Advice from strength trainers please!

[choc27]

I'm looking for some advice from experienced strength trainers on whether I am taking the right approach. I have around 10lbs left to lose so am eating in a deficit. I have joined the gym and begun some strength training to keep (build??!)some muscle. Is it possible to do this in a calorie deficit? I am upping my protein but staying within my calorie goal. Will this help?
I am 5ft 8 at 145lb if this helps advise. I have used an online protein calculator which advises 106g of protein. Thanks for any advice on how to lose fat and build muscle at the same time!

Following!! I could really do with some advice on this too.

Yes following. A friend built up their muscle first and did not diet, with the rationale that larger muscles passively burn more calories, so losing weight is easier once you have built yourself up. I don’t know how true this is but it seemed to work for her.

I'm not a strength trainer but have been working with a coach for a year.

I'm in a calorie deficit, have lost four stone and have definitely built muscle

So yes, completely doable 👍💪💪💪💪💪🏋️‍♀️🏋️‍♀️🏋️‍♀️🏋️‍♀️

@choc27 how many calories do you allow yourself per day?

I've been looking at James Smith Academy and what he says make sense. Deficit with focus on protein as you've said.

It is. I've been working with a PT for nearly a year and lost 35kg, but I did this with a goal of getting strong as I love strength training. I calorie count and aim for 140g protein/day. I do four days a week of weights.

I have joined the gym and begun some strength training to keep (build??!)some muscle. Is it possible to do this in a calorie deficit? I am upping my protein but staying within my calorie goal. Will this help?

I'm assuming you're here to talk about lifting proper heavy weights (this isn't the weight loss forum).

Yes, it is entirely possible to get stronger while in a calorie deficit. You're not going to be lifting heavy (and I don't mean Body Pump fairy weights) more than 2 or 3 times a week, otherwise you'll injure yourself. That means at least 4 days a week where you positively should be in calorie deficit.

I know when I'm deadlifting or squatting and in what I think of as my 'training' range (70-80kg for deadlifts; 35-50kgs for squats) after a set of 5 reps, I am out of breath, and my heart rate is up. There is a calorie burn, and an all-body impact. Squats are a great way to get strong core, for example, because you have to brace your core to get the weight up fr9om the bottom of a squat (if you're using your full range of motion properly).

For training in calorie deficit, focus on the protein, and the vegetables!

Hi thanks for all the replies, very helpful! Yes I'm talking about lifting heavy weights.
I am eating 1450 calories a day at the moment for a 1lb a week loss. But I am really enjoying lifting at the gym and want to make that my focus really. I just also need to lose weight!
I will continue with my deficit and up the protein, which will require a new way of thinking as I dont seem to eat much at the moment.

If I were you, I'd consider eating a smaller deficit, and lose weight slowly. With a pound a week pace you will lose some muscles with fat and impact performance. Slower weight loss will mitigate some of that.

Would you suggest half a pound a week instead? It feels very strange to consider eating more, I've conditioned myself to eating as little as possible!

I think around 1500 calories a day is a pretty good rule of thumb. And a lot of lean protein: chicken, tuna, and I love the low fat plain Greek yoghurt (Fage brand is great) with no additives.

I'd suggest half a pound personally but your mileage might vary. I find it more enjoyable if the cut is slower so that I have more energy to build strength and muscles. Eating more to lose weight is a novelty but it gives you such freedom and sense of empowerment that it's worth considering.

Having said that if you are performing well, have enough calories to cover protein intake and don't feel too hungry, 1 pound a week is also fine!

I think getting the protein in will be my biggest hurdle. I kind of have my calories sorted now and know what I a can eat day to day. Adding more food to get the protein in will freak me out but I will give it a try!

Do you eat the extra protein every day or just days that you train?

I add protein powder to my porridge most mornings and try to hit my protein target even on days I don't train.

That weight at your height is a healthy BMI so your body may be in no hurry to lose, if you go too low in your deficit your body starts to cling to fat as it thinks its entering a famine zone. You may want to add different kinds of exercise and give yourself a bit more calories. At this stage your weight loss is likely to be much slower so have patience!

A BMI Calculator

Protein intake needs to be consistent everyday, even when you don't workout. Also try to spread the intake evenly throughout the day for maximum benefit. If you struggle to get enough protein in then raising calories might be a good idea. Focus on real food protein source but I do like my whey powders!

Thanks for the advice on protein, I am making some changes starting from today!
The weight is still coming off fairly easily, I have a lot of fat round my middle. I don't believe in starvation mode!

Strength training needs fuelling so definitely shouldn't restrict calories too much. I aim for 1700-1800 calories and still lose weight, just more slowly.

Keeping protein high and a deficit no more than an average of 300 calories per day works fine for me.

How do you calculate your daily deficit?

Also, take creatine daily, 5mg. Google it, it’s very well researched.

For increasing protein an easy way is Toni crease the portion size of your current protein intake. Aside from the obvious sources, i find Turkey bacon tasty, low cal and good protein.

@choc27

How do you calculate your daily deficit?

I use an app called Macro Factor. You log all your food and weigh yourself (ideally daily) and it will tell you how many calories you should eat to achieve whatever goal you tell it you want to achieve.

Prior to that I logged all food on a spreadsheet and used a TDEE calculator to work out my daily calorie expenditure (based on sedentary, though I exercise a lot) and then used a heart rate monitor when exercising to work out exercise calories (but they always over estimate so I typically knock off 25% of whatever calories it tells me I have burned). As a general rule of thumb it worked. But a basic TDEE calculator with an input of whatever exercise you do should be roughly right. I think the likes of MyFitnessPal offer that.

Not a trainer but I was losing weight for a long time when I started lifting. I started diet 8 weeks before the gym, I lost over 38kg in 18 months and increased my strength levels massively (all at least doubled). It is doable.