first loose weight then lift

HHEHEA

Has anyone reached their goal weight before going hard core at the gym?

keithmustloseweight

Why not do both.

Paetznick1982

I'm pretty close to my goal. I think it's hard to get the calorie deficit needed for consistent weight loss without hitting the gym.
That being said, I think you have to eat a lot to put on muscle mass. Look at bodybuilders. If you're lifting hard while trying to run a calorie deficit, you might not get as much bang for your buck.
My suggestion is that you hit the gym the entire time. Once you've lost the weight you can switch your focus to gaining muscle and getting stronger- really shaping your body.

Bizurke51

HHEHEA wrote: »

Has anyone reached their goal weight before going hard core at the gym?

That's the plan, I've always been a gym person but had a terrible diet. Now I've lost 56 lbs and once I've maintained weight for a little bit I plan on adding some size

PowerKickChic

Do both. Trust me on this one.
So, at the most weight I lost, 83lbs (and now 52 but I'm working on it again), I was a size 12 at 203 lbs. I got all kinds of crap on here from girls with my same height that were a size 16 at 170lbs. Yup. That's what weight lifting does for you. Skinny girls look good in clothes, fit girls look good naked.

erojoy

What do you mean they gave you crap @PowerKickChic ?

xcalygrl

I did, and I regret it. I wish I would have realized what lifting did for your body years ago when I was losing. I probably would have lost a little bit slower, but I would have looked better throughout. I also would have been able to eat more and still lose had I had more muscle mass.

I started at 240 pounds, lost down to 143 pounds, but I was skinny fat. I had no muscle definition and was basically skin and bones. Now, I weigh about 30 pounds more, but I have muscles. Plus, I am about the same size now as I was 30 pounds ago.

If you can, I highly recommend lifting while you lose. It's a lot easier to maintain your muscles while you lose rather than try to gain them back after you're done losing.

markiend

Seen great results from people who were heavy and lifted. You have already bulked... now lift and cut

As a rule of thumb,

eat , lift , cardio or whatever you want to do. A calorie deficit will result in lowering your weight.

If you were me, hit the gym , careful with how much you eat , add a bit of cardio and tell me if I am wrong in 3 -6 months

JaimusWilliams

I love lifting. I do both. First I was doing mostly cardio and do a little bit of lifting. Now I keep it even with both and have seen greater results. Both is definitely the way to go for me!

jodes023

PowerKickChic wrote: »

Skinny girls look good in clothes, fit girls look good naked.

I like this a lot!!

kerbeya1

Lifting burns fat just as cardio why would you due both?

ar9179

HHEHEA wrote: »

Has anyone reached their goal weight before going hard core at the gym?

No. After reading/seeing the results of lifting while in a deficit, there is no way I would choose to wait. There is not one good reason to wait.

I started a beginner lifting program about a month and a half after implementing a deficit because of two key threads on MFP (2x/week yoga to start and continuing) and saw HUGE improvements in my body shape within that first month of lifting, while making great strides in yoga postures/strength. Right before typing this, I was marveling at my leg muscles. My inner thighs are still a disaster, but when I stretch my leg out to the side, I see inner thigh muscle definition. My arms are looking much better and I routinely touch base with my triceps...because they are so new to my world!

Keeping as much lean muscle as you can while you lose will only benefit you and your perception of your body's progress. Pounds are irrelevant when you look better than you did the last time you weighed the same, or less! I can get into clothes that fit when I was 10 lbs lighter. I'm only halfway to my first goal, which is at the top of my recommended weight range. It's very exciting to have the option of a higher weight and higher maintenance than you thought you'd have to live with forever.

professionalHobbyist

That is an old school plan.

Current health plans for wellness see the value of resistance training.

Maybe research interval training with weights to use it for some cardio too!

Lifting can be fun. Having a few friends at the gym can make working out a fun social and healthy thing.

People join bicycling clubs and enjoy that as well.

Muscle is king. It is the furnace that burns calories.

There is a ton of info on the value of a little extra muscle.

Google is your friend!

sarahlifts

I usually hear this sentiment from people trying to lose and then I post this photo.
Why wait to lift weights I achieved this with very little cardio (read none whatsoever aside from walking and taking th stairs when I could) in 18 months. if you incorporate cardio and weights imagine where you could be in less than 18 months….

MeleriD

sarahlifts wrote: »

I usually hear this sentiment from people to lose and then I post this photo.
Why wait to lift weights I achieved this with very little cardio (read none whatsoever aside from walking and taking th stairs when I could) in 18 months. if you incorporate cardio and weights imagine where you could be in less than 18 months….

