Just want to lose FAT

michedarnd

Hello!

I am fairly new (about 3 weeks, now), and I'm wondering how people concentrated solely on losing FAT. I don't want to lose my muscles. I just want to shed the padding. I want the toned and fit look that will enable me to still pick up the kids and run with them.

I've been trying to shed my pregnancy weight ever since I had the kids (and they're six, now -- I had twins) with little success. I tend to go all-out and then plateau and get frustrated. So, I'm aiming for moderation, and I don't want to cardio-away my innate strength. I'd also love to stop being able to tuck my years-old pregnancy pouch underneath my office desk.

Anybody with similar goals? I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to add me!

killagb

Losing weight means you are absolutely going to lose a certain amount of muscle....your best bet is to eat clean and healthy and do cardio exercise with some strength training alternated in with the cardio.

AddA2UDE

Hello and welcome. We were just discussing this yesterday.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/338227-weight-or-size-goal

ShannonMpls

My trainer's advice on this is to consume adequate protein, and do whole body strength training three times a week so that your major muscle groups are utilized frequently. I do three 60 minute sessions of strength (circuits/split sets) and three 45-60 minute cardio sessions a week. I also keep my protein consumption around 100 grams most days.

engineman312

Hello!

I am fairly new (about 3 weeks, now), and I'm wondering how people concentrated solely on losing FAT. I don't want to lose my muscles. I just want to shed the padding. I want the toned and fit look that will enable me to still pick up the kids and run with them.

I've been trying to shed my pregnancy weight ever since I had the kids (and they're six, now -- I had twins) with little success. I tend to go all-out and then plateau and get frustrated. So, I'm aiming for moderation, and I don't want to cardio-away my innate strength. I'd also love to stop being able to tuck my years-old pregnancy pouch underneath my office desk.

Anybody with similar goals? I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to add me!

cardio. cardio. cardio. good luck. i actually like the jillian micheals 30 day shred. incorporates cardio and strength.

elizabethblake

You absolutely can minimize loss of muscle, you just have to eat enough protein and lift heavy. Read this:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-fundamentals-of-fat-loss-diets-part-1.html

lizsmith1976

You can't cardio away your strength! If worried about that, do spin class, believe me, that is building killer leg muscles for me. Only effective way I have ever found to lose fat is cardio - I do elliptical machine, spin class, arc trainer, walking outside. I also do some training classes and yoga for building strength and muscle. The more fat I lose the more muscles I see, since they are no longer "hidden". I will add you - my exercise and food diary are available to friends. Good luck on your journey and with keeping up with 6 y/o twins

starracer23

Weight loss is mostly about what you eat (80%) and the rest is about exercise.

You need to make the best choices when it comes to food, then do cardio and strength training.

Jesung

Eat more protein and do weight training. Combined with a calorie deficit, you will lose fat and maintain your muscle.

Jconner30

Get some Brooks running shoes and hit the pavement! Eat right and the fat will come off AND you will pack on lean muscle

Sarah0866

Instead of only focusing on cardio and calories in and out, you'd have eat clean, taking in whole grains, healthy fats, and lean protein about 5-6 times a day in small portions. You would also want make sure to eat pre and post-workout; since we deplete our muscles of glycogen while working out, you want take in healthy carbs and fast-digesting protein like whey post-workout to help you build muscle and replenish the glycogen.

You also want to try to strength train at least 2-3 times a week, allowing your muscle groups 48 hours in between weight lifting to rest adequately. Best of luck with your goals

MikeInAZ

When you do cardio, don't just jog for 30 minutes at 5mph. Do a few min at 5then increase to 7 for 1 minute. Then go back down to 4. Then burst up again and add some incline. Do this over and over, constantly changing your routine. You will burn more calories, and more importantly you get your heart rate up in the 80% range. If you can get your heart rate up there for about 12-20 minutes in a workout (doesn't have to be all at once), you will continue to burn calories for then next 24 hours.

This type of training is much more effective than just jogging/biking for 30 minutes at a steady pace

jtbaddison

Check out HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training. You can do these as your cardio.
I'm going to start migrating my workouts this direction.

melaniecheeks

Echoing what others have said - build your muscles with strength training, making sure you lift as heavy as you can, and then feed them some protein.