Lifting weights... losing weight?

You should definitely be doing some strength training. I started out doing only cardio and eating at a deficit thinking that was all I needed to lose weight. I lost weight but I was still shaped like Mrs. Potatohead. I started doing mostly body weight exercises along with a little cardio and the shape of my body has changed rather quickly even though I'm only losing about 1.5 lbs a week.

http://www.dangerouslyhardcore.com/5343/why-women-should-not-run/

http://www.dangerouslyhardcore.com/5343/why-women-should-not-run/

Horrible article. Of course some of it is true, but he also makes gross generalisations about women.

I do cardio for my fitness/ stamina and I lift heavy to lose fat.

If you're like me and enjoy some forms of cardio Try circuit training classes, if they're available you get a good HIIT workout mixed with weight training.

Good luck and as had been mentioned before ignore the scales and focus on how clothes fit, measurements and how you look in the mirror/ in photographs.

A pound of fat and a pound of muscle do weigh the same but the reason people say muscle weighs more than fat is because it is a lot more leaved and compact compared to fat so you can tighten up and tone while building muscle.

My weight is steadily going down as I lift heavier each week but the inches are flying off

Hey there everybody. Got a question... it may make me sound like a dummy, but I really want to know because I want to lose weight here so I have to know...

So I'm trying to go to the gym at least 4 times a week, 45 minutes each. Every visit it's either the treadmill, the elliptical, and the cycle machine. I haven't touched weights in a few years...

Is strength training part of weight loss? The reason I havent gone near them is because muscle apparently weighs more than fat, and I'm looking to see a drop in the scale. I've measured my hips and waist every week one year, but the number never seemed to go down.

Is it all about "looking" firmer? I focus areas would usually be my back, my abs (especially!), and my legs, sometimes my arms (they're real small :P)

I dunno... it's a bit confusing. Someone straighten it out for me please?

Just to get back to the OP here and her questions, we should refocus the thread.

I'm gonna say some things to be direct, not trying to be rude at all. You do need some help to cut through the nonsense of MFP forums.

Measuring against the scale is wrong, get it out of your head. If you were 175lbs of fat you'd look big and bloated. If you were 175lbs of muscle you'd look small and fit. I assume you'd want the latter over the former.

The scale will mess you up. Check it if you must but don't take it seriously. What you want to do is reduce body fat and strengthen muscle. Imagine if you reduced your bodyfat by 1lb every 2 weeks but increased your muscle by 1lb in the same timeframe. The scale would never move, but you'd be shrinking your measurements, firming up, feel great and look great. You'd have more energy, you'd be healthier.

Cardio is ok but don't make it your main thing unless you have specific training in mind. Cardio can also be ignored, you can achieve your health goals with lifting only. Or a mix of lifting and cardio. Your determination and dedication are key.

If you're really serious about your goals you have to ignore all the idiots on MFP, myself included, and do the research yourself. Others have said to read NROLFW. Read NROLFW. Watch training videos on YouTube. Absorb the enormous megatons of information and data that is out there. Talk to experts, read what they have to say.

Explore subjects peripheral to your main topics to further boost your knowledge. Interested in lifting weights? Also learn about the sport of powerlifting, the lifters and what they go through. Even if that has nothing to do with you directly, the additional knowledge can teach you critical lessons and provide fresh ideas. It can give you a more holistic view of strength and sports.

Hard work is paramount. You might ask why are you doing this to yourself, it may seem like torture. You can't put in half effort and expect results. I said before your determination is key. But if you can figure out what motivates you and how to enjoy it even when it's hard, it will do more than just improve you physically. It will improve your mind and character.

For myself I used to go to the gym 4x a week, 50-60 mins per session. Now I go 3x for 80-90 mins. I suppose it doesn't really matter, but I enjoy that small change. In my case it has worked for me to not be so strict on things. I set goals but I adjust them organically.

You should feel encouraged to do what works best for you. Weightlifting has many details and components to it and I don't do everything lifting has to offer. I started by doing what I was comfortable with and have worked in new things over time.

But knowledge and understanding are very important. Keep learning things. Most people who are serious about their craft never stop learning. And many in the weightlifting field are actually very smart people, they have to be, in order to have learned and applied all they know.

Good luck to you, you can do it!

Your point of view is totally correct!! I'll choose muscle over fat any day. A pound is a pound!

Volume =/= weight. A pound is always a pound. A pound of Muscle is more DENSE and has less VOLUME but has the same WEIGHT as a pound of fat. :noway:

Take a gallon of water. Now freeze it. Is it more dense frozen? Yes, but did the weight change? :noway: It seems you're confused on comparison weighing.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Acutally water is less dense frozen, that's why it floats, but I digress...

Volume is the quantity of three-dimensional space enclosed by some closed boundary, for example, the space that a substance (solid, liquid, gas, or plasma) or shape occupies or contains

The mass density or density of a material is its mass per unit volume.

In science and engineering, the weight of an object is usually taken to be the force on the object due to gravity


Muscle is denser than fat, which means it takes up less space than fat.


Since it is denser, muscle does weigh more than fat if you compare same-size portions. On average, the density of fat is 0.9 g/mL. The density of muscle is 1.1 g/mL. Using the averages, 1 liter of muscle weighs 1.06 kg, or 2.3 lbs., while 1 liter of fat weighs .9 kg, or 1.98 lbs.

