So many myths it’s exhausting.
JanetReyna
Posts: 291 Member
Okay so I have varios forums on the same topic but the days goes by and I get more confused. My trainer at the gym said if my goal is to lose weight I need to cut the weights and focus more on cardio. Others say I should lift heavy and do a little cardio. My goal is to lose weight and maintain muscle. I have fat to loose but my goal later on is to gain muscle and make gains. Where can I educate myself what can I do? I have like 4 years on my journey to lose weight and I always give up. So many of you have a lot of experience. Please help. I feel there will always be mixed comments and different information on this topic. AGH.
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Replies
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To lose weight, you need a calorie deficit. You can get that by eating less, moving more, or a combination.
To lose fat and maintain muscle, both cardio and strength training are important. Cardio burns more calories, but strength training will help you hang onto and strengthen the muscle you already have.
What's working for me (which may or may not be what works for you) has been to combine eating at a deficit with cardio and strength training and eat back 50-60% of my exercise calories. Now I'm not especially coordinated or athletic.
My main cardio is walking, but I shoot for 2 hours of walking daily. (If I get in at least 90 minutes, it's good enough. Less than 90 and there's a glider in my basement. It's not an ideal piece of equipment, but it's a good deal better than nothing.)
I don't lift heavy. Long story short, I don't belong to a gym, don't have a reliable spotter, and am afraid of seriously hurting myself if I try lifting alone. Also, when I got started, a pair of 12lb dumbbells were too heavy for me and just a bar with no weight plates weighs 40lbs.
But I started with 3 and 5lb dumbbells and a book on strength training and now do exercises with weights ranging from 8 to 25lbs (x2). I'm planning on buying a pair of 30s soon.
Basically, I don't do anything overly strenuous, but I work out consistently and I'm getting the results I want. Depending on your goals, they may or may not be the ones you want.21 -
You need to get rid of your trainer immediately and find one who understands your goals.
Losing weight is about calorie deficit. If you want to maintain muscle lift weights and reach your protein goals.
Losing weight starts in the kitchen. Log and be honest.24 -
Jarettzy18 wrote: »Okay so I have varios forums on the same topic but the days goes by and I get more confused. My trainer at the gym said if my goal is to lose weight I need to cut the weights and focus more on cardio. Others say I should lift heavy and do a little cardio. My goal is to lose weight and maintain muscle. I have fat to loose but my goal later on is to gain muscle and make gains. Where can I educate myself what can I do? I have like 4 years on my journey to lose weight and I always give up. So many of you have a lot of experience. Please help. I feel there will always be mixed comments and different information on this topic. AGH.
Whether you lift weights or not, you will lose weight if you eat in a calorie deficit. Lifting weights while you are eating in a deficit will help you preserve the muscle you have. Cardio can help you burn more calories .
Eat at a deficit to lose weight
Do cardio if you'd like to, to burn a few more cals and improve your cardiovascular health
Lift weights if you'd like to, to preserve your muscle and get stronger
It really is that simple
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I actually learned a lot from these forums, as well as reading lifting books, like Strong Curves and New Rules of Lifting for Women.
If you want to lose weight, you want to eat in a deficit #1, so less than you burn. Lifting (progressive over time) will help you maintain muscle as you lose fat (also good for health and strength), along with adequate protein. If you do not lift, you will lose fat and way more muscle than you would otherwise and have a softer appearance/higher bodyfat when you get to goal. I've done it both ways and my results from lifting vs not lifting were quite different.
You can add some cardio to that to help burn more calories add to that deficit (it is also good for health and fitness). But keep in mind too much cardio can start to affect lifting performance and recovery in many so you don't want to overdo it.
While some people can gain a bit of muscle in a deficit under certain circumstances, you will mostly be retaining what you have right now. So once you get closer to goal, and you feel like you don't have the muscle base you are happy with you can either eat at maintenance to recomp, or you can run bulk (surplus) cycles to put on weight to gain muscle.15 -
Think of it like this - when your at a deficit, your body needs to pull extra fuel from its stores. Ideally, this would all be fat, but that is not how it works. Your body will pull what is readily available that it doesn't need for day to day activities. If you strength train, you are telling your body "we use this muscle regularly" - so it will try harder not to pull from that.
I know it's a really dumbed down broscience explanation and there is way more to it, but that's how I think of it.16 -
They're overcomplicating this for you by giving you a set of things that look like they should be done rigidly as prescribed. Don't think of it as a set of rules, think of it as separate modular blocks that you get to arrange any way you want to fit your goals.
Here are the blocks they mentioned and what they do, by knowing what they do and how they synergize you get to decide how much of a focus you need to put on one vs another:
1) Food:
Calorie deficit is how fat is lost. It's mainly achieved by controlling your food intake, but you can support it through cardio/activity/NEAT (non-exercise activity).
