Lifting while losing weight

MRivera422 · February 2015

I have lost 16 pounds in 40 days. I feel like this is a good pace and I want it to continue. I have a goal weight of about 190 and I am currently 254 so I have a good amount of weight to still lose. I want to lose this weight and then work on bulking and lifting but everyone advises me to lift while losing the weight. I started lifting last week and will continue this however I was wondering if this would hinder the pace of my weight loss. I’m all for being stronger however dropping this weight is top priority. Would cardio be a better alternative to lifting or should I make it a point to implement more cardio before/after lifting.

EvanKeel · February 2015

lifting in a deficit is not going to hinder fat loss. Initially you may notice some weight gain (or lack of loss) as a result fluid retention and muscle repair. Lifting while in a deficit, particularly large deficits, will help maintain muscle mass.

Cardio is useful for health reasons, but if you're losing without doing any cardio, then there's no reason to start doing it...Unless you enjoy it.

october_rusticle · February 2015

Cardio will certainly help your weight loss to a larger degree than weights but there is no reason you can't do both. Only snag is to bulk up using weights (as opposed to improving muscle tone and strength) you need to be eating a lot of calories in lean protein... which could counter your loss progress.

In any case do weights before cardio in your workout routine.

All the best!

MinnieInMaine · February 2015

There's no need to skip lifting weights while losing. While there is such a thing as newbie gains, you really can't gain muscle while on a calorie deficit so it shouldn't affect your weight loss. It will however, help you to mostly lose fat instead of both fat and muscle.

What you might see is a slight stall on the scale now and then because of the water and glycogen store reaction from lifting. The solution to that is to not make the weight on the scale your one and only measure of success and realize that fluctuations happen. Take progress pics and body measurements and pay attention to how your clothes are fitting.

EvanKeel · February 2015

october_rusticle wrote: »

Only snag is to bulk up using weights (as opposed to improving muscle tone and strength) you need to be eating a lot of calories in lean protein... which could counter your loss progress.

A bulking process would, by definition, do the exact opposite of deficit, or cut, yes. It's why people go from cutting to bulking and so forth--though generally in a bulk you're trying to minimize fat gain and a cut should maximize fat loss. That's not a snag so much as intended.

MRivera422 · February 2015

Thanks! I think I will just implement MORE cardio with my lifting. I dont plan to bulk until I get down to my desired weight. Glad these newbie gains arent going to hold me back from losing weight but I will definitely be implementing more cardio to make sure :-)

EvanKeel · February 2015

Definitely do what works for you. I'll just add that 16lbs in 6 weeks (I rounded up) is a perfectly fine rate; or put another way, I wouldn't want to lose any faster than that. If it were me, I might see what my losses are like in another 6 weeks to see if I needed to adjust anything.

Then again, cardio has never been my friend. Your mileage may vary. Just don't burn yourself out or increase your chance of injury.

Chieflrg · February 2015

Cardio is for healthy heart, lungs, etc...it is not necessary to lose weight one bit. I'm not saying to not do cardio, just saying don't get confused thinking you must to lose weight. You can lose fat just as fast in most cases and have more energy and time for strength training if you are not doing cardio
Lifting while eating at a calorie deficit will definitely help retain what muscle you have while strengthening your muscvles. I highly recommend lifting and minimum cardio if you plan on eating your calories back.

MRivera422 · February 2015

Chieflrg wrote: »

Cardio is for healthy heart, lungs, etc...it is not necessary to lose weight one bit. I'm not saying to not do cardio, just saying don't get confused thinking you must to lose weight. You can lose fat just as fast in most cases and have more energy and time for strength training if you are not doing cardio
Lifting while eating at a calorie deficit will definitely help retain what muscle you have while strengthening your muscvles. I highly recommend lifting and minimum cardio if you plan on eating your calories back.

Does not eating the calories that I burn during workouts hurt me?

EvanKeel · February 2015

MRivera422 wrote: »

Chieflrg wrote: »

Cardio is for healthy heart, lungs, etc...it is not necessary to lose weight one bit. I'm not saying to not do cardio, just saying don't get confused thinking you must to lose weight. You can lose fat just as fast in most cases and have more energy and time for strength training if you are not doing cardio
Lifting while eating at a calorie deficit will definitely help retain what muscle you have while strengthening your muscvles. I highly recommend lifting and minimum cardio if you plan on eating your calories back.

Does not eating the calories that I burn during workouts hurt me?

If it has an effect on your energy levels during your lifting, then yes. That's going to vary from person to person and even then from workout to workout. I find that reduced calories will definitely take a toll on my lifting past a certain point.

Chieflrg · February 2015

MRivera422 wrote: »

Chieflrg wrote: »

Cardio is for healthy heart, lungs, etc...it is not necessary to lose weight one bit. I'm not saying to not do cardio, just saying don't get confused thinking you must to lose weight. You can lose fat just as fast in most cases and have more energy and time for strength training if you are not doing cardio
Lifting while eating at a calorie deficit will definitely help retain what muscle you have while strengthening your muscvles. I highly recommend lifting and minimum cardio if you plan on eating your calories back.

Does not eating the calories that I burn during workouts hurt me?

That would be subjective to your weight loss goal. Are you losing more than your goal? If yes, then I would eat some of them back.

sijomial · February 2015

MRivera422 wrote: »

Chieflrg wrote: »

Cardio is for healthy heart, lungs, etc...it is not necessary to lose weight one bit. I'm not saying to not do cardio, just saying don't get confused thinking you must to lose weight. You can lose fat just as fast in most cases and have more energy and time for strength training if you are not doing cardio
Lifting while eating at a calorie deficit will definitely help retain what muscle you have while strengthening your muscvles. I highly recommend lifting and minimum cardio if you plan on eating your calories back.

Does not eating the calories that I burn during workouts hurt me?

It means you stick to the calorie deficit you chose rather than turning it into an excessive deficit.
Lifting while losing weight helps retain your muscle mass but an excessive deficit will lead to more muscle loss than necessary.
Really would say don't rush at this weight loss phase - it's far easier to retain the muscle you have than lose it and have to regain it. You may be able to sustain a large deficit for a while but that won't last, and nor should it.

Also you are adding stress upon stress upon stress - adding lifting, increasing cardio and increasing your deficit. Sounds like a recipe for burning out.

MRivera422 · February 2015

Thanks for the advice guys. I will try not to burn myself out. I plan to lift and not over do it on the cardio. I will maybe eat back some calories from working out if I see that it is necessary in the future.

sjaplo · February 2015

lift damn you, lift!!!!!!!!

No seriously - lift - you're body will thank you.

Lifting while losing weight

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