Lose the last 10lbs with Cardio or Weights?

muffintopminx

What do you think will work best? These last 10lbs are a nightmare! I have been hovering around the same weight for months. I know I need to work on eating better, but as far as exercise goes, I've been focussing on cardio and getting no where.

I was going to start heavy lifting once I reached my goal weight and focus on changing body composition - but maybe that's a dumb idea to wait.

And then what about food? If I start lifting, do I continue a deficit until I've reached this goal weight? Or should I eat more and try to gain muscle in hopes that changing my body composition will get me to this magical number?

Note: I know many will say to not focus on numbers, but it's a really good motivator for me.

cyncetastic

Throw the scale away! What most people mean when they say they "want to lose weight" is "I want to lose fat."

This was me at 5'4" and 130 lbs at ~23% body fat:



And this is me at 5'4" and ~129 lbs at ~16-17% body fat:



THE SCALE LIES! Lift heavy, eat clean, and dont starve your body!

kealambert

hell yeah!

the last ten pounds are going to look better as muscle anyway, might as well start a lifting routine and let the fat work for you

dad106

Why wait until goal weight? Start now!

Set your deficit to about .5(250 calories) and lift heavy. You don't have to eat clean per say, but make sure you have enough protein and meet your calorie goal.

Suziq2you

Throw the scale away! What most people mean when they say they "want to lose weight" is "I want to lose fat."

This was me at 5'4" and 130 lbs at ~23% body fat:



And this is me at 5'4" and ~129 lbs at ~16-17% body fat:



THE SCALE LIES! Lift heavy, eat clean, and dont starve your body!

Damn. You look amazing. Screw the scales. I am joining a gym this week.

LorinaLynn

Throw the scale away! What most people mean when they say they "want to lose weight" is "I want to lose fat."

<Absolutely incredible pictures removed since they're right above me.>

THE SCALE LIES! Lift heavy, eat clean, and dont starve your body!

What she said! :happy:

Go for a very small calorie deficit - heck, you can probably get away with going on maintenance - get adequate protein, lift heavy, and go by photos, measurements and clothes instead of the scale.

I'm the same weight as I was last July, when I started lifting heavy. The scale went down, then back up, then up a little more, then back down again since then.

nataliemarie387

wowza! you look amazing!

chiera88

bump. great pics. others who have had success should add theirs too!!

d2footballJRC

Lifting, in the long run lifting burns more calories than cardio anyways!

JenaePavlak

THE SCALE LIES! Lift heavy, eat clean, and dont starve your body!

YES!!! Exactly!

thelovelyLIZ

I've sat between 130-140 most of my life, and my goal weight is somewhere between 115-120. I couldn't get below 130 without adding weights to my routine. I even stopped lifting for a month, and even though I lost about 3lbs, my measurements stayed the same. Now I'm at about 125, and slowly losing the last few pounds. I'm less concerned about the number on the scale though, and I take my measurements monthly and track my progress that way. I have upped my calories, but that's more because my days have gotten busier and 1300 was just not maintainable for me. I eat around 1400 most days now, and make sure to get plenty of protein.

Ge0rgiana

Keep a slight deficit, lift heavy, and toss your scale. The number inside your pants is the one that counts. :happy:

sidewinds

I had the same problem. Started lifting weights, wasn't even trying to drop anymore weight and more pounds started melting off. The thing is, the weight training if done regularly, will really up your metabolism. I've read your body burns more calories for up to 36 hours after a good weight training session. I would never completely stop cardio, but I regularly hit the weights, and it's making a real difference in how I look as well.

muffintopminx

WOW - you ladies look FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Screw cardio!

So if I lift 3x/week should I still do cario maybe 2x/week? Or do I need cardio at all? I'm not planning any marathons.

And pictures really do help - I'm going to try to ween myself off the scale and go by photos. That can be my new motivation.

thanks!!!

d2footballJRC

WOW - you ladies look FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Screw cardio!