How it synergizes: eating enough calories and protein helps support your lifting performance. Having too high of a calorie deficit (eating too little) may affect your performance and muscle retention.
2) Cardio:
Helps you burn more calories so you get to eat more food which makes the diet part easier. The basic rule is that the more you move the more you get to eat.
How it synergizes: finding how much cardio you are willing to do sustainably is key. Too much and you may not have enough time/energy/appropriate recovery for lifting if that's your focus. Too little cardio (activity in general, actually) may make it harder for you to stick to your calories if the dieting part is hard for you (this is personal, some people stick to their calories just fine without cardio).
3) Lifting:
That's how you gain strength and retain (or gain) muscle. It appears to be your main focus, so that should be your priority.
How it synergizes: since this is your main focus, you need enough protein, enough calories, and enough time for it. It will influence the other two blocks.
From the above, the most logical course of action for you would be: don't try to lose weight too fast (pick an appropriate calorie deficit), eat enough protein, focus on lifting, and decide if you want to do some cardio if you want to eat more and improve your cardiovascular fitness. I'm personally for cardio because I like the extra calories and the health benefits (both physical and mental), but how you go about it depends on your goals and preferences.
How the advice you got translates?
- The trainer is focusing on weight loss, so they want you to increase your deficit by focusing on cardio because lifting may take time and energy and doesn't burn that many calories. They're not doing their job well because they're not taking into account your goals and they may even be setting you up for dangerously fast weight loss.
- "Others" are focusing on your goal of muscle retention, but they're arbitrarily throwing in "a bit of cardio" as a set formula without explaining why. It's possible to do more than just a bit of cardio or none at all and still achieve your goal of fat loss + muscle retention.34 -
For me, lifting weights while trying to lose fat goes very slowly. I lost my weight through improving how I ate and cardio. I'm now at goal weight and will proceed with lifting weights to tone and shape. You'll get all sorts of opinions here.
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elisa123gal wrote: »For me, lifting weights while trying to lose fat goes very slowly. I lost my weight through improving how I ate and cardio. I'm now at goal weight and will proceed with lifting weights to tone and shape. You'll get all sorts of opinions here.
Fat loss went more slowly because weigh lifting doesn't burn much compared to cardio - you increased your calorie deficit when you added cardio which speeded up the loss.
OP, you've been given some great feedback already.
Losing at a healthy rate is what helps to preserve muscle mass. If you lift weights while eating at calorie deficit that will help you retain muscle. Do a mix of cardio and lifting. The cardio increases the calorie burn which aids weight loss.
To lose weight its a matter of eating less than you burn - i.e eating at calorie deficit.
IMO its never too soon to do resistance training/weights along with cardio.
p.s you need another trainer!8 -
From your posts you do seem to be actively seeking to make sometime simple more complicated - perhaps that's a subconscious searching for a justification for...
"I have like 4 years on my journey to lose weight and I always give up"
(You aren't alone - I put off losing my excess weight for 20 years with a really silly excuse! Don't let searching for complication be your excuse.)
Losing weight is as simple and as boring as eating a bit less than you need to.
To improve that slightly then the phrase "eat less, move more" adds in improving health/fitness and creating a positive habit.- Eating a bit less than your needs is by far the biggest driver for creating a calorie deficit.
- Strength training is the biggest driver for muscle retention.
- Cardio is the biggest driver for CV health and fitness.
So do those three things consistently over an extended period and you will lose fat, retain muscle, improve health and fitness.
You could share this link with your trainer as their advice is poor for your stated goals but personally I think you need to simplify the process not complicate.
https://bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-1.html/14 -
Always so much good advice and knowledge.I actually learned a lot from these forums, as well as reading lifting books, like Strong Curves and New Rules of Lifting for Women.
If you want to lose weight, you want to eat in a deficit #1, so less than you burn. Lifting (progressive over time) will help you maintain muscle as you lose fat (also good for health and strength), along with adequate protein. If you do not lift, you will lose fat and way more muscle than you would otherwise and have a softer appearance/higher bodyfat when you get to goal. I've done it both ways and my results from lifting vs not lifting were quite different.
You can add some cardio to that to help burn more calories add to that deficit (it is also good for health and fitness). But keep in mind too much cardio can start to affect lifting performance and recovery in many so you don't want to overdo it.
While some people can gain a bit of muscle in a deficit under certain circumstances, you will mostly be retaining what you have right now. So once you get closer to goal, and you feel like you don't have the muscle base you are happy with you can either eat at maintenance to recomp, or you can run bulk (surplus) cycles to put on weight to gain muscle.11 -
elisa123gal wrote: »For me, lifting weights while trying to lose fat goes very slowly. I lost my weight through improving how I ate and cardio. I'm now at goal weight and will proceed with lifting weights to tone and shape. You'll get all sorts of opinions here.
