can i become lean just lifting dumbbells?

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mylife4eva
mylife4eva Posts: 116
in Fitness and Exercise
i ask because i cant afford a gym nor a barbel but i do have lots of dumbbells reanging from 4lbs to 25. i want a leaner flatter belly thats why i ask :) thanks
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Replies

  • ajmalbaby
    ajmalbaby Posts: 18 Member
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    I want to know as well!
  • fatfudgery
    fatfudgery Posts: 449 Member
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    Nope. You need to eat less to lose weight.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
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    Strength training preserves or builds muscle mass.

    Leanness is a matter of body fat, and only a calorie deficit will allow you to lose fat.
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    A lean, flat belly comes from creating a caloric deficit. The easiest way to do that is from diet. Lifting helps to maintain muscle while losing fat. Cardio is good for your heart and lungs and can make your deficit bigger. Using dumbbells will help you maintain muscle, but, at some point, you will outgrow them if they only go to 25 pounds.
  • Eli716
    Eli716 Posts: 262 Member
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    Need a decent diet to help out. I only use dumbbells as well, though. 2lbs & 5lbs. I use them with the 30 Day Shred (You can find level 1 on youtube), but it's mostly to tone your body, which is in the right direction. :)
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    Yes, you can become lean just lifting dumbbells because it is not eating.
  • Byrdsong1920
    Byrdsong1920 Posts: 335 Member
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    Hi,

    There are endless amounts of full body workouts using just dumbbells. You can squat, walking lunges, sit ups holding one, delt raises for back, chest press, bicep curls, tricep presses etc.

    Now, we all know u can't out train a bad diet. U may have the abs there already, but have to clean up the diet to reveal them. "Abs are made in the kitchen"... Meaning...eat clean ! Eating 1400-1900 calories a day, with healthy snacks and meals with lots of green veggies, lean protein and healthy fats such as almonds, flax seed oils or olive oil, coconut oils etc. try to cut complex carbs, such as white rice, breads, pasta etc and use brown rice, whole grains etc and darker the greens the better, lots of vitamins and antioxidants.

    But yes, u can kick your own booty with just dumbbells, but need to have an action plan for meals.

    Check out my girl Jamie Eason for full body workouts, recipes, meal plans and free 90 day challenge for men and women
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-easons-livefit-introduction.html I love her carrot cake protein bars and chili! She's a beast, but will get u right!

    Also, YouTube has endless free videos, just google dumbbell workouts , love this YouTube channel, they also have a great website: http://youtu.be/dSCfdga2i2M

    Good luck!

    Shannon!
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
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    Now, we all know u can't out train a bad diet. U may have the abs there already, but have to clean up the diet to reveal them. "Abs are made in the kitchen"... Meaning...eat clean !

    You don't actually have to eat "clean" to lose weight and reveal your abdominal muscles. All you need is a calorie deficit. Why make it more complicated than it really is?
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    Now, we all know u can't out train a bad diet. U may have the abs there already, but have to clean up the diet to reveal them. "Abs are made in the kitchen"... Meaning...eat clean !

    You don't actually have to eat "clean" to lose weight and reveal your abdominal muscles. All you need is a calorie deficit. Why make it more complicated than it really is?

    This.
  • Byrdsong1920
    Byrdsong1920 Posts: 335 Member
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    It's more than deficit....if u eat only 1000 calories a day of donuts and workout and burn 1000, yes. ..U will be in a deficit. But u will look and feel like crap and probably die by age 50 from clogged arteries , congestive heart failure, u name it.

    So yes, what u eat matters. There is a Bigger picture to this. Quality of life is important.
    U want ur insides to look as hot as the outside
    Jus sayin....
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    It's more than deficit....if u eat only 1000 calories a day of donuts and workout and burn 1000, yes. ..U will be in a deficit. But u will look and feel like crap and probably die by age 50 from clogged arteries , congestive heart failure, u name it.

    So yes, what u eat matters. There is a Bigger picture to this. Quality of life is important.
    U want ur insides to look as hot as the outside
    Jus sayin....


    Ahem…….


    this is nonsense



    Please see: the twinkie diet study.

    perceived quality of calories has NO impact on your outcome. I am nearly at goal weight, I have lost almost 80 lbs, and I eat all those "evil" foods you listed, as well as ice cream, wine, whiskey, chocolate, the list goes on.


    JUST STICK TO YOUR CALORIE DEFICIT. That's all that is needed.

    I promise.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    What about, hmmm, I dunno... twinkies? :D
    Surely you must have seen this:
    http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/
    His body mass index went from 28.8, considered overweight, to 24.9, which is normal. He now weighs 174 pounds.

    But you might expect other indicators of health would have suffered. Not so.

    Haub's "bad" cholesterol, or LDL, dropped 20 percent and his "good" cholesterol, or HDL, increased by 20 percent. He reduced the level of triglycerides, which are a form of fat, by 39 percent.

    Also, it would seem that exercising and being 'generally healthy' actually gives you a fair bit more flexibility in what you can eat and still probably be 'healthier' than someone eating 'clean' who doesn't exercise.

    If ate 1000 calories of doughnuts I'd feed bad because that's not many doughnuts :).

    For the OP: if you want a barbell, you can usually get them pretty cheaply with a few weights, especially if you only need light ones. As an idea, a while ago I paid £32 (about $50 maybe) for a barbell with 82kg of weight - you shouldn't need that much to start with.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    It's more than deficit....if u eat only 1000 calories a day of donuts and workout and burn 1000, yes. ..U will be in a deficit. But u will look and feel like crap and probably die by age 50 from clogged arteries , congestive heart failure, u name it.

    So yes, what u eat matters. There is a Bigger picture to this. Quality of life is important.
    U want ur insides to look as hot as the outside
    Jus sayin....

