Being told to stop lifting heavy as its keeping me BIG

[Ang123]

After being a total slug for years I started exercising 3 years ago and the past 25 months of that I have been lifting weights and doing some cardio. Mostly lifting weights as heavy as I can manage (which is way heavier than most women I see). I lost a lot of weight at first like 20 lbs in 2 months. Then I was going up and down by 5lbs for over a year and lately I went 6 months with no weight loss despite increasing my workouts. I take in 1200-1500 a day depending on my schedule for the day. I don't eat out at all and don't eat prepackaged meals. Meats & vegetables, a little fruit like pineapple with greek yogurt is my typical diet. In past two weeks I did finally drop 9 more pounds after stopping all grain products including oatmeal because I was eliminating phytic acid containing products after reading how its the main cause for cavities. Anyways still I should have lost more by now and am really bummed that a male friend dropped 50 lbs in only 6 months when I work out 5-6 days a week for 1.5 hours to sometimes 2 hours per day and haven't lost that much.

I was talking to the owner of my new gym and she said the reason I am staying fat is because I am lifting too heavy. She says I should drop the weight I do in half and lift 25 reps. I have been doing as heavy as I can handle, up to 45 lb dumbbells, going 10-15 reps with a total of 15-20 sets for each body part. She says this is keeping me fat. Is that true? Everything I had read said to lift heavy whether male or female. I don't want to look anorexic I just want to be an appropriate BF% and show as big of a muscle as a girl can develop. I'm only 5 ft tall so I have enjoyed the added strength lifting heavy has provided me as a little woman I've not in the past been able to move furniture around and such. I just don't know who to listen to. Part of me says maybe she is jealous of the competition because until I joined she was the only female bodybuilder there and I can lift heavier than her. Her and her partner are really tiny for bodybuilders so I am leary to take their advice because honestly I wouldn't want to look like her even if she does weigh a lot less. I considered maybe I've not been doing enough cardio but its hard for me to do much because of my knee injury as the only thing I can do is exercise bike and just a short distance on eliptical before my knee starts hurting. I was doing 20 mins 3 times a week in addition to a little over a hour of weight lifting. I was under the impression weight lifting burnt more calories than cardio. I work harder than just about anybody at this new gym. I'm not kidding I'm the only one walks around dripping sweat on the floor. At my old gym the idea for most was to lift as heavy as possible and sweat till you dropped. So do I really need to change my routine after 2 years to lifting half as much weight and doing 25 reps?

[britchick884]

If you are still carrying excess weight then your diet is to blame not your program, you cannot out train a bad diet. You need to go back to basics and make sure you are eating to your goals, and your tracking is accurate.

Remember 80% diet 10% genetics 10% training.

[Jasonk282]

Fix your diet...lifting heavy does not make anyone fat, it will make you strong but not fat.

[thehobbes]

Hey OP, you're a little vague on your post, we know you're 5'0", but what's your current weight? Have a progress pic for us to see?

I take in 1200-1500 a day depending on my schedule for the day.

Hmm, do you write down your cals and macros on a daily basis or kind of guestimate? That's a pretty big difference, again I don't know how much you weigh. If you're only partially tracking I'd bet you're going further out of that range some days than you think. 1200 is crazy low for anybody who's lifting or doing any kind of exercise, but I have a feeling you're not actually doing only 1200 a day.

I was talking to the owner of my new gym and she said the reason I am staying fat is because I am lifting too heavy. She says I should drop the weight I do in half and lift 25 reps.

No, and that's terrible advice. The amount of weight you're lifting has little to do with weight loss. I (and many others around here) still lift heavy (6-10 rep range on working sets) during cutting cycles. I always lift heavy when I'm bulking, maintaining, and cutting - and yes when I'm cutting and lifting heavy the weight comes off just fine as long as I stick to my calories.

What is your routine? Are you doing compounds? What is "heavy" to you and where is your squat, bench, DL, OHP currently at? 15-20 sets for each body part seems like a lot if you're lifting heavy, I'm curious what this consists of. 25 reps of anything is going overboard IMO. I can't think of one thing I'd ever do that many reps on.

