To Lift or Not to Lift??? THAT is the Question!!!

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13

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  • GlassslippersAndFairyDust
    GlassslippersAndFairyDust Posts: 518 Member
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    A pound is a pound no matter what. Muscle just takes up less room than fat but it is not heavier.. And yes, lift....you'll love yourself for it. :flowerforyou:
  • RunFarLiveHappy
    RunFarLiveHappy Posts: 805 Member
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    Is your doctor measuring your health strictly by weight? I am currently still 12 pounds "overweight" but have had a healthy body fat % since I was 27 pounds "overweight" (according to BMI) and my body fat continues to drop even though I have been losing "weight" at a fairly slow rate lately. I lift 3 days per week and wouldn't give it up for the world! I'll take fat and inches lost vs. pounds on the scale any day! I want to be FIT not SKINNY or even worse SKINNY-FAT.

    Good luck!

    -Not a medical professional, just a fan of lifting

    **edited to add: oh and my ticker reflects my loss from 06/13/2012 through today, doing a mix of running and strength/resistance training!
  • LaviMc
    LaviMc Posts: 355 Member
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    Oh here's a funny thing someone said me once.

    I was trying to lose weight 10 years ago and a female friend of mine (she was a bit of an air head) said to me "Don't drink too much water; every litre of water is one kilo of weight!"

    WOW

    Ok... now THAT'S retarded! lol
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,141 Member
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    If your nurse actually said all those things, she needs to go back to school.

    Weight training does not make you heavier.

    Your body does not replace fat with muscle.

    Plus lifting will give you other health benefits such as help reduce the decline of bone density as we age.
  • LaviMc
    LaviMc Posts: 355 Member
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    Is your doctor measuring your health strictly by weight? I am currently still 12 pounds "overweight" but have had a healthy body fat % since I was 27 pounds "overweight" (according to BMI) and my body fat continues to drop even though I have been losing "weight" at a fairly slow rate lately. I lift 3 days per week and wouldn't give it up for the world! I'll take fat and inches lost vs. pounds on the scale any day! I want to be FIT not SKINNY or even worse SKINNY-FAT.

    Good luck!

    -Not a medical professional, just a fan of lifting

    My doctor is weighing me and using blood work to measure my health. The blood work is good. And actually, he really wasn't knocking my progress. The nurse kinda took it upon herself to give me secret "tips" without the doctor's knowledge,
  • ThatDamnRobyn
    ThatDamnRobyn Posts: 47 Member
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    Say what? That's crazy talk. LIFT. Lift heavy. Lift often.
  • LaviMc
    LaviMc Posts: 355 Member
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    A pound is a pound no matter what. Muscle just takes up less room than fat but it is not heavier.. And yes, lift....you'll love yourself for it. :flowerforyou:

    I do! Thanks!
  • rosehippy77
    rosehippy77 Posts: 54 Member
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    Bump to read in the morning, looks like some good advice here, but I'm waaay to tired to read! I want to start lifting too, cardio alone isn't working too well I think!
    Bedtime beckons for now.....
  • LaviMc
    LaviMc Posts: 355 Member
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    Without singing to the chorus, I think your nurse totally missed the point. There are other benefits to lifting such as increased metabolic rate while at rest and you don't need to lift 10 times your weight to do it. I'd done it before and I did not lift heavy. I say give it a try and come back in 6 months to tell me I'm wrong. good luck!

    You're right. I think her biggest focus for herself was losing weight, so this worked for her. Plus, she'd told me that she hates exercise, but that was at the end of the visit on my way out. I actually love to work out, so this kind of annoyed me, but I just wanted to get other opinions. Thank you!
  • bacitracin
    bacitracin Posts: 921 Member
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    Nurses do a difficult job and fair play buuuuuuutttt..... vast majority know nothing.

    I'm a nurse.... and I KNOW EVERYTHING, lol!
    :laugh:

    This is why I don't trust nurses. >_<
  • 1Fizzle
    1Fizzle Posts: 241 Member
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    Glad you asked because that is horrible advice.....you've got some pretty good feedback on here,so I won't beat a dead horse. But sounds like you were already on the right track before she made that ludicrous remark. Lift hard, run fast and good luck to you!
  • ddeleonm09
    ddeleonm09 Posts: 93 Member
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    Nooooo, don't give up lifitng. I did cardio only for a while. It was great and all, but weight loss was slow. I noticed the weight come off very fast when I started weight training. Besides, it's good for you. Remember, a good diet also has a lot to do with weight loss. Also, focus more on measurements and body fat percentage and not on the scale.
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
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    Lift weights.

    Do yourself a favor, and lift weights.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    Lift now.
  • _Cheyanne_
    _Cheyanne_ Posts: 97 Member
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    This is a solution, not a question
  • jchenks
    jchenks Posts: 164 Member
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    SO, i'm posting because my sister is a nurse. They did not go to school to learn how to lose weight. Although some maybe specialize in it because they like that aspect of the trade.

    I think it could have been anyone else telling you to stop lifting weights and you wouldnt have even thought about doing it but because she is a nurse you'd figured maybe she has some knowledge you don't have about weight loss.

    I'm a big big advocate of lifting. Don't give it up! Incorporate both cardio and lifting with healthy eating and you'll see those pounds fall off. :)
  • motzy9866
    motzy9866 Posts: 12 Member
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    If your nurse told you that you might want to think about getting a second opinion.

    Weight training (just like others have said here) will help you speed up your metabolism, which in turn helps you burn more calories throughout the day. I love doing weights also and find that I have more success on the scale when I do so. There is a book out there called "The New Rules for Lifting Weights for Women." You should check it out - I'm reading it now. The book tells you that weight training definitely helps you lose weight just as much if not better than "only cardio." It also explains that women should approach weight lifting in the same way that men do. That muscle fibers in both men and women are basically the same and that it is very hard to get bigger from weight lifting unless you become a body builder and focus all of your energy and diet on exactly that. When you start to get closer to your weight goals - weight lifting will definitely help you tone up and form your muscles.

    If I was you and you have reached a point in your weight loss journey that is keeping you at a plateau or fighting with the scale then maybe it is time to increase the weights. Just as in cardio when your body becomes use to the routine it is time to challenge yourself even more and up those weights. The idea is to lift the weight to the point where you can do 8-10 reps comfortably for the first set of reps and be struggling by the 3rd to 4th set of reps. You should always try to do 3-4 sets of reps when lifting and change it up. You would be surprised as to how much you can really lift when taking this approach.

    I hope you find this helpful and I will be interested in hearing more about your wieght loss journey. One of these days (sooner than you realize) you will probably be posting a great success story. Good Luck to you and stay focused!
  • jenluvsushi
    jenluvsushi Posts: 933 Member
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    Think of it this way...there could be two women who are the same height and weight. One is a size 6 and the other a size 14. Guess who probably has more muscle mass?

    I do not care what I weigh (within reason of course). Go with dropping clothing sizes and getting smalller in general. My weight loss slowed to a crawl when I started liftng heavy but I still got smaller. AND...I look better naked :blushing:
  • kmbweber2014
    kmbweber2014 Posts: 680 Member
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    I do both and it seems to be working for me. I run because it's therapeutic for me and I lift because I like feeling like a BA. Do what you enjoy.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    Nurses and doctors have minimal nutrition education in school and I would venture to guess most schools do not offer any training in exercise physiology.

    Keep doing what you are doing. You have lost inches which means visceral fat or the dangerous fat that surrounds your organs.

    I can bet that her skin is lose and she looks atrophied. Keep it up. Weight isn't the only measure. What did you labs look like?

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