When you start lifting many people retain water which can temporarily mask losses, and cardio typically burns more calories...in the end it all comes down to the deficit.10 -
Your trainer is an idiot. Cardio is great because you get to eat more while still losing weight... but you'll need some sort of strength training to maintain your muscle mass.11
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Further to the great advice you've received here about maintaining muscle, another point is that strength training helps with improving bone density and in turn can help prevent osteoporosis, which is more prevalent in women.9
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Poisonedpawn78 wrote: »You need to get rid of your trainer immediately and find one who understands your goals.
Losing weight is about calorie deficit. If you want to maintain muscle lift weights and reach your protein goals.
Losing weight starts in the kitchen. Log and be honest.
Yes, that is the main reason I lift weights I don’t want to lose weight and be skinny fat.3 -
From your posts you do seem to be actively seeking to make sometime simple more complicated - perhaps that's a subconscious searching for a justification for...
"I have like 4 years on my journey to lose weight and I always give up"
(You aren't alone - I put off losing my excess weight for 20 years with a really silly excuse! Don't let searching for complication be your excuse.)
Losing weight is as simple and as boring as eating a bit less than you need to.
To improve that slightly then the phrase "eat less, move more" adds in improving health/fitness and creating a positive habit.- Eating a bit less than your needs is by far the biggest driver for creating a calorie deficit.
- Strength training is the biggest driver for muscle retention.
- Cardio is the biggest driver for CV health and fitness.
So do those three things consistently over an extended period and you will lose fat, retain muscle, improve health and fitness.
You could share this link with your trainer as their advice is poor for your stated goals but personally I think you need to simplify the process not complicate.
https://bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-1.html/
Okay so I think I’ve been doing this wrong all along then. I lift weights and do a cardio class in the afternoon. But that’s really all I do, I am not really active. Should I walk for an hour or more in the treadmill just to increase my daily steps? I am not active. I go to the gym in the mornings to lift and in the afternoon I attend a cardio class and that’s pretty much it.0 -
Always so much good advice and knowledge.I actually learned a lot from these forums, as well as reading lifting books, like Strong Curves and New Rules of Lifting for Women.
If you want to lose weight, you want to eat in a deficit #1, so less than you burn. Lifting (progressive over time) will help you maintain muscle as you lose fat (also good for health and strength), along with adequate protein. If you do not lift, you will lose fat and way more muscle than you would otherwise and have a softer appearance/higher bodyfat when you get to goal. I've done it both ways and my results from lifting vs not lifting were quite different.
You can add some cardio to that to help burn more calories add to that deficit (it is also good for health and fitness). But keep in mind too much cardio can start to affect lifting performance and recovery in many so you don't want to overdo it.
While some people can gain a bit of muscle in a deficit under certain circumstances, you will mostly be retaining what you have right now. So once you get closer to goal, and you feel like you don't have the muscle base you are happy with you can either eat at maintenance to recomp, or you can run bulk (surplus) cycles to put on weight to gain muscle.
All along I’ve been thinking weights burn more calories than cardio oh myyyy🤦🏻♀️ Should I walk in the treadmill for an hour to increase my steps? I’m not an active person. I go to the gym in the morning to only lift weights and in the afternoon I go to a cardio class but that’s it’s. I don’t even get to 10,000 steps daily. Should this be my problem?0 -
Jarettzy18 wrote: »
Always so much good advice and knowledge.I actually learned a lot from these forums, as well as reading lifting books, like Strong Curves and New Rules of Lifting for Women.
If you want to lose weight, you want to eat in a deficit #1, so less than you burn. Lifting (progressive over time) will help you maintain muscle as you lose fat (also good for health and strength), along with adequate protein. If you do not lift, you will lose fat and way more muscle than you would otherwise and have a softer appearance/higher bodyfat when you get to goal. I've done it both ways and my results from lifting vs not lifting were quite different.
You can add some cardio to that to help burn more calories add to that deficit (it is also good for health and fitness). But keep in mind too much cardio can start to affect lifting performance and recovery in many so you don't want to overdo it.
While some people can gain a bit of muscle in a deficit under certain circumstances, you will mostly be retaining what you have right now. So once you get closer to goal, and you feel like you don't have the muscle base you are happy with you can either eat at maintenance to recomp, or you can run bulk (surplus) cycles to put on weight to gain muscle.
All along I’ve been thinking weights burn more calories than cardio oh myyyy🤦🏻♀️ Should I walk in the treadmill for an hour to increase my steps? I’m not an active person. I go to the gym in the morning to only lift weights and in the afternoon I go to a cardio class but that’s it’s. I don’t even get to 10,000 steps daily. Should this be my problem?