Very inspirational.,you've obviously worked very hard and it shows. I'm off to find something heavy to lift....hahaha

mmnv79

sarahlifts wrote: »

I usually hear this sentiment from people trying to lose and then I post this photo.
Why wait to lift weights I achieved this with very little cardio (read none whatsoever aside from walking and taking th stairs when I could) in 18 months. if you incorporate cardio and weights imagine where you could be in less than 18 months….

You look great! Your shoulders look amazing! You are truly an inspiration. Well done.

Liftng4Lis

Lifting while losing helps to retain muscle mass, so why wait?

lindaloo1213

I do both. No reason to wait. None.

Nerdycurls

For me, lifting has been the ONLY thing that helps me keep my metabolism up. Ever since I turned 30, the amount of effort to lose the same amount of weight has become threefold. When I was in my late 20's, I could lose weight with just cardio but now my body needs something more.

Crumpet_Girl

I was wondering about this myself, whether a really bit deficit to lose the weight and then eating maintenance and lifting was a good idea. Because you can't build muscle at deficit can you? And you can't lose weight without a deficit... I get confused!

But it looks like it's best to eat at deficit and lift. Thanks for all the insight

coreyreichle

kerbeya1 wrote: »

Lifting burns fat just as cardio why would you due both?

Because cardio is for targeting the pulmonary muscle group, while the actual weights are for various other muscle groups.

MKEgal

No need to "go hard core" at the gym at all, unless you like it.

But it's best to do cardio at least 5 days a week for at least 30 min (more is better),
and lift progressively heavier weights 2-3 times per week, exercising all muscles,
all the way along while you're losing weight & getting fit.

a - It's easier to maintain the muscle you have than to rebuild it

b - For the same mass, muscle burns more calories than fat. It's not as huge a
difference as people like to think, because if you lose 40 lb of fat & then gain 10
lb of muscle you really haven't changed your calorie burn much, if at all. But you'll
look much better & be slimmer.

c - To lose weight, eat at a calorie deficit.
To build muscle, eat at a slight surplus and repeatedly lift progressively heavier things.

d - loose = not fitting well; your old clothes will be loose when you get fit
lose = to not have; when you lose weight, you will feel better

arditarose

Nope. I started lifting while losing weight. My profile pic is the end result.

whatatime2befit

Do both. I absolutely love lifting.

CJsf1t

I had pain in my knees coupled with hypermobile joints which prevented me from doing any form of cardio, including non impact ones like walking and cycling. I have had many failed attempts at losing weight through cardio only. Now, I am doing only strength training and body weight exercises. Though my weight loss is slow I am losing inches and my knee pain is almost gone after only a month.

Amberonamission

I watch that 600 pound show. Have you ever seen that? Some of those people really have a hard time with losing even after changing their digestive system drastically. Anyway there was this one guy who had a really hard time losing the 50 lbs that the Dr wanted him to lose before surgery. So he went to planet fitness and started to lift. That one guy had a much easier time losing after surgery because he put on some muscle first. They really should make all of those people gain muscle before surgery.

Good

JONZ64

Lose, not loose, but Why wait? Do both

joeboland

If you want to be able to see noticeable results, progress, and improvement on your journey, then I recommend hitting the weights as a part of your weight loss routine. Otherwise, you're going to wind up just looking "skinny fat", as mentioned above - a scaled down version of the same body type you are now, more or less, and there's nothing more discouraging than that, really. Add to that the fact that muscle gains are going to passively burn more calories (by raising your BMR), leading to additional weight loss between workouts.

Hornsby

I lost all my weight with cardio. No resistance training. Just a bicycle. Not saying it's right or wrong, but I did it. It was fine. I wasn't happy when I got there though, although I knew I wouldn't be. I just wanted to see the number drop as fast as possible and figured cardio was the best way for that to happen.

RavenLibra

Lift during... otherwise you are digging a big hole... lift during... and you will be ahead of the game

Jilliankosto

sarahlifts wrote: »

I usually hear this sentiment from people trying to lose and then I post this photo.
Why wait to lift weights I achieved this with very little cardio (read none whatsoever aside from walking and taking th stairs when I could) in 18 months. if you incorporate cardio and weights imagine where you could be in less than 18 months….

Wow I want to look like that. Would you mind elaborating on how often you lift and for what duration? Thanks.