Why lose weight and then "tone"?

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  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    Just to add what has already been said, some of them might have decided in the beginning to work on the food part and once that's mastered to work on the exercise portion. That was the road I was going down when I was doing Weight Watchers. Once I started reading the boards on here I changed that.

    I totally agree with this - - It's easier to focus on tweaking one area of habits at a time.

    I think it really depends on the person. Some do much better with a complete overhaul -- because doing things little by little means that they 're more likely to fall back into their old routines. I know my husband felt this way when he stopped smoking. He did a major overhaul on his diet and work out routine at the same time and said it was essential to start something completely new (he also changed houses too). But, others prefer the one change at a time because it feels less drastic.

    With many things in life, there is rarely one way that works for everyone.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    People always talk about the weight not coming off as quickly while weight lifting vs cardio.. and I have a question that I'm not sure I can ask in a way that makes sense.

    For example, I weigh 179 and at 5'3 thats pretty overweight. Even if all I lost were inches, my lean body mass can't be so high that the scale wouldn't also move, right? If I'm losing fat, I mean.

    Does that make sense? ehhh

    I guess I'm saying people are hung up on the scale numbers but it seems impossible that losing inches would be all that could happen... but that is what *I* personally fear with weight lifting.

    Well, I've lost about 13lbs in 2.5 months through mostly strength training, a bit of post-weights cardio to help wtih delayed onset muscle soreness, and tracking macros.. and I went from not being able to pull up an old pair of size 6 jean shorts to now being able to wear them pretty comfortably (although they are a bit tight for my liking in the thighs still, since my legs are still squishy). So you will still lose scale weight when strength training if you are eating at a deficit.
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
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    I've lost over 100lbs in 8 months And i lifted 3 times a week through the process. Honestly i think people are thinking lifting will slow them down because they see their lean mass loss on the scale and go ooh im lighter i must have burned fat!

    NOPE!

    When wanting to lose large amounts of fat I think my approach is best. Keep the cardio light and long duration. Like long walks or jogs if you are very fit and don't strain doing it. And lift lift lift.

    I started my program when one day it took my 5 attempts to get up off the floor. I thought enough was enough. 8 months later i know walk 2 hours a day lift 2 hours 3 times a week and swim for an hour twice a week. The weight is still falling off I am eating 2.5k calories a day. And oh while my waist is shrinking by at least an inch a month my arm and thigh measurements are growing. So much for not being able to put on muscle at a deficit.

    I think the approach many people take by starving their calories many take for weight loss is inherently backwards. Sure you need a deficit. But it really isn't THAT hard to get that deficit from activity.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    I've been at this weight loss thing for the last 3 years and I have lost 120 lbs. I have about 60 to go. I lost the majority of mine with cardio. In the last few months I have switched to mainly all weight lifting and some cardio.. I also upped my calories to help with the muscle growth with less of a deficit. The scale hasn't moved up or down, but I do notice I have a lot more "fluff" in my mid section. What do some of you suggest for trying to get rid of that and also how much cardio do you do with your weight training?

    How much have you increased your calories, and how long ago was it? You're very likely experiencing an increase in water weight from added carbs/food, along with some water retention from strength training itself, so it should hopefully subside after a while. I know that after weight training I tend to feel a bit puffier afterwards, although while I"m training I feel slimmer (based on how my attire fits before/during/after training).

    However, you might want to recalculate your caloric needs just to see how your training style is impacting your energy expenditure. I like this website (and I count my deliberate cardio as moderate):
    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html (copy + paste into a new window)

    I do ~50 minutes of strength training, not including time between different exercises, and 15-20 minutes on a cardio machine afterwards. I do this 4x a week. My estimated TDEE (maintenance needs) is around 2450, so I am eating at around a 20% deficit or 2000 calories. I have found that I really cannot eat fewer than 2000 calories or I start going crazy :p I do not utilize MFP's net calorie feature, I customize my goals and input my own calorie and macro settings. I eat 150g of protein (although I think I'm going to go back up to 160, which seemed to work better for me re: muscle retention/firmness), 65g of fat, and then the rest are for carbs. Protein and fat are minimums though, so as long as I hit my minimum protein and ideally minimum fat, I don't care if I'm over/under in carbs and fats. This is a good link for how to choose macro breakdowns:

    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981&page=1
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    I've been at this weight loss thing for the last 3 years and I have lost 120 lbs. I have about 60 to go. I lost the majority of mine with cardio. In the last few months I have switched to mainly all weight lifting and some cardio.. I also upped my calories to help with the muscle growth with less of a deficit. The scale hasn't moved up or down, but I do notice I have a lot more "fluff" in my mid section. What do some of you suggest for trying to get rid of that and also how much cardio do you do with your weight training?

    How much have you increased your calories, and how long ago was it? You're very likely experiencing an increase in water weight from added carbs/food, along with some water retention from strength training itself, so it should hopefully subside after a while. I know that after weight training I tend to feel a bit puffier afterwards, although while I"m training I feel slimmer (based on how my attire fits before/during/after training).

