How does losing weight while progressing at the gym actually work?

[kyrie_eleison]

@dillinger I think people are really confused about the concept of TDEE. There is no such thing as “X is my TDEE, minus all the exercising I do.” Then you have incorrectly calculated your TDEE. Select an appropriate activity level when you calculate.

If you walk 10,000+ steps a day and exercise in the gym 3-4 times a week then that is moderately active. That’s the input you use when calculating TDEE. Then whatever that number is, you stick to it (or stick to a ~300 cal deficit if you are trying to lose weight).

You do not calculate a sedentary TDEE and then give yourself additional calories back when you exercise.

 

[dillinger]

@kyrie_eleison Good to know. The only reason I was thinking about it in this way is because my iPhone breaks it down this way in the apple health app--there is a "resting" calorie estimation, and an "active" calorie estimation. MyFitnessPal also kind of does this--I'll set my target calorie goal, and then it'll add calories for me to eat depending on the activity apple has estimated.

 

[gavreel]

@dillinger Do not ever trust the calorie estimates from phones or watches. They are just wildly off for a lot of people. According to my watch I should be burning 3000 cals a week with 3 workouts. I actually burn barely 2100-2200. The only accurate way to calculate TDEE is precisely track your calories in, track your weight and solve for calories out. There are some apps and Google sheets that do this.

 

[johnbarry]

@dillinger I've been making plenty of fine strength progress, but very little muscle gain. According to the bioimpedance scale at least, but that's another whole can of worms.

Anyway, I had been going three times a week, 4x6-8, then take 20% off for an AMRAP. As soon as I began my novice half marathon training, I just hit a wall.

I swapped it out with the 3x5+arm/chest assistance variation of the Stronglifts program on the off days of Hal Higdon's Novice half marathon program now. Since December, I'm down 20 pounds, and I feel and hopefully look a little stronger

 

[dillinger]

@johnbarry Get ‘em boss!

 

[gentleaura]

@dillinger if you count calories and are disciplined you will lose weight, and if you make sure you eat a good amount of protein (somewhere between .5-1 x weight grams of protein) you’ll build and keep muscle so that your loss is mostly fat.

My advice is to not do too big a deficit because it can quickly ruin your mood. My experience is if you go hard you’ll have a day or two where you think it’s no big deal, but eventually it will hit you hard and you may crumble. Think long term, build some healthy habits, do a modest deficit (somewhere between 250-500 calories a day,) and be very patient with yourself.

 

[dawn16]

@dillinger so if you dont eat enough protein your muscle will also metabolize. 200g of protein per day you can google, like literally and you will find pics breaking it down for you on a few meals or one big one. Losing weight you can do regardless, by staying in a deficit. So track the calories every day. You can build muscle at the same time but to do that you need to be in positive nitrogen balance. Consuming more protein than you need. The more muscle you add the more your metabolic rate will also increase so you burn more fat efficiently. If you struggle to loose increase your water intake, try intermittent fasting and 24h fasts. And go keto or full carnivore.

 

[smm]

@dillinger

How would someone in my scenario approach weight loss while safely progressing at the gym and building muscle?

By eating less

I haven’t figured out how to eat 200g protein a day in a balanced diet with fruits and veggies, while keeping calories low enough to also be losing weight.

eat lower calorie fruits and veggies and proteins

what happens to people who don’t eat enough protein but are going to the gym and progressively adding weight

Their gains will decrease

Wouldn’t muscle just dwindle away while lifting heavier and heavier?

No

 

[captbill]

@dillinger 3 minut rest between each set is insane. That would add like an hour to my gym time just sitting around.

 

[dillinger]

@captbill I feel that way too, but the research out there says that maximizes my time at the gym. I'm a newcomer to the gym and so much of this stuff floating around is like, "really...?" I also feel like a jackass for hogging the machine for all that time. If you have some better advice, or perspective, I'm all ears.

 

[teecake]

@dillinger You lose weight and make progress

 

[callousedhands]

@dillinger His maintenance wasn’t calculated right. I have female clients that weigh around 120 lbs and would never dip that low in calories.

 

[japharish]

@dillinger

• You can gain muscle while in a calorie deficit, especially at the beginning. You'll benefit from 'newbie gains', whereby new lifters gain a lot of strength and reasonable size in the first year or so.
• You just need to be persistent with your training. There are various plans, but the most important thing is progressive overload, where you keep increasing the weight or number of reps. Myself, I keep things simple and just try to do more (reps or weight) than I did last time. It works for me.
• You absolutely don't need 200g protein per day. There's a lot of bro science that flies around about this. Multiple reputable studies have found that muscle growth tops out at around 0.8g per lb of lean body weight. I haven't done the maths but it's a lot less than 200g for you.

 

[vernalsole1355]

@dillinger More reps

More weight

More protein

More cardio

More calories

 

[goodsensesharing]

@dillinger Losing weight while progressing at the gym typically involves a combination of proper nutrition, adequate protein intake, and consistent exercise. In your case, focusing on body recomposition, you'll want to prioritize strength training to build muscle while reducing body fat.

Here's a suggested approach:

Caloric Deficit: Aim for a moderate caloric deficit, around 300-500 calories below your TDEE, to promote weight loss without sacrificing muscle mass. This could mean consuming around 1200-1400 calories per day.

Protein Intake: Aim for around 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, which would be around 222 grams for you. This will support muscle growth and repair while in a calorie deficit. High-protein foods like chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, dairy, tofu, and legumes can help you reach this goal.

Strength Training: Continue with your gym routine, focusing on compound exercises like squats, bench presses, overhead presses, RDLs, and pull-ups, as they engage multiple muscle groups and promote muscle growth. Aim to progressively overload your muscles by increasing weight, reps, or sets over time.

Cardio and Activity: Maintain your daily activity level and consider adding some cardio sessions to increase calorie expenditure. This could include walking, cycling, or jogging.

Nutrient-Rich Diet: Focus on nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats to ensure you're getting essential vitamins and minerals while keeping calories in check.

Monitoring Progress: Track your progress regularly, not just through weight but also through measurements, body fat percentage, and strength gains in the gym. Adjust your approach as needed based on your results.

Regarding your concern about not eating enough protein while lifting heavier weights, inadequate protein intake can indeed hinder muscle growth and recovery. Without sufficient protein, your body may break down muscle tissue for energy, which is counterproductive to your goals. It's crucial to prioritize protein intake to support your workouts and muscle-building efforts.You could also try increase your calories by 500 every week, and make readjusments as need be by either increasing or decreasing every week depending on results.

 

[callousedhands]

@goodsensesharing 1200-1400 calories omg NO!!! This guy would lose fat and muscle at this amount of calories! This isn’t good advise at all

 

[goodsensesharing]

@callousedhands Sorry, the 1200-1400 calories is just an example.

 

[goodsensesharing]

@callousedhands So that's 500-300 Cals below his maintenance, whatever his maintance calories is per day.