i dump weight traing for good i see no point

Maybe your body needs a break from the weights. I've found i definitely lose weight faster with cardio, but I want to change the shape of my body and weights is the only way to do that. Whatever works for you is what is best for you, but try to keep strength training in a bit just for the long term effect on your health! Keep up the good work!

There's no "all or nothing" solution to losing fat.

You weight train to keep the existing muscles from deteriorating and being canabalized, you use cardio to burn extra calories and/or to build up oxygen efficiency and cardiovascular health and endurance, and you eat a good healthy balance of foods with a respectable but not overly large calorie deficit to force your body to burn fat to make up the difference between energy eaten and energy burned.

That's basically it. If you take one of these 3 out of the mix, then fat loss becomes less predictable, and less effective. Sure, if you do zero muscle building activity (and make no mistake, cardio is NOT a muscle building activity) you'll probably lose weight, but much of it will be muscle mass or the corresponding components needed to keep muscles functioning.

If you're not losing the fat like you should be, examine what you are doing and modify, don't just completely remove a portion of the routine, that's not going to solve anything.

I understand your frustration, believe me I do, but this stuff takes time, and it takes patience, and a lot of self analysis and re-evaluation. You try out a method for 6 or 8 weeks based on educated guesses and as much self-knowledge as you can glean, then you evaluate if it worked and/or what about it worked, keep that part, and rebuild the rest of your program around that, eventually you'll have the program you want and the body you want, but nobody ever said going from "good shape" to "great shape" was easy, it's not, it's FAR harder than going from obese to "normal" body fat levels.

I agree. Certainly do the cardio but don't give up strength training all together. My fear is that you will find that over time from not doing it that you will not be burning calories as efficiently as you have been. Extra muscle requires more calories to make them work and with less muscle you won't be burning the amounts you do and the weight could creep up on you slowly.

I agree, this can be nerve racking at times. All the effort we put into things and we are not getting the results we want. I've been weight lifting for over 13 years and many years came to the conclusion I won't look like those Men's Health cover page guys. It is not for lack of trying because I work out smart, I work with intensity and I work out all the time. Many times it comes down to genetics and you can't beat that. And for your self and your mom, realize that while you have your mothers genetics you also have your fathers. And that this also includes their families which means you can do all that you can and never look like your parents.

Definitely a break could be in order but don't give up as I think in the long run you may regret it.

Weight training is essential. If all you do is cardio you will lose muscle and losing muscle will decrease your metabolism which will make your fat loss slower or non-existent at which point you will be skinny-fat (low weight with a high body fat percentage). It has probably not worked for you because you have not been doing it right; simply picking up a weight does not constitute strength training. I have lost 8% body fat doing nothing but strength training 3 days per week; absolutely no cardio. So if you do it right, it works.

Read this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/234432-if-you-think-you-gained-muscle-read-this

Oh my gosh - I just had to tell you how amazing you look compared to your "before" pics in your profile!! I don't have any other advice to offer on the weight training. I struggle with that element of exercise myself.

thanks guys i went and went cried my little heart out to a guy that work at this gym i know and he said alot things you guys said but when he ask about my diet and look though my logs on here he ask how am im still a live LOL:laugh: i eat virtual no fat and carbs and alotta days i eat maybe 1100 calories a good day is 1600 he just stared at me and chewed me out after wards and said we need to look at my diet big time.............................................:huh:

that's true, both carbs and fat are important for most people (some people do ketogenic, which is no carbs, but other than that...)
and you just CAN'T live without at least a small percentage of good fats (minimum is around 12% of your daily nutrient intake) or you start to really destroy certain systems in your body.

Great advice from the guy you know! Second, you look absolutely fabulous . That said...everyone who said that it is a mix of healthy eating, strength training, cardio, resistence, etc. is absolutely correct! You have accomplished something that a vast majority of people have never done with that AMAZING loss! I just took a look through your pics and OMG girl, I am jealous! LOL...sometimes we see flaws we don't really have and let me tell ya...you look great!!

Weight/strength training is essential for re-shaping your body, but you need to build the muscle or keep muscle tone. I wouldn't give up strength training. I would suggest that maybe you look at your routine. Have you been doing the same old, same old for ? # of yrs? If so, then your body has gotten used to that routine, it has stopped being challenged. I would take a good look at that and ramp it up a bit. Not much, just enough to make your body work again, give it a challenge.

Do you really mean fat or loose skin? If you have loose skin, then no, it's not going to make that go away, neither is cardio. Sorry, the only solution to that is surgical removal of the skin.

