Stronglifts 5x5 for Women

Join
We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Gotta a Heavy lifting question!

ffmary3858
ffmary3858 Posts: 3 Member
edited March 3 in Social Groups
I have question that is bugging the heck out of me so I thought you all help me. If someone female weighs 195 lbs 5 ft 4 inches starts lifting and eating at a deficit, no cardio, will she eventually start to lose weight? I can't imagine a female shedding inches and fat and remaining at 195lbs! I know in weightlifting the scale is not your friend however I would think that eventually you would have to see the scale move but I am not sure so this is why I am asking the Pros!! :).

Replies

  • aledba
    aledba Posts: 564 Member
    That was my exact starting weight 3 months ago. I am the same height. I despise cardio and do maybe 1 hour of HIIT/week when I am actually trying. I will admit I have been lax at the gym the last month due to a sprained ankle and patella injury. I am down to 180 simply from lifting and eating on a deficit. It took a month for that scale to start moving though. It is possible. I just focus on the inches lost (18 from hips, thighs, arms, waist, bust) and how I'm feeling.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    . . . while lifting, you mean? i'm no pro, but i'm the same height as you. i started lifting and logging my food at about the same time, with a deficit built in. now, i have been doing cardio at the same time (cycling), but bear in mind that when i started all this i'd been biking 75 miles a week for six months or something, and i had been stalled at around 135 pounds for at least two or three months.

    i don't know if it's the lifting or the more conscientious awareness of how much i'm eating, but i've definitely started to lose weight again since i added those two things. and i'm not riding nearly as much, for whatever that's worth.
  • katro111
    katro111 Posts: 632 Member
    When I started in February I was about 195 as well (I'm 5'5). I'm at 185 as of my last weigh in sometime in August. I was eating at a deficit up until August when I decided to take a break from cutting for a little while. Yes the scale moves slowly, but what I see in the mirror is much more impressive. I do HIIT once a week for 30 minutes and I walk my dog a lot. That's it for cardio.
  • ffmary3858
    ffmary3858 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks Soooo much for the replies!! Unfortunately I have to pay attention to the scale because I have to weigh under 200lbs for my job. Soo glad to see that lifting can make the scale move!!!! I was nervous about gaining and getting closer! Last question I promise....how many calories do you guys eat?
  • Llamapants86
    Llamapants86 Posts: 1,221 Member
    If you are following MFP calories you will lose weight without any exercise. I found lifting caused some water weight gain at first, but other than that I kept losing at what I was set to (-1 lbs/week).

    I eat between 2000 and 2500 cals a day, depending on my activity. That is to maintain my weight, I was taking 500 cals off of that when I was losing.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    my profile is set to 1200/day - i'm 49 and i registered as a 'sedentary' lifestyle, so it's probably calibrated for a slower metabolism. and i signed up at 132 lb, which is another thing that would bring my daily base allowance down a little.

    i'm not saying i EAT 1200 a day, every day ;-) it fluctuates a fair bit, because some days i'm starving and some days i'm just not interested. i probably average around 1200 - 1300 per day, over a week.

    and for perspective on that, i think i've been here 90 days and my weight loss has been around 6 pounds. so i lose slowly, but aside from a couple of water-weight days, the trend has been downwards all along.
  • katro111
    katro111 Posts: 632 Member
    I eat quite a bit. When I said I walk a lot, I meant it! My activity level according to MFP is "very active." My TDEE is just over 2800 so to maintain, I eat 2800 per day (that's an average; some days it's only 2500 and some days it can be over 3000). To lose weight, I eat between 2300 and 2500.
  • aledba
    aledba Posts: 564 Member
    Thanks Soooo much for the replies!! Unfortunately I have to pay attention to the scale because I have to weigh under 200lbs for my job. Soo glad to see that lifting can make the scale move!!!! I was nervous about gaining and getting closer! Last question I promise....how many calories do you guys eat?
    My BMR is around 1680. My TDEE is about 2200. I eat around 1600-1800/day and am currently maintaining just fine.
    Can't workout very hard right now due to my injuries. When I am going hard at the gym, I am eating about 1800-2000 cals/day and still losing. :)
  • lizafava2
    lizafava2 Posts: 185
    I weigh a little over 200 pounds and lost a size while staying the same weight. I am very muscular *and* hypothyroid, both issues I think contribute to that.

    eta: I mean that I have big muscles, not that I am lean, by any stretch.
  • symba1130
    symba1130 Posts: 248 Member
    I am using TDEE-20% and I eat around 1600-1700cal a day. I am 5'6, 156lbs. The scale has been slow to move (only down 1lb in about 5 weeks) but I am a whole pant size smaller since 8 weeks ago and I started 5x5 less than a month ago.
    I also keep pretty strict to only the 3x a week for the program and try to add 1 cardio day a week if possible. Otherwise its just my normal day to day activities (which I sit a lot at work some days).

    I hope to add to the progress pics thread soon!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories