Can't get smaller when weight training
lb628
Posts: 75
I have been on a strength training regiment for the past 3 months and have been trying to cut calories all the while. I feel as though in the long run, i have been under my calories for maintenance, however I would have fairly low calorie days and then binges up to 5000 calories...everyone says resistance training is the way to lose fat, but I feel the opposite. I am much smaller when I do more cardio because I think it suppresses my appetite, whereas lifting makes me ravenous all day. I lift for 3 days a week for 45 min along with 1.5 hrs of volleyball twice a week and 45 min of conditioning on one day. I'm trying to put my calorie goal at 2200 which is hard not to exceed since I'm just always hungry.
Could it be that my muscles are just constantly retaining water from being worked all the time? I can't believe that I eat so nutritiously yet I'm not seeing any results and am actually seeing the contrary. Could it be that I drop the weight quickly after I stop working out so much? (I have about 2 weeks off from weights. I'm hoping to cut quite a bit of fat in that time...) Does anyone else struggle with weight gain when weight lifting?
Could it be that my muscles are just constantly retaining water from being worked all the time? I can't believe that I eat so nutritiously yet I'm not seeing any results and am actually seeing the contrary. Could it be that I drop the weight quickly after I stop working out so much? (I have about 2 weeks off from weights. I'm hoping to cut quite a bit of fat in that time...) Does anyone else struggle with weight gain when weight lifting?
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Replies
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You are burning fat but building muscle. Cardio is best to shred fat. Weight training does burn it off as well but is usually replaced by muscle if using heavy weights. Remember...muscle weighs more than fat0
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I also had the same problem. I have been weight training for around 6 months but plateaued in weight loss. I am now working with a personal trainer and he put me on the 40C-30P-30F diet plan. My calorie intake is around 1600-1800 per day, I am now again losing weight! Don't forget to keep your protein intake up there. Good luck.0
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I also had the same problem. I have been weight training for around 6 months but plateaued in weight loss. I am now working with a personal trainer and he put me on the 40C-30P-30F diet plan. My calorie intake is around 1600-1800 per day, I am now again losing weight! Don't forget to keep your protein intake up there. Good luck.
I'm afraid of going too low on calories since I end up binging...I've eating half a jar of peanut butter in one day. A jar of almond butter in 2 days multiple times.0 -
Eat less0
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You are burning fat but building muscle. Cardio is best to shred fat. Weight training does burn it off as well but is usually replaced by muscle if using heavy weights. Remember...muscle weighs more than fat
Um...no.
You literally just told a female with less than 20lbs to lose that she's burning fat and building muscle........at a rate that is keeping her the same size. That is virtually impossible.
Cardio isn't the way to "shred fat". Diet with a regimen of some cardio and weight training is how you shred fat. To "shred fat" you need some sort of overload weight training program to maintain your muscle mass that would otherwise be lost through your deficit.
Op, yes you could be retaining water, but if you're not getting smaller it's because you're probably eating right at maintenance...or over. If you were truly under TDEE you would be getting smaller, no matter the exercise.0 -
Um...no.
You literally just told a female with less than 20lbs to lose that she's burning fat and building muscle........at a rate that is keeping her the same size. That is virtually impossible.
Cardio isn't the way to "shred fat". Diet with a regimen of some cardio and weight training is how you shred fat. To "shred fat" you need some sort of overload weight training program to maintain your muscle mass that would otherwise be lost through your deficit.
Op, yes you could be retaining water, but if you're not getting smaller it's because you're probably eating right at maintenance...or over. If you were truly under TDEE you would be getting smaller, no matter the exercise.
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Thanks, I disregarded that comment..
It's just frustrating because I find it so difficult to eat at a deficit when I'm weight training. I know I eat right, and I know I have will power because I've lost 20+ pounds in the past mostly by running a lot. I've gained almost all of it back, but I'm hoping it is mostly muscle. I look big regardless though....Maybe it's just my body type or hormones that are triggered to increase my appetite when lifting?0 -
Um...no.
You literally just told a female with less than 20lbs to lose that she's burning fat and building muscle........at a rate that is keeping her the same size. That is virtually impossible.
Cardio isn't the way to "shred fat". Diet with a regimen of some cardio and weight training is how you shred fat. To "shred fat" you need some sort of overload weight training program to maintain your muscle mass that would otherwise be lost through your deficit.
