question about lifting for women

Options
2

Replies

  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    Options
    I'm also going to add...be prepared when you start lifting to not see the scale # move for awhile. TAKE MEASUREMENTS! Track those. Your muscles will retain water for repair. I've been lifting for 8 weeks, today my scale moved down 1 lb...however I've lost inches everywhere. 2" in my leg! So take measurements, take progress photos, and put the scale away.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    Options
    I am down 40 pounds, but I think it looks like more due to lifting for the past two years. Get started NOW. I am happy I did.

    Before96ca0a41b40ac0b99abe4aafbc77f35ad44e.jpg

    Now
    96cafcdd975eb797302b8c81711409af4b7a.jpg

    96ca1643bec8a995d991adf3d1c95ababc07.jpg
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Options
    Yes, lift now.

    Lifting while dieting maintains the muscle you currently have. Your body composition will be much better when you hit your goal if you lift while losing.
  • Kiki829
    Kiki829 Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    Measurements it is! If I keep lifting, and keep running (because I like it!), AND keep in deficit, the scale has to move at some point, right??!! I mean, I have over 100 lbs to lose! I think I have decided on the Jamie Eason program. I have most of the equipment for that at home, except for the leg press days, etc. I do have a question, though. Can I combine 2 of her upper body days and just do those in 1 days, then do the legs and the other set of exercises the next day? Or should I really split it all out into 4 days?
  • JennEason1
    JennEason1 Posts: 32 Member
    Options
    START LIFTING NOW!!!! Lifting weights will help you burn fat too! I used to be a cardio junkie and was skinny but jiggled all over and had no definition. I started lifting weights, and lifting heavy at that! I saw results very quickly and found myself addicted to it. I agree with the others though. Stronglifts 5X5 is a great program. Good luck girl!
  • Curlysasha
    Curlysasha Posts: 191 Member
    Options
    First I am about seventy pounds over weight, should I lose weight before starting to lift? I don't want to be fat and muscular.lol. and then I don't know how to get started. Any help would be greatly appreciated:)

    THANK YOU I NEEDED THIS TOO :)
  • Kiki829
    Kiki829 Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    My plan is to progress to Stronglifts 5x5 after completing the Jamie Eason program.
  • WeepingAngel81
    WeepingAngel81 Posts: 2,232 Member
    Options
    I am with everyone else here who says to start now! I am only down 10lbs, but like Cranq, it looks like more because I have lost inches. I have lost 4 pant sizes in total. I don't have real solid before/after pics, but there is one arm pic in my profile pics that was taken a month apart. The before pic is on the top and the after is on the bottom. I saw drastic changes in my waist (though I am still working on that flat belly), and my though my breasts shrunk, they look perkier.

    I was terrified to step into the weight room the first time. I stuck with using the machines first, and as I was using them, I watched those who were using free weights. As I gained more strength and confidence, I stepped into the free weight area. I'm not the strongest out there, but that doesn't matter. It's working, and that's what counts.
  • jmangini
    jmangini Posts: 166 Member
    Options
    First I am about seventy pounds over weight, should I lose weight before starting to lift? I don't want to be fat and muscular.lol. and then I don't know how to get started. Any help would be greatly appreciated:)

    THANK YOU I NEEDED THIS TOO :)

    I'm going to go against most people on here. I find it much easier, to slim way down first then work to tighten up. Everyone pretty much initially gains weight when they start training. I think this is due to 3 main reasons. 1. You will get hungrier and make it harder to cut calories. 2. Most people will feel they can eat more since they are training. (This is evident on here as you are encouraged to burn calories then eat them right back. Kinda counterintuitive in my mind.). 3. You're body will initially hold extra water, which discourages many people and they lose motivation. I've only been totally ripped with very low body fat once. I dieted to go from 183 to 147 then worked out to get muscular and toned. I did it this way after learning that Sylvester Stallone had done that to get in shape for Rocky 3. He went on an extreme diet of 10 egg whites and a piece of toast a day adding fruit or oatmeal cookie every day. He dropped to 155lbs then started training and increasing his calories. I did something similar and went from a 34 inch waist to a 30 with lots of muscle. When I workout and try to really trim down, it is very difficult and requires good discipline because I get extreme hunger. I've done it but it was much harder and took longer. Anyway that's my 2 cents. I'll wait for the usual bashers now :)
  • Reddirtblacktopqueen
    Reddirtblacktopqueen Posts: 79 Member
    Options
    Thank you, thank you and thank you for all the great responses here! I have been doing all cardio and have wanted to lift but just didn't know where to start. You all have given great insight and encouragement. :bigsmile:
  • perfectlytrained
    perfectlytrained Posts: 83 Member
    Options
    First I am about seventy pounds over weight, should I lose weight before starting to lift? I don't want to be fat and muscular

    I started my journey with 60+ lbs to lose. and lifted weights since the very beginning... My shape is more feminine than ever.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1309674-6-months-of-lifting-loving-my-body-recomp
  • sunflowerhippi
    sunflowerhippi Posts: 1,086 Member
    Options
    I am just chiming in to agree with all that was said above.

