Eating to lose weight, while strength training...

What worked for me was a slower rate of weight loss (1lb/week), train at least 3 times a week, keep my protein at around 1g per pound of estimated lean mass. Carbs mostly a irrelevance to me but I tend to have a pretty high carb diet. The only time I'm concerned about carbs is when I'm fuelling a particularly long bike ride then I'm eating 60 - 90g per HOUR!

Unless you have a medical reason to limit carbs then don't bother, that could just be making things more complicated and restrictive for no good reason.

My biggest concern with your post would be your very low calorie intake. I do hope you are eating back your exercise calories as this site intends you to when it gives you your calorie goal?

mychance123 wrote: »

I've had a lot of success this time around losing weight and it isn't feeling difficult. The exercise you are doing is just as important as the food. Right now I use fitness pal as a guide. I set 55% carbs, 25% fat and 20% protein. I work out at least 3x a week, mostly strength training with a short cardio warm up and some short intervals throughout the workout. I'm trying to get a just cardio 1/2 hour a week added, but isn't consistent yet. I do not add in calories for exercise, so I do not log it. If I go over a bit on those days because I am hungry , it's ok. I have lost 40lbs since March when we started having to be home . I think not going out to eat helps. Also I send my husband to the store with a list or do curbside so I am not buying what shouldn't be in the house. Carbs are important and they seem to be the 1st thing people cut. But they have to be spread evenly throughout the day so they are used for energy and not left to turn to fat. This sad time we are living in. actually gives me the opportunity to take care of myself.
1200 calories is too low for anyone, especially if you are active. Also 70 grams of carbs is too low. I shoot for 35 or up to 40 per meal and have 2 snacks. If snack is fruit which is a good choice there are more carbs. I've found the fat is much more important to cut back on. The websites guidelines are good if you are honest about your activity level . If you don't eat enough, your body does hang on as it has the feeling of a starvation mode.
I actually am a personal trainer and have a senior fitness cert. I am not promoting as I am not taking more clients. I went to a trainer 15 years ago 2x a week and lost 75 lbs. In between our visits I'd try to do some activity on my own as 2x a week isn't enough. (push for at least 200 hours) Never reached my goal but she pushed me to be a trainer to help people in our age group see we can still accomplish so much. I am 61. I have been training for 9 years. Life events and no excuses, but wrong choices, I gained 30 back. As of now I weigh less than I have in 30 years and when I began training. Still working on that goal! However at our age it isn't realistic to worry about all the charts and just do what we can to be healthy and never stop.
One thing I am telling myself this year, and not sure it will work, is that the holidays or any day is not a cheat day. I enjoy a dessert now and then so can for an occasion. But I am focusing on making lifestyle changes. Not a diet or something that will change when I reach whatever goal I hit and am happy with. You sound really motivated, Congratulations on what you've done so far!

70 grams of carbohydrates isn't necessarily too low -- there are lots of people who feel more satisfied or find it easier to meet their goals on a lower carbohydrate diet.

Just as you don't HAVE to go low carbohydrate to lose weight, you don't have to include more carbohydrates just for the sake of doing it. There are various ways that people can be successful depending on their lifestyle, preferences, and how their individual satiety is triggered.

Lisa_Smith wrote: »

I'm not new to fitnesspal, but I am new to strength training and I love it! I'm a 50+ female, BMI of 29+-. I have lost 33 pounds and would like to lose 35 more. I started strength training to reduce my body fat % (currently 45% YIKES). I feel much better after starting strength training 2x per week with a trainer but I'm not sure how to eat. I typically really watch the carbs (goal is < or = to 70 grams daily) and try to stay around 1,200 calories daily. On the days that I strength train I need more to get through my workouts. Weight loss is currently stalled, but I'm not gaining. Getting ready to hit it hard again after I make it through the holidays. What works for you? Do you eat a few more carbs/calories every day or just on the days that you strength train?

So, what's your current weight/height? Are you eating back exercise calories? How fast are you trying to lose?

If you need more carbs to get through your workouts, eat more carbs. No matter what the popular mythology is these days, carbs don't prevent weight loss. (Some people do need to manage carbs, for example if diabetic or insulin resistant, but you didn't mention whether that applies to you.)

What works for me is to use the calorie goal that I derived by (1) following MFP's estimate long enough to know whether/how much it applied to me, (2) watching the scale results for several weeks, then (3) adjusting based on experience. In that context, I did eat 1200 calories daily briefly (started losing at 183 lbs, 5'5", which is BMI 30.4), plus estimated my exercise calories and ate those back, too. I was grossing maybe 1500-1600 calories most days. That was way too low, for me: Felt great for awhile, not hungry, then hit a wall. I got weak/fatigued, and it took several weeks to recover.

I lost most of 50+ pounds eating 1400-1600 calories plus all exercise calories, 0.6-0.8g protein per pound of goal weight, 0.35-0.45g fat per pound, minimum 5+ veggie/fruit servings daily (ideally 10+), and letting carbs fall wherever to balance calories (it was usually in the vicinity of 150g). I'm desultory about lifting (though I did it through most of weight loss), but regularly do strength-y cardio (on water and machine rowing). I'm no bodybuilder, but not totally devoid of muscle either.

Now, in maintance at 5'5", mid-120s pounds, age 65, BF% probably mid-20s (BIA scale claims 23-point-something, which is not a number I trust), still active, I rounded the above to 100g protein mimimum, 50g fat minimum (emphasizing MUFAs/PUFAs and Omega 3/6 rationality), the same veggie/fruit goals, and still treat carbs as "eh, whatever" (nowadays, usually more like 250g daily). That's what works for me.

Sometimes, when I am strength training, it helps me to eat some fast-ish carbs right before a workout, especially if I'm feeling like I'm in an energy trough (might be psychological?). For a while, a go-to was a Tootsie Roll Green Apple Caramel sucker, at (IIRC) 60 calories (how's that for rogue nutrition? 😉). Nowadays, it's more likely to be dried mangos or prunes, because that's what's in the house.

From reading others' posts here, carb needs are pretty individual, and which carb sources people choose can matter (for satiation, nutrition, especially). Some people find that carbs spark cravings/appetite. If so, can make sense to limit them. Other people find that low carb makes energy level tank. If so, can make sense to eat more of them (maybe choose nutrient-dense ones, if more satiating). Unless you have a relevant health condition (like diabetes or insulin resistance), why not experiment?

Best wishes!