Op, yes you could be retaining water, but if you're not getting smaller it's because you're probably eating right at maintenance...or over. If you were truly under TDEE you would be getting smaller, no matter the exercise.
Thanks, I disregarded that comment..
It's just frustrating because I find it so difficult to eat at a deficit when I'm weight training. I know I eat right, and I know I have will power because I've lost 20+ pounds in the past mostly by running a lot. I've gained almost all of it back, but I'm hoping it is mostly muscle. I look big regardless though....Maybe it's just my body type or hormones that are triggered to increase my appetite when lifting?
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I hate to be a negative nelly, but if you gained back almost 20lbs, odds are very little of it was actual muscle mass gain. It's hard to say with a good time frame here, but gaining muscle is extremely hard, takes an on point diet, hours of overload training, and genes.....for guys. It's exponentially harder for women. A professional weight training female would be doing pretty well to put on a pound of muscle in 4 weeks or so.
If you do state that you find it hard to stay in a deficit....that's your problem right there.0 -
Um...no.
You literally just told a female with less than 20lbs to lose that she's burning fat and building muscle........at a rate that is keeping her the same size. That is virtually impossible.
Cardio isn't the way to "shred fat". Diet with a regimen of some cardio and weight training is how you shred fat. To "shred fat" you need some sort of overload weight training program to maintain your muscle mass that would otherwise be lost through your deficit.
Op, yes you could be retaining water, but if you're not getting smaller it's because you're probably eating right at maintenance...or over. If you were truly under TDEE you would be getting smaller, no matter the exercise.
Thanks, I disregarded that comment..
It's just frustrating because I find it so difficult to eat at a deficit when I'm weight training. I know I eat right, and I know I have will power because I've lost 20+ pounds in the past mostly by running a lot. I've gained almost all of it back, but I'm hoping it is mostly muscle. I look big regardless though....Maybe it's just my body type or hormones that are triggered to increase my appetite when lifting?
I hate to be a negative nelly, but if you gained back almost 20lbs, odds are very little of it was actual muscle mass gain. It's hard to say with a good time frame here, but gaining muscle is extremely hard, takes an on point diet, hours of overload training, and genes.....for guys. It's exponentially harder for women. A professional weight training female would be doing pretty well to put on a pound of muscle in 4 weeks or so.
If you do state that you find it hard to stay in a deficit....that's your problem right there.
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Any idea what would the solution would be? I feel like I'm doing everything right..weight training and cardio. I know my calories could maybe be cut more, but I already go to sleep slightly hungry and with a bit of a headache. I've been struggling with this for over a year it looks like seeing as my first post is centered around the same issue. Maybe I will just wait until I'm done with volleyball to slim down again. I can lose some of the extra muscle I've gained along with the fat.
What kind of resistance training are people talking about when they say to burn fat? Is it upping their weight or reps every week (which is what I have to do)? Or is it lifting at the same weight as before to maintain? Maybe that kind of exercise doesn't rev up the appetite like the former.0 -
Burning fat comes with a calorie deficit.
Any idea what would the solution would be? I feel like I'm doing everything right..weight training and cardio. I know my calories could maybe be cut more, but I already go to sleep slightly hungry and with a bit of a headache. I've been struggling with this for over a year it looks like seeing as my first post is centered around the same issue. Maybe I will just wait until I'm done with volleyball to slim down again. I can lose some of the extra muscle I've gained along with the fat.
What kind of resistance training are people talking about when they say to burn fat? Is it upping their weight or reps every week (which is what I have to do)? Or is it lifting at the same weight as before to maintain? Maybe that kind of exercise doesn't rev up the appetite like the former.
Edited to fix all the quoting nonsense0 -
So if you had 10lbs. of muscle in a bag and 10lbs. of fat in a bag, which would weigh more?You are burning fat but building muscle. Cardio is best to shred fat. Weight training does burn it off as well but is usually replaced by muscle if using heavy weights. Remember...muscle weighs more than fat0 -
Resistance training is advised because it helps to preserve your muscle, increasing the ratio of fat:muscle loss, whereas without you would lose proportionally more muscle in a deficit.
