Use weights or not to use weights.

mbanks123

Hi Everyone

I have a quick question where I would value some input.

Having gained weight, parts of my body such as my arms, legs and stomach have gotten larger (fatter). I am worried that if I start to lose weight by (dieting, doing cardio and weights) that I may not be able to slim down as much as I would like. My theory is that because I currently have more fat, that fat will be turned into muscle rather than disappearing if I do too many weight exercise. (I think this because of the way body builders bulk up and then shred to maximise their muscle size). I don't want big muscles!

Am I therefore correct in thinking, it is best for me to diet and do cardio, possibly minimal weights before I really focus on toning up?

I appreciate any input and I understand that my theory could be completely wrong so please don't be rude and just explain nicely

trigden1991

Bodyfat does not turn in to muscle. If you lose weight, your measurements will go down as the fat is reduced.

You will not accidentally get muscles and for women it is very hard to gain muscle even when they try due to a lack of testosterone.

Set up MFP with your stats, choose a sensible weight loss goal and eat the calories it tells you. There is no magic to fat loss, just a calorie deficit.

malibu927

trigden1991 wrote: »

Bodyfat does not turn in to muscle. If you lose weight, your measurements will go down as the fat is reduced.

You will not accidentally get muscles and for women it is very hard to gain muscle even when they try due to a lack of testosterone.

Set up MFP with your stats, choose a sensible weight loss goal and eat the calories it tells you. There is no magic to fat loss, just a calorie deficit.

What he said. Lifting weights (or any form of strength/resistance training) is still a good idea though, as it helps you to not lose muscle and end up looking "skinny fat" when you reach your goal weight.

LivingtheLeanDream

Why do you think you will get big muscles? As you lose weight you will lose fat but you want to try and retain as much muscle as you can, that's why its good to do some resistance/weight training. Lifting weight will not cause you to get bulky, there are loads of threads on here which prove that (I'm hoping someone else will post those links).

Lifting weights will actually help promote a lean look. Do a mix of cardio and strength training for best results, the cardio helps increase your calorie deficit which will help you lose and the strength training will help you retain muscle mass which is important.

I'm 5ft 2" and at my goal of 128lbs - I weigh more than others my height at goal weight but I look a LOT slimmer - that's thanks to lifting weights

In the meantime eat at calorie deficit to lose and move more.

LivingtheLeanDream

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ronjsteele1

Fat doesn't "turn into muscle." They are composed of entirely different things. You definitely want to lift! I look like I've lost a lot more then I have because I'm losing fat with lifting weights. Muscle takes up less space then fat does so one looks leaner. I have quite a bit to lose still but I wouldn't want to do it without lifting after watching how my body has changed just losing the first 15-20#'s and doing progressive lifting in the process.

timma300

mbanks123 wrote: »

My theory is that because I currently have more fat, that fat will be turned into muscle rather than disappearing if I do too many weight exercise. (I think this because of the way body builders bulk up and then shred to maximise their muscle size). I don't want big muscles!

Fat won't turn into muscle if you start lifting weights. They're 2 totally separate things that you gain and lose separately. You lose both fat and muscle by being in a caloric deficit (achieved by diet and exercise). In order to gain muscle, you have to try very hard to do it - lifting weights as part of a progressive lifting program, eating adequate protein, and eating in a caloric surplus (this is why you see bodybuilders bulk before they cut - they bulk while training hard to build the muscle and then cut to get rid of any extra fat they may have gained in the process).

You don't have to worry about gaining a bunch of muscle primarily for 2 reasons:

1. You are a woman. It is extremely difficult for women to build muscle, and the huge bulky women bodybuilders you see did not just accidentally get there from lifting a few weights - that takes years of training and extremely focused nutrition to achieve that.
2. You will be in a caloric deficit if you are trying to lose weight. This is counter intuitive to building muscle.

You may be thinking that lifting weights to build muscle is not what you want, but since you want to tone up, it is precisely what you want. Think of it like this, you are just like those bodybuilders when they're at the end of a bulk phase right now - you just want to lose fat and show off your muscle definition! Lifting weights and maintaining adequate protein while eating in a deficit will help to maintain your muscle while you lose weight so that once you reach your goal weight, you will have more definition. If you just eat in a deficit without lifting or focusing on protein, you will lose both fat and muscle. So when you reach your goal weight, instead of the toned look you are after, you will just look like a smaller version of your current self.

Here is an awesome thread about a lot of women here on MFP that started lifting heavy (with pics!):

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/977538/halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky/p1

emdeesea

You're a woman. Biologically, it's near impossible for you to "get bulky." Not only do we lack the testosterone, we also lack the testosterone receptors that would enable our muscles to look like a man's.

