Contradicting Advice

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elg963
elg963 Posts: 17
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay.. so I am wanting to tone up and lose around 10 pounds, but I have been reading/hearing A TON on contradictory advice. Such as...
Less cardio and more weights, light weights/high reps and cardio, heavy weights and light cardio..

ALSO, since I'm only losing a little bit of weight I have heard...
I have to cut calories WAY low (1,200), but then again I've been told to eat closer to maintenance.

Ugh! So confusing. What's ur all's opinions?! Thanks!
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Replies

  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,426 Member
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    Interested to hear the replies. I've heard all that too!
  • divades
    divades Posts: 145
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    Would like to know too!
  • notoriousgtt
    notoriousgtt Posts: 75 Member
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    You need a mix of cardio and weight training otherwise your body will start burning off the muscle instead of fat, so while you will loose your 10lbs it will have been muscle thats been lost.

    You'll wanna hit the cardio hard, you wont like it and it wont be fun, but its worth it, then do a few weights exercises working different muscle groups, it doesn't need to be high weight, low weight and high reps help tone.
  • 1FITmamaofTWINS
    1FITmamaofTWINS Posts: 185
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    its rather simple... do cardio AND weights at least 3 times a week each... doesnt matter if you lift heavy or if you lift light high reps... all that matters is you push yourself and your workouts make ya hurt!

    FEEL THE BURN!

    how many calories you need will depend on a lot of factors..... to put it simply is everyone is different. So nobody can give you a simple answer.. all you can do is eat every 3 hours... fruits veggies and proteins... eat the same way and amount for a month... analyze your results and adjust accordingly.

    but you will never know what works and what wont work for you if you keep bouncing from one thing to another
  • katiejneely
    katiejneely Posts: 52
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    Being a group fitness instructor I would have to say LOTS of cardio and your weight training I would do lighter weights with high reps. Good luck! Also, make sure to vary your cardio routines. Don't get stuck in a rut just doing the elliptical, etc.
  • Plarmore
    Plarmore Posts: 17
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    It really depends on where you want that 10 lbs to come from. I'll assume you are looking to get rid of some excess body fat. In which case, cardio is the way to go. You'll also want to do some resistance training, but I would suggest less of that and more cardio - especially high intensity interval training which is best for fat burning.

    If you heavy weights and less cardio, you will be adding muscle mass and probably gain weight depending on what you eat (amount of protein for example).

    As for how much to eat, use a calorie calculator (several can be found on a web search) to calculate your maintenance calories then reduce that by about 500.
  • amymrls
    amymrls Posts: 1,673 Member
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    Everyone is different. You just need to experiment and fnd what works best for you.
  • kdao
    kdao Posts: 265
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    Everyone is different. You just need to experiment and fnd what works best for you.

    This! :smile:
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    Everyone is different. You just need to experiment and fnd what works best for you.

    AGREED!
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    Due to high intense cardio (45 minute spin class burning 700+ calories) I believe the last 10 pounds I lost were all muscle. I believe it is best to slow down on the cardio and go 5 sets of 5 heavy weights to build muscle, which is what I've started doing. It's too early in the program to tell you if it's working or not, but I've seen testemonials that tell me it will work.

    If you're not careful with just cardio and especially if you're not consuming enough protein, you'll become "skinny fat" because all you've burned is muscle.
  • Egger29
    Egger29 Posts: 14,741 Member
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    EVERYTHING works!

    But Nothing works for everyone!
  • MissMoxy08
    MissMoxy08 Posts: 32
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    Being a group fitness instructor I would have to say LOTS of cardio and your weight training I would do lighter weights with high reps. Good luck! Also, make sure to vary your cardio routines. Don't get stuck in a rut just doing the elliptical, etc.

    I have a friend who is a personal trainer and this is pretty much what she told me as well. Switch up your cardio and do light weights with high reps to tone and develop lean muscle. Heavy weights with low reps will build bulk. Heavy weights will tear muscle (when you're muscles feel sore) and having it tear and heal and tear and heal is what builds up bulky muscle.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    Due to high intense cardio (45 minute spin class burning 700+ calories) I believe the last 10 pounds I lost were all muscle. I believe it is best to slow down on the cardio and go 5 sets of 5 heavy weights to build muscle, which is what I've started doing. It's too early in the program to tell you if it's working or not, but I've seen testemonials that tell me it will work.

    If you're not careful with just cardio and especially if you're not consuming enough protein, you'll become "skinny fat" because all you've burned is muscle.

    I've cut back on my cardio since I started the toning phase. I used to do a TON of cardio and was starting to be "skinny fat". Now that I'm doing less cardio and more strength training - I see a big difference. And as a rule, women won't "bulk up" like men do because we lack the testosterone needed to really bulk up. I researched that to death because I have NO desire to look like a body builder. As long as you aren't taking supplements or whatever -- you'll be fine.
  • shaunshaikh
    shaunshaikh Posts: 616 Member
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    Being a group fitness instructor I would have to say LOTS of cardio and your weight training I would do lighter weights with high reps. Good luck! Also, make sure to vary your cardio routines. Don't get stuck in a rut just doing the elliptical, etc.

