when should i start hitting the weights?

Hi, I have 14lbs to lose and am keeping to 1200 calories a day. I am doing Jillian Michaels Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, 5/6 days a week to try and burn some of the fat. I have also started to add her 30 Day shred to my regime, 5 days a week also - I did this DVD last year and lost inches but no weight.. Am I doing enough strength training with the 30 DS to achieve my goal? or should I lay off on some of the cardio. Help please!!

With only 14 pounds to lose, unless you're really, really short, you should be eating more than 1200 calories. Set your goal to a half pound a week and eat most of your exercise calories.

Your body doesn't have enough excess body fat to support a large deficit.

Yes, start today! Don't be afraid to ask the trainers at your gym for instruction on how to use machines or even ideas on what muscle groups to work. Try to lift weights at least 2 days a week, and do cardio on the other days. If you have time you can work in 20-30 minutes of cardio after you lift. Good luck!

Yesterday...

Yep

Unless you have a time machine and can start yesterday, start next time you go to the gym.

And if you do have a time machine, can I borrow it? I didn't start real strength training until I was at my goal weight, and wish I started sooner. It would have been nice to have, for instance, nicely rounded glutes as I lost weight, rather than go through that flat droopy bum phase and have to build it back up again.

Possibly very stupid question (bear with me I am new to this... am only just getting used to being skinny fat...) but how heavy is the heavy in heavy lifting. I have been lifting for 2 weeks and not sure whether I am going heavy enough. Thank you

Hey there... I was always from the school of lose first then use weights so I understand your confusion. I've tried many different programs over the years and one of them had me using such heavy free weights that I did bulk up around my shoulders a lot and I looked like I could bench press a Buick. Also, I am a creature of needing to see immediate results and found in the past that if I used weights, the scale didn't come down as fast because as I was losing fat, I was gaining muscle. Since muscle and fat weigh the same (a pound is a pound) but muscle takes up far less space, I never could get through my head why my clothes were looser but the scale moved so slooooooowww! It had always been drilled into my head that the scale was your true measurement of success... thanks Weight Watchers of many years ago.

So, that being said when I started on January 1st of this year to lose 74 pounds, I decided that I was going to do it for me and it was going to work this time. My husband and I started together the same day and rejoined our local gym. Both of us slowly starting on the treadmill, him moving to the elliptical due to shin splints (do what works for you), me staying on the treadmill and only the treadmill with a nice 5-10 minute stretch session for the first two weeks. I didn't want to push too hard so I felt this worked for me. On Monday of the third week, I started incorporating strength training on the machines. As I only want to tone and not "bulk" up like last time I'm sticking with lower weight and higher reps. For example, for bicep curls I do 3 sets of 10 reps with the machine on 10 pounds. Front press I do, 3 sets of 10 reps with the machine set on 10 pounds. (I started with 2 sets on every machine). For larger muscle groups I have higher weights. For example, the ab crunch machine I do 3 sets of 10 reps with the machine set on 35 pounds. Leg press, I set the machine on 30 pounds and so on. I set the machines on what I can comfortably lift. If it gets too easy, increase your reps, not the weight. For instance, when you first start lets say you are doing 2 sets of ten tricep presses. By the 8th rep on the second set, your muscles are "barking", you are working right in you zone. Next week, if you get to the 8th rep and it feels easier... do another set of 5 reps or a full 10 at the same weight. There are no rules, it's what you feel comfortable with. My schedule for training is Cardio 6 days (off Sunday) with the weights on only M-W-F.

Most importantly, do YOUR thing! Don't worry about what others are doing (although it's a lot of fun to people watch at the gym) just focus on yourself. Focus on the muscles that are working, picture yourself in a new smaller outfit. Feel your muscles under your skin and know that you have made a wonderful accomplishment today.

As of this morning, I've lost 11 pounds and over a size. I can comfortably run for 30 second bursts on the treadmill and I can feel my muscles and it's so wonderful. I haven't run since I was 12!!!! I'm finally doing this for all the right reasons and it's a little euphoric. I'm also using the BodyMedia Fit armband and MFP together. I'm still in shock at the calorie adjustments and how you can eat back what you exercise. That is a whole new world for me and I still struggle with how much I should eat daily. I guess that would be a post all it's own. LOL

I wish you the best of luck with your journey and hope that you find what works best for you...

Yesterday would be perfect, but today will work just fine.

Heavy is relative. If you have to struggle to pick it up 5 times, that's heavy.

Seeing these posts from girls makes me very satisfied that another one is joining our ranks.

I'm restarting my weight loss after about 2 years of gaining and losing the same 20lbs.
I currently weigh 180lbs.
I've joined a gym with my boyfriend and I've only been doing cardio, no strength or weights involved.

I know that weights and strength training helps build muscle and muscle helps burn fat, but how early on should I start putting weights in my routine?
should I wait until I lose enough weight to actually tone? Or should I start now?
I'm just worried that starting now will make me more bulkier than what I want.

Mon 03/04/13 would be a good start...

Why wait a month?

Yesterday

I'm restarting my weight loss after about 2 years of gaining and losing the same 20lbs.
I currently weigh 180lbs.
I've joined a gym with my boyfriend and I've only been doing cardio, no strength or weights involved.

I know that weights and strength training helps build muscle and muscle helps burn fat, but how early on should I start putting weights in my routine?
should I wait until I lose enough weight to actually tone? Or should I start now?
I'm just worried that starting now will make me more bulkier than what I want.

Mon 03/04/13 would be a good start...

Why wait a month?

That's today's date...