Weight lifting for big girls?
sugarlips1980
Posts: 361 Member
Hey, since joining MFP, I've changed my opinion about weight lifting for girls. I get that women can't bulk up because we just don't have the testosterone and you can't do that eating at a deficit. I get the the whole skinny fat concept, and I've seen plenty of pics of slim girls that were a bit flabby and the after shot of them at a similar weight but all toned and defined after weight training. And I understand its importance in raising your metabolism and strengthening your bones. I'm a convert, hallelujah! (I even bought The New Rules of Lifting for Women).
Except I can't bring myself to do it. YET. I do Jillian Michaels' DVDs which include strength training but I'm not hitting the weight machines in the gym. Reason being two-fold. Firstly, I've got a good 60 pounds to lose and cardio burns more calories and day to day I do this to keep myself within my calorie goal. I just can't bring myself to burn only maybe half the cals from a weight lifting workout and have to eat less! Secondly, in my head, I feel it won't make that much difference visibly until that layer of fat has been reduced.
Do you knowledgable people think it's a good plan to be a 'cardio bunny' to zap the fat while I'm big then hit the weights when I'm nearer my weight loss goal, maybe the last 14-20 pounds? Sorry if this a yawn-inducing topic for some, I just know I have this attitude and want to get opinions!
Except I can't bring myself to do it. YET. I do Jillian Michaels' DVDs which include strength training but I'm not hitting the weight machines in the gym. Reason being two-fold. Firstly, I've got a good 60 pounds to lose and cardio burns more calories and day to day I do this to keep myself within my calorie goal. I just can't bring myself to burn only maybe half the cals from a weight lifting workout and have to eat less! Secondly, in my head, I feel it won't make that much difference visibly until that layer of fat has been reduced.
Do you knowledgable people think it's a good plan to be a 'cardio bunny' to zap the fat while I'm big then hit the weights when I'm nearer my weight loss goal, maybe the last 14-20 pounds? Sorry if this a yawn-inducing topic for some, I just know I have this attitude and want to get opinions!
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I am a big girl with 75 lbs still to lose and like you, I have/do put my cardio first, but I just started a 12 week plan of heavy lifting for two reasons. #1 This girls story freaking inspired me, she went from big flab to show stopping buff in six months at http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/melissa-shed-80-lbs-took-fitness-world-by-storm.html and #2 When I finally "get" thin, I want to be BA-BOOM! Check out this ripped tone you never saw coming instead of, "Hey, I look skinny in this outfit, but am all flab underneath." Just my two cents. One week in and I am SUPER motivated by the major change in my form from muscle holding the fat in a little more shapely way, too!0
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Hey, since joining MFP, I've changed my opinion about weight lifting for girls. I get that women can't bulk up because we just don't have the testosterone and you can't do that eating at a deficit. I get the the whole skinny fat concept, and I've seen plenty of pics of slim girls that were a bit flabby and the after shot of them at a similar weight but all toned and defined after weight training. And I understand its importance in raising your metabolism and strengthening your bones. I'm a convert, hallelujah! (I even bought The New Rules of Lifting for Women).
Except I can't bring myself to do it. YET. I do Jillian Michaels' DVDs which include strength training but I'm not hitting the weight machines in the gym. Reason being two-fold. Firstly, I've got a good 60 pounds to lose and cardio burns more calories and day to day I do this to keep myself within my calorie goal. I just can't bring myself to burn only maybe half the cals from a weight lifting workout and have to eat less! Secondly, in my head, I feel it won't make that much difference visibly until that layer of fat has been reduced.
Do you knowledgable people think it's a good plan to be a 'cardio bunny' to zap the fat while I'm big then hit the weights when I'm nearer my weight loss goal, maybe the last 14-20 pounds? Sorry if this a yawn-inducing topic for some, I just know I have this attitude and want to get opinions!
Cardio (and weights) should be done for the heart benefits, stress reductions, and other benefits, not because you think you get to eat more.
You can't out exercise a poor diet (not saying you have a poor diet, but you did say you do cardio to stay within your calorie goal).
Weight loss is mostly diet. Lift if you want.0 -
There will be alot of reasons that people mention for why you *should* definately lift weights. I won't go into the more common ones. For me I love lifting weights because I am damn good at it. I was a big girl and probably the only benefit of carrying that weight around for so long is that I was already pretty strong. So here I was, constantly feeling like a big fat lumpy slow embarrassing loser on the treadmill. Then all of a sudden I am actually doing something better than other people. I have my trainer saying to me "wow, you're a natural lifter" and "I'm jealous, it took me six months to deadlift that much." Having something else to focus on besides the mirror and the scales is what really gets you through a plateau...
I would do it because I think its in your interests to maintain the muscle you probably already have, plus you might seriosuly LOVE it!0 -
I love that book i have it myself i have lost a lot of inches i am hoping that that with insanity will mean a sexy meeper
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I'm a 'big girl' work in progress.....