So, it's not really the case that it burns fat more effectively than cardio - that is a function of calorie deficit - but more that more of your total weight loss will be coming from fat.
Edit; if you're consistently gaining or maintaining weight, you're just not in a calorie deficit overall.0 -
Is there anyone else who has issues with maintaining a caloric deficit while weight training?0
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Appetite increases when you lift to help repair the damage to your muscle fibers. Try downing a protein shake about an hour after you work out or have a can of tuna, chicken breast or some other quick fix of protein. Your body is trying to compensate for the work you are doing in the gym. Plan your meals to coincide with your workout rather than just eating when you are hungry.
If you want leaner muscle mass, decrease the amount of weight and increase the number of repetitions to 10-15 (or 15-20). You should be struggling on the last 3 or its not enough weight. Burn outs also help (curls with 10# to exhaustion) create definition but do not increase mass.
I would suggest gettng a lift coach or trainer. Being accountable to another person is a great motivator and can keep you in line when you want to binge.0 -
You are making a lot of excuses when you know the answer is to eat less. It isn't lifting weights fault. You eat too much. You can suppress your appetite by drinking more water and eating less calorie dense foods (ie veggies that take up more space in your stomach and make you feel more full on less calories).0
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fairly low calorie days and then binges up to 5000 calories
MY EXPERIENCE: and this is totally my experience, and goodness knows I'm not a perfect individual who perfectly meets her calorie goals every day...
If you are trying to lose weight while lifting weights, as a woman I have not found success with HUGE refeed days. My most successful periods I personally have are with only one or two days per week eating at maintenance, and the rest of the days below maintenance. Once I have, let's say, as many as two days per month where I eat well over maintenance, my weightloss while lifting completely tanks. TOTALLY my experience, though. YMMV.0 -
I have a strength coach who puts the workouts together. I guess I am making excuses...it's just frustrating to see so much difference when I'm doing cardio versus weight training and I really have no choice on which exercise I perform.0
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MY EXPERIENCE: and this is totally my experience, and goodness knows I'm not a perfect individual who perfectly meets her calorie goals every day...
If you are trying to lose weight while lifting weights, as a woman I have not found success with HUGE refeed days. My most successful periods I personally have are with only one or two days per week eating at maintenance, and the rest of the days below maintenance. Once I have, let's say, as many as two days per month where I eat well over maintenance, my weightloss while lifting completely tanks. TOTALLY my experience, though. YMMV.
How many calories below maintenance are you going?0 -
Is there anyone else who has issues with maintaining a caloric deficit while weight training?
No.
It's very simple. Eat less than you burn.
Stop making excuses.0 -
I stopped lifting heavy because I get bigger and bigger very quickly and even though it's muscle it just makes me feel big, not cut.
Cardio does suppress my appetite more, like it does with you.
Now that I do long incline walks on the treadmill and more Nike Training Club app (free) workouts and especially the box jump workouts on there I have maintained and built on my muscle while losing the bloat around them and I finally look slim again.
Lots of women find success with lifting and losing weight. I'm 37 now and nobody thinks I'm 37. In great shape for a mom of two and lifting heavy just doesn't work for me anymore. Please don't get mad at me, all the lovely women who lift on MFP!! Just chiming in because I'm in the same boat as the poster.
Let me add in here, that if I ate more than 2500 calories on a rare binge day I would be ill. You HAVE to be exaggerating with 5000???
At 5'5, 141 I average about 1800/day most of the time.0 -
So if you had 10lbs. of muscle in a bag and 10lbs. of fat in a bag, which would weigh more?You are burning fat but building muscle. Cardio is best to shred fat. Weight training does burn it off as well but is usually replaced by muscle if using heavy weights. Remember...muscle weighs more than fat
They'd both weigh the same, but the muscle bag would be smaller - because it weighs more by volume.0 -
I stopped lifting heavy because I get bigger and bigger very quickly and even though it's muscle it just makes me feel big, not cut.
Cardio does suppress my appetite more, like it does with you.
Now that I do long incline walks on the treadmill and more Nike Training Club app (free) workouts and especially the box jump workouts on there I have maintained and built on my muscle while losing the bloat around them and I finally look slim again.
