Im confused!! What should I do?

weightlossnoob
weightlossnoob Posts: 44
edited September 27 in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, I am working really hard to reach my weight loss goal. Only 8 days in to it, and already lost 3.5 pounds! I am 5'7" and 226.5lb now.

My friends are telling me that I should stay big and bulk up with weights, but I want to get lean, slender, and strong. My goal is 180lb. I don't want to gain muscle weight because I want to get healthier and lean, then build up.

What should I do? Also, is 180lb on 5'7" w/ not much muscles still going to look big and "fat"

THANKS!!! SO EXCITED TO REACH MY GOAL~ I am sure you are too!

Replies

  • julie0477
    julie0477 Posts: 10 Member
    Congrats on the weight loss! You'll want to do cardio AND strength training, even if you don't want to bulk up. Strengthening your muscles is really important to a healthy body and stronger muscles help you burn more calories on average. A person with strong muscles burns more calories just sitting around and doing nothing than a person with weaker muscles. Thats just the way it is! Set a goal for yourself, like 20 minutes or more of cardio each day, and try to add 15 minutes or more of strength training to that targeting different parts of your body each day. Get some DVDs or find some work outs on youtube. You'll be amazed at how fast you progress. Keep at it! You are doing great!
  • Xaspar
    Xaspar Posts: 726 Member
    I am not an expert, BUT, I lost a good 10 pounds BEFORE I started adding heavier cardio and weight work to ease the stress on my joints. I have tried to go straight for muscle build without losing weight first and got sore, and discouraged and quit. This time I have stuck with it much longer and feel better about how I went about it. Do what feels right to you and don't worry about what anyone else says. You will gain strength and muscle no matter which way you do it, eventually it will all even out.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
    leaning out while building some muscle is good, leaning out then beefing up also works. Work with your body, not against it. If it wants to beef up and lean out, help it out. If it wants to lean out more, help that along too.
  • weightlossnoob
    weightlossnoob Posts: 44
    Thanks Julie! I am going to go look for some videos!

    Thanks Xaspar! I really hope I don't get discouraged like you did, so I am going to take a slow and steady approach!
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    Great work! Congrats on an awesome start! Here are my 2 cents:
    If you want to get lean, ignore your friends. Eat at a 500-1000 calorie per day deficit.
    Lift heavy weights. That won't really bulk you since you'll be eating at a deficit, but it will preserve the muscle mass you have currently. You don't want to lose muscle mass.
    When you get to 180, you can re-evaluate from there.
    3.5 is fantastic for the first week. Don't expect to see these results week after week. 1-2 lbs per week is typical and healthy. But when first starting out, it's common to drop a whole bunch of weight in the first couple of weeks (typically water weight).
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Your muscles will not be bulkier because you started working them while you still had padding.

    On the other hand, muscle contributes to your metabolism - the stronger you are, the more calories you burn even when you are sitting around.

    As I look at it, if you wait until you are at your goal to start strength training, you will have to spend that additional time and frustration with a body that is at the ideal weight, but still doesn't look healthy. Or you can start getting stronger now and suddenly realize one day that you look great!
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