Here is my 'before' photo: October, 2010:
After squatting my goal of 100kgs (x3) last month:
Also last month:
I've not lost as much weight while lifting heavy, but my body is A LOT smaller.
Edited to add: There are lots and lots of women on the forums who have much more impressive photos, but most of them didn't start out as far overweight as I did.0 -
Start lifting now, you'll only benefit from it. There's no reason not to.0
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Another fan of heavy lifting here. Not sure how long you have to work out each day but you can pack alot of lifting into 35-45 minutes if you focus on compound lifts. I rarely lift weights for much longer than this. If you're concerned about burning more calories you can lift and do a short, high intensity cardio workout AFTER lifting. You could do 40 minutes of lifting followed by 20minutes of high intesity cardio to boost your calorie burn up a bit (if you can handle it). If you don't start now you're probably going to look back at some point and wish you did.
I also agree with some of the previous posts that you should workout for fitness and diet for weight loss0 -
I'm a 'big girl' work in progress.....
Here is my 'before' photo: October, 2010:
After squatting my goal of 100kgs (x3) last month:
Also last month:
I've not lost as much weight while lifting heavy, but my body is A LOT smaller.
Edited to add: There are lots and lots of women on the forums who have much more impressive photos, but most of them didn't start out as far overweight as I did.
And how awesome does it feel to know you are probably the ONLY chick in the gym squatting 100kg?
Tha dopest 0 -
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Wow Caring4Me, that girl does look amazing - what a transformation in a relatively short amount of time! Made me think looking at her diary that I need to eat much cleaner and get rid of some of my 'convenient' processed snacks even if they are low fat. I want to look like that!
Great work nz_deeva! You can see the difference, especially on your face, good work!
Thanks everyone else I am convinced. Thanks Gmallan I am actually out of work right now so I've all the time in the world!! I think I will try 45 mins (from the lifting book) and then maybe go home do my circuit training/Jillian Michael's DVDs or a run or swim, plus my daily dog walk. Need to step this up now for results!0 -
I think starting with the first month or two and doing only cardio is ok but you have to start building that muscle. You will feel and look amazing and you will see results really quickly. If you are having a hard time cutting back on cardio and making time for weights just start slowly. Work your way up...the fact that you are asking the question tells me that you know you should be doing it!0
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Incredible body composition change... fantastic job!!I'm a 'big girl' work in progress.....
Here is my 'before' photo: October, 2010:
After squatting my goal of 100kgs (x3) last month:
Also last month:
I've not lost as much weight while lifting heavy, but my body is A LOT smaller.
Edited to add: There are lots and lots of women on the forums who have much more impressive photos, but most of them didn't start out as far overweight as I did.0 -
You should lift too because if you are just a cardio bunny you will lose the muscle you have too and you wont be able to tell you lost weight. If you lift maybe just one or two days out of the week you will be able to tell that you lost the fat. It really does burn the fat away when you lift weights. Not to mention the awesome feeling you have after you are done lifting. After cardio usually most people feel exhausted but after lifting you feel like a million bucks.0
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sugarlips,
I would do a crossfit workout for stregnth metabolism and calorie burn benefits (it can be a lot of calories! mfp's not always accurate on that) and light cardio either after or at another time (if you have a gym nearby) or HIIT's an option too. I think the combination of those will be more beneficial for you, plus the crossfit workouts can be short but I would really really take advantage both if I were you just my 2cents 0 -
There will be alot of reasons that people mention for why you *should* definately lift weights. I won't go into the more common ones. For me I love lifting weights because I am damn good at it. I was a big girl and probably the only benefit of carrying that weight around for so long is that I was already pretty strong. So here I was, constantly feeling like a big fat lumpy slow embarrassing loser on the treadmill. Then all of a sudden I am actually doing something better than other people. I have my trainer saying to me "wow, you're a natural lifter" and "I'm jealous, it took me six months to deadlift that much." Having something else to focus on besides the mirror and the scales is what really gets you through a plateau...
I would do it because I think its in your interests to maintain the muscle you probably already have, plus you might seriosuly LOVE it!
This. Lifting changed my life. If I was offered a deal where I could maintain my goal body without any work, but never be allowed to lift again, I'd say hell no. It's made me more confident, I feel strong and powerful and special!
Also , calorie wise, the difference isn't as big as it seems because weights give an afterburn where your body uses energy to repair the muscles you've just damaged
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/cardio-vs-strength-training-workoutsCardio's edge Calorie for calorie, cardio has a slight advantage. You'll burn 8 to 10 calories a minute hoisting weights, compared with 10 to 12 calories a minute running or cycling, says Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., director of research at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Strength's edge Lifting weights gives you a metabolic spike for an hour after a workout because your body is trying hard to help your muscles recover. That means you'll fry an additional 25 percent of the calories you just scorched during your strength session, Westcott says. "So if you burned 200 calories lifting weights, it's really closer to 250 overall." And if you lift heavier weights or rest no more than 30 seconds between sets, you can annihilate even more.
