I have fallen off the wagon!!!
After measuring tonight, I am about an inch thicker than I was at the beginning of summer. Kicking myself, etc. etc.
Question is, I am back on my treadmill everday, drinking shakeology meal replacement which I really love so far. My plan was to do cardio everyday until the scale puts me back to where I was on the scale, & then add weights because I always gain weight at first. I am itching to lift, but don't want to undo the endurance I have built up on the treadmill again. My thinking is I can lose the fat with cardio, then build muscle, but I know weights help you burn calories throughout the day. IDK
Can't you set up a routine where you can do both?
Why can't you do them both. My routine consists of weights and then cardio.. It burns calories throughout the day but not as much as getting your cardio would I believe. You've also got to burn the fat off before you'll see much results as far as tone goes.
my plan was the same untill i changed it to see better results.
( in 1 month ive lost 12 lbs on cardio T_T)
ive started on weights 3days a week. seeing how only cardio a whole month didnt give any impressive weight loss results.
i understand that we need to give a rest from weights to allow for muscles to develop . the rest day can be used to do cardio which effectively burns more calories due to the previous days weight training.
( hoping this month to loose atleast 20+lbs)
p.s i do a full body workout on all those 3 days. coz my aim is to loose overall fat.
adioso, 12 pounds in one month is a good weight loss achievement. A safe weight loss goal would be 1-2 pounds a week.
** Proper nutrition and eating habits are most important. Without that, all the exercise the world won't matter. If you want to lose fat, you need to keep a moderate calorie deficit. Also, make sure your overall diet is clean and well rounded. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, and healthy fats.
In terms of cardio vs weights, I would recommend doing BOTH.
Lifting weights combined with proper nutrition will help to change your body composition resulting in a loss of fat and a slimmer, firmer, physique. The type of weight training you do however, does matter. Stay away from machines, and stick to free weights. Do compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups and avoid isolation exercises. Compound exercises would be - squat, deadlift, lunges, step-ups, bench press, military press, weight assisted pull-ups, weight assisted dips, barbel rows, etc..I would recommend lifting weights 3x per week every other day (ex - Mon/Wed/Fri)
** Use a weight that actually challenges you. If you can do more than 10 reps total, you aren't going heavy enough. Women tend to have an irrational fear of lifting heavy because they think it will make them bulky. However, since women have low levels of testosterone, they can't bulk up from lifting. Just make sure that you use proper form. That is what's most important. If you don't have a lot of experience using free weights, I would recommend working with a trainer on a short term basis who is well versed in free weights.
Cardiovascular exercise will keep your heart and lungs healthy which is equally important. Make sure to do it AFTER your lifting. Finally, once you have been doing regular cardio for a few months, start working interval training and eventually high intensity interval training AKA HIIT into your cardio program a few times per week. This will help further your fat loss efforts.
I don't know what your stats are, but for most people that is a pretty unrealistic number.
Original Post by vyperman7:
** Proper nutrition and eating habits are most important. Without that, all the exercise the world won't matter. If you want to lose fat, you need to keep a moderate calorie deficit. Also, make sure your overall diet is clean and well rounded. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, and healthy fats.
In terms of cardio vs weights, I would recommend doing BOTH.
Lifting weights combined with proper nutrition will help to change your body composition resulting in a loss of fat and a slimmer, firmer, physique. The type of weight training you do however, does matter. Stay away from machines, and stick to free weights. Do compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups and avoid isolation exercises. Compound exercises would be - squat, deadlift, lunges, step-ups, bench press, military press, weight assisted pull-ups, weight assisted dips, barbel rows, etc..I would recommend lifting weights 3x per week every other day (ex - Mon/Wed/Fri)
** Use a weight that actually challenges you. If you can do more than 10 reps total, you aren't going heavy enough. Women tend to have an irrational fear of lifting heavy because they think it will make them bulky. However, since women have low levels of testosterone, they can't bulk up from lifting. Just make sure that you use proper form. That is what's most important. If you don't have a lot of experience using free weights, I would recommend working with a trainer on a short term basis who is well versed in free weights.
Cardiovascular exercise will keep your heart and lungs healthy which is equally important. Make sure to do it AFTER your lifting. Finally, once you have been doing regular cardio for a few months, start working interval training and eventually high intensity interval training AKA HIIT into your cardio program a few times per week. This will help further your fat loss efforts.
I am showing this to my wife - she is working hard but has plateaued - I am trying to get her to hit the weights to firm up, but she has an irrational fear not only of weights, but of the weights area at the gym.
You have pretty much just said what I have been telling her word for word - maybe she needs to see it isn't just me....
