When to lift weights in a weight-loss program

December 9, 2006 11:35 PM

When to mix in weight training with a weight loss plan

The past: I used to lift weights religiously and really enjoyed it. I had a year-long period where I lifted around 5 times a week for around 30 sets and kept constant tabs on my diet. I seemed to gain muscle fairly quickly and slimmed down quite a bit at the same time.

The not-so-distant past: I quit lifting and my weight slowly crept up to 260 on a 6 foot 2 frame.

The present: I've been really watching my diet over the last few months by way of counting calories via mydietorganizer for pocketPC. My target is around 1300-1500 calories a day. I know it seems low according to nearly everything I've read regarding calorie restriction diets, but I never go hungry and have actually noticed increased mental acuity from the caloric reduction. I feel great and am currently down to 235lbs due mostly to diet and sporadic aerobic exercise.

The question: As I said, I currently weight 235 with a 28% body fat reading my my somewhat dodgy body fat measuring scale. When(in either body weight or body fat percentage) should I begin to slowly up my caloric intake and begin lifting weights to optimize muscle gain versus the loss of body fat? I know that I will continue to burn body fat once I begin lifting weights regularly, but where is the sweet spot to achieve a lean, muscular body?

My current focus is strictly on weight loss through caloric reduction. At what milepost should I begin to ramp up the calories and weight training?

I know there are most likely no perfect answers to this question, but I would be very grateful to read rough estimates from people who have gone through the same process. Thanks in advance!

posted by ttrendel to health & fitness (15 comments total)

Lift the weights, but skip the caloric increase.
posted by caddis at 11:47 PM on December 9, 2006

Caddis: Lifting weights enough to achieve any results would necesitate some increase in calories, not only in terms of having enough energy to complete a workout of enough intensity to be effective, but also to aid healing. The first rule of muscle building is to eat, eat, eat, but eat smart.
posted by ttrendel at 12:07 AM on December 10, 2006

you can eat 1500 hands down. that's not too few, so your body won't go into crisis mode, yet not too many. I would even suggest 1800 - it will be easier to go with.

but what I would suggest is that you pick up running. you should be able to do a nice 30 minute run on the treadmill once per day, which should help you burn 300-400 calories. (I am referencing an incline 2, speed 5.8 here).

weight training is something that while rewarding I would suggest you do only in combination with cardio and then only in moderation. you know muscle is heavier than fat and if you want to see a dent on the scale right now, I'd go rather easy there. just do your regular maintenance.
posted by krautland at 12:20 AM on December 10, 2006

What is more important, building bulk or losing weight. If building bulk then lift and eat, eat, eat. If losing weight, then lift and don't eat, eat, eat. Of course, 1300 to 1500 calories for someone weighing 235 is nearly a starvation diet. You know you can add at least enough calories to that to fuel the workout itself, and then even a little bit more as muscles increase metabolism.
posted by caddis at 12:38 AM on December 10, 2006

Umm...why aren't you lifting weights now, while you diet? Lifting weights while dieting is one of the best ways to preserve muscle while dropping fat - which means you come out of things looking better and in better shape.

I would say starting lifting weights tomorrow, add in a protein shake or glass of milk after your workouts, but otherwise don't change your diet. 1500 cals plus workouts will be tough, especially as you get leaner, but if you aren't starving yet I then don't add massive calories.

kraut: no. the fact that muscle is heavier doesn't matter...in the end you want low body_fat_, not just low scale weight. Being skinny-fat isn't much better then just being plain ole fat.
posted by rsanheim at 12:42 AM on December 10, 2006

What krautland is referring to, I believe, is the psychological effect not losing weight can have, even when you are dropping fat and adding muscle. When you pop on the scale and you have lost zip, nada, nothing, for all that hard work, ouch.
posted by caddis at 1:22 AM on December 10, 2006

caddis got it right.
posted by krautland at 1:42 AM on December 10, 2006

The reality is that trying to both gain muscle mass and lose overall weight will require intense amounts of exercise, probably more than you have time for in a week. I'd concentrate on muscle mass first, then weight loss.

The first rule of muscle building is to eat, eat, eat, but eat smart.

You should be eating 1-1.5 grams of protein for every pound of body weight when trying to build muscle mass. With your current caloric intake, that's nearly 100% protein. That's simply not healthy. So you can either keep your current caloric intake and lower the amount of protein in the percentage (meaning it will take your body longer to grow those muscles), or you can adjust up the caloric intake—at the cost of your diet plan.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:03 AM on December 10, 2006

Also, don't forget that fat is about 20% less dense than muscle tissue. People trying to move both halves of the scale (gaining muscles but losing fat) often get disheartened at their apparent lack of progress when in fact they're substituting good pounds for bad (as caddis mentions above).
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:10 AM on December 10, 2006

Just wanted to chime in that more muscle = faster metabolism, so your long-term results will be better with weight training.

