Same net calories + doing weights

PlumpKitten
PlumpKitten Posts: 112 Member
edited November 16 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi guys!
I started doing weights at the gym, and am loving it.
However, I don't love dieting and have decided to take a break from it. As a 5'1" woman - and mom or two -- at about 135 lbs, I'm a bit chubbier, but not very overweight.
What happens if my net calories stays at about maintanence. I presume my weight will not go up or down.
But will my body change shape with more exercise? I do circuits w/ weights 3 x a week. And try to do yoga or jobbing 2-3 times a week.

Some people say it's impossible to look better without dieting - that fat can't be burned while muscle is built.
Other people say body recomposition is possible - it just takes time.
Any advice appreciated! '

Replies

  • lgblack
    lgblack Posts: 73 Member
    I am 55, so a bit older than you. But I have been working with a personal trainer for just over 2 years now. Basically, dieting/healthy eating COMBINED with weight training is going to give you best results.Trainers will tell you that weight loss is 80% eating and 20% exercise. Exercise alone keeps you toned and gives you healthy heart and lungs. Depending on the intensity of the weights, you may gain muscle mass which they say weighs more than fat...but I just tend to ignore that piece of information and look at number on scale and how my jeans are fitting :) So I believe the definition of muscles can be attained by training only - but you would be hard pressed to see much of these results without reducing the fat layer that is OVER the muscle. My trainer told me that dieting (i.e. counting my calories of MFP, keeping my intake around 1200, and reducing sugar and alcohol) is the ONLY way of reducing the belly fat. Basically, exercise alone will not change the composition of the fat in that area of the body. I think this applies to men and women. So bottom line, do SOMETHING! Better to take a bit of a breather from the strictness of logging very morsel, and still do weights as when you get back to dieting, the underlying muscle that you have been working on will begin to reveal itself :) Good luck!
  • Emilia777
    Emilia777 Posts: 978 Member
    lgblack wrote: »
    I am 55, so a bit older than you. But I have been working with a personal trainer for just over 2 years now. Basically, dieting/healthy eating COMBINED with weight training is going to give you best results.Trainers will tell you that weight loss is 80% eating and 20% exercise. Exercise alone keeps you toned and gives you healthy heart and lungs. Depending on the intensity of the weights, you may gain muscle mass which they say weighs more than fat...but I just tend to ignore that piece of information and look at number on scale and how my jeans are fitting :) So I believe the definition of muscles can be attained by training only - but you would be hard pressed to see much of these results without reducing the fat layer that is OVER the muscle. My trainer told me that dieting (i.e. counting my calories of MFP, keeping my intake around 1200, and reducing sugar and alcohol) is the ONLY way of reducing the belly fat. Basically, exercise alone will not change the composition of the fat in that area of the body. I think this applies to men and women. So bottom line, do SOMETHING! Better to take a bit of a breather from the strictness of logging very morsel, and still do weights as when you get back to dieting, the underlying muscle that you have been working on will begin to reveal itself :) Good luck!

    I could be wrong, but I don’t think that’s correct at all. As everyone here keeps saying, it’s all about calories in vs calories out: as long as you’re at a deficit, you will lose weight. It’s simple math. So OP, if you eat at maintenance, your exercise will still leave with you with a deficit. It just may not be a very big one. I would be cautious about eating back all of your exercise calories, though, as those are usually over-estimated (unless you have a HRM).

    Eating at maintenance and weight training is one of the best ways to gain muscle and get stronger. As this happens, your body will definitely get tighter and look more fit. See this thread for details:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10120952/muscle-gain-on-a-calorie-deficit/p1
  • snaptate
    snaptate Posts: 22 Member
    PlumpKitten wrote: »
    Hi guys!
    I started doing weights at the gym, and am loving it.
    However, I don't love dieting and have decided to take a break from it. As a 5'1" woman - and mom or two -- at about 135 lbs, I'm a bit chubbier, but not very overweight.
    What happens if my net calories stays at about maintanence. I presume my weight will not go up or down.
    But will my body change shape with more exercise? I do circuits w/ weights 3 x a week. And try to do yoga or jobbing 2-3 times a week.

