Workout...Now or Later?

Brutmar
Brutmar Posts: 85
in Health and Weight Loss
I hold off working out while losing because it seems that as soon as I do, the scale stops dropping or weightloss is VERY slow. Should I go ahead and start the workouts and ignore the scale or wait until I've lost more weight and then start? Would appreciate any advice!

Replies

  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    To keep muscle you should be doing some exercise. I would start off slow and increase slowly to give your body time to adjust.
  • jynxxxed
    jynxxxed Posts: 1,010 Member
    Always ignore the scale. Your weight will always vary based on water retention, bowels, how much you've eaten etc so it's a really poor judgement of fat loss. Your 'weight' loss might seem slow but it will help with obtaining the physique that you're seeking overall.
    Have you been measuring? WAY better option!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Start now!

    Weight loss should not slow weight loss unless you are calculating calorie burns wrong (this is easy enough to do). MFP has you eat exercise caloires back (which I do) .... so eating back too many calories will slow weight loss. I am conservative with my calorie burn estimates.... but you have to find what works for you. Not eating any exercise calories back can cause plateaus .....that could be an issue.

    Exercise while dieting has lots & lots of benefits. Strength training helps you retain more lean muscle mass. Cardio increases your endurance. Exercise improves my mood & helps me sleep better. Exercise "has" to be a lifestyle change for me. It will make maintentance much easier.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    Work out. The pause in weight loss you are seeing is most likely water weight being held by your muscles while they recover. It'll offset fat gains for a couple of weeks, but then you'll start losing again. Remember that even in the weeks where water retention offsets fat loss on the scale, you are still losing.
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,033 Member
    Bump
  • K_Serz
    K_Serz Posts: 1,299 Member
    procrastination-tomorrow-doesn-t-look-so-hot-either-demotivational-poster-1266840895.jpg

    Always Work Out Tomorrow
  • NikkiSixGuns
    NikkiSixGuns Posts: 630 Member
    ASAP.

    I wish I'd known how important it is way back when I first got started. The gain you see is temporary, but in the long term exercise will help you reach your goal more quickly, and it will make maintenance SO much easier.

    Find something you enjoy doing and start doing it now. Every little bit helps!!!
  • Brutmar
    Brutmar Posts: 85
    I really appreciate all the feedback. I didn't always eat back my exercise calories, not all of them anyway. The scale plays with my head :) and I probably need to do what one poster said...start measuring. I will definitely get back on the treadmill for now and figure out some type of strength training (recently had shoulder surgery).
  • Madhouseof5
    Madhouseof5 Posts: 34 Member
    Start now! As someone else said, take your measurements and photographs. I only lost 3lbs in my first month BUT lost 10.5 inches

    I lost 6lbs in the last calendar month (I don't have much to lose really, about 20lbs) when I finally worked out that I needed to eat back almost all of my exercise calories. I try and have 200ish calories left some days and eat right upto my net other days. It's been a revelation!
  • Brutmar
    Brutmar Posts: 85
    Start now! As someone else said, take your measurements and photographs. I only lost 3lbs in my first month BUT lost 10.5 inches

    Wow, that's awesome! Great motivation :)

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