    You might feel like crap but losing fat and being healthy aren't the same thing.

    If you just want to lose, eat what you like. If you want to be healthy whilst doing so, choose healthier options.
  • Byrdsong1920
    Byrdsong1920 Posts: 335 Member
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    I eat my favorite foods too at times, but not daily it's important to not deprive yourself of things you want.

    Again, go ahead and eat a Twinkie diet and while ur at it, have an attorney draft your living will and get a life insurance plan.

    At the end of the day, to answer your question, there are endless dumbbell only home routines, where u can get great results! Hope u enjoy some of the links I posted :)
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
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    It's more than deficit....if u eat only 1000 calories a day of donuts and workout and burn 1000, yes. ..U will be in a deficit. But u will look and feel like crap and probably die by age 50 from clogged arteries , congestive heart failure, u name it.

    So yes, what u eat matters. There is a Bigger picture to this. Quality of life is important.
    U want ur insides to look as hot as the outside
    Jus sayin....

    I agree it matters. Just not for this. There's no need to invent an extreme example like eating only donuts as the alternative to eating clean. I agree that food affects your health, but she wasn't asking about that, she was asking about losing weight. I think that confusing the issue by asserting that you need to cut out processed food in order to lose weight is not only untrue, it can be harmful because many people will not be able or willing to do that.

    I wonder how many times a day this argument plays out on MFP?
  • Byrdsong1920
    Byrdsong1920 Posts: 335 Member
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    U win....twinkes , fried fritters, ice cream with brownies for everyone!
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    It's more than deficit....if u eat only 1000 calories a day of donuts and workout and burn 1000, yes. ..U will be in a deficit. But u will look and feel like crap and probably die by age 50 from clogged arteries , congestive heart failure, u name it.

    So yes, what u eat matters. There is a Bigger picture to this. Quality of life is important.
    U want ur insides to look as hot as the outside
    Jus sayin....

    I agree it matters. Just not for this. There's no need to invent an extreme example like eating only donuts as the alternative to eating clean. I agree that food affects your health, but she wasn't asking about that, she was asking about losing weight. I think that confusing the issue by asserting that you need to cut out processed food in order to lose weight is not only untrue, it can be harmful because many people will not be able or willing to do that.

    I wonder how many times a day this argument plays out on MFP?

    well, in the five years I have been here, and in the three years since I hit my goal weight……



    eleventy billion times. *














    *approximately
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    Options
    It's more than deficit....if u eat only 1000 calories a day of donuts and workout and burn 1000, yes. ..U will be in a deficit. But u will look and feel like crap and probably die by age 50 from clogged arteries , congestive heart failure, u name it.

    So yes, what u eat matters. There is a Bigger picture to this. Quality of life is important.
    U want ur insides to look as hot as the outside
    Jus sayin....

    I agree it matters. Just not for this. There's no need to invent an extreme example like eating only donuts as the alternative to eating clean. I agree that food affects your health, but she wasn't asking about that, she was asking about losing weight. I think that confusing the issue by asserting that you need to cut out processed food in order to lose weight is not only untrue, it can be harmful because many people will not be able or willing to do that.

    I wonder how many times a day this argument plays out on MFP?

    Plays out a million..... Everyone's entitled to an opinion. Getting back to what she asked....dumbbells ....I offered links to assist her with her initial question. Maybe the whip cream and cherry ontop wasn't needed .

    Good luck to everyone ....

    Sorry, not trying to pick on you. I know we are all (most of us anyway) just trying to help. :flowerforyou:
  • Byrdsong1920
    Byrdsong1920 Posts: 335 Member
    Options
    It's more than deficit....if u eat only 1000 calories a day of donuts and workout and burn 1000, yes. ..U will be in a deficit. But u will look and feel like crap and probably die by age 50 from clogged arteries , congestive heart failure, u name it.

    So yes, what u eat matters. There is a Bigger picture to this. Quality of life is important.
    U want ur insides to look as hot as the outside
    Jus sayin....

    I agree it matters. Just not for this. There's no need to invent an extreme example like eating only donuts as the alternative to eating clean. I agree that food affects your health, but she wasn't asking about that, she was asking about losing weight. I think that confusing the issue by asserting that you need to cut out processed food in order to lose weight is not only untrue, it can be harmful because many people will not be able or willing to do that.

    I wonder how many times a day this argument plays out on MFP?

    Plays out a million..... Everyone's entitled to an opinion. Getting back to what she asked....dumbbells ....I offered links to assist her with her initial question. Maybe the whip cream and cherry ontop wasn't needed .

    Good luck to everyone ....

    Sorry, not trying to pick on you. I know we are all (most of us anyway) just trying to help. :flowerforyou:

    Oh honey, not feeling picked on, opinions are like -&$holes, everyone has one. We just have to agree to disagree....

    All love and hugs
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    Options
    It's more than deficit....if u eat only 1000 calories a day of donuts and workout and burn 1000, yes. ..U will be in a deficit. But u will look and feel like crap and probably die by age 50 from clogged arteries , congestive heart failure, u name it.

    So yes, what u eat matters. There is a Bigger picture to this. Quality of life is important.
    U want ur insides to look as hot as the outside
    Jus sayin....

    I agree it matters. Just not for this. There's no need to invent an extreme example like eating only donuts as the alternative to eating clean. I agree that food affects your health, but she wasn't asking about that, she was asking about losing weight. I think that confusing the issue by asserting that you need to cut out processed food in order to lose weight is not only untrue, it can be harmful because many people will not be able or willing to do that.

    I wonder how many times a day this argument plays out on MFP?

    well, in the five years I have been here, and in the three years since I hit my goal weight……



    eleventy billion times. *














    *approximately

    It almost seems pointless...almost...

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