Cardio is great for health and adding to your deficit. While it's good to be active, you don't need to go crazy with it. Start with your food intake.. then let the rest follow2 -
I think the emphasis on "retaining" muscle mass is important, but sometimes we tend to forget what that actually does in relation to the goals.
Now.....when talking about goals, we state that we want to lose weight/fat. Let's unpack that even more. Why do we want to lose weight/fat? For most, it's about 2 things:
1. We want to lose fat to look better and have a better body shape.
2. We want to be healthier.
To lose fat, you need a calorie deficit. Unfortunately, it's almost impossible (except for the obese untrained novice) to maintain muscle in a deficit, meaning that a good portion of weight lost in a deficit will be lean body mass. An excessive deficit will help the weight leave quicker, but it will also help muscle to do the same.
What provides a body with a desired shape? Muscle. So when we embark on a program to "lose weight as quickly as possible", what happens? We lose both and end up with smaller version of our previous self with a higher percentage of body fat than we thought we would have. We also have a slower metabolism because we've reduced our muscle mass. Use any TDEE calculator that has an optional body fat % input and you'll see a difference in TDEE based on body fat percentages with the same weight inputs. The lower the body fat % (the more muscle the body has), the higher the TDEE.
What do most people do when they want to have a better shape? Increase cardio. What does cardio do? Burn more calories. Where does the body pull those calories in a deficit? Yep - fat and muscle. How do we prevent that annoying loss of muscle? Lift enough to provide a stress/recovery/adaptation cycle - meaning heavy (enough to provide intensity) and progressive. Eat enough protein to provide adequate recovery/adaptation. Limit cardio so that it doesn't prevent the recovery/adaptation.
TL/DR:
If your goal is to just be smaller (without regard to body fat % or shape), then just create a deficit and go to your goal.
Most people's goals, although unstated, are not just to lose a bunch of fat. Their goal is to create a certain shape. To do that:
1. Create a deficit to lose fat. To retain muscle, make the deficit smaller and accept the fact that your path to get to your ultimate goal will be longer than you might want.
2. Lift progressively to change your shape.
3. Do cardio enough to be fit or support your sporting activity and/or allow you to eat more.
Finding that balance can be tricky. It's easy to create a deficit. It's easy to find a lifting program that suits you. It's easy to do some amount of cardio. It's hard to combine them in such a way as they work together efficiently to help you reach your goal.
Don't limit yourself to cardio. Cardio can really help. But it can also be a trap. Don't trust your trainer.11 -
Jarettzy18 wrote: »
Always so much good advice and knowledge.I actually learned a lot from these forums, as well as reading lifting books, like Strong Curves and New Rules of Lifting for Women.
If you want to lose weight, you want to eat in a deficit #1, so less than you burn. Lifting (progressive over time) will help you maintain muscle as you lose fat (also good for health and strength), along with adequate protein. If you do not lift, you will lose fat and way more muscle than you would otherwise and have a softer appearance/higher bodyfat when you get to goal. I've done it both ways and my results from lifting vs not lifting were quite different.
You can add some cardio to that to help burn more calories add to that deficit (it is also good for health and fitness). But keep in mind too much cardio can start to affect lifting performance and recovery in many so you don't want to overdo it.
While some people can gain a bit of muscle in a deficit under certain circumstances, you will mostly be retaining what you have right now. So once you get closer to goal, and you feel like you don't have the muscle base you are happy with you can either eat at maintenance to recomp, or you can run bulk (surplus) cycles to put on weight to gain muscle.
All along I’ve been thinking weights burn more calories than cardio oh myyyy🤦🏻♀️ Should I walk in the treadmill for an hour to increase my steps? I’m not an active person. I go to the gym in the morning to only lift weights and in the afternoon I go to a cardio class but that’s it’s. I don’t even get to 10,000 steps daily. Should this be my problem?
You are going to get the most bang for your buck weight loss wise by focusing on your food. Lots of people lose weight without much purposeful exercise. Get your food in line and think of the exercise as something you are doing for your fitness, and as a bonus to burn a few more calories. So many people put all their effort into doing the "right" workout to lose weight, but for most people those exercise burns are much lower than they think and far too easy to accidentally eat back those calories anyway.
Here's a great thread with strategies to increase your day-to-day calorie burn without purposeful exercise you might be interested in too:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1
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Jarettzy18 wrote: »
Always so much good advice and knowledge.I actually learned a lot from these forums, as well as reading lifting books, like Strong Curves and New Rules of Lifting for Women.
If you want to lose weight, you want to eat in a deficit #1, so less than you burn. Lifting (progressive over time) will help you maintain muscle as you lose fat (also good for health and strength), along with adequate protein. If you do not lift, you will lose fat and way more muscle than you would otherwise and have a softer appearance/higher bodyfat when you get to goal. I've done it both ways and my results from lifting vs not lifting were quite different.
