Walking now, what about strength training ??

GodsJewel40
GodsJewel40 Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am very over weight 310lbs to be exact... I have been walking regularly and have been losing weight with MFP giving me good calorie intake , but my question is because I am very obese , should I start lifting weights and doing strength training too ? Some people told me that I need it to boost the way my body burns fat , and others say just concentrate on losing weight, then build muscle after i've lost weight ! Please Help

Replies

  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Strength training will help retain more muscle as you lose weight. You don't have to start it immediately at your weight, but, the sooner the better.
  • Lizzie7800
    Lizzie7800 Posts: 9
    I'm trying to incorporate a strength routine too, have been doing No More Trouble Zones by Jillian Michaels, but I kinda want to learn to lift heavy. Jillian uses high reps with low weight. I think it's good to start adding at least a little strength training in bc it helps change your shape faster. I don't have any great recommendations though as I'm just getting started myself. :/
  • FireOpalCO
    FireOpalCO Posts: 641 Member
    I'm just walking and honestly for now I'm just keeping with what I'm doing. I don't want to throw myself off track by trying to change things up too early (it's only been 7 weeks). When I feel like I've got things down pat, I'll probably start with a short body weight routine and build slowly.
  • mikegerber1
    mikegerber1 Posts: 38 Member
    I started walking in November, in Kansas, luckily I had my fat to keep me warm. could barely walk . miles around our parking lot. took me about minutes. My back hurt, my knees hurt, it sucked sooooo bad. But I kept at it, I had a pretty good support system from the others at work also trying to get in shape. I have kept it up to the point where if I don't get my walk in, I actually miss it. I just made it around the big loop around our business park today in minutes. 1.82 miles. I've done a couple "fun runs" and family walks were it took me about 45 minutes to make miles. just recently, I've started strength training and I think loosing the weight was first was a benefit to me, mainly because I didn't even fit into some of the machines. I just made my first personal goal of being under 300 before the end of may (299.2) so, at least for me It's been going pretty well loosing weight first, after about 15% is when I started weights.
  • natstar26
    natstar26 Posts: 130 Member
    strength training is super important as soon as you can start the better. Strenghting you muscles will actually help you burn more fat and will decrease the chances of having saggy skin after you get to your goal. So go for it !! :smile:
  • natstar26
    natstar26 Posts: 130 Member
    I'm trying to incorporate a strength routine too, have been doing No More Trouble Zones by Jillian Michaels, but I kinda want to learn to lift heavy. Jillian uses high reps with low weight. I think it's good to start adding at least a little strength training in bc it helps change your shape faster. I don't have any great recommendations though as I'm just getting started myself. :/
    high rep and low weight is more for toning to get a lean muscle look. If you do high weights and low reps that is to build more muscle(bulk up)
  • HeatherMaile24
    HeatherMaile24 Posts: 9 Member
    I think any strength training you do is a plus. Maybe, while you are still shedding those first pounds, just start with some light hand weights. I have 5 and 10 pound sets at home which I sometimes use when I can't get to the gym. They are only about 10-15 bucks a set. You'd be surprised how good it feels once you get in the habit of using them.

    Look on youtube for some easy, beginner workouts. Even 10 minutes at a time will help you build muscle and feel stronger.

    Good luck!
  • GodsJewel40
    GodsJewel40 Posts: 13 Member
    Thank you everyone for your insight ...... I have been walking but this week was hard , I thought I worked out hard and only lost a half of a pound , I have been down today ... maybe some strength training will help some with the fat burning process
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    You should never kick yourself for slowly losing weight. The body will release the fat when it's ready. Any fat loss is a win in my opinion. At the present, I am only doing walking for now but from all of my research, nothing forbids a person from incorporating strength training early on in their exercise routine. Here is a section from the following link:

    2) Exercise. Do something you enjoy or at worst case do the least objectionable activity. Ideally some form of resistance based training.

    Dieting without any resistance training will increase the likelihood that you will lose muscle as you lose weight. Generally it would be a good idea to avoid this both for metabolic reasons and for aesthetic reasons and possibly for functional reasons. Resistance training may also improve insulin sensitivity, it may have a positive effect on bone density, and general overall sexiness.

    Now having said that, if you're a 60 year old 300 lb woman, you don't necessarily need to hire an olympic lifting coach and start barbell squatting on day 1. While I support free-weight training, it's not the only way to get the job done and furthermore, beginners will respond to a much lower stimulus and still make great progress. Killing yourself on day one in the gym isn't necessary. Being so sore you can't move the next day isn't necessary. What is necessary is that your program provides sufficient volume and an adaptive stress. (You should be getting stronger over time and your program should have that built in).

    So choosing the right program is going to be context dependent and saying that stronglifts (for example) is the best approach is just as idiotic as saying that circuit training is the best approach because that's going to depend on the trainee, their goals, what limitations they have, and their training preferences.

    Doing something you enjoy will probably get you better results than doing something optimized that you can't consistently execute due to adherence problems.


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    Thank you everyone for your insight ...... I have been walking but this week was hard , I thought I worked out hard and only lost a half of a pound , I have been down today ... maybe some strength training will help some with the fat burning process

    the person that hasn't loss any weight is very jealous of you JUST losing a half a pound.

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