obese weight training
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lydian8
Posts: 39 Member
Hi, I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here, but I can't seem to find an answer to what's bugging me. I'm hoping you guys will be kind and help or point me in the right direction if this has been covered to death.
I am obese. I started mfp at 361 and have gotten as low as 292 in the last 5 months. I have always liked incorporating weights into any weight loss I've tried in the past. In fact, that's usually where I start. I think I really wanted to focus on getting my weight down to a point that I could function like a normal person. I was getting to the point that my knees were giving out along with other extreme health issues.
So I lost all this weight pretty rapidly. Last Monday, I started working with a trainer to get back on the weights. I am not a lifter by any stretch, but when I do lift, I like to lift heavier than what most women find acceptable. I like to push my muscles to the edge of failure. I've at least learned that much. However, I'm 43, and I'm noticing things are different in my body, hence the trainer so I don't hurt myself.
Ok, now to my question. Since starting to lift last Monday, I have steadily gained about 5.5 pounds. I have never gained lifting before, but that could be because I used to start lifting first, then incorporate diet. It could also be because I'm older. I don't know. How much more am I going to gain? Will, it begin to drop again? Am I going to have this fight with the scale the whole time, because my goal is to be rid of the weight for good this time. I am still so fat. Should I be focusing on losing rather than lifting at this point? I know I'm losing muscle as well if I just diet, but at 292, should muscle loss even be a concern?
I want to help my body out the best I can. I like being strong. Even though I've always been somewhere between overweight and obese, this body has always been strong.
I'll be honest. My food has not been very clean in this journey. That's why I don't have my diary open, but I'd be willing to open it if I can get some help. I'm lost, guys. I could use some help.
Lenore
I am obese. I started mfp at 361 and have gotten as low as 292 in the last 5 months. I have always liked incorporating weights into any weight loss I've tried in the past. In fact, that's usually where I start. I think I really wanted to focus on getting my weight down to a point that I could function like a normal person. I was getting to the point that my knees were giving out along with other extreme health issues.
So I lost all this weight pretty rapidly. Last Monday, I started working with a trainer to get back on the weights. I am not a lifter by any stretch, but when I do lift, I like to lift heavier than what most women find acceptable. I like to push my muscles to the edge of failure. I've at least learned that much. However, I'm 43, and I'm noticing things are different in my body, hence the trainer so I don't hurt myself.
Ok, now to my question. Since starting to lift last Monday, I have steadily gained about 5.5 pounds. I have never gained lifting before, but that could be because I used to start lifting first, then incorporate diet. It could also be because I'm older. I don't know. How much more am I going to gain? Will, it begin to drop again? Am I going to have this fight with the scale the whole time, because my goal is to be rid of the weight for good this time. I am still so fat. Should I be focusing on losing rather than lifting at this point? I know I'm losing muscle as well if I just diet, but at 292, should muscle loss even be a concern?
I want to help my body out the best I can. I like being strong. Even though I've always been somewhere between overweight and obese, this body has always been strong.
I'll be honest. My food has not been very clean in this journey. That's why I don't have my diary open, but I'd be willing to open it if I can get some help. I'm lost, guys. I could use some help.
Lenore
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Replies
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Hi Lenore!
I guess the first thing I'd like to say is that I think it's absolutely awesome that you are trying to get in shape
. In terms of your questions let's see what I can do for ya :P...
It is important to understand that the main concept of losing weight is "Calories in Vs. Calories out". Incorporating resistance training into your health routine should not be increasing your body weight (at least not at a significant rate like 5.5lbs/week). In fact, doing exercise would account for more calories out which would mean that you should see your weight go down if anything at all.
I've got a hunch that you're probably getting hungry post workout and you're eating calorie dense foods oppose to nutrient dense foods. Not to mention that these foods that your eating post workout probably don't fill you very well either, which would mean that you would probably eat even more calories. As a result, your calories in would be HIGHER than your calories out and you would see an increase in weight.
At this point, your major focus should be your diet. There is virtually no way you can out train a bad diet. I'd recommend you measure all your food religiously for a week while maintaining weight and then figuring out how much you consume per day. This would give you an idea of how much you need to consume to maintain weight. From there eat about 500cal less then what it takes for you to maintain weight.
I'd recommend that you keep lifting as heavy as possible (with good form of course!). It will help you retain as much muscle mass as you can while increasing the number of calories out. If you're able to maintain or increase strength as you lose weight, it will also be easier to gain muscle mass when the time comes for you to start doing so.
Lastly, it would very much help others in guiding you if you left your diary open. There is no need to be embarrassed or feel judged. From what i've seen on the MFP forums, i'd say a lot of us are very supportive. Let me know if you had anymore questions (or if I misunderstood something) and feel free to add me if you'd like . 0 -
http://www.mooshema.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/J-Appl-Physiol-2012-Willis-1831-7.pdf
The link above is to a study that compared weight loss from resistance training, aerobic training, and a combination of the two. The results were that the resistance group gained a modest amount of weight while losing a very small amount of fat weight, the aerobic group and the combined group lost about the same amount of weight and weight from fat (with the combined group having more fat loss but not enough more to be attributed to anything other than random fluctuation). The results may not be entirely representative of your case as the test subjects were claasified as overweight to obese by the BMI standards (I imagine that as a 292 pound female you are heavier than the test subjects.)
My overall thoughts of this research is that the conclusion should be that the type of exercise you do doesn't have much affect on how much weight you lose. Diet is way more important. You also don't lose much lean body mass from aerobic exercise either. The aerobic group lost 1.7 kg total with only 0.1 kg being lean body mass. That is 1/17 of the total weight loss. If the results hold for more significant weight loss, a loss of 130 pounds (putting you at 162 pounds total) would be a loss of 7.6 pounds of lean body mass and 122.4 pounds of fat loss. Combining aerobic training with resistance training would result in a greaterfat loss and a lesser loss of lean body mass but may take more hours per week to achieve that result.
The 5.5 pound gain is probably transitory as a result of water retention in the muscles. Drink a little more fluid to flush out your system and see if it drops after a week or two. If you continue to gain weight, check your diet and consult a professional.0 -
Thanks guys,
Today, I started dropping the increased weight. The other element in all this is with getting older, my female considerations are becoming a little unpredictable. I do weigh and measure all my food, but as you can see, I don't always eat the best. Sugar and salt are difficult for me to stay under. Also, upping my protein hasn't fully kicked in yet. I probably will have more questions as time goes by. Thanks for the help.0 -
Any new exercise regimen or increased training intensity typically is accompanied by a temporary weight gain due to water weight as the body adapts to the new stress.
After a couple of weeks the phenomenon passes. Stay well hydrated.
If you like lifting heavy, lift heavy. The health benefits are great from a general fitness standpoint.
The weight loss may slow some, but should continue. Track your intake and work hard and you will see results.
I added the strength training at 41 still needing to lose 80 lbs. I have enjoyed the results 2 years later and am still lifting.0 -
I always gain when I start lifting. I usually retain a lot of water when I lift and it usually flushes out in a few days.0