    I have a friend who is a personal trainer and this is pretty much what she told me as well. Switch up your cardio and do light weights with high reps to tone and develop lean muscle. Heavy weights with low reps will build bulk. Heavy weights will tear muscle (when you're muscles feel sore) and having it tear and heal and tear and heal is what builds up bulky muscle.
    If you're a woman, you're not going to put on appreciable amounts of bulky muscle. If you're a woman who is dieting, you're not going to put on muscle PERIOD, unless you're a genetic freak. The body just doesn't add muscle mass when you are eating to a calorie deficit.

    Read this thread to understand how to lose those last 10 pounds:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/113609-relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner

    Basically:
    1. Weight training is a MUST -- 8-12 rep sets until you fail. This will help PRESERVE the muscle you have.
    2. Reduce your calorie deficit to 0.5 pound per week
    3. Throw away the scale. At this point, the scale will not be how you judge your results.
    4. Eat enough protein (1g per pound of lean mass), eat 5-6 servings of vegetables and 2-3 servings of fruit every day.

    The last 10 pounds are the hardest. There would be a lot more six packs out there if it was as easy as 500 calorie deficits based on your theoretical metabolism. You have to really focus on your diet and have a well-balanced training routine which includes strength training and moderate cardio. It's time to stop measuring successes on a pound lost/gained here and there, because to be honest your weight will fluctuate much more with water than with your fat loss. Focus on body composition.
  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
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    Regarding light weights/higher reps, I agree. Try up to three sets of more reps (12-15). If you are not feeling challenged by the final reps of the final set, you should up your weight by 5-10%. Strength training should be before your cardio workout no more than 3 days a week.

    Regarding cardio: I agree with the poster who recommended mixing it up. If you do cardio 5 days a week, try three workouts where you keep your heart in the cardio zone (70-85% of your max HR). Then, for two workouts a week, keep your heart rate in the fat-burning zone (55-70% of your max HR). The cardio workouts will positively stress your heart and force your cardiovascular system to become more efficient. The fat burning workouts will simply burn fat. In that zone, your body is using fat exclusively for it's fuel of choice. You'll notice within a few weeks that you've lost inches and your lean muscles will begin to peek out from your skin.

    Hope that helps! Message me if you need any help!
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    http://www.simplyshredded.com/layne-norton-the-most-effective-cutting-diet.html

    Great article (very indepth) about a cutting diet for a bodybuilder (for a guy to get to 4% BF). I would do as that says basically but you will probably only need to do it for half the amount of time (10weeks instead of 20) unless you want to get crazy lean.

    Theory is easy. Having the dedication and will power is the hard bit!
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
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    Being a group fitness instructor I would have to say LOTS of cardio and your weight training I would do lighter weights with high reps. Good luck! Also, make sure to vary your cardio routines. Don't get stuck in a rut just doing the elliptical, etc.

    I have a friend who is a personal trainer and this is pretty much what she told me as well. Switch up your cardio and do light weights with high reps to tone and develop lean muscle. Heavy weights with low reps will build bulk. Heavy weights will tear muscle (when you're muscles feel sore) and having it tear and heal and tear and heal is what builds up bulky muscle.
    If you're a woman, you're not going to put on appreciable amounts of bulky muscle. If you're a woman who is dieting, you're not going to put on muscle PERIOD, unless you're a genetic freak. The body just doesn't add muscle mass when you are eating to a calorie deficit.

    Read this thread to understand how to lose those last 10 pounds:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/113609-relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner

    Basically:
    1. Weight training is a MUST -- 8-12 rep sets until you fail. This will help PRESERVE the muscle you have.
    2. Reduce your calorie deficit to 0.5 pound per week
    3. Throw away the scale. At this point, the scale will not be how you judge your results.
    4. Eat enough protein (1g per pound of lean mass), eat 5-6 servings of vegetables and 2-3 servings of fruit every day.

    The last 10 pounds are the hardest. There would be a lot more six packs out there if it was as easy as 500 calorie deficits based on your theoretical metabolism. You have to really focus on your diet and have a well-balanced training routine which includes strength training and moderate cardio. It's time to stop measuring successes on a pound lost/gained here and there, because to be honest your weight will fluctuate much more with water than with your fat loss. Focus on body composition.

    Perfectly said. :wink:
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    Its all about switching it up every 30 days. Because if you don't your body will adapt. So for 30 days, I woudl suggest really high weights (like you fail at 8 reps) and then switch it up next 30 days and do enough weight to make you fail at 12 reps. This way your muscles continue to grow. Also, don't worry about muscle bulking. Woman can not bulk like men. Its all about the testosterone like stated before. Also, when you do cardio, do high intense interval training. Long distance running and stuff like that will reduce your muscle mass. Too much cardio will hurt you.

    Also, I would concentrate on body fat% instead of weight. Body composition is more important than weight. It's a more realistic picture of your body.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Best advice is, if you want good advice consult a professional. What makes you think people on here know any more than you do?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    Best advice is, if you want good advice consult a professional. What makes you think people on here know any more than you do?
    there are some professional on here, I may not be one of them but I have had success which allows me to speak to my way of accomplishing my goals. You are providing good advice though.

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