You can add some cardio to that to help burn more calories add to that deficit (it is also good for health and fitness). But keep in mind too much cardio can start to affect lifting performance and recovery in many so you don't want to overdo it.
While some people can gain a bit of muscle in a deficit under certain circumstances, you will mostly be retaining what you have right now. So once you get closer to goal, and you feel like you don't have the muscle base you are happy with you can either eat at maintenance to recomp, or you can run bulk (surplus) cycles to put on weight to gain muscle.
All along I’ve been thinking weights burn more calories than cardio oh myyyy🤦🏻♀️ Should I walk in the treadmill for an hour to increase my steps? I’m not an active person. I go to the gym in the morning to only lift weights and in the afternoon I go to a cardio class but that’s it’s. I don’t even get to 10,000 steps daily. Should this be my problem?
Find something you enjoy doing. No need to waste precious time on the dreadmill - there are a lot of enjoyable activities that you can do for cardio... dancing, walking around random neighborhoods (or snowshoeing/XC-skiing them), hiking, cycling, rollerblading, sports, window shopping,...0 -
Jarettzy18 wrote: »
Always so much good advice and knowledge.I actually learned a lot from these forums, as well as reading lifting books, like Strong Curves and New Rules of Lifting for Women.
If you want to lose weight, you want to eat in a deficit #1, so less than you burn. Lifting (progressive over time) will help you maintain muscle as you lose fat (also good for health and strength), along with adequate protein. If you do not lift, you will lose fat and way more muscle than you would otherwise and have a softer appearance/higher bodyfat when you get to goal. I've done it both ways and my results from lifting vs not lifting were quite different.
You can add some cardio to that to help burn more calories add to that deficit (it is also good for health and fitness). But keep in mind too much cardio can start to affect lifting performance and recovery in many so you don't want to overdo it.
While some people can gain a bit of muscle in a deficit under certain circumstances, you will mostly be retaining what you have right now. So once you get closer to goal, and you feel like you don't have the muscle base you are happy with you can either eat at maintenance to recomp, or you can run bulk (surplus) cycles to put on weight to gain muscle.
All along I’ve been thinking weights burn more calories than cardio oh myyyy🤦🏻♀️ Should I walk in the treadmill for an hour to increase my steps? I’m not an active person. I go to the gym in the morning to only lift weights and in the afternoon I go to a cardio class but that’s it’s. I don’t even get to 10,000 steps daily. Should this be my problem?
Find something you enjoy doing. No need to waste precious time on the dreadmill - there are a lot of enjoyable activities that you can do for cardio... dancing, walking around random neighborhoods (or snowshoeing/XC-skiing them), hiking, cycling, rollerblading, sports, window shopping,...
I feel like the odd man out because I actually enjoy the treadmill lol. But yes, definitely find something you enjoy doing!10 -
Fitnessgirl0913 wrote: »Jarettzy18 wrote: »
Always so much good advice and knowledge.I actually learned a lot from these forums, as well as reading lifting books, like Strong Curves and New Rules of Lifting for Women.
If you want to lose weight, you want to eat in a deficit #1, so less than you burn. Lifting (progressive over time) will help you maintain muscle as you lose fat (also good for health and strength), along with adequate protein. If you do not lift, you will lose fat and way more muscle than you would otherwise and have a softer appearance/higher bodyfat when you get to goal. I've done it both ways and my results from lifting vs not lifting were quite different.
You can add some cardio to that to help burn more calories add to that deficit (it is also good for health and fitness). But keep in mind too much cardio can start to affect lifting performance and recovery in many so you don't want to overdo it.
While some people can gain a bit of muscle in a deficit under certain circumstances, you will mostly be retaining what you have right now. So once you get closer to goal, and you feel like you don't have the muscle base you are happy with you can either eat at maintenance to recomp, or you can run bulk (surplus) cycles to put on weight to gain muscle.
All along I’ve been thinking weights burn more calories than cardio oh myyyy🤦🏻♀️ Should I walk in the treadmill for an hour to increase my steps? I’m not an active person. I go to the gym in the morning to only lift weights and in the afternoon I go to a cardio class but that’s it’s. I don’t even get to 10,000 steps daily. Should this be my problem?
Find something you enjoy doing. No need to waste precious time on the dreadmill - there are a lot of enjoyable activities that you can do for cardio... dancing, walking around random neighborhoods (or snowshoeing/XC-skiing them), hiking, cycling, rollerblading, sports, window shopping,...
I feel like the odd man out because I actually enjoy the treadmill lol. But yes, definitely find something you enjoy doing!