    Some people say it's impossible to look better without dieting - that fat can't be burned while muscle is built.
    Other people say body recomposition is possible - it just takes time.
    Any advice appreciated! '

  • snaptate
    snaptate Posts: 22 Member
    Muscle burns fat. It's all about calories in and calories out. Make sure your eating and logging as much as you can so you can look back and see what works and what doesn't. Muscle,is denser than fat, so YES your body will change without weight training, but not for the worse. Your body fat will change and weight may go up or down, but it's just because of no tension placed on muscles. Try doing squats holding your kids and dips on chairs....so many great bodyweight workout out there.
    I love using my 12 yr old as my weights.
  • PlumpKitten
    PlumpKitten Posts: 112 Member
    Thanks guys!
    I totally understand calories in = calories out. I've actually lost 20 lbs since my second pregnancy - and was tracking on MyFitnessPal pretty closely. So I know diet is more important than exercise for weight loss.
    This wasn't a weight loss question but a fitness one. If -- if --- my weight remains the same, but I keep exercising with weights, how quickly will my shape change?
    So far, I'm feeling tighter and stronger, even though the scale has not moved. The waistband of my jeans may be a tiny bit looser. :)

    Thanks again for all the advice.
  • PlumpKitten
    PlumpKitten Posts: 112 Member
    lgblack wrote: »
    I am 55, so a bit older than you. But I have been working with a personal trainer for just over 2 years now. Basically, dieting/healthy eating COMBINED with weight training is going to give you best results.Trainers will tell you that weight loss is 80% eating and 20% exercise. Exercise alone keeps you toned and gives you healthy heart and lungs. Depending on the intensity of the weights, you may gain muscle mass which they say weighs more than fat...but I just tend to ignore that piece of information and look at number on scale and how my jeans are fitting :) So I believe the definition of muscles can be attained by training only - but you would be hard pressed to see much of these results without reducing the fat layer that is OVER the muscle. My trainer told me that dieting (i.e. counting my calories of MFP, keeping my intake around 1200, and reducing sugar and alcohol) is the ONLY way of reducing the belly fat. Basically, exercise alone will not change the composition of the fat in that area of the body. I think this applies to men and women. So bottom line, do SOMETHING! Better to take a bit of a breather from the strictness of logging very morsel, and still do weights as when you get back to dieting, the underlying muscle that you have been working on will begin to reveal itself :) Good luck!

    Thanks for the great advice.
    I'm just starting on weights. A friend sent me a program called Venus Factor, which are basically circuits using body weight (push-ups, etc) and hand weights. Before that, I had never once wandered in the weights area of the gym. I was using 5-12 lb handweights. (I didn't follow the VF diet, which I found too strict. At the time I was still breastfeeding, as there was no way I was going down to 1,000 calories on a "low day")

    Now I am trying my hand at the Muscle & Fitness 4-week beginners weight-lifting program. First time using machines or a barbell. So let's see how that goes.

  • PlumpKitten
    PlumpKitten Posts: 112 Member
    lgblack wrote: »
    I am 55, so a bit older than you. But I have been working with a personal trainer for just over 2 years now. Basically, dieting/healthy eating COMBINED with weight training is going to give you best results.Trainers will tell you that weight loss is 80% eating and 20% exercise. Exercise alone keeps you toned and gives you healthy heart and lungs. Depending on the intensity of the weights, you may gain muscle mass which they say weighs more than fat...but I just tend to ignore that piece of information and look at number on scale and how my jeans are fitting :) So I believe the definition of muscles can be attained by training only - but you would be hard pressed to see much of these results without reducing the fat layer that is OVER the muscle. My trainer told me that dieting (i.e. counting my calories of MFP, keeping my intake around 1200, and reducing sugar and alcohol) is the ONLY way of reducing the belly fat. Basically, exercise alone will not change the composition of the fat in that area of the body. I think this applies to men and women. So bottom line, do SOMETHING! Better to take a bit of a breather from the strictness of logging very morsel, and still do weights as when you get back to dieting, the underlying muscle that you have been working on will begin to reveal itself :) Good luck!