So if I lift 3x/week should I still do cario maybe 2x/week? Or do I need cardio at all? I'm not planning any marathons.

And pictures really do help - I'm going to try to ween myself off the scale and go by photos. That can be my new motivation.

thanks!!!

Balance is best.

ckidd311

If you are motivated by numbers, you should change your goal from how much you weigh to how much your BF% is.

My weight has actually increased over the past few weeks but my body fat is dropping and I can tell a huge difference in the shape of my body.

Weights for sure! - still do cardio, but focus on weights.

d2footballJRC

I had the same problem. Started lifting weights, wasn't even trying to drop anymore weight and more pounds started melting off. The thing is, the weight training if done regularly, will really up your metabolism. I've read your body burns more calories for up to 36 hours after a good weight training session. I would never completely stop cardio, but I regularly hit the weights, and it's making a real difference in how I look as well.

Funny enough I just posted this about that..

Interesting experiment is finally over. Just curious how effective the afterburn effect between lifting and cardio. Equipment used was a Polar FT80, it was only taken off for showers which as I'm a guy never run more than 5 minutes. I did everything the same and didn't do any extra activities on any of the rest days. I work at a desk in an office so that wouldn't change the outcome either. Not saying this is scientific evidence but more of just a test. I can definitely see how I'll not ever give up lifting. Work out times were the same and within 5 minutes of each other in length.

So I did this. I did a turn back to back rest day and this is what I got for calories burnt.
Rest 1: 3182 from HRM per day.
Rest 2: 3091 from HRM per day.

Lifting days (Lift day cals + rest day of next day for a 48 hour period.)
Lift 1: 1208 exercise burnt, 2 day burn: 8306 or 4153 per day.
Lift 2: 965 exercise burnt, 2 day burn: 8072 or 4036 per day.

Cardio days (Cardio day cals + rest day of next day for a 48 hour period.)
Cardio 1: 1593 exercise burnt, 2 day burn: 7493 or 3746.5 a day
Cardio 2: 1686 exercise burnt, 2 day burn: 7681 or 3801 a day

Again not an offical scientific experiment, but I took the same supplements and did the same time working out. I work a desk job and didn't move around anymore than usual. Just said I would for a group of people on MFP that was curious as was I.
From this test it appears for me anyways I get a 300-400 extra calories burnt from lifting. Now just to go back to mixing the two and destroying the fat on muh bellah!!!!

shawnntrina

@ cyncetastic.....what stomach exercises do you do to make your stomach toned like that. I dont wanna lose any more weight, just wanna tone up, especially my stomach, thighs and arms. Any advice?? :happy:

shawnntrina

@ cyncetastic.....what stomach exercises do you do to make your stomach toned like that. I dont wanna lose any more weight, just wanna tone up, especially my stomach, thighs and arms. Any advice??

Lyra89

Throw the scale away! What most people mean when they say they "want to lose weight" is "I want to lose fat."

This was me at 5'4" and 130 lbs at ~23% body fat:



And this is me at 5'4" and ~129 lbs at ~16-17% body fat:


INCREDIBLE! You are my motivation to stop weighing! I'm the exact height and weight as your before pic! xxx
THE SCALE LIES! Lift heavy, eat clean, and dont starve your body!

Damn. You look amazing. Screw the scales. I am joining a gym this week.

sblack91

Throw the scale away! What most people mean when they say they "want to lose weight" is "I want to lose fat."

This was me at 5'4" and 130 lbs at ~23% body fat:



And this is me at 5'4" and ~129 lbs at ~16-17% body fat:



THE SCALE LIES! Lift heavy, eat clean, and dont starve your body!

You look amazing! I am in a similar position to your "before" picture and would love to know how you toned up your abs so well?

LorinaLynn

I still do cardio because I love running. Strength training made my running even better.