Lots of women find success with lifting and losing weight. I'm 37 now and nobody thinks I'm 37. In great shape for a mom of two and lifting heavy just doesn't work for me anymore. Please don't get mad at me, all the lovely women who lift on MFP!! Just chiming in because I'm in the same boat as the poster.
Finally! Yes that is exactly how I feel...I think it may have to do with body type - my trainers have told me I put on muscle easily (which probably means fat too...) and so I look much bulkier when lifting heavy.0 -
MY EXPERIENCE: and this is totally my experience, and goodness knows I'm not a perfect individual who perfectly meets her calorie goals every day...
If you are trying to lose weight while lifting weights, as a woman I have not found success with HUGE refeed days. My most successful periods I personally have are with only one or two days per week eating at maintenance, and the rest of the days below maintenance. Once I have, let's say, as many as two days per month where I eat well over maintenance, my weightloss while lifting completely tanks. TOTALLY my experience, though. YMMV.
How many calories below maintenance are you going?
I can only bear about a 2000 per week deficit without it affecting my performance or becoming grumpy and/or binging. If it's the off season, I can do maybe 4000 per week of deficit before I get too grumpy.
FOR ME, though, performance and overall mood/health are more important than how fast I lose the last bit of fat on me. I've gained about 20 lbs. of muscle and that made all the difference in my performance. The last thing I want to do is lose the muscle I worked so hard to put on.0 -
Let me add in here, that if I ate more than 2500 calories on a rare binge day I would be ill. You HAVE to be exaggerating with 5000???
At 5'5, 141 I average about 1800/day most of the time.
Haha I'm not...I'm 6' tall and weigh about 170 and am a DI athlete. I had eaten around 1700 the two days before, so I think my body was compensating. It gets really bad let me tell you. I do feel quite ill when it happens though. Usually very tired and bloated. I've probably eaten 8000 calories in a day due to too severe calorie restrictions in the days/weeks before. What adds up is the peanut butter/almond butter/ nutella that I can eat straight from the jar. And cereal gets me.0 -
If you're eating 2200 calories most days (say 5 days a week) then binging around 5000 on the others (say 2 days a week), then you're average calories consumed a day is 3000 which is likely over maintenance for you.
As for why you're feeling so hungry, are you eating enough satiating foods like protein and fat?0 -
Let me add in here, that if I ate more than 2500 calories on a rare binge day I would be ill. You HAVE to be exaggerating with 5000???
At 5'5, 141 I average about 1800/day most of the time.
Haha I'm not...I'm 6' tall and weigh about 170 and am a DI athlete. I had eaten around 1700 the two days before, so I think my body was compensating. It gets really bad let me tell you. I do feel quite ill when it happens though. Usually very tired and bloated. I've probably eaten 8000 calories in a day due to too severe calorie restrictions in the days/weeks before. What adds up is the peanut butter/almond butter/ nutella that I can eat straight from the jar. And cereal gets me.
With your height and level of activity, maybe 2200 is too low for you, causing you to feel starved then binge. Might help to calculate TDEE, up calories moderately, and see how you feel then.0 -
I stopped lifting heavy because I get bigger and bigger very quickly and even though it's muscle it just makes me feel big, not cut.
Cardio does suppress my appetite more, like it does with you.
Now that I do long incline walks on the treadmill and more Nike Training Club app (free) workouts and especially the box jump workouts on there I have maintained and built on my muscle while losing the bloat around them and I finally look slim again.
Lots of women find success with lifting and losing weight. I'm 37 now and nobody thinks I'm 37. In great shape for a mom of two and lifting heavy just doesn't work for me anymore. Please don't get mad at me, all the lovely women who lift on MFP!! Just chiming in because I'm in the same boat as the poster.
Finally! Yes that is exactly how I feel...I think it may have to do with body type - my trainers have told me I put on muscle easily (which probably means fat too...) and so I look much bulkier when lifting heavy.
That's just not true. Nobody can get bigger that quickly and have it be all muscle. Not to mention you need cals, and fat comes on a lot faster than muscle.....
As well, it takes testosterone to pack on muscle, and unless you're a female medical outlier, there is a massive lack of testosterone compared to a male.........and it's hard for guys to get "big" quickly.0 -
Finally! Yes that is exactly how I feel...I think it may have to do with body type - my trainers have told me I put on muscle easily (which probably means fat too...) and so I look much bulkier when lifting heavy.
