Lifting weights

sflano1783
sflano1783 Posts: 117 Member
edited December 24 in Health and Weight Loss
Do I have to lift heavy weights in order to lose body fat?

Replies

  • sflano1783
    sflano1783 Posts: 117 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    No. Losing body fat is all about eating fewer calories than you burn.

    Nutrition is important for health, so I'd recommend getting good nutrition, in addition to the right number of calories.

    Exercise is important for fitness and health, so I'd recommend getting exercise, too. I'd recommend getting both cardiovascular exercise (walking is fine, but there are lots of other options) and strength exercise. Strength exercise can be weight lifting (but there are other, rather less effective, options).

    Strength exercise helps one retain existing muscles, alongside losing body fat, while losing weight. That's a good thing. Even weight lifting requires only that one left weights that are challenging for oneself, not "heavy" in some objective sense. Many people find they enjoy it.

    But you can lose fat without any weight lifting at all. Zero.

    Best wishes!

    Thats the thing I dont know much about good nutrition thats were I struggle at
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,255 Member
    edited December 2019
    You can Google reliable sources like the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and others to begin learning about good nutrition, even if you aren’t at risk for diabetes or heart disease. Some generally accepted basics for many people (but not everyone, don’t flame me if you are doing keto) is watch your intake of saturated fat, especially from animal products (meaning eat less fatty meats, cheese and full-fat dairy products), eat healthy fats from plant-based sources (like olive oil, nuts and avocado); eat fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables (canned is also okay if in water and not heavy syrup); eat whole grains (should say 100 percent whole wheat on the label) and eat a wide variety of different foods to make sure you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals.

    “Good nutrition” differs based on your unique health, your risk factors for things like heart disease and cancer, and a whole bunch of other things. That’s why there is so many conflicting studies, opinions and diets.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,627 Member
    edited December 2019
    sflano1783 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    No. Losing body fat is all about eating fewer calories than you burn.

    Nutrition is important for health, so I'd recommend getting good nutrition, in addition to the right number of calories.

    Exercise is important for fitness and health, so I'd recommend getting exercise, too. I'd recommend getting both cardiovascular exercise (walking is fine, but there are lots of other options) and strength exercise. Strength exercise can be weight lifting (but there are other, rather less effective, options).

    Strength exercise helps one retain existing muscles, alongside losing body fat, while losing weight. That's a good thing. Even weight lifting requires only that one left weights that are challenging for oneself, not "heavy" in some objective sense. Many people find they enjoy it.

    But you can lose fat without any weight lifting at all. Zero.

    Best wishes!

    Thats the thing I dont know much about good nutrition thats were I struggle at

    You can start by trying to stick with your calorie goal, then working toward coming close most days to the MFP default macro (fat, protein, carb) recommendations, and see how that goes.

    In case it might help, there's a thread here about remodeling your eating gradually in a more nutritious, satisfying direction:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm

    It's not essential to change everything all at once, especially if you don't have some doctor-diagnosed specific dietary issues**. Humans are adaptive omnivores, so you can take a little time to figure things out, and be just fine.

    ** If your doctor has diagnosed a condition with special dietary issues (diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver, heart disease, etc.), ask your doctor for a referral to a registered dietitian for help with a special diet.
  • jlhalley7835
    jlhalley7835 Posts: 188 Member
    sflano1783 wrote: »
    Thats the thing I dont know much about good nutrition thats were I struggle at


    One thing I've changed with my nutrition planning is modeled my diet after Jeff at Athlean-X. Nothing you do fitness wise will amount to anything if your nutrition is out of wack. I've stayed stagnant on my weight loss progress for a month because I stopped logging, and was eating maintenance level calories instead of staying in a deficit. I used to blow off macros as long as my calories were right, but i was left starving a lot of times. Protein and Carbs are roughly 4 calories per gram and fats are 9 calories per gram. I was eating high fat meals and wasting calories on fats. I have a better balanced diet now, and i'm in a 1,000 calorie day deficit feeling full. I would suggest watching a few of his videos on nutrition if you are struggling with the nutritional side of it. I've linked a couple of videos for you. But those are just the tip of the iceberg.

    Also you don't have to lift, or lift heavy to lose weight at all, but growing lean mass increases your BMR which allows your body to require more calories to maintain your current weight. But it is more important to learn how to do a lift correctly before you add weight, if you get injured it is possible for you injury to sideline you, and for you to lose motivation as you're dealing with the injury. Go at your own pace and make the choices that you can sustain for a lifetime. It took X amount of years for us to get into the shape we got into through countless bad decisions, but through making small changes to our decisions little by little we can get healthy, and sustain the changes so we can live a better life. Good luck on your journey!!



    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNWifwAX2b8

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YEv_0wA-78
  • jlhalley7835
    jlhalley7835 Posts: 188 Member
    One last thing i forgot to add. A Nutrition plan is just that...a PLAN! It helps tremendously to chart out what meals you will eat throughout the week and prepare them on a Sunday or Saturday that way you aren't at the mercy of any last minute hiccups or laziness and end up eating something you might regret.

    Plan your meals then eat your plan!
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    You don't have to lift heavy weights...but you should strength train. You want to retain as much muscle as possible as you lose weight. As for nutrition, my husband and I focus on our protein and veggies. I buy big bags of different mixed vegetables and we pair a big serving of those with our protein of choice(he prefers chicken thighs, salmon, sometimes home made carnitas, or ground beef/turkey). We also like to have avocado once a week or so. I agree with making a plan. It can help you get on track.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    sflano1783 wrote: »
    Do I have to lift heavy weights in order to lose body fat?

    No, but as mentioned in posts above, there are other benefits to strength training.
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    Your diet determines your weight loss. Lifting weights determines what your body will look like after the weight loss.
  • sflano1783
    sflano1783 Posts: 117 Member
    Sharon_C wrote: »
    Your diet determines your weight loss. Lifting weights determines what your body will look like after the weight loss.

    Will I lose fat if I eat below maintenance calories?
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,498 Member
    The CDC recommends at least 2 resistance training sessions covering all major muscle groups a week.

    Also most people are in assisted living because they don't have the strength for activities of daily life. Resistance training can help you avoid being one of them.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    edited December 2019
    sflano1783 wrote: »
    Sharon_C wrote: »
    Your diet determines your weight loss. Lifting weights determines what your body will look like after the weight loss.

    Will I lose fat if I eat below maintenance calories?

    Yes, and some water weight and a bit of muscle, especially if you aren't lifting weights while you lose.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories