Will I Still Lose Weight? (trainer input needed!)

ntp0826

Hello MFPers!
I have a question for you all. So far I've lost 27 pounds of the 50 I plan to lose. A trainer at the gym stopped me today and told me that I needed to cut my cardio and focus on strength training to cut fat. I do intense cardio 45-60 mins three days a week and do circuit training 3 days a week for 50 mins. If I cut my cardio will I still lose weight? I have such a long way to go and I'm nowhere near my goal weight. I do notice that I'm not really toning as much as I would like and my body fat percentage has gotten a little higher since I lost weight. Any suggestions?

Cheilsea

You need to change up your routine. When you do the same workouts and work the same muscles over and over again, they get used to it. You have to constantly change your routine. It tricks your body and you will lose more weight and tone up that way. You can still do cardio but you should definitely add some strength training and maybe change up the way you do your cardio. There are lots of ways to get your heart rate up. Good luck!

jusniq

I've thought about adding strength training. I find the strength room at my gym intimidating smh

purpleprose

You should absolutely add in some strength training, otherwise you're losing both fat (yay!) and a LOT of muscle (boo!). So, while you're losing fat, you're also losing muscle, which explains why your body fat percentage has increased, despite losing weight.

I do strength training every other day run in between and take one day a week off, and I've still lost 30 pounds in 3 months. I've also lost of inches because of the strength training.

renae5

Before you say "No", the thing to remember is intially muscles weighs more than fat so you may see a short stall on the scale... but, muscle also burns a lot more calories than fat... so after that inital stall you should see the numbers begin to fall again. Besides, strong is sexy and shapely and with your weight loss I am sure the toning would be beneficial. I would try it, if you like it, add it to your routine... do what feels right to you. Best wishes and Wonderful Luck with the rest of your journey!!

ntp0826

Thanks for the info! I started intense strength training about two weeks ago so I will keep at it!

SHBoss1673

wait, saying your body fat % has gone higher concerns me. That shouldn't be the case at all. Even without extra weight training.

As to weight training, big fan myself. If your goal is to reduce body fat, and increase functional strength (every day strength, agility, stability...etc.) then doing circuits 2 to 3 times a week should be fine. What you're looking to do is fatigue the muscle group during weight training. You don't necessarily need very high weight, just enough weight to fatigue the muscles after 10 to 15 reps. I.E. you can't do any more. If you can continue after 15 reps, your weight is probably to lite.

In any case, I'd like to hear more about this whole body fat % being higher thing. That's interesting to me, it's a big red flag. What are you using to measure it, how often are you measuring, and what is your strategy for lowering it (exercise is great, but exercise is a small part of reducing body fat and weight).

ntp0826

They used a scale that measured body fat, and I was wondering if that was even accurate. Mind you it only went up like .2% (according to the scale). Quite possible that I might need to find another way to measure my body fat.

SHBoss1673

They used a scale that measured body fat, and I was wondering if that was even accurate. Mind you it only went up like .2% (according to the scale). Quite possible that I might need to find another way to measure my body fat.

ahh, I see. Well, those scales aren't terribly accurate anyway, and also, you probably shouldn't measure body fat more than every 4 months or so as changes in body fat really are relatively slow. Put it this way, bio-electrical impedance scales measure electrical impulses through different mediums in the body (fat has a different resistance than muscle and bone), it depends largely on hydration levels as water changes the resistance of electricity in the body. They can be as much as 15% off. If you really want a measurement, find a Bod Pod in your area, or an MRI or DEXA test (although these two are expensive), or at the least, find an experienced pro. to do a caliper test.

DJH510

you will still lose weight so long as you make sure your calories are still within the correct boundaries! Although remember many personal trainers don't really know what they are on about, so consider ignoring their advice and sticking to the cardio after all! far more effective for fat/ weight loss.