Help - drop 3 dress sizes lifting weights

[Mumsanetta]

I’m 200 pounds and finally ready to get shot of the extra 50 pounds I have been carrying since Covid. I don’t think I can bear another low calorie, overly restrictive diet that requires a lot of cardio so am looking to lift weights instead which I enjoy. Can anyone direct me towards a lifting and eating guide for women that’s designed for weight loss / dropping dress sizes? There seems to be a lot of stuff on Instagram but it’s all on annoying 1 minute reels rather than a proper guide!

Please do it properly and get instruction from a personal trainer, or you could injure yourself.

Even with weightlifting you will need to watch your diet though.

Get a PT. Or someone who knows about lifting weights correctly. You need to ensure you're lifting correctly and that you don't injure yourself.

You won't lose dress sizes unless you're in calorie deficit. Lifting weights will be good for you and improve your shape but you'll need to eat less to see the difference.

I lost 40lbs last year. I'd been going to the gym and weight lifting for over a year, my body changed but the weight stayed. Only when I also changed my eating did the weight come off.

I’ve worked with lots of personal trainers over the years (most recently last year) so I’m quite comfortable with form. I just need a programme to follow.

Agree a lot of it is down to diet but I prefer to eat more (around 1600 calories) and lift than 1200 calories. I could really do with a food guide that sets out the food to eat and target amount of protein and carbs a day.

1600 calories isn't a lot if you weigh 200lbs. You are probably burning around 2400 a day just without exercise on top. You should aim for a deficit of 500 a day.

@CloseYourEyesAndSee an online calculator shows that my maintenance calories are 1899 as im sedentary (office job) so I’m reducing to 1600 to create a deficit of 500 calories once I add exercise

Which online calculator is that? Are you sure you're looking at TDEE not BMR?

Literally tdeecalculator.net 😂

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle is pretty good.

It's quite detailed about calories and macros, and is really designed around the sort of approach you seem to be leaning towards here - building muscle so your day to day calorie requirement is higher, and eating properly so you're nourished in a sustainable way.

It's got a pretty cheesy American cover, but don't let that put you off!

Roar (woman-specific) or Next Level (menopause specific) are also good but have a bit more cardio.... although ypu may need to bite the bullet and include at least a little bit of cardio, sorry!

I dropped four : intermittent fasting .. daily Pilates or yoga ( alarm on early before kids up )
Was overweight all my life .. nothing to do else worked
I also avoid sugar

You might need to tweak TDEE to allow for your body fat %, as a muscular body 'costs' more to maintain than a higher fat one.

Oh good that you know what you are doing re weights.

No other useful advice to add except probably lower weights/higher volume will probably be better for weight loss than vice versa

Ooops sorry, your tdee seems lowish if anything, mine's 1800 at 63kg when sedentary.

I'd agree with Burn the fat, feed the muscle.

I walk between 7000-11000 steps a day according to my Fitbit and have an office job. I burn around 2300 a day average and weigh a bit less than you. I know this is accurate because I have lost weight predictably by cutting calories. Your TDEE sounds very low. Have you got a fitness tracker?

If you are trying to drop sizes I found I dropped a size in 6 weeks on the 30 day shred (minimal weight loss I did it 5 days a week rather than everyday) if that helps at all. I found it really fricking hard though. Am starting again this year (have a little one and exercise has gone out of the window for a few years) but starting with beginner shred as found it much more manageable but helped me to get stronger even though I didn’t see much in the way of changes on the scale or size but my back pain definitely eased.

I know this isn’t heavy lifting or anything but it’s a quick win to get you started.

I have this from a recommendation on here The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess amzn.eu/d/f4CIUnD

I've not used it for weight loss as that isn't my goal but it includes a whole weight loss thing including meal plan stuff.

Although it isn't my goal, I've stayed same weight but gained muscle and lost fat from lifting. Lots of protein.

Can you stretch to a strength/body recomp online PT? Not to show you what to do if you already know that, but to plan it for you?

Mike matthews 'thinner leaner stronger' has been great for me. I can't do some of the lifts so use various machines/dumbbells instead, using the ones he says are most effective
It's detailed re diet and supplements

Molly Galbraith and soheefit both have programmes and are both female driven positive and lovely!

I actually bought a copy of this about 10 years ago and don’t know what happened to it. I remember liking it though so will look at it again together with the other recommendations on here!

Have a look at Team RH. You'll be set realistic calories, eat any food you want (within your calories) and have access to online coaching. Lifting and workouts are recommended for weight loss.

Team RH

Your calorie requirement depends on age and height so can be widely different for 2 people of the same weight

Move with us by Rachel Dillon. Her, her community, and her programs totally transformed my life!

Her programs come with meals with all the macros and calories sorted for you (and multiple options for each meals) and the workouts which are gym or home based (again with exercise swap outs).

Sounds like it could be a great fit for you?

I actually bought a copy of this about 10 years ago and don’t know what happened to it. I remember liking it though so will look at it again together with the other recommendations on here!

I’ve just ordered a copy from my library, along with a couple of others