    Thanks for the great advice.
    I'm just starting on weights. A friend sent me a program called Venus Factor, which are basically circuits using body weight (push-ups, etc) and hand weights. Before that, I had never once wandered in the weights area of the gym. I was using 5-12 lb handweights. (I didn't follow the VF diet, which I found too strict. At the time I was still breastfeeding, as there was no way I was going down to 1,000 calories on a "low day")

    Now I am trying my hand at the Muscle & Fitness 4-week beginners weight-lifting program. First time using machines or a barbell. So let's see how that goes.

  • Talan79
    Talan79 Posts: 782 Member
    I'm also short, 5"2 (117lbs) and working on a recomp bc I was not comfortable with the idea of a bulk/cut. I was eating at a deficit and doing cardio and heavy weights 6 days a week. Now I'm eating at maintenance and actually cut back a bit on the cardio. I read a lot that you can't gain muscle on a deficit, but you can recomp at maintenance, it just takes longer. I've bumped my calories up from 1350 to 1650 a day for two weeks now. No weight change. Which is good I guess.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    lgblack wrote: »
    I am 55, so a bit older than you. But I have been working with a personal trainer for just over 2 years now. Basically, dieting/healthy eating COMBINED with weight training is going to give you best results.Trainers will tell you that weight loss is 80% eating and 20% exercise. Exercise alone keeps you toned and gives you healthy heart and lungs. Depending on the intensity of the weights, you may gain muscle mass which they say weighs more than fat...but I just tend to ignore that piece of information and look at number on scale and how my jeans are fitting :) So I believe the definition of muscles can be attained by training only - but you would be hard pressed to see much of these results without reducing the fat layer that is OVER the muscle. My trainer told me that dieting (i.e. counting my calories of MFP, keeping my intake around 1200, and reducing sugar and alcohol) is the ONLY way of reducing the belly fat. Basically, exercise alone will not change the composition of the fat in that area of the body. I think this applies to men and women. So bottom line, do SOMETHING! Better to take a bit of a breather from the strictness of logging very morsel, and still do weights as when you get back to dieting, the underlying muscle that you have been working on will begin to reveal itself :) Good luck!




    Fire your trainer. Like, last week. I'm completely serious - well, not about "last week." (S)he has no clue, whatsoever, what (s)he is talking about.



    OP - you heard correctly. Body recomposition is possible, but tends to be quite slow. It sounds like you're in a decent place to try. Since you don't want to (currently) lose any more weight, then give it a shot.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    The people who say it's "impossible" either don't understand that impossible is an absolute term or are seriously ignorant about training and physiology.

    When I started out weight training (1974!) bulk/cut cycles were the sole preserve of physique competitors. What is now called recomp was actually the norm. Even at 55 and prioritising my cycling I'm still recomping. So yes you can add muscle and lose fat at the same time.

    There are many factors that make it slower/faster for the individual and you will have some in your favour and some against.
    Against is your gender of course.
    "A bit chubbier, but not very overweight" is in your favour.
    How many years training is a big factor.

    But what does "I do circuits w/ weights 3 x a week" actually mean? Enough weight to actually stress your muscles? Are you increasing your weight as you get stronger?

    There are different ways to put enough stress on your muscle to stimulate growth but progressive overload is king.

    So if building strength and then muscle is your goal then would first look at your training regime.
  • PlumpKitten
    PlumpKitten Posts: 112 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    The people who say it's "impossible" either don't understand that impossible is an absolute term or are seriously ignorant about training and physiology.

    When I started out weight training (1974!) bulk/cut cycles were the sole preserve of physique competitors. What is now called recomp was actually the norm. Even at 55 and prioritising my cycling I'm still recomping. So yes you can add muscle and lose fat at the same time.

    There are many factors that make it slower/faster for the individual and you will have some in your favour and some against.
    Against is your gender of course.
    "A bit chubbier, but not very overweight" is in your favour.
    How many years training is a big factor.

    But what does "I do circuits w/ weights 3 x a week" actually mean? Enough weight to actually stress your muscles? Are you increasing your weight as you get stronger?

    There are different ways to put enough stress on your muscle to stimulate growth but progressive overload is king.

    So if building strength and then muscle is your goal then would first look at your training regime.

    Sorry - I'm behind on responding!
    I started w/ circuits w/ weights 3 x / week, as I am a beginner. I'm doing more now. And adding weight slowly but surely.
    As a newcomer, I'm focusing on keeping good form and not getting hurt. But also pushing myself.

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