[Ang123]

Fix your diet...lifting heavy does not make anyone fat, it will make you strong but not fat.

I think her idea is muscle gaining prevents me from losing actual weight as I have gone down 5 shirt sizes now and barely lost any weight. Most of the fat is holding in my butt, hips and thighs. My pants size went down 1-2 sizes but shirt 5 sizes if that says anything. I don't understand what is going on though because according to you guys its impossible for women to gain that much muscle yet she says that is what I am doing. My body shape is changing but again its just the weight is not coming off, but something is coming off since my clothing sizes keep changing. I will keep working on my diet. I am going to doctor and ask for advise. I'm thinking maybe I should go down to 700-1000 calories a day since I am only 5 feet tall. Maybe short people who are suppose to be only 110 lbs should not ever get 1500 a day like normal people are advised to. I know I don't get enough sleep but I can't help it. I don't sleep longer than 1-2 hours at a time as I have a problem going into a deep sleep and only manage 6 hours of sleep on most nights though its not a straight 6 hours. The doctor has tried every medication made to induce sleep and it doesn't work on me so my doctor gave up on that. Part of the sleep problem is probably peri-menopause related as its suppose to interfere with sleep and cause the night sweats which I get and also I have really bad PTSD which screws with my staying relaxed which I guess in turn affects sleep.

[Ang123]

Hey OP, you're a little vague on your post, we know you're 5'0", but what's your current weight? Have a progress pic for us to see?


Hmm, do you write down your cals and macros on a daily basis or kind of guestimate? That's a pretty big difference, again I don't know how much you weigh. If you're only partially tracking I'd bet you're going further out of that range some days than you think. 1200 is crazy low for anybody who's lifting or doing any kind of exercise, but I have a feeling you're not actually doing only 1200 a day.


No, and that's terrible advice. The amount of weight you're lifting has little to do with weight loss. I (and many others around here) still lift heavy (6-10 rep range on working sets) during cutting cycles. I always lift heavy when I'm bulking, maintaining, and cutting - and yes when I'm cutting and lifting heavy the weight comes off just fine as long as I stick to my calories.

What is your routine? Are you doing compounds? What is "heavy" to you and where is your squat, bench, DL, OHP currently at? 15-20 sets for each body part seems like a lot if you're lifting heavy, I'm curious what this consists of. 25 reps of anything is going overboard IMO. I can't think of one thing I'd ever do that many reps on.

I'm guestimating on some foods because I don't know how you can know how many calories are in a piece of chicken or turkey breast for instance since the store never cuts them the same size. Same goes for say a sweet potato or some acorn squash how do you know calories since they are never same size. And no I don't eat a whole acorn squash ...usually get about 3 meals out of a typical one.

I don't know what compounds mean. Squats I can't do with weights because I'm not suppose to have any weights above my head that compress my spine because of having scoliosis. I do 100 unweighted squats 2-3 times a week. They are hard on my knees despite doing my best to watch form and alignment. Dead lift I quit doing after I pulled something in groin as I'm scared to plus it seemed like it was making my low back hurt as I have a damaged lower back because of an accident years ago. Bench I do 140 now but had gone up to 180 at one point but everyone was giving me sh*t over going that high. No idea what OHP means. I leg press 380 or 260 lbs depending on which press I use as for some reason the machines are different at my 2 gyms. I do 100 lb lat pulldowns, 45lb dumbbells for tricep extensions or 85 on the machine kind, 20 lb dumbbell bicep curls. I know my biceps are weak but I have trouble with wrist pain when ever I do curls so I haven't been able to push myself higher.

[alphalupus]

The hell is this...? If your body shape and composition is changing, but you are staying the same weight you are losing fat and staying about the same weight by gaining muscle at around the same rate as you losing fat. Stay heavy on your weight lifting, stick with your heavy compound lifts (squats, deadlifts, bench presses, rows, overhead presses, the olympic lifts if you know how to or lifts that are commonly used by olympic lifters) , and keep your diet about the same in energy consumption. If your goal is to lose weight no matter what, and don't care about health, body composition, athleticism, and strength then lower it, but it likely isn't maintainable and you will either feel starved constantly or binge.

