Weight getting heavier!?

drwaddy
drwaddy Posts: 50 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So, last month I started lifting, cause I'm a wuss and can't do cardio, I'm also 390 lbs so my knees go on strike if I try, plus getting pumped doesn't feel like exercise it feels like winning.

I lift for 1 hour a day, 6 days a week, and here is my circuit:

Monday - Wednesday - Friday:

Bicep Curl = 90 Reps at 50lbs
Back Extension = 90 Reps at 170lbs
Calf Raises = 90 Reps at 230lbs
Pull Downs = 90 Reps at 90lbs
Row = 90 Reps at 90lbs
Ab Press = 90 Reps at 130lbs

Tuesday - Thursday - Saturday:

Tricep Extensions = 90 Reps at 50lbs
Hamstring Curls = 90 Reps at 110lbs
Fly = 90 Reps at 90lbs
Delts = 90 Reps at 50lbs
Squats = 90 Reps at 390lbs
Overhead Press = 90 Reps at 20lbs
Chest Press = 90 Reps at 50lbs

I do 3 sets of 15 on each machine and then repeat.

Over the last week, I have been struggling to complete most of these exercises that when I was getting started were hard but I was finishing the circuit with energy left. Now, I'm exhausted, I almost don't have the energy to get out of the chair by the time I'm down to the last two or three machines.

I've heard that I need to be getting at least 1g protein per lean body mass, and I've calculated mine to be around 220 based on:

TDEE = 3557
BMR = 2361
BMI = 46.24
Body Fat # = 47.80

I got that from using these measurements and facts:

Age = 28
Weight = 390lbs
Height = 6'5''

Waist size at your naval? 62 Inches
Waist size at narrowest point: 56 Inches
Hip size at widest point? 60 Inches
Neck at narrowest point? 20 Inches
Wrist circumference? 8 Inches
Forearm at largest point? 15 Inches

That being said I've averaged about 220 grams of protein over the last month, and I'm eating about 430 calories under my allowance for the day which is about 3100, since I'm a disgusting fat body and need to lose weight.

Squats - Overhead Press - Row and Delts seem to be giving me to most trouble if that makes any difference.

So, why is it getting harder to lift the same weight? I'm not increasing my weight cause I can't really lift more than what I'm at now, and I honestly am just trying to get my heart rate up there and maintain that for as long as possible.

Replies

  • afortunatedragon
    afortunatedragon Posts: 329 Member
    I think you are doing too much.
    You don't give your body any rest.
    You should give your muscles at least one full day rest between workouts.
    Food wise: Generally, on days I lift I eat more carbs and on the non lifting days more proteins.
    Works for me in the moment quite well, I'd say.
    About the squats : no wonder, they give you trouble, as in that very moment your tights and the knee joints have not only to push up the weight you are caring, but your whole body weight.
    Google "Ice cream 5x5 workout" this is a really good workout or strong lift. ( ice cream might sound to you like fun sport, but give it a try)
    Just try to figure out your sets .... You are not doing 1 x 90 do you?
    I know, cardio is not everyones thing, and there are people, telling you, you don't need it.
    I recommend walking. Nice for the joints, good exercise and in my personal view if you are obese, you have to get moving.
    Every day one minute longer. Stamina is necessary.

    But may I say your shoulders look great already ;-)
  • mebepiglet123
    mebepiglet123 Posts: 327 Member
    Will be interested to see what people say. I too think it's too much must give your muscles time to repair. Is walking on treadmill not an option. Not sure if you go to a gym or do from home.
  • Haakonson
    Haakonson Posts: 13
    I think you are fatigued, try minimising your workouts to 5 days a week and not 6. I work on upper body on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and legs on Tuesday and Thursday. That said, congratulations on your work ethic buddy, you're lifting heavy too.

    I actually go for 1.5g of protein per kg bodyweight because I'm also trying to lose weight, and foods with a lot of protein in them are generally not so fattening or loaded with the bad type of carbs. Once I cut out the bad carbs, pizzas, cookies (almost all good things), I started getting less fatigued. The main thing though is to allow time for recovery.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Stop lifting 6x per week
    Stop doing 15 rep sets
    Stop writing 1300 word posts when 200 will do.
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
    Are you doing this more times/week than you used to?

    MFP has already calculated a deficit for you, you should strive to MEET your calorie goal not come under it. You need those calories!! Also you should eat back your exercise calories if you're following MFP's guidelines.
  • drwaddy
    drwaddy Posts: 50 Member
    Stop lifting 6x per week
    Stop doing 15 rep sets
    Stop writing 1300 word posts when 200 will do.