No confusion here. A pound will always weigh a pound. However, a pound of feathers takes up significantly more space than a pound of concrete. But put them both on a scale and they will both weigh a pound.


Muscle tissue will burn seven to 10 calories daily per pound. Fat burns two to three calories daily per pound. So to answer the OPs question and get back on track, YES, lift weights.

I'm losing weight while eating at a deficit and lifting with almost no cardio. It's not coming off fast, but I have dropped four pounds in the last six weeks and lost quite a few inches. The changes in my body show a lot more than the number on the scale. I say lift often and heavy.

strength training wont help u lose weight
it will help u tone and build muscle

You are joking right???

Weight Training helps build muscle, Lean Muscle increases your metabolic rate, a higher metabolism burns more calories during day to day life.

Tell me again how strength training doesn't help you lose weight??

Absolutely. One (among the many) reasons why men lose body fat faster than women do, is because they have a larger lean body mass than women do. Burns more calories. (There is also some thought that men are more active than women all their lives--burns more calories too.) A 6 foot 2 inch, 225-pound linebacker would have a VERY different calorie-burning profile than a 5 foot 4 inch, 225-pound woman who is sedentary. Body fat takes few calories to maintain--the same pounds of lean body mass burn a lot more.

Okay, just to try and keep things simple for OP, who (no offense intended) seems to be just starting out:

Yes, strength training will help the number on the scale go down. Many people here will advocate "heavy lifting"....that is one type of strength training that is very effective for many folks but it is not the only option. You can also do circuit training, workout videos, dancey stuff like Zumba, basically anything that you ENJOY. And that is key- that you find something you ENJOY. As an example, many woman enjoy the 30 Day Shred. Look it up on youtube and see if you like it. It combines cardio and circuit training.

Cardio- running, the elliptical, etc, will help the number on the scale go down because it makes it MUCH easier to maintain the deficit that you are eating at. Burn 400 cals during a cardio workout and you may have room that day for a delicious decadent snack or a few beers while still losing weight. And cardio exercises do work your muscles (just ask your calves after a long run!) but as others have said it will also burn some muscle mass. Personally, running has made my leg muscles much more defined and has decreased cellulite in my bum. That being said, I want to start doing more strength stuff for my bum to give it a "lifted" look....that's really where both cardio and strength come into play, and there's no reason you can't do both.

Personally, I don't agree with everyone who says that if you, for example, just start running as exercise you'll be some sort of flabby mess when you hit your goal weight. But strength training WILL help keep things "toned" and may give you a tighter look when you hit goal, which is what many people are after.

Hope this was somewhat clear. Good luck!

Since it is denser, muscle does weigh more than fat if you compare same-size portions. On average, the density of fat is 0.9 g/mL. The density of muscle is 1.1 g/mL. Using the averages, 1 liter of muscle weighs 1.06 kg, or 2.3 lbs., while 1 liter of fat weighs .9 kg, or 1.98 lbs.

When comparing the "weight" and density of matter vs matter, the basic practice is to compare matters of the same mass and volume to determine which weighs more. Usually the denser the material, the heavier in weight.

And again to the OP, hit the weights.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Yes, incorporate weight/strength training into your routine. I try very diligently to workout for 2hrs, 6 days a week at my local Y. I have ben doing this for the past year and have lost over 20+lbs. and the toning is really showing. My routine is spinning 3 days a week, eliptical 2-3 times a week, swimming laps (which I was afraid to do at first and now I enjoy it so much). I also take a yoga flex & flow class in the water 3 time a week. When the weather warms up I am out cycling on the weekends about 30 miles. I highly recommend joining the YMCA in your area, the staff where I go are extremely helpful. One more thing, I am gluten free after years of suffering and I really believe this has help me too.

Muscle and fat weigh the same. 16 ounces of either = 1 pound. Muscle is less dense than fat so you get the toned smaller body than someone who does do weights. If you are doing weights while losing weight, you are losing muscle along with fat. That is undesireable because you will be able to eat less in maintenance since it takes more calories to maintain a pound of muscle than a pound of fat.

MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT.

A pound of muscle is equal to a pound of fat. They're both a pound. However, muscle is denser than fat. This means that a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. If you look at someone who is 140 pounds and has 30% body fat compared to someone who is 140 pounds and 20%, you will see a huge difference.

There are many benefits to weight lifting. Other than the most obvious reason (you'll look better), you will burn more calories when you are resting. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism will be. This means that not only will you burn more calories when you're working out, but your caloric burn will be higher when you're not working out as well.

I suggest you look into lifting heavy in order to gain muscle. Do NOT be worried about bulking up. Women do not possess the hormones that men do, and WILL NOT turn into female body builders over night. What will happen is you will see the results you are looking for.

Lastly, do not being completely reliant on the scale. While many times it gives a very helpful information, it should not be the only records you are taking. Take measurements of yourself and track those as well. Many times with weight lifting you will see the scale stay the same, but you will drop many inches. THAT is what is important. It doesn't matter what the scale says, it matters how your clothes fit. No one is going to look at you and think "Wow, she looks amazing, but I wonder what the scale says?!"

Best of luck!

I 2nd this.... all of it :happy:

You should definitely be doing some strength training. I started out doing only cardio and eating at a deficit thinking that was all I needed to lose weight. I lost weight but I was still shaped like Mrs. Potatohead. I started doing mostly body weight exercises along with a little cardio and the shape of my body has changed rather quickly even though I'm only losing about 1.5 lbs a week.

^^^^^This