[alphalupus]

I'm guestimating on some foods because I don't know how you can know how many calories are in a piece of chicken or turkey breast for instance since the store never cuts them the same size. Same goes for say a sweet potato or some acorn squash how do you know calories since they are never same size. And no I don't eat a whole acorn squash ...usually get about 3 meals out of a typical one.

I don't know what compounds mean. Squats I can't do with weights because I'm not suppose to have any weights above my head that compress my spine because of having scoliosis. I do 100 unweighted squats 2-3 times a week. They are hard on my knees despite doing my best to watch form and alignment. Dead lift I quit doing after I pulled something in groin as I'm scared to plus it seemed like it was making my low back hurt as I have a damaged lower back because of an accident years ago. Bench I do 140 now but had gone up to 180 at one point but everyone was giving me sh*t over going that high. No idea what OHP means. I leg press 380 or 260 lbs depending on which press I use as for some reason the machines are different at my 2 gyms. I do 100 lb lat pulldowns, 45lb dumbbells for tricep extensions or 85 on the machine kind, 20 lb dumbbell bicep curls. I know my biceps are weak but I have trouble with wrist pain when ever I do curls so I haven't been able to push myself higher.

The weight is not above your head in squats, and deadlifts are really quite safe when used with proper form. My father who has had back surgery years ago can do them without hurting himself. Also why care what people say about you being strong? They are just simply a jealous male that a girl is stronger than them, or a woman that doesn't know about weight lifting.

[thehobbes]

I'm guestimating on some foods because I don't know how you can know how many calories are in a piece of chicken or turkey breast for instance since the store never cuts them the same size. Same goes for say a sweet potato or some acorn squash how do you know calories since they are never same size. And no I don't eat a whole acorn squash ...usually get about 3 meals out of a typical one.

Buy a food scale and measure everything in grams - meat, fruit, veggies, anything. Hell I even weigh my peanut butter this way. If you don't want to calculate the macros on weird amounts like 173g chicken breast, simply type in that exact amount on something like FitDay and it will calculate for you. Do this with everything you eat and your cals will be dead on.

[Ang123]

The hell is this...? If your body shape and composition is changing, but you are staying the same weight you are losing fat and staying about the same weight by gaining muscle at around the same rate as you losing fat.

Everyone here has told me for months that its impossible for a woman to gain that much muscle weight that fast so that that scenario isn't possible.

[Ang123]

The weight is not above your head in squats, and deadlifts are really quite safe when used with proper form.

If you rest a weighted barbel on the shoulders to squat it does compress the spine. I can feel it do it. As a kid of 14 I don't think you have enough knowledge of medical conditions or the body to be advising people on here. You obviously don't have a clue what scoliosis is. I have 3 curves in spine so I can't take careless chances.

[Ang123]

Buy a food scale and measure everything in grams - meat, fruit, veggies, anything. Hell I even weigh my peanut butter this way. If you don't want to calculate the macros on weird amounts like 173g chicken breast, simply type in that exact amount on something like FitDay and it will calculate for you. Do this with everything you eat and your cals will be dead on.

I hope this isn't stupid but how do you weigh peanut butter because if you put it say in a measuring cup its darn near impossible to get all of it scraped out of there... and PB these days is expensive to waste. I eat a little PB a few times a week but have wondered if I should cut it out as some say its too fatty. Have considered switching to some other nut butter but I don't know what to get? Almond? Cashew? Don't know what tastes better and is healthier. I live in the boonies so any nut butters besides PB I will have to mail order....its just pathetic living here.

[alphalupus]

If you rest a weighted barbel on the shoulders to squat it does compress the spine. I can feel it do it. As a kid of 14 I don't think you have enough knowledge of medical conditions or the body to be advising people on here. You obviously don't have a clue what scoliosis is. I have 3 curves in spine so I can't take careless chances.

I was just simply stating the fact that the bar is not overhead, I apologize that I misunderstood what you meant. Oh by the way, I have a curve in my spine also according to my primary doctor, but yes you are right NO ONE HERE CAN GIVE MEDICAL ADVICE, only your doctor can.