And there's more good news when it comes to iron's fat-socking power. "For every 3 pounds of muscle you build, you'll burn an extra 120 calories a day -- just vegging -- because muscle takes more energy to sustain," Westcott says. Over the course of a year, that's about 10 pounds of fat -- without even changing your diet. Yes, please.
At least try lifting, see if you absolutely love it. The first time I squatted, I knew I would be a lifelong lifter 0 -
Wow Caring4Me, that girl does look amazing - what a transformation in a relatively short amount of time! Made me think looking at her diary that I need to eat much cleaner and get rid of some of my 'convenient' processed snacks even if they are low fat. I want to look like that!
Great work nz_deeva! You can see the difference, especially on your face, good work!
Thanks everyone else I am convinced. Thanks Gmallan I am actually out of work right now so I've all the time in the world!! I think I will try 45 mins (from the lifting book) and then maybe go home do my circuit training/Jillian Michael's DVDs or a run or swim, plus my daily dog walk. Need to step this up now for results!
Low fat is not synynomous with healthy, or low calorie. In fact,t hey frequently put crap in it, since they took the fat out. Aside from dairy, I can't think of anything labeled "low fat" that I think is a good thing to eat. For convenience, I like to make protein bars over the weekend and put them in saran wrap or baggies in portions so I can just grab and go during the week. This week, I also made my own peanut butter and put that in individual portion containers, so I'm stoked about adding convenience to healthy 0 -
I'm cutting now but only at a 375 calorie deficit. You know how much time it takes me to burn 375 calories? None. You ask, "But how-by magic?" My deficit is entirely through diet alone meaning I just eat 375 calories below my maintenance of 2850 calories. It takes no time for me to burn that. So I use my time in the gym (35 minutes) to lift weights. You do not need cardio for fat loss.0
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I'm cutting now but only at a 375 calorie deficit. You know how much time it takes me to burn 375 calories? None. You ask, "But how-by magic?" My deficit is entirely through diet alone meaning I just eat 375 calories below my maintenance of 2850 calories. It takes no time for me to burn that. So I use my time in the gym (35 minutes) to lift weights. You do not need cardio for fat loss.
i literally lift for like 15 minutes, i did cardio today and i was like eff this after about 20min.
and i've lost...listen to this man he knows.0 -
Start now. There are so many benefits, one being that strength training helps prevent excess skin from weightloss. Getting rid of it is harder than preventing it. I dont have any sagging skin yet and I've lost 55 lbs so far. My fitness coach says if you really want to change your body and see the results you need strength training. I luv it. Even when the pounds I lose are slow to come off I luv the inches I lose. I lost 12.5 inches in november and I think it's mostly from my weight lifting.0
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Start now. Losing weight means losing LBM. Lifting, with adequate protein, preserves it. Much better to preserve as much as you can than have to do bulk/cut cycles to regain it.0
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sugarlips,
I would do a crossfit workout for stregnth metabolism and calorie burn benefits (it can be a lot of calories! mfp's not always accurate on that) and light cardio either after or at another time (if you have a gym nearby) or HIIT's an option too. I think the combination of those will be more beneficial for you, plus the crossfit workouts can be short but I would really really take advantage both if I were you just my 2cents
Strength training should not be a cardio workout. Strength training should be done for body composition purposes and not doe the 'burn'. If you try to make it one you lose the benefits of both.0 -
^This.Start now. Losing weight means losing LBM. Lifting, with adequate protein, preserves it. Much better to preserve as much as you can than have to do bulk/cut cycles to regain it.
You can still do as much or as little cardio as you like. Lifting will only take you 1.5 hrs a WEEK with a well designed program. You'll have plenty of time leftover to do other stuff and torch calories if you see fit.0 -
Start now!
You say you're starting as a big girl so you probably have a good amount of muscle mass to begin with which is worth hanging onto. Work it now and once the fat starts melting away you'll have an awesome bod underneath. Make use of it and you'll probably start progressing relatively quickly in the weight room too
Also, you say you don't want to have to cut your calorie intake as you'll be burning less, however weight training is very energy hungry as the muscles need energy and protein to repair for at least 24hrs after the work. You can get away with a small deficit and still lose fat and inches when lifting heavy. I'm eating very close to TDEE at present and and still losing fat.0 -
bump..... got some stuff to addd.... but gotta get to sleep.0
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Is that true that weight lifting helps prevent loose skin? You've all convinced me, I'm going to start the 6 month 3 x a week New Rules programme and do my cardio though Jillan Mchaels DVDs nearly every day there only short! Thanks everyone for your help.0
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Is that true that weight lifting helps prevent loose skin? You've all convinced me, I'm going to start the 6 month 3 x a week New Rules programme and do my cardio though Jillan Mchaels DVDs nearly every day there only short! Thanks everyone for your help.
Good for you!!!! Happy Dance!!!!
Weight lifting can prevent loose skin. There's a lot of factors that go in to if you end up with loose skin or not- speed of weight loss, genetics, age, original/final size, etc...but lifting weights is certainly one of the tools you can use to prevent it as much as possible. Slow weight loss is the other big one.0 -
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