And eat more. Krautland's suggestion of 1500-1800 is good; though you may not feel hungry eating 1300 calories per day, your body will still be in starvation mode. Civil_Disobedient also raises a good point about protein and nutrition, make sure you're giving your body what it needs to do what you want it to do.

260 on a 6'2" frame isn't bad at all if you're muscular - if I were you I'd stop worrying about the number on the scale and just concentrate on replacing fat with muscle.
posted by AV at 9:00 AM on December 10, 2006

rsanheim is right on the nose. Keep in mind that 80% of your daily calorie burn comes from your BMR (basal metabolic rate) - the calories burned for basic body functions, keeping organs alive, etc. Only 20% comes from activity. This is why aerobic exercise, while good for its own reasons, isn't the best way to lose fat - building lean muscle is. Start lifting again, eat lots of protein and veg and fiber. No junk carbs.

Keep up the great work, by the way!
posted by jbickers at 10:00 AM on December 10, 2006

You should be eating 1-1.5 grams of protein for every pound of body weight when trying to build muscle mass

This varies by who you talk to, but the convential wisdom is 1-1.5g protien/kg of body weight (or 1g per pound of lean body weight, ~170g if his body fat reading is at all accurate).

At your current caloric intake and lack of weight-bearing exercise, you are losing lean mass as well as fat mass. You can keep that up if you want to and are happy with the results, but I think you're setting yourself up for a yo-yo lifestyle: extreme diet down, resume normal eating and regain, extreme diet down, etc. Adding cardio to the equation will almost certainly only make this worse.

The point at which you should start adding weight bearing exercise was when you started this thing, but since you didn't, now is a great time. It is highly unlikely that you will see the scale stop moving for any significant period of time because you are gaining muscle and losing fat-- you have a lot of fat to lose, barring some metabolic condition it should continue to fall off of you for a while even if you start lifting and eating a better diet.

Everyone here seems to think your diet is fine because you don't feel physically hungry. Well... ok. I think your diet is INSANE. You are eating the diet I, a 5'3" woman without a particularly fantastic metabolism, eats when she wants to lose weight. I doubt that in so few calories you are getting enough nutrients, let alone a good macronutrient balance. You're eating the kind of diet designed to slow down your metabolism. It's not that it doesn't work for losing weight, it's that when you have to go and maintain that weight loss you're setting yourself up to fail.

260 on a 6'2" frame isn't bad at all if you're muscular

...if you're a linebacker, maybe, or a professional bodybuilder. If you're anywhere near average, you're almost certainly overfat. Everyone likes to think that they have so much muscle things like BMI, etc, don't apply to them, but most of those people are kidding themselves.
posted by ch1x0r at 10:10 AM on December 10, 2006

You should be eating 1-1.5 grams of protein for every pound of body weight when trying to build muscle mass

This varies by who you talk to, but the convential wisdom is 1-1.5g protien/kg of body weight (or 1g per pound of lean body weight, ~170g if his body fat reading is at all accurate).

Actually, I take this slightly back. 1-1.5g protein/kg is more maintenance. .8-1g/lb is better for building. .8-1g/lb generally approximates the 1g/lb LBM measure for most fit men and very fit women.
posted by ch1x0r at 10:32 AM on December 10, 2006

Pick up the book The Abs Diet Power Plan. It's by Men's Health magazine and has been fairly well-regarded as a healthy combination of weight training and proper diet for building muscle and losing fat. I am starting it up again after being slothish at a desk job for a few years, and feel better after only two weeks.

It's NOT a calorie-reduction plan, which you may be more comfortable with. It does, however, stress eating foods that are not empty calories, and that in combination with weight training and light cardio, help to burn fat safely and slowly, while strengthening the muscles.
posted by diggum at 10:34 AM on December 10, 2006

I dropped very close to fifty pounds this year by eating a diet of 1250 - 1500 calories a day (I'm a 5'7" woman) and lifting weights 3x a week. I haven't bulked up, but am more toned, leaner and my metabolism has sped up. You might consider upping your calorie intake to somewhere around 1500-1700 a day, but if you're not feeling deprived/exhausted, you could be fine.

(In addition to the weightlifting, I did at least 30 minutes of cardio 5x a week).
posted by pazazygeek at 3:36 PM on December 10, 2006