    You'll probably have to try a few different caloric levels and figure out what is enough to get a good workout. If possible, front load your calories a bit so you're not heading into a workout hungry (or at least not so hungry that you are sluggish.) This assumes you work out in the afternoon but if it's in the morning, you should get a little something in your stomach before, nothing fatty or acidic that might haunt you during your workout. You also want to make sure you are eating enough for a good recovery. Soreness is of course to be expected but if your muscles are still tired (different from sore) after a couple days (i notice this mostly with the big muscles like legs and glutes.) If I can't have a decent run where my legs don't burn out much faster than normal, then I know I need to change around my workout or add some food. Heavy lifting is a lot of work so if you're front loading calories before your workout, make sure you have a few snacks for after. I generally save the low calorie foods for then since I'm not exercising again. Getting sleep is really important to recovery and for me at least, heavy lifting gives me a great endorphin rush, followed by feeling really relaxed when bedtime comes. Sorry this is so long- I guess the quick takeaway is experiment with different timings of meals and exercise and figure out what allows you to have a great workout.
  • SnatchPosse
    SnatchPosse Posts: 28 Member
    Sorry-me again- I don't know what your running regimen is but weights can really help you improve your run times. I took 10mins of my 10K time with not much running training but a whole lot of weight lifting.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Depends on your goals
  • drinkingflower
    drinkingflower Posts: 4
    My initial goal is to lose 15 pounds, then it will be to get more defined muscles. I just wasn't sure whether I should be eating at a deficit while lifting or not... I am going to try eating at a deficit with eating back exercise calories.
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    If your goal is to lose body fat, the quickest way to achieve that is a slight deficit and heavy lifting. Just try to find a caloric intake that is a slight deficit (.5-1 lb a week loss). You'll still be able gain strength (it will be slower than at maintenance or bulking) but you can still do it. And, you'll preserve your current muscle mass as you lose. I lost 50 lbs while lifting, so yes, if your goal is to still lose weight, highly recommend sticking to it ;)
  • drinkingflower
    drinkingflower Posts: 4
    Thanks !:)
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    If your goal is to lose body fat, the quickest way to achieve that is a slight deficit and heavy lifting. Just try to find a caloric intake that is a slight deficit (.5-1 lb a week loss). You'll still be able gain strength (it will be slower than at maintenance or bulking) but you can still do it. And, you'll preserve your current muscle mass as you lose. I lost 50 lbs while lifting, so yes, if your goal is to still lose weight, highly recommend sticking to it ;)

    this.

    If you are really trying to make serious strength gains after you have maxed your newb gains (usually 6-8 months)- you would trade fat loss for strength gains and eat at maintenance - or if you REALLY wanted size and strength- you would eat at a surplus.

    But- deficit is fine, just don't go over board with it- can make for rough lifting sessions if you are at a heavy deficit.

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