Is it easier to lose weight if you're already in shape?

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skinnyrunner2
skinnyrunner2 Posts: 31
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi! So I'm in pretty decent cardiovascular shape (can easily run 10+ miles at 6mph and recently completed a marathon in about 4 hours), but I'm not strong at all (can literally do no more than 2 push ups) - I'm working on this! What I'm wondering is who would lose weight faster after fixing their diet - someone who's in decent shape, or someone who's completely out of shape.

Does that make sense? Obviously someone in good shape with decent muscle mass would lose weight the fastest, but, given the above scenario, what do you think? Thank you!

Replies

  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    A completely out of shape person would most likely have more to lose and would be able to lose at a faster rate
  • Nissi51
    Nissi51 Posts: 381 Member
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    Having been in both positions, I would say:

    I lost weight faster when I was out of shape and overweight because as stated above had way more to lose and the adaptation was huge.

    However, its all a battle IMO - fast or slow..

    A
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    The out of shape person may tend to focus more on their diet, with results that may surprise those who exercise without paying much attention to their calorie intake.
  • Shawshankcan
    Shawshankcan Posts: 900 Member
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    Think of it this way, the framing of a house goes up faster than the finishing work.
    With the framing, you can get away with slightly sloppier work, with the finishing work, everything shows more.
  • lewandt
    lewandt Posts: 566
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    I am confused, are you trying to lose weight or build muscle?
  • glennstoudt
    glennstoudt Posts: 403 Member
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    Think of it this way, the framing of a house goes up faster than the finishing work.
    With the framing, you can get away with slightly sloppier work, with the finishing work, everything shows more.

    Not exactly. Sloppy framing means unhappy sheetrockers, door installers.............
    and so on.
    Cheers!
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
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    Personally if you are in great shape I would be focusing on body recomposition as opposed to the scales...start lifting yesterday.
  • gracielynn1011
    gracielynn1011 Posts: 726 Member
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    Think of it this way, the framing of a house goes up faster than the finishing work.
    With the framing, you can get away with slightly sloppier work, with the finishing work, everything shows more.

    Not exactly. Sloppy framing means unhappy sheetrockers, door installers.............
    and so on.
    Cheers!

    I love this!
  • TheEffort
    TheEffort Posts: 1,028 Member
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    IMO - when you're out of shape, you're forcing the body to burn more calories because it has to work harder than normal to keep pace with new demands. As you become more conditioned, the body requires higher demands to burn more calories.

    Just my opinion.
  • knitgirltiah
    knitgirltiah Posts: 6
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    Heck no! It's harder! Plus those last few pounds are old and stubborn.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Way harder....if you're already in shape, you're likely at or around a healthy BF%...the more fat stores you have, the easier it is to drop them...the less you have, the tougher it is.
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
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    I think you've presented a false premise. A person that has decent muscle mass is more concerned with body composition than a number on the scale.

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