Am I doing the right thing?

bex1086
bex1086 Posts: 85 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My ultimate goal is to create a smaller and less wobbly me so lose fat, build muscle.

Since January this year I've been doing Stronglifts, I've had to deload on a few things due to my form or injury but between me and my personal trainer we've got it sorted and I'm ready to start progressing.

I've been aiming for a calorie deficit to lose half a pound a week so I put my stats into MFP and upped it slightly to account for exercise calories (100 a day) as I prefer to go for the TDEE approach. Had a couple of weeks where I went off plan due to it being half term so I was stress eating and eating out with the kids. I put on a few pounds but it was all gone within a few days. I'm logging daily, the good and the bad and weighing daily to see a trend over a few weeks to determine if I need to go for a higher or lower calorie deficit.

Am I on the right track? At what point will I start to notice visual and physical differences (clothes fit, inches etc) My strength has increased and the scale has gone down which is positive. Just need my fat to go too!

Replies

  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,415 Member
    That sounds about right, though you'll want to make sure that your protein consumption is at about .8-1.2g per pound of lean body mass or body weight. (1.2 g/# lean mass or .8 g/# body weight)
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    It sounds like you are on the right track, also agree about getting protein up there. It will depend on your stats, how much weight you have to lose and your current body composition and bodyfat. For some people visual changes can be hard to detect at the start as well as the leaner you get. I am currently recomping (maintaining to build muscle and lose fat) and it's slow so I haven't seen any changes since I started about a month and a half ago. When I'm in a deficit I can usually see changes every few days (up until I get ultra lean and seem to stay the same.. when I start looking worse and losing from the wrong places I know it's time to build again).

    Just have to be patient especially if you are closer to goal and also realize that fat might not come off where you want it to. It can be frustrating
  • bex1086
    bex1086 Posts: 85 Member
    I aim for about 100g of protein a day, I'm roughly about 108lbs give or take.

    I have more fat on my lower half than the top but since having kids I have an apron where my c section scars are. Profile picture was taken this month, I don't look too bad until the trousers come off then you can really see how much fat I carry on my legs and bum as well as a horrific amount of cellulite. With 2 kids I don't have time to body brush and moisturise every day to try minimise it so I'm hoping it will go away when the fat percentage gets lower.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    While cellulite can improve with lowering bodyfat and lifting, it is genetic and very stubborn so it might never go away.

    How much weight do you want to lose? At some point if you are already a good weight for your height and still not happy with your body composition, as you go lower you may not have enough muscle to keep losing. Recomp is a good option at that point.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

    Keep in mind it can be slow so lots of patience is required.
  • happysquatter
    happysquatter Posts: 91 Member
    You've got some good information from Liz and Sardelsa already

    My input would be around the program (StrongLifts 5x5) you are running and your question on what changes to expect.

    If you are new or detrained, you can expect to see fairly quick strength changes and probably a decent amount of muscle gain. However with a calorie deficit, you may run into a wall sooner rather than later. That's ok.

    If you make no modifications to the program (increases every 48 hours, 3x per week) whatsoever then expect gains in your lower body to outstrip gains in your upper body.

    Also, with no modifications to the program, you should stop after the third deload. (I would even suggest after the second) At that point you will need different programming and there's no point running StrongLifts for more than 8-12 weeks
  • bex1086
    bex1086 Posts: 85 Member
    happysquatter wrote: »
    You've got some good information from Liz and Sardelsa already

    My input would be around the program (StrongLifts 5x5) you are running and your question on what changes to expect.

    If you are new or detrained, you can expect to see fairly quick strength changes and probably a decent amount of muscle gain. However with a calorie deficit, you may run into a wall sooner rather than later. That's ok.

    If you make no modifications to the program (increases every 48 hours, 3x per week) whatsoever then expect gains in your lower body to outstrip gains in your upper body.

    Also, with no modifications to the program, you should stop after the third deload. (I would even suggest after the second) At that point you will need different programming and there's no point running StrongLifts for more than 8-12 weeks

    I've gone back to the beginning with Stronglifts, I got 8 weeks in but it took me ages to get my form right on deadlifts and rows and I hurt my knee so I took a break from squats for a while. Back up and running again and just redone week 1 so will see how I get on. I want to get to the end of the 12 week programme, I've upgraded to the full app so it tells me what to do if I fail, when to deload after a fail etc so I'll just keep following it.

    In terms of my newness, the only lifting I've done is body pump so similar stuff in terms of movement but much lighter and more reps.

    I don't want to run a deficit for much longer, I'm thinking give it a few more weeks then have a break, eat at maintenance for a bit then I can always do another cut. I seem to do better when I cut after I've had a break even when my breaks are way over my maintenance.
  • happysquatter
    happysquatter Posts: 91 Member
    I think that's a solid plan w.r.t the training part!🙂
  • ecjim
    ecjim Posts: 1,001 Member
    I agree with the other posters that you are on the right track. - A couple coments though - At 108 lbs you may not want to stay at a deficit - maybe eat at maintenace + 1 protien shake - just a nick over
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    edited March 2020
    Wrong info .... opps!

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