It's also healthier overall for women to incorporate some sort of weight training to keep our bones stronger. As we age, we lose muscle and as a result of that, our bones weaken. And you don't want to eventually become one of those fragile elders who fall and break a hip.

sardelsa

Another vote for don't wait to lift weights. You will not get bulky or have big muscles. When I was losing the baby weight I made lifting a priority while at deficit and the results were incredible.

karmatiger

One thing to consider is that not only do you have fat deposits between your skin and your muscle, giving you that "soft" look, but there's also intramuscular fat - a five dollar word meaning fat between your muscles.

Cardio is great for your cardiovascular health and burns calories while you do it. Just be sure to resist the temptation to "reward" yourself afterward with a high calorie snack or meal.

Weight training burns calories as you do it, and also increase your muscle mass which increases your daily need for energy even when you're at rest - sleeping, sitting at a desk, binge watching Netflix, whatever.

As your body taps into your fat for extra energy to make up for the caloric deficit of diet and exercise, it burns not just the fat between your skin and muscle, but also the fat between your muscles. As you build more muscle fibre from weight training you'll still see your outer size going down, because those new fibres are dense and don't begin to fill the space left by the intramuscular fat burned.

Women have to weight train a LOT to see noticeable size increases. But you will see a leaner, more toned look

I hope that helps.

sijomial

Love that your goals include getting fit, retaining your muscles while dieting will only help towards that goal.

Don't worry about what body builders do, no-one accidentally gets to look like a bodybuilder as it takes ages of really dedicated, deliberate and purposeful training.

My daughter is about your age and trying to lose some weight with a moderate calorie deficit, mixture of cardio and strength training - and patience!
She loves feeling strong and no she isn't at all bulky.

hansklamp2112

If you're looking to get fit and you aren't using weights/some sort of resistance training you're inhibiting progress. Don't worry about being too muscular, you'd really have to TRY to get to that point. Really, how often do you see actually MUSCULAR women? Rarely, because they're few and far between and it takes a great deal of commitment to get there unlike men where the way our anatomy works is that we're much more likely to have that look just by being a male.

Whether male or female, lifting weights promote lean muscle mass growth and lean muscle mass burns more fat overtime by just purely existing. It also is going to look better once the fat comes off. Losing body fat is great, but the second part to feeling great after that is feeling like you fit in your body.

People who "trim down then tone up" generally don't even make it through the trim down part because they're so focused on too much at once (example: Why don't I look thinner, why don't I look more tone, why am I not skinny yet, but why am I losing weight but I don't feel like I see it). They think they need to do step 1 to do step 2 and then when they don't see immediate results they start giving up. Toning up is a part of the trimming down part. You get more tone by trimming down when mixing cardio and weights. Why tackle one thing when you can tackle both with less effort and less time.

Losing weight and becoming "fit" comes best from a good mixture of cardio and weight, but with most importantly, the diet. Find a good program for women for some light weights and see how it goes while keeping the cardio in there. It will work.

bevmawer

I weight train and have been doing for the last 8.5 months. I weighed 16st 2lbs and now weigh 10st 11lbs, have gone from size 22 jeans to size 8 jeans from size 22/24 tops to size 12/14 tops. I still have body fat to lose but I have lost a shed load of fat and my body has never looked better in my entire life. I have a way to go to tidy up the body fat but an average of 2 lbs a week loss up to now has been proper steady progress. I have a PT who has helped with my journey. I love my new shape and have a figure to die for even though it still is a work in progress. I dead lift 82.5kg, rack pull, 80kg, back squat 55kg, farmers walk 65kg and bench press 32.5kg. There is a serous problem to weight training - its addictive!
Good luck - give it a try for 6 weeks and see how it goes. When I started out I was very ill and unfit - now I run rings around the youngsters of today and look 10 years younger than I am.

bx

ryry_

As everyone else has said you aren't in danger of getting 'bulky'. Resistance training is always good as it promotes muscle retention, just choose a plan you enjoy and maintain a calorie deficit and you will be happy with your results.

rainbowbow

mbanks123 wrote: »

My theory is that because I currently have more fat, that fat will be turned into muscle rather than disappearing if I do too many weight exercise.

I appreciate any input and I understand that my theory could be completely wrong so please don't be rude and just explain nicely

A theory is a well-substantiated explanation based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experiment. I think supposition is a better fit here.

Anyways, as we lose fat we lose a combination of fat, water, and muscle. As a woman the very last thing you have to think about is gaining muscle on a calorie deficit. The likelihood of this is very very little.