    Thanks man, you are my new favorite person!
  • drwaddy
    drwaddy Posts: 50 Member
    Also, to clarify, I'm not lifting ANY weight on squats I'm just squating with my own body weight lol.
  • afortunatedragon
    afortunatedragon Posts: 329 Member
    Also, to clarify, I'm not lifting ANY weight on squats I'm just squating with my own body weight lol.

    Which is a lot :bigsmile:
    Well, my additional squat weight in the moment is 20 lbs, so I might shut up now :smokin:
  • drwaddy
    drwaddy Posts: 50 Member
    I thought because I was lifting weight that was easy for me to lift, until the last like 2 reps, that lifting a lot of reps was good for losing weight. I'm not trying to build muscles per say, not that I don't want them, I just want to cut first. I didn't think that warranted as much rest, I thought 1 day on 1 day off would be enough. Maybe not...

    I use to walk 5 miles a day 6 days a week, and I barely lost 15 lbs in 6 months. I cracked both of my heels completely open, and had blisters like crazy. I was literally duct taping my feet and it still wasn't enough. Not to mention my knees and ankles just swell and throb after walking for any worthwhile amount.

    Lifting weights is truly the way I WANT to lose the weight, if at all possible. I didn't realize eating under your calories given was bad, I thought that was the point lol.

    I haven't lost any weight in 4 weeks though, that's what has been leading to me wanting to cut more calories... I'm hoping that I get that whoosh they speak of soon, aside from the nice noticeable muscle gain I have very little to show for all my sacrifice and hard work over the last month.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Weight lifting is fine, but your program is bonkers. Pick a good starting program. New Rules Of Lifting, Starting Strength, Stronglifts, AllPro, something. Follow it. Keep your diet in line and you will be fine.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    Stop lifting 6x per week
    Stop doing 15 rep sets
    Stop writing 1300 word posts when 200 will do.

    Thanks man, you are my new favorite person!
    he is pretty great.
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
    I thought because I was lifting weight that was easy for me to lift, until the last like 2 reps, that lifting a lot of reps was good for losing weight. I'm not trying to build muscles per say, not that I don't want them, I just want to cut first. I didn't think that warranted as much rest, I thought 1 day on 1 day off would be enough. Maybe not...

    The only way exercise is really good for weight loss is that it gets your heart rate up and burns calories. Doing longer sets with more reps can keep your heart rate up longer, but you should do it at a lower weight than you do lower reps at. So if you do a 5 rep set at a certain weight, a 15 rep set should be at about 80% of the weight.

    If you want to lift every day that's fine, but you need to split your lifts so the muscles you work one day can recover the next. Look up established programs on reputable bodybuilding websites/forums and stick to a program that has adequate rest periods.
    I use to walk 5 miles a day 6 days a week, and I barely lost 15 lbs in 6 months. I cracked both of my heels completely open, and had blisters like crazy. I was literally duct taping my feet and it still wasn't enough. Not to mention my knees and ankles just swell and throb after walking for any worthwhile amount.

    Walking is great for your overall health but only a calorie deficit will get you to lose weight, and walking does not burn a lot of calories for time spent.
    Lifting weights is truly the way I WANT to lose the weight, if at all possible. I didn't realize eating under your calories given was bad, I thought that was the point lol.

    Lifting weights won't get you to lose weight. What it will do, though, is make sure that you retain as much muscle as possible during the process. This means you'll have a better BF% when you reach your goal weight. Definitely keep lifting, especially since you enjoy it so much.

    Eating under the calorie goal seems to be an epidemic on these boards, lol. You're not the first person to think that way, but the deficit is already calculated for you. If you eat to far under it you risk not getting enough nutrition and being tired, grumpy and hungry all the time.
    I haven't lost any weight in 4 weeks though, that's what has been leading to me wanting to cut more calories... I'm hoping that I get that whoosh they speak of soon, aside from the nice noticeable muscle gain I have very little to show for all my sacrifice and hard work over the last month.