    Also you in the end might need to actually ditch the scale. I am still 10lbs above goal and have been for a year now but have dropped almost 2 sizes in bottoms and my measurements are drastically down. If i were to only be using the scale and not taking pictures I would feel like a failure. So pictures too! :) You don't need to post them but having them for yourself to see if a great motivation.
  • casperkawa
    casperkawa Posts: 19 Member
    Options
    I am heading out. Can't wait to read all your response.. Thanks
  • summer8it
    summer8it Posts: 433 Member
    Options
    Start lifting now.

    I found this to be a really powerful argument for why people should lift while they are losing weight... it's from an article called "5 Things I Miss About Weighing More than 300 Pounds." (http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13018/5-things-i-miss-about-weighing-more-than-300-pounds.html)

    "five things I miss about my old, obese self:

    1. Power

    Being fat gave me natural physical strength. As a thin person, I have to go out of my way to be strong. Despite daily strength training I’m nowhere near as powerful as I used to be. Once upon a time I could confidently lift a couch into and out of a moving truck (a U-Haul, not a truck in motion — being fat never did give me super powers). Today, I labor under the weight of heavy things. I miss the natural, organic strength that I used to take for granted, the sheer power born of moving under the weight of my own fat day after day."

    Think about it -- by carrying extra weight you are, to some extent, strength-training with every movement, every step. Start lifting now, and you will retain the strength while you lose the fat.
  • ameliad87
    ameliad87 Posts: 66 Member
    Options
    I'm about 30 pounds overweight, and about 55 away from goal. I have noticed a significant change in even just doing lifting 1x a week. I'm still super uncomfortable in the weight area, so I only go there on Saturdays with my hubby who is a lifter. I'll occasionally do a little bit of a "lifting" thing at home with my 5 pound dumbbells. Seriously, even just that little bit has increased my stamina and endurance FOR the cardio I love to do. I imagine once I actually read the NROL4W and just buckle down and do it, I'll get even faster results, but I'm taking it slowly.

    And I'm still learning this, but as you incorporate lifting in, don't be discouraged by the scale. The days after I do a heavy lifting session, I either stay the same despite a deficit, or even gain. It's mainly water weight as your muscles hold onto that to repair and such (I'm not an expert, but something like that from what I've read). Give it a few days, stay hydrated, and do measurements. Even though the past month I've stayed within the same stupid 4 pounds even on a deficit, alot of that is my body adjusting to a new workout plan and being more active in general. But the measurements and how my clothes fit...have changed tremendously, even in just one month.

    Start lifting now, even if just a little bit. Your body will thank you.
  • fooninie
    fooninie Posts: 291 Member
    Options
    Lifting will not only help with getting rid of the fat but will give you GREAT definition in the long run....Go for it!
  • slimzandra
    slimzandra Posts: 955 Member
    Options
    Bump for links to read later. Thanks!
  • katimama
    katimama Posts: 191 Member
    Options
    I've got the same questions ... looks like a lot of good responses and articles listed.
  • yusineddy
    yusineddy Posts: 457 Member
    Options
    Great post!
  • WeepingAngel81
    WeepingAngel81 Posts: 2,232 Member
    Options
    First I am about seventy pounds over weight, should I lose weight before starting to lift? I don't want to be fat and muscular.lol. and then I don't know how to get started. Any help would be greatly appreciated:)

    THANK YOU I NEEDED THIS TOO :)

    I'm going to go against most people on here. I find it much easier, to slim way down first then work to tighten up. Everyone pretty much initially gains weight when they start training. I think this is due to 3 main reasons. 1. You will get hungrier and make it harder to cut calories. 2. Most people will feel they can eat more since they are training. (This is evident on here as you are encouraged to burn calories then eat them right back. Kinda counterintuitive in my mind.). 3. You're body will initially hold extra water, which discourages many people and they lose motivation. I've only been totally ripped with very low body fat once. I dieted to go from 183 to 147 then worked out to get muscular and toned. I did it this way after learning that Sylvester Stallone had done that to get in shape for Rocky 3. He went on an extreme diet of 10 egg whites and a piece of toast a day adding fruit or oatmeal cookie every day. He dropped to 155lbs then started training and increasing his calories. I did something similar and went from a 34 inch waist to a 30 with lots of muscle. When I workout and try to really trim down, it is very difficult and requires good discipline because I get extreme hunger. I've done it but it was much harder and took longer. Anyway that's my 2 cents. I'll wait for the usual bashers now :)

    I'm not a typical basher, I am not going to "bash" you. I see your pic so this is obviously working for you. However, celebrity diets do tend to be extreme as you mentioned. These are not diets or lifestyles that a typical person should go into without consulting a doctor first. This can be a very dangerous change for many people. Not everyone has the discipline that you seem to have, and promoting an extreme diet is probably not a good idea. You're looking at it from a weight loss standpoint rather than an inches lost. Yes, we want to lose the weight, but figuring out TDEE is usually the best solution for those who are lifting. Extreme hunger isn't healthy.
    Even though I disagree with you, I say, you keep doing what you're doing. Just be careful in promoting anything extreme.

Categories

Do you Love MyFitnessPal? Have you crushed a goal or improved your life through better nutrition using MyFitnessPal?
Share your success and inspire others. Leave us a review on Apple Or Google Play stores!