What you SHOULD do in my opinion is try to retain as much muscle mass as possible as you lose weight. This will give you a more taught appearance AND more calories to sustain yourself once you switch to maintenance. To do this, eat adequate protein and start resistance training NOW.

DebSozo

timma300 wrote: »

mbanks123 wrote: »

My theory is that because I currently have more fat, that fat will be turned into muscle rather than disappearing if I do too many weight exercise. (I think this because of the way body builders bulk up and then shred to maximise their muscle size). I don't want big muscles!

Fat won't turn into muscle if you start lifting weights. They're 2 totally separate things that you gain and lose separately. You lose both fat and muscle by being in a caloric deficit (achieved by diet and exercise)...

You may be thinking that lifting weights to build muscle is not what you want, but since you want to tone up, it is precisely what you want. Think of it like this, you are just like those bodybuilders when they're at the end of a bulk phase right now - you just want to lose fat and show off your muscle definition! Lifting weights and maintaining adequate protein while eating in a deficit will help to maintain your muscle while you lose weight so that once you reach your goal weight, you will have more definition. If you just eat in a deficit without lifting or focusing on protein, you will lose both fat and muscle. So when you reach your goal weight, instead of the toned look you are after, you will just look like a smaller version of your current self...

^OP, this.

In other words, if you desire to get "smaller" (lose inches off of arms, legs, abdomen, etc), which is what most women want to do when they have gained fat mass and want to lose it, you have to go into a calorie deficit.

Unfortunately, if you do not take precautions at the same time, you will lose muscle mass as well as fat. This lowers the metabolism, reduces muscle mass and often gives a squishy appearance even after losing fat.

The way to counteract that is to do progressive strength/weight training at the same time, eat adequate protein, and you will "tone", maintain muscle mass and create definition while burning off fat.

Then when you get to your desired smaller, firmer size and preferred weight you can maintain and continue to lift weights to keep your muscles and show off the nice definition you worked so hard to uncover.

courtneyfabulous

Use the weights!!
Do cardio too, but not too much.
Stay within your daily calorie goal.
Make sure to hit your protein goal every day!

When you eat enough protein and lift weights while in a caloric deficit this means your muscles will stay the same size and you will almost exclusively lose body fat. This is what you want for the best looking physique & best health!

rileysowner

mbanks123 wrote: »

Hi Everyone

I have a quick question where I would value some input.

Having gained weight, parts of my body such as my arms, legs and stomach have gotten larger (fatter). I am worried that if I start to lose weight by (dieting, doing cardio and weights) that I may not be able to slim down as much as I would like. My theory is that because I currently have more fat, that fat will be turned into muscle rather than disappearing if I do too many weight exercise. (I think this because of the way body builders bulk up and then shred to maximise their muscle size). I don't want big muscles!

Am I therefore correct in thinking, it is best for me to diet and do cardio, possibly minimal weights before I really focus on toning up?

I appreciate any input and I understand that my theory could be completely wrong so please don't be rude and just explain nicely

I am sure others have stated this, fat does not turn into muscle. That would be like apples turning into oranges. What lifting weights does is help maintain your muscles so that when you have lost the fat through a calorie deficit, you look fit rather than just skin and bones. Start lifting at the start. Second, no, it will not make you bulky. Putting on muscle is difficult for men, and very difficult for women. This is even more the case when a person is in a calorie deficit since excess calories are needed to put on muscle.

farrell16

Using resistance training whether with weights or boot camp style (own body weight) is very important to fat loss. As many have mentioned above fat does not turn into muscle.

The only way to gain muscle mass is to have a positive calorie intake just as the only way to loss mass (fat or muscle) is by having a negative calorie intake. As long as your calorie intake is less than what you burn you simply cannot gain muscle mass. Remember your body is a primitive machine it does not truly know the difference in what you are doing externally... whether you are contracting a muscle with a running stride or contracting a muscle for a squat all the body knows is that a muscle is contracting. The only reason cardio burns more calories in that moment is the higher heart rate. But one could easily argue resistance training is more beneficial for long term weight loss.

If the muscle contraction causes micro cellular tears your body realize it needs to repair it but that can happen from running or weight lifting alike. Either way without an excess of calories it can't build bulky muscles.

Use resistance training in your program for sure.

mbanks123

Thank you everyone for your comments. That was a lot to learn very quickly

I understand that I will never be bulky. My main reason for worrying was that I want to ensure I will fit back into my old jeans and i'm worried that this may not be the case if my legs tone up a little too much!

You have all assured me that my fat won't turn into muscle so either way, I will get to where I want to be eventually and weight lifting won't prevent it ever being a possibility! I'm happy with that.

evileen99