Do you need to lift weights when you are very overweight?

calorie deficit leads to weight loss. You can do that with diet alone, or diet and exercise. If you chose exercise, cadio and strength training affect the body differently, but both burn cals and will help you get into a deficit if that's your goal.

You don't need to but you should.

This woman here is a badass: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/nz_deevaa
She's lifting heavy and (to my knowledge) has been for awhile.

Mix it up and enjoy your workouts so you don't dread it.
Cardio only can get really boring (to some), and weights only can get boring (to some).

YES Lift weights! It "burns fat" too. Plus it will eventually help you burn fat faster.

Strictly speaking in terms of body composition, lifting is always more important than cardio. True story.

Great. Because she clearly stated having body comp goals.

Not sure if srs

cardio is very important for fat loss when you are bigger. you want to balance with strength training so you don't lose too much muscle, but that being said, the effects of muscle loss won't occur until you have come down in weight....I would say once you hit 25% body fat, you should think about weight lifting....but why not start them both and build up experience. I don't think you will "lose" time by adding strength training (ie - I don't think your fat loss rate will decrease, although your weight loss may decrease as you won't be losing as much muscle) - although you won't build (much) muscle on a caloric deficit I think it will still stoke your metabolism during non-workout times. most people (like me) who ask this question just don't like weights - but cardio and weights go hand in hand w/ eating healthy and at a deficit. others advocate only active weight training (like circuits w/o much rest). But, in my opinion you would be foolish to neglect the fat reducing gains from cardio (as well as the heart healthy gains).

Strictly speaking in terms of body composition, lifting is always more important than cardio. True story.

Stop hogging all the threads with your good information!

Strictly speaking in terms of body composition, lifting is always more important than cardio. True story.

Stop hogging all the threads with your good information!

Sorry. Bored at work bruh.

Strictly speaking in terms of body composition, lifting is always more important than cardio. True story.

Great. Because she clearly stated having body comp goals.

:laugh:

I have done strength training and cardio throughout the whole thing and the only thing I can say is that I look better now at 163 than I did 5 years ago at 155 when all I was doing was cardio.

Here is my recipe for success.
1. Eat at a deficit of TDEE. (Figure it out for yourself or let MFP do the work for you.)
2. Lift heavy weights (as heavy as you can with good form: deadlift, squat, and bench press. Do a minimum of a 5x5).
3. Do 30 mins 3 x per week of cardio (like Kettlebells, Treadmill, stationary bike or a combo of the three. I usually mix mine up).

You will lose weight and you can eat real food, including bacon and fried chicken. It is all about the DEFICIT. AND you will look amazing.

LIFT!!!!!!! I'm an overweight girl and at the weight I am at right now - when I was this weight previously, I was a size 18, same weight now I am a size 12-14. Weight lifting has done more for my body than cardio has....though I also do cardio 3x a week! But my goals are around lifting more than they are cardio -

Just pay attention to what you eat - I don't focus on low carb but I make sure I eat enough protein for my lean body mass.

As an overweight girl too, lifting has done more for my own self esteem than actual cardio has.....

Absolutely!! If you have not worked out or done other cardio in general for a while, your muscles are used to doing what you have done to get to the weight you are. Like it's often said, start slow and build up so you do not risk injuring yourself. Lifting weights or doing other 'muscle building' exercises will get your muscles conditioned to being active, building strength all around your body, and supporting you to be more effective at cardio. Plus, the more muscle you have, the more energy it takes for you to basically function every day. This essentially equals an auto-boost in metabolism.

Weights are definitely needed... some say more than cardio.. I think they go hand in hand in the beginning when you want to lose weight.

Building muscle helps burn more calories even after your done lifting. Start with light weights and when those are no longer a challenge next weight up..You won't get bulky, just stronger.

One of my trainers told me that at first if you are very overweight, your own body weight while doing the cardio works as your weight exercise. But later you need to add weights as your body slims down, since you are not carrying around as much.

Laughably incorrect

One of my trainers told me that at first if you are very overweight, your own body weight while doing the cardio works as your weight exercise. But later you need to add weights as your body slims down, since you are not carrying around as much.

To get the benefits of strength training, you need progressive overload resistance. Since your body already supports itself moving around, your cardio will not give you that with bodyweight alone. You would have to do bodyweight strenght training exercises like pushups, squats, dips, etc to get strength training from your own bodyweight.