LOLWUT.
I'm gonna sound really rough here. Enough with the "Well I put on muscle really easy" bs. You don't, I promise. You may be able to put it on quicker than others, but that doesn't mean you bulk up and become a bodybuilder or a man within a month of lifting. How can this idea still be around? You look bulky when you have fat on top of your muscles. You look "toned" or whatever they're calling it these days when you have muscles and are cut. Unless you're on the juice, as a female your muscles are not big enough to make you look bulky unless you have been training for years upon years upon years, and even then most women cannot achieve much bulk. I thought I was bulky before when I was 20 lbs heavier lifting. I realize now it was fat.
Sorry if that sounded really harsh, but it's the truth, lifting does not make you bulky. At all. Just like running doesn't make you skinny. At all. It's mostly about what you're eating.0 -
Finally! Yes that is exactly how I feel...I think it may have to do with body type - my trainers have told me I put on muscle easily (which probably means fat too...) and so I look much bulkier when lifting heavy.
LOLWUT.
I'm gonna sound really rough here. Enough with the "Well I put on muscle really easy" bs. You don't, I promise. You may be able to put it on quicker than others, but that doesn't mean you bulk up and become a bodybuilder or a man within a month of lifting. How can this idea still be around? You look bulky when you have fat on top of your muscles. You look "toned" or whatever they're calling it these days when you have muscles and are cut. Unless you're on the juice, as a female your muscles are not big enough to make you look bulky unless you have been training for years upon years upon years, and even then most women cannot achieve much bulk. I thought I was bulky before when I was 20 lbs heavier lifting. I realize now it was fat.
Sorry if that sounded really harsh, but it's the truth, lifting does not make you bulky. At all. Just like running doesn't make you skinny. At all. It's mostly about what you're eating.
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LOLWUT.
I'm gonna sound really rough here. Enough with the "Well I put on muscle really easy" bs. You don't, I promise. You may be able to put it on quicker than others, but that doesn't mean you bulk up and become a bodybuilder or a man within a month of lifting. How can this idea still be around? You look bulky when you have fat on top of your muscles. You look "toned" or whatever they're calling it these days when you have muscles and are cut. Unless you're on the juice, as a female your muscles are not big enough to make you look bulky unless you have been training for years upon years upon years, and even then most women cannot achieve much bulk. I thought I was bulky before when I was 20 lbs heavier lifting. I realize now it was fat.
Sorry if that sounded really harsh, but it's the truth, lifting does not make you bulky. At all. Just like running doesn't make you skinny. At all. It's mostly about what you're eating.
I totally get that. Maybe I've worded it in the wrong way. My point is that lifting makes me insatiably hungry, whereas cardio such as spinning, running, etc. seems to suppress my appetite more. Thus, in an indirect way - for me at least - running makes me skinny and lifting makes me bulky/fat. Well to be fair to myself, I don't think anyone would refer to me as bulky or fat. I'm just very conscious of my weight. I went from 28% BF to 20% BF two summers ago by changing my eating habits and running a lot. I lost 4 lbs of muscle as well though
. I may be back up to 24-25 with some more LBM. 0 -
You're delusional. Nobody is packing on a ton of muscle if they claim to be on a deficit and think 2500 is a massive amount of food.I stopped lifting heavy because I get bigger and bigger very quickly and even though it's muscle it just makes me feel big, not cut.
Cardio does suppress my appetite more, like it does with you.
Now that I do long incline walks on the treadmill and more Nike Training Club app (free) workouts and especially the box jump workouts on there I have maintained and built on my muscle while losing the bloat around them and I finally look slim again.
Lots of women find success with lifting and losing weight. I'm 37 now and nobody thinks I'm 37. In great shape for a mom of two and lifting heavy just doesn't work for me anymore. Please don't get mad at me, all the lovely women who lift on MFP!! Just chiming in because I'm in the same boat as the poster.
Let me add in here, that if I ate more than 2500 calories on a rare binge day I would be ill. You HAVE to be exaggerating with 5000???
At 5'5, 141 I average about 1800/day most of the time.
Initial swelling can and does put a lot of women off of lifting, but if they persevered and understood what it was, we wouldn't see half as many "lifting makes you bulky" type posts.0
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