Original Post by solid555:
I don't know what your stats are, but for most people that is a pretty unrealistic number.
5ft6 and 188 lbs . but ive been reading a lot in the forums about people loosing 20+ pounds a month in the initial stages of their weight loss.
got me to wonder if i can can do the same :) . 20 is not an exact number but im hoping to increase my weight lost in this month coz ive added weight training into my exercises.
vyper, not only women have that fear. I had that fear for a long time as well and was vehemently opposed to the idea of touching weights for fear that I would become bulky. It wasn't until I found this site that I learned that's simply not the case and my fear was indeed irrational.
adioso,
20lbs in a month isn't a healthy goal. They suggest 1-2lbs a week for a healthy weight loss. 4-5lbs isn't a great idea.
Original Post by adioso:
Original Post by solid555:
I don't know what your stats are, but for most people that is a pretty unrealistic number.
5ft6 and 188 lbs . but ive been reading a lot in the forums about people loosing 20+ pounds a month in the initial stages of their weight loss.
got me to wonder if i can can do the same :) . 20 is not an exact number but im hoping to increase my weight lost in this month coz ive added weight training into my exercises.
You should aim for about 1% of your body weight a week at most - 1.8 lbs a week would be a good target for you. Any more, and you're likely going to exceed your body's capacity for using stored fat for energy which will mean losing muscle instead - and that's universally bad. See, there's a biochemical limit to how fast your body can transport fat out of the fat cells; 31kcal/lbs fat mass/day. And most people will start to see muscle loss at around 20-25kcal/lbs fat mass deficit, so trying to break this speed limit is very much ill advised.
That said, first week or two of any new diet you're prone to weight fluctuations up and down as your body adjusts to new food with less salt in it and more exercise so it's possible your weight will drop by a lot - it's mostly water weight but it makes a difference on the scale.
Lifting weights is cardio.
Thanks everyone. Wasn't expecting such great input. Decision made. I will do weights 3 times a week, & put away my scale for a bit. My body always gains at first with weights (water weight, I know). I did p90x last fall, & gained weight. Love the program though. Also know that it wasn't true weight I gained. My body looked much better, & it will not take much to get back there. May do that on weight days, & treadmill on others.....
I want to emphasize the wisdom of this part. The best thing I ever did for my continued progress is to stop looking at the scale, because at a certain point it becomes more of a source of stress and unrealistic expectations than anything else.
Measure your progress by what really counts: Your endurance, your strength, how you look, how your clothes fit, but most importantly, how you feel.
Good luck!
Original Post by jenhelle:
Thanks everyone. Wasn't expecting such great input. Decision made. I will do weights 3 times a week, & put away my scale for a bit. My body always gains at first with weights (water weight, I know). I did p90x last fall, & gained weight. Love the program though. Also know that it wasn't true weight I gained. My body looked much better, & it will not take much to get back there. May do that on weight days, & treadmill on others.....
Good for you. I mostly lift, but I still weigh almost daily so I can record my averages. If the number is up a little, I usually know why. Also, remember, you were starting up your program because of the inch gain...if that's what bothers you, the number on the scale doesn't mean jack. I've been lifting more and the weight loss has been a slow process, but all my clothes are bigger and I've trimmed some fat. Best of luck!
Original Post by santonacci:
I want to emphasize the wisdom of this part. The best thing I ever did for my continued progress is to stop looking at the scale, because at a certain point it becomes more of a source of stress and unrealistic expectations than anything else.
Measure your progress by what really counts: Your endurance, your strength, how you look, how your clothes fit, but most importantly, how you feel.
Good luck!
That is so true. Thanks
Original Post by mjsophia:
Original Post by jenhelle:
Thanks everyone. Wasn't expecting such great input. Decision made. I will do weights 3 times a week, & put away my scale for a bit. My body always gains at first with weights (water weight, I know). I did p90x last fall, & gained weight. Love the program though. Also know that it wasn't true weight I gained. My body looked much better, & it will not take much to get back there. May do that on weight days, & treadmill on others.....
Good for you. I mostly lift, but I still weigh almost daily so I can record my averages. If the number is up a little, I usually know why. Also, remember, you were starting up your program because of the inch gain...if that's what bothers you, the number on the scale doesn't mean jack. I've been lifting more and the weight loss has been a slow process, but all my clothes are bigger and I've trimmed some fat. Best of luck!
Thank you. Feeling inspired today =)
o_O just realized 20 isn't a realistic number . even if i average a 1200 calories deficit its still like 2.4 pounds a week.
but Ive changed my exercise( added weight training ) keeping my diet constant .
hoping to see some better results lol.
and O_O?? why would weight training be cardio?
Only if you do it wrong.
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