    You need to eat more calories and rest more, and your work will pay off. Your body needs those resources to make the changes you want to see.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    Are you weighing and measuring all of your food? Are you using a food scale?
  • spicegeek
    spicegeek Posts: 325 Member
    If you want to do a more weight orientated cardio work out why not consider kettle bell drills - try knocking out 100 - 200 swings and see where your heart rate is ( and stays ) or swing to clean to press to snatch circuits - alternating hands every 10 reps or so you can keep moving for a longer period of time that doing 15 reps of something
  • drwaddy
    drwaddy Posts: 50 Member
    Can someone explain to me why you weigh your food, is that to subtract for your actual weight the next day?
  • drwaddy
    drwaddy Posts: 50 Member
    Stop lifting 6x per week
    Stop doing 15 rep sets
    Stop writing 1300 word posts when 200 will do.

    Thanks man, you are my new favorite person!
    he is pretty great.

    Lifting lots
    Weigh lots
    protein getting eaten
    weight heavy wut do?

    Did I win!? DID I DO IT RIGHT!?
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
    Can someone explain to me why you weigh your food, is that to subtract for your actual weight the next day?
    It's so you can accurately determine how many calories you're eating. Without weighing it's just a guess.
    Here. Read this http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • drwaddy
    drwaddy Posts: 50 Member
    Yeah, I guess I should buy a food scale... Although I still don't understand how much weight I can eat each day? Assuming I have a 3100 calorie daily limit, wouldn't that be close to a pound of food? But, don't some foods weigh more than others and are deceptively lower in calories and vise versa?
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Yeah, I guess I should buy a food scale... Although I still don't understand how much weight I can eat each day? Assuming I have a 3100 calorie daily limit, wouldn't that be close to a pound of food? But, don't some foods weigh more than others and are deceptively lower in calories and vise versa?

    You weigh the food and log it by weight to get the calories in it as opposed to measuring it with a measuring cup or spoons.
    For example, a tablespoon of peanut butter is listed by weight and by tbsp on the nutrition label as the same thing but often a measured tablespoon is more (especially if you don't level it off) which means more calories.
    Same thing with like veggies. The smaller you cut them, the more you can fit in a measuring cup (not a huge issue for lower calorie veggies but it's an example).

    If you check out the sexypants link someone posted above, it has a link to "you are probably eating more than you think" that outlines all of this (I think there is a video link for a demonstration too).

    ETA -
    Here is the demo video
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Stop lifting 6x per week
    Stop doing 15 rep sets
    Stop writing 1300 word posts when 200 will do.

    LOL at the third suggestion.

    Anyhow, totally agree. OP, don't try to sprint to the end of the fitness marathon you're on. It won't end well and you'll be miserable along the way. Add some rest days between lifting days...maybe go for a walk on those rest days if you want to do *something* during your regularly-scheduled exercise time.

    And add some weight to make some of your work sets fewer reps.
  • _Terrapin_
    _Terrapin_ Posts: 4,301 Member
    I enjoyed the Full Metal Jacket reference BTW. 'disgusting fat body' ah yes
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    Hey bud, welcome to MFP! Glad to see another big man trying to get fit. :smile:

    First things first, you're lifting too often. Try to limit the lifting to 4x per week. Your body develops during rest, not during workouts.

    Since you're a big guy, the best thing (other than a calorie deficit) that you can do is to just get your body moving. So walking an hour or so a few times per week is perfect as you begin to develop your cardiovascular system.

    Here is the tl;dr version:

    1. Calculate a calorie deficit.
    2. Weigh your food on a food scale and log it as accurately as possible.
    3. Strength train.
    4. Get moving.
    5. Get plenty of rest. Including sleep.
    6. BE CONSISTENT
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    Yeah, I guess I should buy a food scale... Although I still don't understand how much weight I can eat each day? Assuming I have a 3100 calorie daily limit, wouldn't that be close to a pound of food? But, don't some foods weigh more than others and are deceptively lower in calories and vise versa?

    You are thinking of weighing your food incorrectly. You're not shooting for a daily food weight, but rather measuring your food in grams to ensure you're eating the proper number of calories.

    Take a box of dry pasta for instance. A serving is usually around 1/3 of a cup and then it will give a gram measurement (28g) next to it. Well, using a measuring cup is very inaccurate. So if you weigh the dry pasta, you can ensure you're eating exactly what the nutrition label says you're eating in terms of calories.
  • chard_muncher
    chard_muncher Posts: 75 Member
    If it was me, I'd lift heavier weight for less reps, less often. Standard advice is usually 8-12 reps per set & 3-5 sets per movement. I also wouldn't do isolation movements like bicep curls. I would focus on heavy compound exercises (squat, deadlift, row, overhead press, bench press, dip, etc...) that engage more muscle groups.

Categories