Cardio or Weights... Im so conflicted....

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kellykopp
kellykopp Posts: 16
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, so Ive been on my weight loss journey for a little over a month so far. All of you are AMAZINGLY helpful by the way!!!

Anyway, Im 341lbs, 31 years old, Male, 5'11. My goal is to weigh 200. But I also want to build muscle. I have my calories down to around 1500-1900 a day. I am using the Body Media arm band and I am burning around 4500 Calories a day. Total.

Now, yes I want to lose all this weight, but more than anything I want to BUILD MUSCLE.

Ive read so many conflicting things that going to the gym now is just so freaking confusing. Ive heard I need to do NO cardio at all and only focus on HEAVY lifting... Ive been told to ONLY focus on cardio till I lose all the weight. and Ive been told to do both at the same time....

Is there anyone who can actually give me SOUND advice on what to do and WHY???

Ill do whatever needs to be done, But I would love to know I am doing whats right for me and why.

Thank you so much in advance!! I absolutely appreciate all of you who take time to play a part in helping me achieve MY goals!! I will always try and do the same for you!

Kelly K

Replies

  • HawkeyeTy
    HawkeyeTy Posts: 681 Member
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    Both.


    Start here:

    http://stronglifts.com/
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    A good general fitness regimen is going to incorporate elements of both...cardio for your heart and cardiovascular health and resistance training for your muscles and skeleton. You cannot build much muscle while dieting save for noob gains which are pretty minimal...but you can preserve the lean mass you have, which at your weight is rather substantial...it's just all covered up at the moment.

    In the absence of resistance training you lose a lot of muscle along with the fat when you diet....resistance training mitigates this; you'll still lose some, but not nearly as much. You shed the fat and all of that muscle that you have preserved is revealed. It is about a gazillion times easier to preserve the lean mass you already have than to build it back up later...way, way, way easier.
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
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    Both.


    Start here:

    http://stronglifts.com/

    I agree. I lift 3 times a week, but I do 15-20 minutes of cardio at the beginning of each workout to get my heart rate up.
  • SJ46
    SJ46 Posts: 407 Member
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    Definitely weights and maybe cardio. There will be people here that say no cardio is necessary but there are cardiovascular health benefits to doing cardio.

    Starting Strength or Strong Lifts are good places to start.
  • Mawindy
    Mawindy Posts: 1 Member
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    You should do both cardio and weights. If you only do cardio you will burn your muscle and get flabby! If you do do both you will get stronger and burn the calories! Do a cardio warm up and then do your weights and end with cardio. That will burn the most calories!
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
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    I recommend lifting because you can out do the loose skin & flabbiness....
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    Both.
  • Sunshine2plus2
    Sunshine2plus2 Posts: 1,492 Member
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    I personally have just did cardio until I get all the weight off and then I plan on focusing on toning more! Good luck you can do it!
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    You'll need both to be fit.

    But to be honest...at your size you should dedicate yourself first and foremost to weight loss. As long as you eat a reasonable amount of protein, you also don't have to sweat "muscle loss" until you're a lot lighter.
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
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    Strength training to retain muscle while on a deficit.

    Eating at deficit to lose weight, get enough protein to help minimize muscle loss.

    Cardio is optional. If you do cardio, you can eat more while losing weight because cardio burns calories, which will increase your daily caloric need.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    Why not both?
  • David_AUS
    David_AUS Posts: 298 Member
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    Another vote for Both - I won't say it is impossible to build muscle while losing weight but it certainly more difficult than weight loss alone. I don't think you need to overdo the cardio but I think you would definitely benefit from some. Something like 5 mins rowing machine and 20 mins treadmill or bike (I am just not a fan of the eliptical thingies), or just get out and walk as briskly as you can for 30 or 40 mins whenever you can (everyday). Strength training - I would recommend starting on cable gear until you build some strength. At least that way you will be building and retaining as much muscle mass and strength as you can while reducing your weight.
  • joan23_us
    joan23_us Posts: 263 Member
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    1. know your body fat and lean muscle mass get a professional help for this i.e. trainer at your local gym, bodyfat caliphers, etc.

    2. calculate your TDEE here http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ choose fatloss and be CONSERVATIVE

    3. set up you MFP calorie intake base on step 2

    4. get rid of all the **** foods at home, throw them in the bin, no regrets....

    5. start shopping healthy and nutritious foods i.e. lean meat, fish, green leafy vegetables

    6. start planning your food intake ahead of time, depending on your lifestyle usually 2-3 days advance is a sound plan

    7. try and hit your macronutrients based on your MFP CALORIE INTAKE as close as possible.

    8. start with resistance training, doesnt have to be gym straight away... the idea is to get your metabolism going... it could be body weight pull-ups, push up, squats, etc. AND PROGRESS DEPENDING ON YOUR STRENGTH progression, when one thing gets easier progress..... you'll ultimate goal here is to be able to workout with weights focusing on proper form and technique.

    9. CARDIO IS AN ADDITIONAL TOOL TO FURTHER YOUR DAILY CALORIC EXPENDITURE FOR THE DAY, to start of if you so feel like it walk with your dog at night, power walk with your partner, etc. but dont get afraid also to up the intensity if you feel like a further caloric expenditure warrants it that means you dont want to cut down too much on food to achieve a deficit so a simple cardio here and there can help with the calorie deficit you needed to lose the bodyfat.

    10. Aim for a longer recovery, you being a rocker and musician im guessing you are sleeping late nights but if you can shoot for 8 hours sleep IF YOU CAN... this is actually part of a healthy lifestyle, sleeping and recovering well enough
    i
    11. GIVE YOURSELF TIME.... slow dieting is the key, if you have 100lbs. to lose understand that you wont lose it overnight, aim for 1-1.5 lbs. a week, for now put away your scale and focus on steps 5-10 in the next few months, the idea is to get control back in regards to your healthy eating habits, exercise and recovery.
  • Ortax
    Ortax Posts: 98
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    You can lose fat through diet alone. Needless to say, exercise can help.

    In terms of weight loss, cardio increases your calorie deficit by burning calories. This means you can eat more. Weight lifting will help preserve lean body mass so you don't lose too much muscle when losing weight.

    In terms of health, both cardio and weight lifting have many benefits.

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