Stronglifts 5x5 for Women

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Lifting While Overweight

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knitwit0704
knitwit0704 Posts: 376
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Is anyone here doing lifting while still very far from their weight goal? I'm at about 215 lbs, and I want to start lifting, but I don't know if I should (or how) since I'm so far from my goal of 140-245.

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  • pintobean
    pintobean Posts: 40 Member
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    Yes, I am definitely obese and love lifting. It is Zen for me :happy:
    I've been lifting on/off for the past few years and thank every minute the day I learned how to lift.

    So welcome :smile:
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,775 Member
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    I'm 205, starting lifting about 3-4 weeks ago. Love it!
  • DaniH826
    DaniH826 Posts: 1,335 Member
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    Resistance training will help you preserve lean muscle mass. Lifting now may make the weight come off somewhat slower, but once you're at goal you won't have to worry about building lean muscle since you'll already have it.

    If you really want to start lifting now, then my advice for you would be to just do it, rather than waiting for some goal weight that you may or may not achieve (not saying that you will or won't ... just trying to be realistic here, because life happens and goals/priorities change/get delayed).

    I'm 30 pounds overweight and haven't let that stop me. I love, love, love weight lifting!

    I will caution you though that weight lifting will bring with it a world of water/glycogen fluctuations and whatnot, so the scale won't be your best friend in that regard. You're going to have to switch your thinking from "weight loss" to "fat loss" and "strength gains" and focus on the weight you add to the bar, to lift, and let your body tell you how your progress is going by how you look and how your clothes fit, rather than whatever number the scale says.

    Lift on!
  • knitbytes
    knitbytes Posts: 114
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    I started lifting (just using weight machines- I've since switched to free weights/ 5x5) when I was still 100lb overweight. Honestly, it helped me lose *more*. Building muscle requires calories, and if you're not getting those calories from food, your body will take from your fat stores. When I was only doing cardio I was losing muscle as well as fat, and not as quickly either! Lifting helps you preserve and build your lean body mass while burning fat. Plus, more muscle = more calories burning even at rest to maintain the muscle tissue, so your metabolism improves.
  • BikerGirlElaine
    BikerGirlElaine Posts: 1,631 Member
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    I've been lifting since I started losing weight at 226 pounds. Definitely lift NOW. It'll make the body that you reveal by losing fat so much better!

    I've also lost weight at the same rate that anyone else would -- 1 1/2 pounds/week for a good long while -- which is the recommended target rate of loss for my weight. Now that I've lost some I'm more in the one pound per week territory but I am able to do that, too.
  • chubby_checkers
    chubby_checkers Posts: 2,354 Member
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    I'm 265-ish with a goal of 165. Sometimes you may need to make some adjustments (like a slightly wider squat stance for the belly to fit through), but you should definitely start now! :smile:
  • Iron_Lotus
    Iron_Lotus Posts: 2,295 Member
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    ME! I am 205 lbs I want to be at about 170. It matters not how much you weigh. LIFT! Lift now
  • knitwit0704
    knitwit0704 Posts: 376
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    OK, thank you all! I can't get a ride to the gym with a good weight room this week, but next week, I certainly will get started. I hope there are other women there who are somewhat nice and who won't make it embarrassing for me, and who might be able to help me.

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