Weight training for women with a lot to lose???

yes there are lots. I went from being obese to a healthy body fat percentage through heavy lifting. Though not (in my case) 100lbs to lose...... BUT I have seen it done, I have a friend on another forum who lost over 100lb and ended up looking like a fitness model (no exaggeration!) she did heavy lifting throughout, plus a moderate calorie deficit. I've seen a few success story threads on here from women who have lost a LOT of fat through heavy lifting and a moderate calorie deficit. Men too, for that matter.

If you have a lot to lose, you can get away with a bigger deficit, I think if you have more than 100lb to lose you could eat at TDEE -30% at least to begin with, and the lifting will protect your lean body mass. You will have to switch to TDEE - 20% after a while, because the leaner you are, the harder it is to lose fat without also losing lean body mass. If you haven't seen the "in place of a road map" thread on here, then check it out, as you can use it to calculate your TDEE and find the ideal number of calories for you to eat so you can lose weight.

Also, regarding gaining weight versus losing inches - firstly the weight gain you get won't be a lot, and women (and men) with a lot of fat to lose don't see much in the way of weight gain, it's all weight loss as the fat comes off. For people who are looking to lose the last few pounds, that's when you'll see the scale weight go up, because the fat losses will be smaller, so they're more easily offset by water weight gains from exercise. Even if you did see a small gain from this, it won't last long and will quickly be offset by losing fat. Mostly it's people who have been undereating (and lost muscle mass and bone density) who see significant weight gains from lifting, or people who are deliberately bulking (i.e. eating more than they burn off to gain muscle).

It can be done, and you can do it

I've lost almost 100 pounds, and I DO lift. It takes a long time to gain muscle.. so you aren't going to magically see the scale move upward. Don't worry. You'll be losing body fat and maintaining lean muscle mass if you combine cardio with weight training, and eat enough to fuel your workouts. It's impossible to maintain a high body weight, and stall weight loss just because you lift some weights a few times a week. If you don't lose weight, chances are it's diet related or water retention, not from lifting.

Weight training will not make you muscular or bulky, but WILL make you look better once you lose a lot of weight. It changes your body composition for the better. I started weight lifting early in my weight loss journey (I started at 296 lbs!), and because of that, I have hardly any loose skin (still have 30 lbs to go), and have an above average lean mass for a female, according to a trainer at my gym during a free body analysis. Now this does NOT mean I'm bulky or masculine. However it DOES mean that I look a lot smaller than other people with the same height and weight, and have a lower body fat percentage.

I have a body picture in my profile. Do I look 206 lbs at 5'4"? I don't really think I do.

So, because of that.. It's never too early to start lifting! If you do all cardio, you'll lose weight, but when you reach your goal you'll probably just look like a smaller version of your current body. If you want to TOTALLY transform your body and improve your body composition and lose fat without sacrificing precious calorie-burning muscle, then lifting is a GREAT idea! No one wants to become "skinny fat" a.k.a.. small, but with a high body fat percentage. Don't wait until you lose the weight to tighten things up!

I need advice. I am thinking about adding in a weight training workout 2-3 times a week along with my cardio 2-3 times a week. I know the whole spill about lifting heavy won't bulk women up. But my question is, I haven't heard any success stories of women who have a 100 pounds to lose doing it by weight lifting. I know I would lose inches but will it make me GAIN weight. I know inches are great, but right now, at 278 pounds, I need the numbers to go down too. Is there any women out there that have actually lost weight by lifting????

Hi,
Have you considered a home workout program, like 10 Minute Trainer or Power 90? They both have resistance training, but also incorporate stretching, yoga, cardio and so forth. I think the best routines have variety. It helps to get you fitter overall and keeps you from getting board with the program.

I've lost just under 100, but still have about 80 to go.

I do cardio primarily, but I also lift for the healthy weight-bearing effects. I don't know if that alone has helped me to lose weight since I also do cardio. If you have a lot of weight to lose, I'd suggest do both.

I haven't heard any success stories of women who have a 100 pounds to lose doing it by weight lifting.

write your own success story.

Love this!

You can do it!

Totally! Just do it. You will look better and be stronger. It has helped me with my posture as well. Bulding muscle will help you burn more in the future as well. Never had any issues with gain, except for those couple of days that my muscles would hold on to water but it would be temporary. I can truly say that when I was at this weight before, I was about 2 sizes bigger than I am now and that is because of lifting!

I need advice. I am thinking about adding in a weight training workout 2-3 times a week along with my cardio 2-3 times a week. I know the whole spill about lifting heavy won't bulk women up. But my question is, I haven't heard any success stories of women who have a 100 pounds to lose doing it by weight lifting. I know I would lose inches but will it make me GAIN weight. I know inches are great, but right now, at 278 pounds, I need the numbers to go down too. Is there any women out there that have actually lost weight by lifting????

Hi,
Have you considered a home workout program, like 10 Minute Trainer or Power 90? They both have resistance training, but also incorporate stretching, yoga, cardio and so forth. I think the best routines have variety. It helps to get you fitter overall and keeps you from getting board with the program.

I understand that you are a beachbody coach and you are only sharing your opinion... but really? Please dont' try and advertise your products here. I agree that variety is important, but please don't push products on people.

To the OP- Lifting weights is extremely important for retaining lean muscle mass. This is imperative for LOOKING good and still being able to consume decent amounts of calories after your weight loss. It is SOOOO much easier to lose fat and RETAIN a decent amount of muscle mass than lose a ton and try and build muscle after the fact.

Just my thoughts.

I have over 100 lbs to lose. I just started working with a trainer a few weeks ago and it has been stressed to me how important doing strength (weight) exercises is in addition to cardio. I was doing cardio only for about 6 weeks and did see some lbs drop off (about 2 lbs a week) but my body composition and fat % were about the same. Since I've been working with my trainer my weight loss has slowed slightly (so 1 lb a week instead of 2) but I LOOK much thinner because my body composition is slowly changing. I've also lost about 1% of my body fat. Building muscle helps to burn fat. When you start you are gaining muscle at roughly the same speed as you are burning fat. After the first few weeks your fat burning rate kicks up and you will start seeing the scale drop down. So, for me, I can FEEL the results in the way my clothes fit, even though the scale is moving a bit slower than it was doing cardio alone. The past 2 weeks I actually gained about 1/2 lb per week even eating at or under my calories, but then this week I lost 2 lbs after 3 weeks total of adding in weight exercises (as well as other things like crunches and resistance exercises).

My trainer said that the first 3-4 weeks I probably wouldn't see the scale move too much but I will feel the differences, then after that the scale will start moving. So far she has been absolutely right.

Also wanted to add that sometimes weight can be misleading. You really should be focusing on fat loss and monitoring your body fat %. It's really a better indicator of "health" than pounds on a scale. Most training depts at gyms have a body fat monitor that they will probably let you lose, or you can pick up a scale that measures body fat %. I have one that cost around $30. I think it was well worth it.

What exactly should weight training entail? I have been walking on treadmill for two months and want to add some strength training but have no idea what to do. Any pointers for a first timer who has no clue?

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Cardio + lifting weights = 228 pounds lost.