You say also can't lose the fat, but you blamed that on strength training. But you didn't blame cardio. I would look at ramping up the cardio also, if you are not losing anything at all. It's not just the wt training..it's all combined.

Try looking at other ways to strength train or other cardio exercises. Maybe the whole thing is you're just bored w/it all and need something new to challenge you and get you interested/keep you interested in exercise.

Heck, I say forget the weights and do yoga. I don't mean a restorative yoga class, but try out some different yoga classes like ashtanga, maybe bikram, etc and find one you like and stick to it. You still have to do your cardio as well. I have built so much muscle from yoga and the definition I know have is pretty remarkable. My body can do things I never thought possible. When doing weight lifting you are limited to the major muscle groups and it is very time consuming to hit all the muscles. Yoga does this, as well as hitting the rest of the muscles you don't work doing major lifting. Give it a shot! Don't get down on yourself. Sometimes we just need a change in our routine. I have done everything under the sun and will always continue to try new things when I workout. It's good to challenge our bodies and push the mental limit.

NICE! -- If I could click "LIKE" or put one of those "<3's" for what LorinaLynn says here I would....
and WOW! 188 LBs, too... sheesh!
I personally really like free weights (which I do at home with a few sets of adjustable dumbbells and a stability ball) AND cardio and keeping everything mixed up and fresh and 'new' as possible. I think what the folks here have posted about making sure you keep changing up your routine is super important... (and more than just saying go 'Heavy'' vs. "light" lifting) there are so many exercises and variations you can do it's difficult to count 'em all! In any case, I'm sure you will work it out because you're my mfp friend, and I see your determination and dedication in my newsfeed everyday!

Do you see what everyone else sees when they look at you? Because I see an absolutely stunning young woman who's lean and muscular. I see amazing legs, great arms, and an itty bitty waist that I'd *kill* to have!

But I also know that when I look in the mirror, I often see the person I was 23 pounds ago, not the person I am now. It's not until I do side by side photos that I can say, "Yeah, I look pretty darn good."

Totally! Also, planks will rip your abs like no other. I thought that I would never get rid of loose skin after pregnancy. Planks are the most affective way to strengthen your abdominal muscles. Forget the crunches!

Compound lifts + Yoga = Win

bump

Another thing that might be hindering you is routine. How often do your change the type of weight training? You body will adapt to a routine in 4-6 weeks. If you dont vary the moves, your body will have a harder time to grow. On top of that, your diet is lacking for substantial muscle group. 1100 calories is not enough. Heck 1600 calories is not enough. It is all about having a the proper defecit when it comes to your calories. NO more than a 500 calorie deficit or your body will retain the weight. Also, I would highly suggest doing a custom set up and doing a 40\40\20 (carbs/protein/fat) ratio. This is a good fat burning ratio. After about 30 -45 days (or when you feel exhausted during workouts... aka you are bonking... increase your cars and reduce the protein respectively. If you can figure out your body fat or kwow it, I would suggest calculating your caloric needs using the Katch-McArdle formula to calculate your body's Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This will allow you to understand what your body burns at rest. Then you have to plus that up to compensate for your workouts. Below is my example.

To calculate your BMR, first you need to figured out what your Lean Body Mass (LBM) is. The formula is: Weight-(weight*body fat percentage)

LBM for myself: 193-(193*.15) = 164

Then use that to calculate your Basal Metaboic Rate (BMR) "the amount of calories burnt by doing nothing in a 24 hour period".

BMR = 370 + (9.79759519 X Lean Mass in pounds)

BMR for me = 370 + (9.79759519 X 164) = 2373


So based on my LBM and BMR totals, I should eat ~2400 calories. Now for this to become useful, you need to take it one step further. The reason you need to do this, is to ensure you are not working in a large deficiet in terms of calories. For optimal weight loss, you don't want to burn more than 500 calories more than you intake. For example:

You do CE extreme and burn 400 calories.
You eat 2200 calories

Total: Intake - (BMR + Workout calories)
Total: 2200 - (2400+400) = -600


Now by this equation, I am in a 600 calories deficiet which puts my body into starvation mode (this is where I was at last week). Now If you increase your intake by 200 more calories you would be in a perfect range. Also note, this is why when you do programs like p90x, turbofire, or insanity, you have to increase your caloric intake by almost 400-500 calories. In a normal p90x workout, I can burn 700-1200 calories.



After doing this, I lost 3 lbs in one week. I found out, I wasn't even close to what I needed to eat. I went from 2200 calories to 2500 currently and that is growing almost every week. Remember, the closer you are to your goal weight, the harder it will be and the more strict your diet will need to be.


Sorry for the long post but good luck.