84lbs to lose- how should I balance cardio and weights?

Kris_Marx

I have been working on my weight loss seriously since late July. I have changed my eating habits , and become a bit more active. I've gone from 232 to 209. I am proud of that loss, but I know I could be doing more.

I am frustrated because even with a 23 lbs loss, I still cant see any changes except my chest area. I have had some changes in measurements, but its been pretty minimal.

I have kicked up my exercise over the past 8 weeks. I am ready to see my pants get loose, Im ready to drop a pant size... I know there are strong opinions on this, but I am doing Mediweightloss so basically I'm on a high protein but very low calorie/ low carb diet, which is being monitored bi-weekly by my doctor and the clinic. Because of its cost I cant afford a personal trainer right now, but I want to see my results on my body.

I am currently following a plan from a previous trainer that helped me achieve results before i fell of the wagon and gained so much:

Monday - Upper Body Weight/ Strength Training and cardio
Tuesday - Lower Body Weight/ Strength training and cardio
wednesday Off
Thursday Full Body Weight/ Strength training
Friday Cardio
Saturday Cardio
Sunday Off

I am working out at home, and so I am only using body weight, dumbbells ( 8, 10, 15lbs) , and some resistance bands for the strength training. ( So I'm not heavy lifting-- what is considered heavy lifting anyways? )

On Strength days I pair it with 30-45 minutes on the elliptical, pure cardio days I'll do zumba paired with the elliptical.

The scale is moving at a decent pace ( next weigh in is tomorrow) , but its discouraging not to be able to see or feel it.

Date Weight Change Total Fat % Fat Mass Water BMI

Oct. 21, 2013 209.0 lbs. -7.0 ↓ -23.20 47.8% 100.0 lbs. 80.0 lbs. 38.2
Sept. 17, 2013 216.0 lbs. 2.0 ↑ -16.20 48.3% 104.5 lbs. 81.5 lbs. 39.5
Sept. 6, 2013 214.0 lbs. -6.5 ↓ -18.20 49.7% 106.5 lbs. 78.5 lbs. 39.1

When I discussed this with my Dr. He said it might be the strength training-- saying that building muscle under the fat is just pushing the fat out, so even if I am losing it, I cant see it. Could this be the case? Since I have so much to lose should I just focus more on the cardio and diet?

Any advice is appreciated!!! Sorry for the long read.

sweetcheekz82

Do you keep track of your measurements? Sometimes when the weight scale isn't moving your measurements will. I was weighing 240 pounds 12 weeks ago, now I am at 206. I do cardio with weights. If you build your muscle it will help increase your metabolism. I work out to The Biggest Loser DVDs and it's has worked wonders for me. We all hit the point of not seeing what we want on the scale but keep pushing through it and figure out what works for you. For me what works is sticking close to a 1,200 calorie diet, eating fish for lunch, doing cardio with weights for no less then 90 mins a day. When I stick with this I see results. It may be different for others but this is what works for me. Hope this helps

Kris_Marx

Do you keep track of your measurements? Sometimes when the weight scale isn't moving your measurements will. I was weighing 240 pounds 12 weeks ago, now I am at 206. I do cardio with weights. If you build your muscle it will help increase your metabolism. I work out to The Biggest Loser DVDs and it's has worked wonders for me. We all hit the point of not seeing what we want on the scale but keep pushing through it and figure out what works for you. For me what works is sticking close to a 1,200 calorie diet, eating fish for lunch, doing cardio with weights for no less then 90 mins a day. When I stick with this I see results. It may be different for others but this is what works for me. Hope this helps

I do keep track of my measurements. Very minimal movement, its discouraging.

As of last night 11/5/2013
Neck: 13 5/8
Chest: 43
waist: 38 7/8
belly button: 46
hips: 49
r bicep:12 1/2
r thigh: 26
r calve : 15 7/8

Starting: 7/22/2013
Neck: 13 5/8
Chest: 46
waist: 39
belly button: 46
hips: 49 1/4
r bicep:12 1/2
r thigh: 26 1/8
r calve : 16

cwolfman13

The more you have to lose, the longer it's going to take to see anything dramatic visually. 10 lbs off of someone needing to lose 100 looks a far cry different than someone who is at a healthy weight and loses 10 Lbs to drop from 20% BF to 15% BF.

