Weight Lifting

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StephenKTHill
StephenKTHill Posts: 28
in Fitness and Exercise
Ugh - I am scared to start lifting weights because I do not want to slow down my weight loss program? Is this a totally wrong way of thinking? I have often read that it will slow down weight loss, as far as what the scale is saying.

Someone tell me I am crazy and that it is okay to start lifting?

Add me!

Replies

  • aliciap412
    aliciap412 Posts: 170 Member
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    it is okay. start lifting.
  • mortuseon
    mortuseon Posts: 579 Member
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    It will slow down WEIGHT loss if you gain muscle, not FAT loss. Muscle mass helps to raise your metabolism and hence you'll burn more calories = easier to achieve a caloric deficit for fat loss...also muscle is denser than fat so 'takes up less room' i.e. even if you maintain or gain weight you may well lose inches :) sorry if that was a very convoluted response. But weight lifting is a great addition to your training!
  • BeckyMBisMe
    BeckyMBisMe Posts: 215 Member
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    Ugh - I am scared to start lifting weights because I do not want to slow down my weight loss program? Is this a totally wrong way of thinking? I have often read that it will slow down weight loss, as far as what the scale is saying.

    Someone tell me I am crazy and that it is okay to start lifting?

    Add me!

    yes you are crazy.....for reading junk on the Internet! now get to lifting and don't worry about what it does to the scale. It will increase your bodies ability to burn fat and you will never regret it.
  • aliciap412
    aliciap412 Posts: 170 Member
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    this is why many people will throw away their scale and go with picture comparison instead. you could consider this as an alternative so that the scale doesn't throw you off course.
  • MsJulielicious
    MsJulielicious Posts: 708 Member
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    this is why many people will throw away their scale and go with picture comparison instead. you could consider this as an alternative so that the scale doesn't throw you off course.

    QFT
    Go ahead and lift stuff
  • Italiano7
    Italiano7 Posts: 382 Member
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    start lifting and instead of weighing yourself, measure yourself. you will see an inches lost quicker than weight loss when you lift. Your clothes will feel looser. You will definitely notice a difference in your body.
  • mortuseon
    mortuseon Posts: 579 Member
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    Also: might make you feel better if you start tracking body fat % instead of weight? That way you won't feel demotivated by increased on the scale as you can see positive changes to your body comp...and of course there are the very visible physical effects :)
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    It might stall your weight loss for a few weeks as you'll retain water for muscle repair. But you won't gain any actual weight if you're still eating at a deficit.

    Go for it! It's a good way to retain your lean mass instead of losing both fat and muscle through dieting :)
  • dsims21
    dsims21 Posts: 6
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    Lift. The scale can lie but weights do not. The benefits of lifting weights (or bodyweight) far outweigh the minimal increase in numbers on the scale.
  • m00tmike
    m00tmike Posts: 248 Member
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    I've seen it written here that you can lose weight without lifting but then you'll look like a guy that doesn't lift. Or you can lift while you lose weight and then you'll look like a guy that lifts.

    I say lift. You may think it's slowing you down but more muscle burns more calories. So it actually works out better in the long run.
  • TheEffort
    TheEffort Posts: 1,028 Member
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    It's okay to do weight lifting.

    The scale is one aspect that we tend to grow heavily dependent upon for our indication of success.

    Take measurements and track your progress via changes in the measurements.

    Use those non-scale victories (NSV) to keep you motivated.
  • StephenKTHill
    StephenKTHill Posts: 28
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    Alright, alright! You all win. I will start tomorrow after church! Thanks for the support. I am a little nervous because I can easily get discouraged if I see any kind of gain on my scale.
  • daneejela
    daneejela Posts: 461 Member
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    You can write down your measures, so you don't get discouraged if the scale goes up...because in that case you'll see that your centimeters went down, so it would be motivation boost :)
  • jonathoncote
    jonathoncote Posts: 1
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    My goal was to lose weight, look better and feel better about myself when i started training about 2 years ago. I noticed quickly that I may not have lost any weight but i have definitely re purposed the weight I had. I got tighter, more toned and my waist line shrank. Everything else grew so today I am the same weight but look almost 30lbs heavier. Attributed to weight training and HIIT training. don't be afraid to lift, the more muscle mass you have the more energy your body burns just to get through the day. So in the end you will end up burning through fat even if the scale doesn't seem to think you have.
  • LaColombicana
    LaColombicana Posts: 63 Member
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    I agree!!! Track body measurements, body fat% and NSVs. In addition, stick to your plan no matter what the scale says, and you will eventually see and feel changes a scale cannot quantify. Best of luck!!!
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
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    Might slow down weight loss because weight lifting helps you retain lean body mass so that you're not losing so much muscle while eating at a deficit. Better off weight lifting so that you dont have to try to gain the lean body mass you had back.
  • TheRealJigsaw
    TheRealJigsaw Posts: 295 Member
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    You definitely want to start lifting while losing weight so you dont end up skinny fat. Like someone already mentioned, it is a whole lot harder losing the weight first and then trying to gain your lean body mass back. The scale will bump up a little at first but you will continue to lose weight and inches as long as u are still eating in a deficit. Good luck
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,191 Member
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    Alright, alright! You all win. I will start tomorrow after church! Thanks for the support. I am a little nervous because I can easily get discouraged if I see any kind of gain on my scale.

    Stop looking at the scale. It is a less that helpful measurement of fat loss success. Get a good tape measure and take measurements. They will give you a much better picture to what is happening. Case in point http://bradpilon.com/weight-loss/gain-muscle-lose-fat-just-a-guess/
  • BeckyMBisMe
    BeckyMBisMe Posts: 215 Member
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    http://www.superskinnyme.com/skinny_fat.html

    OP, check out this article

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