[alphalupus]

I hope this isn't stupid but how do you weigh peanut butter because if you put it say in a measuring cup its darn near impossible to get all of it scraped out of there... and PB these days is expensive to waste. I eat a little PB a few times a week but have wondered if I should cut it out as some say its too fatty. Have considered switching to some other nut butter but I don't know what to get? Almond? Cashew? Don't know what tastes better and is healthier. I live in the boonies so any nut butters besides PB I will have to mail order....its just pathetic living here.

All nut butter has fat, and peanut butter is not too fatty it is in my opinion (emphasis on being an opinion) more filling than getting the fat from fish or oil.

[rdferguson]

The fact that you're training 5-6 days a week for 1.5hr per session while on a low calorie diet could mean that your body is overstressed. I'm too lazy to find the articles right now, but Lyle McDonald has some good information on his site bodyrecomposition.com addressing how the stresses of high volume training while consuming a low calorie diet can cause your body to retain weight rather than get rid of it, due to hormonal issues. This is especially common in people who are generally high-strung outside of the gym and really meticulous with what they do, due to all the stress they give themselves. I'm thinking you'd do well to take a chill pill, get a massage, pamper yourself and take a week off from training altogether, then come back to it at a lower workload. It's not the fact that you're training heavy that's causing you to maintain fat. It might be the stresses of high volume training and life outside of training, but it's definitely not the fact that you're lifting heavy weights. I'd recommend switching over to 3 sessions a week, fullbody in each session, training for 30-45min. That'll mean doing some very simple programming. You'll probably feel like you're not doing enough, but you'll also probably see more improvements in body composition.

[Ang123]

I don't know if I understand Fitday but I tried it last night logging everything I did and ate. If I understand it correctly it said I was over 800 calories deficient for yesterday based on my activities. That is what the -880 means for the day total right? I wasn't hungry. I don't know how I could eat more. Heck I can't afford more food anyway.

[freebirdmac]

It's your diet, not your training routine. One of two things are going on; either you're eating more calories than you think (including all cheats, drinks, etc), or you have been under eating so long that you've stalled your metabolism. Do not use fitday for activity, only diet tracking. Weigh and measure all food. Then tell us how many calories you have been eating.

What is your weight?

Many 5' ladies maintain on 2000 calories. Your 1500 number is wrong.

[Ang123]

It's your diet, not your training routine. One of two things are going on; either you're eating more calories than you think (including all cheats, drinks, etc), or you have been under eating so long that you've stalled your metabolism. Do not use fitday for activity, only diet tracking. Weigh and measure all food. Then tell us how many calories you have been eating.

What is your weight?

Many 5' ladies maintain on 2000 calories. Your 1500 number is wrong.

I understand and am not bluffing you on the food thing. Like yesterday there were no cheats other than some trail mix I had which was 300 calories (prepackaged) and that I won't be eating more of after I realized the calorie density. But I included that on my Fitday log as well as the butter I had on sweet potato. The only drinks I have are water or iced peach tea using sweet n low. I didn't have any protein drinks but when I do I have been keeping a mental log of those calories including whether I used milk that day or if I drink it away from home its mixed with water. I hate to give my weight on here because I know someone will be ugly. Right now I am at 232 down from my all time high of 274. Yes I got really fat from the d#mn steroids they put me on for asthma and the autoimmune illness I have. I used to be anorexic as in 89 lbs when I was 18 believe it or not. I feel like I eat too much, but am beginning to think maybe I don't eat enough but I'm honestly not hungry. There is just something weird about my body I don't get... I mean at my weight I should be in really big clothes but I just went down to a size large shirt last week and I know a pro BB gal who told me she is 150 and wears a medium t-shirt. All my weight is in my rear, hips, thighs because I'm American Indian so that's where all the older women in my tribe hold their bodyfat. I'm so frustrated I need to get the weight off not just fat but weight for the sake of my knee and ankle joints which are really messed up as you can imagine. I thought to lose weight a person should be eating 1200 to 1500 calories. According to Fitday it appears I need to eat more which is confusing because how to I lose weight if eating more than that? I logged in all my exercise and included my pasttime which Fitday said I burned over 300 calories yesterday with fishing and walking river which I did after 1.5 hr of lifting & cardio. During the winter I metal detect which equates to walking and squatting/stooping for 4-5 hours after I go to gym. Maybe I should be eating more but that doesn't seem right for someone trying to lose weight.