I enjoy the treadmill too! My favorite audiobooks or shows and I'm good to go. No need to keep watching out for people/cars/stones or worry that I would get too cold/hot/wet/thirsty or need the bathroom.8 -
Jarettzy18 wrote: »
Always so much good advice and knowledge.I actually learned a lot from these forums, as well as reading lifting books, like Strong Curves and New Rules of Lifting for Women.
If you want to lose weight, you want to eat in a deficit #1, so less than you burn. Lifting (progressive over time) will help you maintain muscle as you lose fat (also good for health and strength), along with adequate protein. If you do not lift, you will lose fat and way more muscle than you would otherwise and have a softer appearance/higher bodyfat when you get to goal. I've done it both ways and my results from lifting vs not lifting were quite different.
You can add some cardio to that to help burn more calories add to that deficit (it is also good for health and fitness). But keep in mind too much cardio can start to affect lifting performance and recovery in many so you don't want to overdo it.
While some people can gain a bit of muscle in a deficit under certain circumstances, you will mostly be retaining what you have right now. So once you get closer to goal, and you feel like you don't have the muscle base you are happy with you can either eat at maintenance to recomp, or you can run bulk (surplus) cycles to put on weight to gain muscle.
All along I’ve been thinking weights burn more calories than cardio oh myyyy🤦🏻♀️ Should I walk in the treadmill for an hour to increase my steps? I’m not an active person. I go to the gym in the morning to only lift weights and in the afternoon I go to a cardio class but that’s it’s. I don’t even get to 10,000 steps daily. Should this be my problem?
Cardio is great for health and adding to your deficit. While it's good to be active, you don't need to go crazy with it. Start with your food intake.. then let the rest followJarettzy18 wrote: »
Always so much good advice and knowledge.I actually learned a lot from these forums, as well as reading lifting books, like Strong Curves and New Rules of Lifting for Women.
If you want to lose weight, you want to eat in a deficit #1, so less than you burn. Lifting (progressive over time) will help you maintain muscle as you lose fat (also good for health and strength), along with adequate protein. If you do not lift, you will lose fat and way more muscle than you would otherwise and have a softer appearance/higher bodyfat when you get to goal. I've done it both ways and my results from lifting vs not lifting were quite different.
You can add some cardio to that to help burn more calories add to that deficit (it is also good for health and fitness). But keep in mind too much cardio can start to affect lifting performance and recovery in many so you don't want to overdo it.
While some people can gain a bit of muscle in a deficit under certain circumstances, you will mostly be retaining what you have right now. So once you get closer to goal, and you feel like you don't have the muscle base you are happy with you can either eat at maintenance to recomp, or you can run bulk (surplus) cycles to put on weight to gain muscle.
All along I’ve been thinking weights burn more calories than cardio oh myyyy🤦🏻♀️ Should I walk in the treadmill for an hour to increase my steps? I’m not an active person. I go to the gym in the morning to only lift weights and in the afternoon I go to a cardio class but that’s it’s. I don’t even get to 10,000 steps daily. Should this be my problem?
Cardio is great for health and adding to your deficit. While it's good to be active, you don't need to go crazy with it. Start with your food intake.. then let the rest follow
This! ^ Weights don't burn more calories but they shape your body better. Manageange the calorie part with diet. You don't "have" to do anything more. If you "want" to give yourself a little more dietary flexibility with calories and have the time, sure walk more. Getting the 10,000 steps is nice but controlling the diet is the key. That and resistance training will give you a great looking body.
What happens in the cardio class? You must get some calorie burn from that. Maybe I missed it earlier in the thread. Here is the thing. It's not a rules based thing with the exception of eating less than you burn. Everything else is a bonus. Be careful about too much focus on the scale. You can make some great body changes while not having weight drop that much. Take a look at this thread and the pics posted.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/42695689#Comment_42695689
This lady lost weight and gained it all back in a fabulous way!5 -
Jarettzy18 wrote: »From your posts you do seem to be actively seeking to make sometime simple more complicated - perhaps that's a subconscious searching for a justification for...
"I have like 4 years on my journey to lose weight and I always give up"
(You aren't alone - I put off losing my excess weight for 20 years with a really silly excuse! Don't let searching for complication be your excuse.)
Losing weight is as simple and as boring as eating a bit less than you need to.
To improve that slightly then the phrase "eat less, move more" adds in improving health/fitness and creating a positive habit.- Eating a bit less than your needs is by far the biggest driver for creating a calorie deficit.
- Strength training is the biggest driver for muscle retention.
- Cardio is the biggest driver for CV health and fitness.
So do those three things consistently over an extended period and you will lose fat, retain muscle, improve health and fitness.