    However, you might want to recalculate your caloric needs just to see how your training style is impacting your energy expenditure. I like this website (and I count my deliberate cardio as moderate):
    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html (copy + paste into a new window)

    I do ~50 minutes of strength training, not including time between different exercises, and 15-20 minutes on a cardio machine afterwards. I do this 4x a week. My estimated TDEE (maintenance needs) is around 2450, so I am eating at around a 20% deficit or 2000 calories. I have found that I really cannot eat fewer than 2000 calories or I start going crazy :p I do not utilize MFP's net calorie feature, I customize my goals and input my own calorie and macro settings. I eat 150g of protein (although I think I'm going to go back up to 160, which seemed to work better for me re: muscle retention/firmness), 65g of fat, and then the rest are for carbs. Protein and fat are minimums though, so as long as I hit my minimum protein and ideally minimum fat, I don't care if I'm over/under in carbs and fats. This is a good link for how to choose macro breakdowns:

    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981&page=1

    You also have to keep in mind that generally men will see results quicker than women due to their increased testosterone and LBM numbers.
  • squirrelzzrule22
    squirrelzzrule22 Posts: 640 Member
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    exercise can be really difficult when you're really big. Like physically difficult- body parts rubbing together, joints can't handle the stress, etc. This is all in addition to the emotional difficulties of going to a gym filled with fit people when you are obese. It can get much easier once you've dropped that kind of weight. I think that is a big reason.
  • tjohnoconnor
    tjohnoconnor Posts: 58 Member
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    Dieting without exercise can result in muscle losses as high as 30%. Strength training will give better results in burning fat because working muscle can burn fat long after workouts. Building muscle while in a calorie deficit is so close to being impossible that it doesn't need to be entertained as a subject. But strength training while in a deficit can reduce muscle loss to a better margin, 3 - 5%. It makes more sense to retain 95% of muscle while burning fat.
  • cherrilovee
    cherrilovee Posts: 194 Member
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    A combo is the best. Dieting without exercise is actually a lot worse for your body because it'll burn the muscles too. What you should be doing is doing cardio as a warm up and spend 2 to 3 times more time on resistance / weight training.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    I actually just don't think that's true. I've been on MFP for several years. Most people that last start exercising immediately while losing. They tend to continue during their weight loss. Once they hit maintenance they intensify their workouts because that's what you need to do to look good after you've lost a lot, that's what you need to do to maintain successfully, and that's what keeps you healthy.

    It is true it's hard to do massive cardio workouts if you're 100 pounds overweight. But that doesn't mean that people don't walk or swim or otherwise exercise right from the start.
  • michikade
    michikade Posts: 313 Member
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    I admit that I focus more on cardio than strength training currently. It isn't because I feel that strength training isn't as important, it's simply that I don't have access to much equipment right now and it's so much easier to just walk a few miles.

    Now, that said, I DO do some body weight strength exercises, do a lot of balance exercises while strengthening an old ankle sprain injury site, and can do a good 30-40 on-my-toes push ups in just under 2 minutes which I am very proud of. I'm going to start incorporating more strength exercises into my routine.
  • itsirkmr
    itsirkmr Posts: 24 Member
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    I've been at this weight loss thing for the last 3 years and I have lost 120 lbs. I have about 60 to go. I lost the majority of mine with cardio. In the last few months I have switched to mainly all weight lifting and some cardio.. I also upped my calories to help with the muscle growth with less of a deficit. The scale hasn't moved up or down, but I do notice I have a lot more "fluff" in my mid section. What do some of you suggest for trying to get rid of that and also how much cardio do you do with your weight training?

    I lift 3x/week. I run/do zumba/yoga/some other thing 2 to 3 times per week. I started in January of this year. If I skip something, it is the cardio. But I really try to do it at least 2x/week. I have noticed amazing changes in my body due to lifting. I am an apple, I have lost 15.5 inches on my waist! Still an apple though, just a smaller one :)
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    i think it's because some people think they have WAY more lean body mass than they actually do and assume that because of that they will gain muscle very quickly. then when they dont strength train while losing weight and lose tons of lean body mass they realize that it's much harder to gain muscle than they thought and maybe they should have started earlier.
  • tabicatinthehat
    tabicatinthehat Posts: 329 Member
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    I want to be able to see my progress. That's my only reason for holding out. Well, aside from working on changing one set of habits at a time. Might be lame, but there it is.
  • KameHameHaaaa
    KameHameHaaaa Posts: 837 Member
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    Everyone is different. People choose to lose then lift due to schedule interference, chronic injury or fear of injury, anxiety of being around people they think might be judging them etc.

    I do cardio and very very light lifting. BUT, I have degenerative disc disease, have had one surgery, nerve damage, etc. I'm terrified to go as "hard" as I want to until I have less weighing me down and "getting in my way". One slip, one fall, one instance of bad form and that could mean paralysis for me.
  • TrailNurse
    TrailNurse Posts: 359 Member
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    I lost my weight by strength training and diet together.
  • kimothy38
    kimothy38 Posts: 840 Member
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    For me, it's a matter of confidence. I have more confidence to do lifting after I've lost some weight - not all of it, just some weight.
  • kazzsj0urney
    kazzsj0urney Posts: 57
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    I am aiming to lose 200 pounds....im down about 150+ pounds at the moment. I started weight training after I had lost about 50 pounds....reason being was I was uneducated....didnt really know anything about weight training. Also it was a struggle to even walk to the letter box....it was once I was a bit fitter and had the desire to do more that I joined a gym and my trainer had me doing weight work.

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