strength training calories

sammys1girly · March 2012

I know there are all sorts of threads on here but am having trouble finding exactly what I'm looking for.
I joined this site just under a year ago and in the first 4 months, lost the 10 lbs I wanted to. Since then,
I have lost and gained the same lb or 2 over and over, basically maintaining. I am 5ft 1 1/4", started at
135 lbs, currently around 126 lbs. I usually do 2 days/wk of intense cardio, 2-3 days of a short run or other
lighter cardio, and 3-4 of those days also do some strength training (bench press and several machines at
the gym, some kettlebells, and circuit training) I would LOVE to lose some more inches and eventually a couple more pounds, but right now the inches matter alot more to me as I want to be more toned. Since joining here, I lost at least two inches on my hips, belly button area and waist, but would love to lose more.
I am having trouble figuring out what my calorie intake should be as my lbs and inches have not budged in
months, which is very frustrating. I eat back between 60-80% of my workout calories, and currently have my
calories set on .5 lb/wk weight loss, which gives me 1220 cals/day. Also, many times I have a day or two over the weekend
where I don't log, but don't go too crazy, probably closer to 1800 calories.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be awesome...except pls don't suggest I go buy some workout plan or something pricey
as my husband lost his job and we are struggling a bit financially.

trmecham · March 2012

It sounds like your strength training doesn't have a plan or a goal. Try checking out the women and lifting thread.

sammys1girly · March 2012

Thanks, I'll look for it.
I do have a set plan...sorta. I aim to do two days of upper body and two days of lower body.
And each lifting day, I do at least 40 minutes of lifting.

therealangd · March 2012

I just started doing some workouts from www.gainfitness.com. I'm really liking it.

bizco · March 2012

Strength training (building muscle) will definitely help you lose inches.

Check your local library for the book "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" by Lou Schuler, et. al. It's an awesome program. I bought the book from Amazon for around $10 but it's free at the library.

Go to www.bodybuilding.com and click on Workouts. It will give you a free workout based on your goal of building muscle.

Edit: I went from a size 10 to a size 6 (sometimes size 4 depending on the brand) following the "New Rules" program and staying within my calorie limit set by MFP. There is a group of women on MFP who are following this program and it's wonderful support! Just go to Community>>Groups and do a search for NROL4W if you want to join. Best of luck!

warmachinejt · March 2012

well if you're cheating more than 1 day over 1800 calories then that's 1 way that you don't make much progress. When I do strength training I burn 500 calories in an hour. That's with a chest strap HRM, but everyone's different. Some people burn less and some might burn more. I'm thinking either eat all of your exercise calories or eat 1400-1500 calories a day.

Amy816 · March 2012

I had almost this exact conversation with my trainer. He said if I really wanted to continue to lose weight I needed to maintain the 1200 calories a day and not count the exercise calories that I burn against the total. That's too restrictive for me longterm, so I'm just maintaining right now. I'd like to hear other comments though bc 1200 calories a day doesn't seem like very much on those intense cardio days!

sammys1girly · March 2012

I had almost this exact conversation with my trainer. He said if I really wanted to continue to lose weight I needed to maintain the 1200 calories a day and not count the exercise calories that I burn against the total. That's too restrictive for me longterm, so I'm just maintaining right now. I'd like to hear other comments though bc 1200 calories a day doesn't seem like very much on those intense cardio days!

Thanks for your input...yeah, if I didn't count the exercise calories against the total, I would probably pass out from lack of fuel.
Definitely would feel weak and grumpy. I'd actually rather eat more and stay where I'm at than starve myself.

gmpearson · March 2012

I'm not any kind of expert, but I have read that 1200 calories is kind of the threshold for where the body will determine if it needs to go into starvation prevention mode and store reserves as a backup. You might be at a point where your body anticipates you working out hard, BUT also knows there will not be sufficient fuel (through fat or carbs) to burn, so it holds tightly on to what it can.

Maybe increase your calories or focus on a good mix of carbs/fats/proteins. Remember that the body burns carbs faster and easier than fat, but it depletes quicker. Protein is great for rebuilding muscle, but it is much more difficult for the body to convert it to useable fuel during a workout.

A good balance may send a message to your body that it is okay to burn the reserves, as more will be coming later to refuel the lost calories.

Just a thought - good luck, and keep up the good work. Sending good thoughts your husband's way to find work soon!

Greg

jaweiss1 · March 2012

well if you're cheating more than 1 day over 1800 calories then that's 1 way that you don't make much progress. When I do strength training I burn 500 calories in an hour. That's with a chest strap HRM, but everyone's different. Some people burn less and some might burn more. I'm thinking either eat all of your exercise calories or eat 1400-1500 calories a day.

Unfortunately, HRMs cannot estimate calories burned during strength training. The formulas that are used to convert HR to calories burned are based on steady aerobic exercise with minimal changes in heart rate in the 120-170 bpm range. Estimates for weight training will be ridiculously high.

sammys1girly · March 2012

Thanks, everyone. I will try to digest all the info when I have time later today and see what adjustments I can make.

strength training calories

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