Should I only be doing cardio for now??

ysoto2014

Quick run down:
Mom of 3 gave birth 2 months ago and am cleared for exercise. I am at my heaviest weight. I'm doing 1800 calories a day due to breastfeeding. Diet is good and I'm seeing weight loss. I drink plenty of water 4-5 liters a day also for breastfeeding reason or it would be 3-4 usually. So my question is should I skip the weights for now and focus on slimming down with cardio and then focus on building muscle or should I continue doing both. I'm currently doing run/walk for 2-3 miles and am working up to more distance I should mention its trail running so lots of hills. No issues with injuries so apparently I can handle my weight without hurting my joints. Any help is appreciated!

SideSteel

That's going to depend primarily on your goals.

If one of your goals is to get stronger, or maximally retain muscle as you diet, then I'd certainly include some resistance training as part of your program.

cwolfman13

I tend to look at diet and exercise as separate things...I use my diet to manage weight and I exercise for fitness...as a matter of general fitness, both cardiovascular work (for your cardiovascular system) and resistance training (muscular/skeletal) are important.

Ultimately, weight management comes down to how much you're eating. I actually gained weight while training for my first century ride...I was riding about 150 miles per week and I gained weight...because I was always hungry and ate too much.

kshama2001

When you're eating at a deficit, it's exceedingly unlikely that you will gain muscle. (You may gain strength, but that's different.) Do do the weights now so that you will preserve muscle, which is easier than trying to gain it later.

ysoto2014

Thanks for the feedback! I try to keep off the scale but I am addicted and when I don't see the numbers move down its tough and I can't diet the way I would if I wasn't breastfeeding.

zoritt

I always regretted not doing weights earlier. Now I do both.

dhimaan

No you don't have to stick to only cardio. Strength training will help preserve muscle mass so once you lose the weight you will look better.

ysoto2014

I will keep doing both it was just shocking how little upper body strength I have