I've lost a total of about 40 Lbs...my first 20 were hardly noticeable in RE to the way I looked mostly because it was all coming off my arms and legs, etc...my last 20 Lbs down was very dramatic in RE to the way I looked because it started to come off in the places that it "matters" like my face and gut.

In RE to your fitness regimen, there is not magic number...because weight loss is all about having a deficit of energy...this is most efficiently created through diet. Diet for weight control and exercise for fitness. You should have fitness goals that are independent of weight loss goals, calorie burn, etc..having independent fitness goals will dictate how much of whatever it is you should be doing and how often. Just keep in mind that any fitness regimen is going to incorporate aspects of both strength and cardiovascular fitness...the balance of which is a derivative of your fitness goals.

Kris_Marx

In RE to your fitness regimen, there is not magic number...because weight loss is all about having a deficit of energy...this is most efficiently created through diet. Diet for weight control and exercise for fitness. You should have fitness goals that are independent of weight loss goals, calorie burn, etc..having independent fitness goals will dictate how much of whatever it is you should be doing and how often. Just keep in mind that any fitness regimen is going to incorporate aspects of both strength and cardiovascular fitness...the balance of which is a derivative of your fitness goals.

I do have separate goals. But the two arent mutually exclusive. I just feel like seeing a drop on the scale should at least correlate with inches. My body comp is showing fat loss, not just water loss, and no gain/loss in lean muscle mass. I always here people say that when the scale doesnt move, the inches tell the truth... so I am trying to figure out what i can adjust.

Mr_Knight

What do you actually do for cardio? If you can build up to running 5km, three times a week, that becomes a significant source of calorie burn. This in turn allows for a larger deficit.

It is quite difficult for people to add muscle mass under the best of conditions, doubly so for females, so it is unlikely you are gaining appreciable muscle mass under a caloric deficit. The fact that you are retaining lean mass is great, though!

Inches will decrease as volume decreases. Volume is a cubic function, so it takes a fair bit of weight loss to get those first inches off. It's a bit like making a snowball, and you're just at the top of hill at the "handful of snowflakes" stage - patience, it will come!

qtgonewild

i have lost 43, well 44 as of today but i only log my weight in on mondays. and my measurements still havent changed. only in my calves. oh well. i can tell by looking and others can tell but i must be measuring incorrectly because otherwise none of the measurements are going down.

Beewallows

Have you ever tried to High intensity interval training (HIIT)? I like it because it is a mix of cardio and strength, so you don't have to worry about not getting enough of either in. I found this awesome website, where there is a 30 day workout, where everyday its something different. I really enjoy it, it might help kick start the weight loss again Google 30 Day I Real Time Challenge to find it, its all youtube videos. Hope that helps!

giusa

Are you eating at a deficit?

fitphoenix22

Here is an example of my weekly schedule:

Monday: Full Body workout (High Intensity Interval Training or Body Pump Class)
Tuesday: Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders + 20-30 min cardio
Wednesday: 1 Hr of Cardio
Thursday: Chest, Back, Abdominals + 20-30 min cardio
Friday: Legs + 20-30 min cardio
Saturday: 1 Hr of Cardio
Sunday: Active Rest Day

fitphoenix22

Have you ever tried to High intensity interval training (HIIT)? I like it because it is a mix of cardio and strength, so you don't have to worry about not getting enough of either in. I found this awesome website, where there is a 30 day workout, where everyday its something different. I really enjoy it, it might help kick start the weight loss again Google 30 Day I Real Time Challenge to find it, its all youtube videos. Hope that helps!

I totally agree... when I was at my fittest, I was in the gym on my lunch break doing 35min HIIT workouts. They kicked my butt! They were fun to do with other girlfriends, too. I'm competitive, so I wouldn't stop when my body screamed for a break - I wanted to finish if everyone else could!

auddii

I try and measure success through lots of different variables to keep myself going. I use the scale, take measurements, and I take pictures. Sometimes the scale and measurements seem to stay the same. But, pictures or how my clothes fit will be different. For instance, I had a weird hump of fat on my back just under my neck. I'd never see that disappearing in the measurements I was taking, but it's gone now.

Try to not fixate on one particular way to measure success. Beyond that, there's also fitness progress. Are you less winded walking up stairs? Can you lift more weight or do more reps than before? Can you run a mile instead of walking it?