[freebirdmac]

I understand and am not bluffing you on the food thing. Like yesterday there were no cheats other than some trail mix I had which was 300 calories (prepackaged) and that I won't be eating more of after I realized the calorie density. But I included that on my Fitday log as well as the butter I had on sweet potato. The only drinks I have are water or iced peach tea using sweet n low. I didn't have any protein drinks but when I do I have been keeping a mental log of those calories including whether I used milk that day or if I drink it away from home its mixed with water. I hate to give my weight on here because I know someone will be ugly. Right now I am at 232 down from my all time high of 274. Yes I got really fat from the d#mn steroids they put me on for asthma and the autoimmune illness I have. I used to be anorexic as in 89 lbs when I was 18 believe it or not. I feel like I eat too much, but am beginning to think maybe I don't eat enough but I'm honestly not hungry. There is just something weird about my body I don't get... I mean at my weight I should be in really big clothes but I just went down to a size large shirt last week and I know a pro BB gal who told me she is 150 and wears a medium t-shirt. All my weight is in my rear, hips, thighs because I'm American Indian so that's where all the older women in my tribe hold their bodyfat. I'm so frustrated I need to get the weight off not just fat but weight for the sake of my knee and ankle joints which are really messed up as you can imagine. I thought to lose weight a person should be eating 1200 to 1500 calories. According to Fitday it appears I need to eat more which is confusing because how to I lose weight if eating more than that? I logged in all my exercise and included my pasttime which Fitday said I burned over 300 calories yesterday with fishing and walking river which I did after 1.5 hr of lifting & cardio. During the winter I metal detect which equates to walking and squatting/stooping for 4-5 hours after I go to gym. Maybe I should be eating more but that doesn't seem right for someone trying to lose weight.

If you're right about the calories, then yep, you've stalled your metabolism. Your maintenance is in the neighborhood of 2300 calories. You need to get your calories back up there for several weeks. Then restart your diet at 1500 calories. Every 10 days eat at maintenance, After 3-4 months, eat at maintenance for a week. See how this goes.

[Ang123]

If you're right about the calories, then yep, you've stalled your metabolism. Your maintenance is in the neighborhood of 2300 calories. You need to get your calories back up there for several weeks. Then restart your diet at 1500 calories. Every 10 days eat at maintenance, After 3-4 months, eat at maintenance for a week. See how this goes.

Ok thanks! I will give that a try. I'm clueless what to eat though because I have so many vegetables per day I couldn't stand to eat more. Since grains and nuts are not ok if I continue to follow the Weston Price diet to eliminate phytic acid then there isn't much left as I have eggs and greek yogurt with fruit (8 pineapple cubes) every day. Nothing much left to eat. I don't even enjoy my whey protein anymore since Champion changed their formulation and it doesn't mix well anymore and haven't found another which mixed any better.

[freebirdmac]

Ok thanks! I will give that a try. I'm clueless what to eat though because I have so many vegetables per day I couldn't stand to eat more. Since grains and nuts are not ok if I continue to follow the Weston Price diet to eliminate phytic acid then there isn't much left as I have eggs and greek yogurt with fruit (8 pineapple cubes) every day. Nothing much left to eat. I don't even enjoy my whey protein anymore since Champion changed their formulation and it doesn't mix well anymore and haven't found another which mixed any better.

Weston Price? I'm sorry, but there's no need for crazy diets. Get a minimum of 150g protein and minimum of 70g fat then fill your remaining calories with mostly carbs. Eat anything on this list that you want http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php. The biggest health concern for food is to not eat a bunch of processed food. Even then, you can occasionally have old fashioned junk. This read may ease your diet concerns http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-n...-clean-eating/.

[Ang123]

Weston Price? I'm sorry, but there's no need for crazy diets. Get a minimum of 150g protein and minimum of 70g fat then fill your remaining calories with mostly carbs. Eat anything on this list that you want http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php. The biggest health concern for food is to not eat a bunch of processed food. Even then, you can occasionally have old fashioned junk. This read may ease your diet concerns http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-n...-clean-eating/.

Phytic acid in wheat and grain prevents you from absorbing minerals. I notice anytime I give up grains I do lose weight just like in less than 2 weeks I lost 9 lbs after months on end of nothing and ironically it was when I gave up grains again. Grains are just evil I think!

PS: Do you really like old fashioned junk after being clean? I had no choice eating at Wendys :P chicken nuggets and a baked potato last week because yes I traveled back to the Indian reservation where they have no real supermarkets and no good restaurants. The grease from the nuggets about made me hurl. I can't even eat pizza anymore unless I make it myself cause my stomach or gallbladder one can't handle the grease.

[freebirdmac]

Phytic acid in wheat and grain prevents you from absorbing minerals. I notice anytime I give up grains I do lose weight just like in less than 2 weeks I lost 9 lbs after months on end of nothing and ironically it was when I gave up grains again. Grains are just evil I think!

PS: Do you really like old fashioned junk after being clean? I had no choice eating at Wendys :P chicken nuggets and a baked potato last week because yes I traveled back to the Indian reservation where they have no real supermarkets and no good restaurants. The grease from the nuggets about made me hurl. I can't even eat pizza anymore unless I make it myself cause my stomach or gallbladder one can't handle the grease.

Anytime you reduce carbs you lose water. It takes 3500 calories to gain or lose 1 pound of fat. While scale loss and bloating reduction encourage us to continue dieting, it's deceptive. What causes fat loss is a caloric deficit.

There is no evil food. Unless you have celiac or a gluten intolerance there's not a danged thing wrong with grains. Even then you can find non-gluten substitutes.

Yes, eating junk is fine, but that doesn't mean your body isn't going to say "Hey! I don't want this!" Grease in particular. After dropping the fried and heavily processed food for awhile your body can easily revolt when you eat them again. You may not be able to handle greasy food anymore but that isn't the only type of junkier food out there.

[LilT1026]

Hi,
I'm smaller than you, only 4'10" and I take in around 12-1400 calories per day. No, I don't track specifically anymore but know what I'm consuming. I lift as heavy as possible and I'm getting smaller. The weight loss on the scale is slow but my clothes are getting looser. It takes time and patience. Good luck, PM me if you want to chat more specifically.

[wakechica]

I hope this isn't stupid but how do you weigh peanut butter because if you put it say in a measuring cup its darn near impossible to get all of it scraped out of there... and PB these days is expensive to waste. I eat a little PB a few times a week but have wondered if I should cut it out as some say its too fatty. Have considered switching to some other nut butter but I don't know what to get? Almond? Cashew? Don't know what tastes better and is healthier. I live in the boonies so any nut butters besides PB I will have to mail order....its just pathetic living here.

You can buy decent peanut butter from say farmers markets - ones with no added salt etc. I use whole earth or Jasons. Don't eat Sunpat for example. Apps such as My Fitness Pal tell you how many calories are in a tablespoon for example, you can use this to measure cals - A tbsp is plenty for a piece of toast. If you use more, just input 1.5 tbsp and it works it out.

Nothing wrong with fats, it's good for you. You should be eating 1g/kg of your bodyweight in fat. It helps satiety and general body function.

Stop worrying about the scale. I rarely weight myself as my weight hasn't changed in 4-5 months. Have a look in my journal towards the end, I've posted shots from Jan, Mar and June. I weigh the same as I did in January and I don't really care.

[catskills]

I'm thinking maybe I should go down to 700-1000 calories a day since I am only 5 feet tall. .

This really isn't a good idea. Reset your metabolism the way the freebirdmac suggests and take complete control of your diet, using the sticky "calorie and macro needs" in the nutrition section. Don't follow any diets other than the one you create yourself using the information in that sticky. Weigh and measure everything, and track your calories accurately. This will help you out a lot.