You could share this link with your trainer as their advice is poor for your stated goals but personally I think you need to simplify the process not complicate.
https://bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-1.html/
Okay so I think I’ve been doing this wrong all along then. I lift weights and do a cardio class in the afternoon. But that’s really all I do, I am not really active. Should I walk for an hour or more in the treadmill just to increase my daily steps? I am not active. I go to the gym in the mornings to lift and in the afternoon I attend a cardio class and that’s pretty much it.
Actually I think you are still looking at this back to front.
All your focus is on how to burn more - if after 4 years you haven't been successful this could be the reason. You also need to stop eating so many calories (at least for a while until you get to goal).
Treadmill sounds a desperately dull thing to do and unlikely to be sustainable - if you want to be more active then build that into your daily/weekly routine. Make sitting down your last option not your first.7 -
To lose weight all you need is a calorie deficit which you can achieve through diet alone. But if your goal long term is to add some muscle and lose fat exercise is key. I’m a 38yr old woman with thyroid disease and I have been able to decrease my body fat percentage while adding some muscle so I can tell you what I did. I suspect that someone younger or without my medical issues would probably have faster results. I’ve been at this a little over 2yr now.
I started by maintaining a modest and maintainable calorie deficit while playing around with different workouts and activities just to explore what I enjoyed and get used to moving more at first. I really love hiking and boxing now. Doing this got me to the top end of a healthy BMI range.
Once I reached a healthy weight I became more focused on my macros and training schedule. I do 3-4month bulk/cut cycles. I alternate between cardio and strength days when bulking and cutting. When I’m bulking my runs on cardio days involve more hills and I don’t time them. It’s more about challenging my body on different terrains. In the gym I’ll add more weight and less reps for strength days. When cutting I run longer on flat ground and work towards improving my speed getting my heart rate up higher and focus on increased reps without adding weight on strength days. For diet calories are still king but I focus on hitting my protein first for both cycles. When cutting I also reduce my net carbs (not super low but goal is 100g net max).
You will have to find the right combination for you. I currently lift twice a week, boxing once a week, Jazzercize with light hand weights (3-10lb) once a week, and run the other days. The boxing and Jazzercize both incorporate cardio and strength into the same workout which I really enjoy.3 -
-
Jarettzy18 wrote: »From your posts you do seem to be actively seeking to make sometime simple more complicated - perhaps that's a subconscious searching for a justification for...
"I have like 4 years on my journey to lose weight and I always give up"
(You aren't alone - I put off losing my excess weight for 20 years with a really silly excuse! Don't let searching for complication be your excuse.)
Losing weight is as simple and as boring as eating a bit less than you need to.
To improve that slightly then the phrase "eat less, move more" adds in improving health/fitness and creating a positive habit.- Eating a bit less than your needs is by far the biggest driver for creating a calorie deficit.
- Strength training is the biggest driver for muscle retention.
- Cardio is the biggest driver for CV health and fitness.
So do those three things consistently over an extended period and you will lose fat, retain muscle, improve health and fitness.
You could share this link with your trainer as their advice is poor for your stated goals but personally I think you need to simplify the process not complicate.
https://bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-1.html/
Okay so I think I’ve been doing this wrong all along then. I lift weights and do a cardio class in the afternoon. But that’s really all I do, I am not really active. Should I walk for an hour or more in the treadmill just to increase my daily steps? I am not active. I go to the gym in the mornings to lift and in the afternoon I attend a cardio class and that’s pretty much it.
Intense cardio sessions and a sedentary job are working fine for me. Some days I get zero exercise and maybe 2000 steps. I get a solid cardio session in every other weekday (sometimes things come up and I miss that). Some days I am more active outside of dedicated exercise, but the exercise is what improved my general fitness (able to walk for miles without getting too tired, up a few flights of stairs without getting breathless, etc).
I am not preaching cardio only; just saying that intermittent cardio seems to be just as effective as an overall increase in activity. It's also more measurable and easier to succeed at IMO. I can't change the fact that I have the most value sitting at my desk; I can move a bit more but I can't make my job be really active.4 -
Jarettzy18 wrote: »
Always so much good advice and knowledge.I actually learned a lot from these forums, as well as reading lifting books, like Strong Curves and New Rules of Lifting for Women.
If you want to lose weight, you want to eat in a deficit #1, so less than you burn. Lifting (progressive over time) will help you maintain muscle as you lose fat (also good for health and strength), along with adequate protein. If you do not lift, you will lose fat and way more muscle than you would otherwise and have a softer appearance/higher bodyfat when you get to goal. I've done it both ways and my results from lifting vs not lifting were quite different.
You can add some cardio to that to help burn more calories add to that deficit (it is also good for health and fitness). But keep in mind too much cardio can start to affect lifting performance and recovery in many so you don't want to overdo it.