Plus, I love eating, and cardio allows me to eat an obscene amount of food. :laugh:

shiseido_faerie

Throw the scale away! What most people mean when they say they "want to lose weight" is "I want to lose fat."

This was me at 5'4" and 130 lbs at ~23% body fat:



And this is me at 5'4" and ~129 lbs at ~16-17% body fat:


holy crap, i'm 5'2 and 128-130, super inspirational! I need to lift weights!! You look awesome!
THE SCALE LIES! Lift heavy, eat clean, and dont starve your body!

smlamb33

I just started strength training so I'm hoping to start gaining some muscle and get toned. I am starting out small though and working my way up. I just started a kettlebell routine and I am alternating with cardio. Although, kettlebell routines also involve cardio! M,W, F = kettlebell and T, Th, Sat. = Cardio

I don't know how long it take to start seeing results but, I want to by skinny fit, not skinny fat.

mj4x4s

I need some guidance. I am currently doing the Couch Potatoe to 5K running program. I am watching what I eat. I need to do weights for the 2 days in between. Can someone provide me a weight schedule for the 2 days a week. I am clueless when it comes to that....

I am currently 5'5 170lb. I have been on this program for 5 weeks. I feel better but have not stepped on the scale....

mckant

So what do you all consider "lifting heavy"? (Sorry - I'm not trying to hijack your post :laugh: )

Ender928

So what do you all consider "lifting heavy"? (Sorry - I'm not trying to hijack your post :laugh: )

Generally lifting heavy weights like dumbbells, bench press, dead lift, squats, with low reps like 10-12.

muffintopminx

So what do you all consider "lifting heavy"? (Sorry - I'm not trying to hijack your post :laugh: )

Well I'm going to do ChaLEAN Extreme, an at home DVD, since I don't have a gym membership or cool weight machines.
It's a program where you try to choose weight that will cause you to fail between 10-12 reps for the first month and fail at 6-8 reps in the second month. So for arms I'll attempt to start with 10lb DBs and hope to work up to 15lb DBs. For Legs, I'm gonna start with 20lb DBs and hope to get up to 30lb DBs. Keep in mind, I'm a beginner and this amount of weight is probably pathetic for more seasoned weight lifters. But it will challenge me and I know I'll be SORE! That's what Heavy Lifting is to me for now. I have read the book, "New Rules of Lifting for Women" and hope to be able to follow that program later - need a bit more equipment/weights tho.

cyncetastic

So what do you all consider "lifting heavy"? (Sorry - I'm not trying to hijack your post :laugh: )

I get asked this a lot – “what is heavy?” Heavy will vary from person to person. My heavy might not be heavy to someone else. Or my heavy might be TOO heavy for another. Here’s how I gauge heavy…

Think about your rep range. If your program/routine calls for 8-10 reps, then you want the weight to be light enough that you can get to 8 reps, but you don’t want it to be TOO light that you can do more than 10. If you get to rep 10 and you think to yourself “Man, I could probably do a few more!” then you’re not lifting heavy enough. In contrast, if you get to rep 6 or 7 and think to yourself “I can’t possibly make it to 8!” then chances are you’re lifting too heavy. You want to challenge yourself. You want to really work for those last couple reps because those are the most important ones! Don’t be afraid to grunt or groan or exhale loudly to get them in!

The first time you do a movement, you’ll just have to guesstimate what weight you should be using. Picking something up and give it a try. If you don’t make it to your minimum rep, then go a little lighter on the next set. If you got to the maximum rep easily, increase your weight on the next set. Once you do this a couple times, you’ll have a good idea of what is “heavy” for you.

Hope this helps!

Miss_Stefanie

Wow, you look amazing. Sorry, not part of the original post, but I just had to ask... how long did it take for you to get to that lower body fat?

cyncetastic

Wow, you look amazing. Sorry, not part of the original post, but I just had to ask... how long did it take for you to get to that lower body fat?

Roughly 6 months. I started in September 2011.