Obese Women: Should I lose weight first, then tone muscle?

esme3564
esme3564 Posts: 2
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone.

I have a lot of weight to lose and my ultimate goal weight is between 130-140. I'm currently 253 pound and 5'4 tall. As you can assume, my body fat percentage is fairly high. About 43%. Would it be smart to lose the fat first and then focus more on shaping and building muscle? Many have told me to wait until my body fat is around 19-23% before i consider toning muscle. Should i just stick to cardio in the gym, like the elliptical? Or should I incorporate some weights in there? What are your suggestions on a fitness routine at the gym to accomplish my goal.

THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!

Replies

  • esme3564
    esme3564 Posts: 2
    I forgot to add that I currently spend 60 minutes on elliptical and about 20- 30 minutes with the weight machines. A trainer currently criticized my routine, and told me to stick to cardio then focus on building muscle.
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,407 Member
    Really, it would not hurt to do both! I would focus more on cardio - but also do resistance training...even if its with the resistance bands every once in a while. :)

    Either way - they both burn calories. Just find something you love to do, because that is the exercise you will stick with.
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    A good idea if you want focus primarily on fat loss but still incorporate some resistance work is to do some circuit training incorporating weights, body weight exercises and some cardio. This kind of training keeps the heart rate elevated which will burn more calories but still involves resistance work and will allow you to transition easily to heavier lifting when you are ready.
  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
    Since it is easier to keep muscle than to build muscle, I vote to start strength training now.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/824518-fat-girl-dead-lifting?hl=fat+girl+deadlift

    More helpful people here
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress
    (be sure to read the stickies)
  • ngressman
    ngressman Posts: 229 Member
    I think that lifting weights helps lose weight. I lose more weight when I am lifting weights and doing cardio, plus I think it looks better. I am 230 pounds and about 5 ft 2. I have lost 50 pounds, and I think it looks better when you are doing both. I have heard that if you lift weights it helps prevent you from having loose skin when you lose the weight. Don't know if that is true, but it sure feels good to me to do strength training along with cardio. If you like your routine stick with it.
  • Krueger92
    Krueger92 Posts: 109 Member
    Hit the weights! Lifting weights burns more calories while doing it and after then cardio. Don't listen when people say only do cardio, want to do cardio, lift weights faster! :)
  • DreamOfSunshine
    DreamOfSunshine Posts: 911 Member
    If you have the energy, do both :) I started with cardio only, shifted to cardio&HIIT and now I do mainly HIIT and strenght and I am very happy with the results. However, to be honest, if I was smarter, I would have started with the strenght much earlier :)
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Hit the weights! Lifting weights burns more calories while doing it and after then cardio. Don't listen when people say only do cardio, want to do cardio, lift weights faster! :)

    I agree with you that she should be lifting weights, but not for the reason you mentioned. Lifting weights doesn't burn nearly the calories that cardio does, even including the often overblown afterburn effect that lifting weights gives you. You should lift weights to retain muscle while you lose weight to maximize fat loss and minimize muscle loss.
  • csontos
    csontos Posts: 76 Member
    I think I remember hearing that strength training is really beneficial for people that have a lot of weight to lose because it can help keep skin tight in the long run. Maybe somebody who knows more about weight loss on the forums can say if this is right or not :)
  • aufond
    aufond Posts: 18 Member
    Hit the weights! Lifting weights burns more calories while doing it and after then cardio. Don't listen when people say only do cardio, want to do cardio, lift weights faster! :)

    I agree with you that she should be lifting weights, but not for the reason you mentioned. Lifting weights doesn't burn nearly the calories that cardio does, even including the often overblown afterburn effect that lifting weights gives you. You should lift weights to retain muscle while you lose weight to maximize fat loss and minimize muscle loss.

    Also, keep an eye on your protein intake. If you're losing weight and don't have sufficient protein, you'll lose muscle. So keep an eye on your protein count on MFP, that can help.
  • eslcity
    eslcity Posts: 323 Member
    This is my unprofessional opinion and it worked for me but i'm not sure if this is the way everyone should go but I personally started doing cardio only... to begin with.. now that I'm near my target weight i started rebuilding the muscles i know I have lost in the process of dieting..

    I started with just the core exercises that you can do at home... crunches, push-ups, squats and lunges... and other light dumbell exercises

    and now i am setting up appointments with gyms to find the perfect gym for my daughter and me... (a gym with both yoga for children and wii)
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    This is my unprofessional opinion and it worked for me but i'm not sure if this is the way everyone should go but I personally started doing cardio only... to begin with.. now that I'm near my target weight i started rebuilding the muscles i know I have lost in the process of dieting..

    I started with just the core exercises that you can do at home... crunches, push-ups, squats and lunges... and other light dumbell exercises

    and now i am setting up appointments with gyms to find the perfect gym for my daughter and me... (a gym with both yoga for children and wii)

    You can't build muscle mass on a calorie deficit, especially if you're close to your goal. That's the whole point of lifting weights while on a calorie deficit, it helps retain muscle. If you lose any substantial amount of weight without lifting weights, a good portion of that weight loss will be muscle loss when you could have just retained that muscle from the beginning by starting out lifting.

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