Weight Lifting and Cardio for Women

mcdonleavy

Hey guys,

I'm new here. I used to use Lose-it which is similar (lost 10 lbs on that last year and unfortunately gained it back). I'm trying to lose 12 lbs and have lost 2-ish so far. The reason I say -ish is because it's fluctuating a bit. My sodium levels are probably a bit high. --ANYWAY... I've starting lifting weights for the first time while trying to lose weight. I usually just do a lot of cardio. When I slim down, I want to look in shape. Anyway-- those of you who also weight train, do you find yourself losing weight more slowly?

punkin_p

No, I actually find my weight loss has been more rapid.

I started Starting Strength four weeks ago and have already lost 7 pounds and added 50 pounds to my squat. In September last year, I started C25K, a running program if you don't know it. I lost 8 pounds in 8-10 weeks before I dropped out due to injuries. So clearly, weightlifting has been a lot more successful for me.

That being said, I started out very over-fat so for me, lifting produces weight loss. If you only have 12 pounds to lose, I wouldn't be surprised at all if lifting causes the number on the scale to increase for you. My goal weight without lifting would have been between 120-140, but with the muscle mass from lifting, I'm shooting for around 150.

But to be clear, this is for a strength-based, 3 sets of 5 reps, large compound movement program with linear progression in weight. If you're just using a few machines at the same weight all the time, don't expect much in the way of results. All strength training is not created equally

mcdonleavy

Thanks! That's super helpful.