While some people can gain a bit of muscle in a deficit under certain circumstances, you will mostly be retaining what you have right now. So once you get closer to goal, and you feel like you don't have the muscle base you are happy with you can either eat at maintenance to recomp, or you can run bulk (surplus) cycles to put on weight to gain muscle.
All along I’ve been thinking weights burn more calories than cardio oh myyyy🤦🏻♀️ Should I walk in the treadmill for an hour to increase my steps? I’m not an active person. I go to the gym in the morning to only lift weights and in the afternoon I go to a cardio class but that’s it’s. I don’t even get to 10,000 steps daily. Should this be my problem?
Losing weight largely comes down to diet...you have to consume less energy (calories) than you expend. You can gain weight, lose weight, and maintain weight doing all of the exercise you want, but if you're not taking in less calories than you're expending you won't lose weight/fat. If exercise in and of itself defaulted to weight loss then people who exercise regularly for their fitness would simply wither away.
More activity = greater energy expenditure...so yes, more activity can help, but if you eat maintenance calories, you're going to maintain.7 -
Jarettzy18 wrote: »
Always so much good advice and knowledge.I actually learned a lot from these forums, as well as reading lifting books, like Strong Curves and New Rules of Lifting for Women.
If you want to lose weight, you want to eat in a deficit #1, so less than you burn. Lifting (progressive over time) will help you maintain muscle as you lose fat (also good for health and strength), along with adequate protein. If you do not lift, you will lose fat and way more muscle than you would otherwise and have a softer appearance/higher bodyfat when you get to goal. I've done it both ways and my results from lifting vs not lifting were quite different.
You can add some cardio to that to help burn more calories add to that deficit (it is also good for health and fitness). But keep in mind too much cardio can start to affect lifting performance and recovery in many so you don't want to overdo it.
While some people can gain a bit of muscle in a deficit under certain circumstances, you will mostly be retaining what you have right now. So once you get closer to goal, and you feel like you don't have the muscle base you are happy with you can either eat at maintenance to recomp, or you can run bulk (surplus) cycles to put on weight to gain muscle.
All along I’ve been thinking weights burn more calories than cardio oh myyyy🤦🏻♀️ Should I walk in the treadmill for an hour to increase my steps? I’m not an active person. I go to the gym in the morning to only lift weights and in the afternoon I go to a cardio class but that’s it’s. I don’t even get to 10,000 steps daily. Should this be my problem?
Find something you enjoy doing. No need to waste precious time on the dreadmill - there are a lot of enjoyable activities that you can do for cardio... dancing, walking around random neighborhoods (or snowshoeing/XC-skiing them), hiking, cycling, rollerblading, sports, window shopping,...
The thing is I don’t have nothing to do. I just go to the gym sometimes work as a substitute and that’s pretty much it. I’m not active so I’m guessing this is why I don’t lose weight because I don’t burn enough calories? Idk.0 -
Jarettzy18 wrote: »Jarettzy18 wrote: »
Always so much good advice and knowledge.I actually learned a lot from these forums, as well as reading lifting books, like Strong Curves and New Rules of Lifting for Women.
If you want to lose weight, you want to eat in a deficit #1, so less than you burn. Lifting (progressive over time) will help you maintain muscle as you lose fat (also good for health and strength), along with adequate protein. If you do not lift, you will lose fat and way more muscle than you would otherwise and have a softer appearance/higher bodyfat when you get to goal. I've done it both ways and my results from lifting vs not lifting were quite different.
You can add some cardio to that to help burn more calories add to that deficit (it is also good for health and fitness). But keep in mind too much cardio can start to affect lifting performance and recovery in many so you don't want to overdo it.
While some people can gain a bit of muscle in a deficit under certain circumstances, you will mostly be retaining what you have right now. So once you get closer to goal, and you feel like you don't have the muscle base you are happy with you can either eat at maintenance to recomp, or you can run bulk (surplus) cycles to put on weight to gain muscle.
All along I’ve been thinking weights burn more calories than cardio oh myyyy🤦🏻♀️ Should I walk in the treadmill for an hour to increase my steps? I’m not an active person. I go to the gym in the morning to only lift weights and in the afternoon I go to a cardio class but that’s it’s. I don’t even get to 10,000 steps daily. Should this be my problem?
Find something you enjoy doing. No need to waste precious time on the dreadmill - there are a lot of enjoyable activities that you can do for cardio... dancing, walking around random neighborhoods (or snowshoeing/XC-skiing them), hiking, cycling, rollerblading, sports, window shopping,...
The thing is I don’t have nothing to do. I just go to the gym sometimes work as a substitute and that’s pretty much it. I’m not active so I’m guessing this is why I don’t lose weight because I don’t burn enough calories? Idk.
You need to eat less if you aren't active. That's all there is to it. Eat fewer calories or move more (or both), whichever feels easier to you. Keep your calories in check in all cases.6
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