Will lifting help to take in the waist and thighs?

amiwills
amiwills Posts: 46 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone. Started my journey in February this year at 151lbs and am currently 124lbs (I'm 5,4 female) I'm really happy with my progress, I've been trying to get back to where I was before I had my baby at the end of 2014 and I would say I'm almost there now.

Now I have a little bit of squidge left all over but it is mainly on my thighs and love handles. My waist is 28in right now but it used to be 26in so that is my goal really, I couldn't care less about the number on the scale. Also, my bum was always so nice and round and now it has lost its shape :( I feel very self conscious in jeans now because of that so I'd really like to work on that.

Currently, I do around 50mins cardio 7 days a week. I eat around 1500 calories a day. Cardio feels important to me at the moment because of the calorie burn and of course I'm trying to lose fat. When I have a good feel of the flab that is still there on my thighs I'd say I had maybe 10lbs left to lose? I have no idea really.

Can anyone please advise me, will lifting help to take in my waist and thighs those couple of inches? Or do I need to continue to lose fat using cardio? Do I need to trim down some more before starting a lifting program? My other half keeps on telling me that if I gain muscle it will tighten everything and make me look less squidgy/flabby but that just doesn't make sense to me- I really need some good advice right now I feel really confused!

Thanks everyone

Replies

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Maybe check out this thread, and decide if you might want to go lift....

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/977538/halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky/p1
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    cardio will not burn fat. a calorie deficit will. If you eat 1500 and do no cardio, would be the same as eating 2000 and burning 500 from cardio.

    what weight lifting will do is help ensure that a large % of your weight comes from fat, instead of a larger portion of the loss coming from lean mass. essentially you will be a lower at every weight during the journey and at your goal weight.
  • GoKelsey
    GoKelsey Posts: 15 Member
    You don't have to lift heavy weights. Strength training with kettle bells or resistance bands is good for toning and tightening. It's amazing how much the shape of your body can change (for the better!) when there's muscle tone. Add plank hip dips to your core routine and that'll help shred the love handles. And the more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn at rest!
  • donhalox2
    donhalox2 Posts: 4 Member
    Well the flab will go away as you burn more fat. Meaning you either have to eat a little bit less and/or do weight training. Usually people do a combination. Cardio burns as you do it. Lifting continues to burn even after you are done.

    For newbie lifters and since you're a female, your muscles will develop way different. Since you are a female, it will take years before you gain muscle size. It's just genetics. And since you are new to lifting, your muscles will not really grow in size. Your muscles will get dense as it learns how to lift. So you will NOT get massive at all. Your muscles will get leaner. Muscle size is actually really hard and takes a long time. even for men. It also requires a calorie surplus to get bigger.

    So lifting will make your muscles more dense. As your muscles get more dense(not size), your body burns more calories to maintain those muscles. So the more muscles you have (not really size remember, density and strength), the more calories you burn. As you continue to get stronger and make your muscles denser/leaner, you will start to burn more fat and still eat the same amount.

    Key takeaways for lifting. Track and always increase your reps and weights. Doing 50 reps of 5lbs is not the most optimal and a waste of time. You need progression overload for your muscles to get dense and lean.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
    Weights weights weights!
  • haroldrios1692
    haroldrios1692 Posts: 90 Member
    Hi Amiwills, just like some other members suggested you would get better results if you resort to strength training as opposed to cardio. My heart goes out to you because I would hate to do that much weekly cardio. I'm not saying that a small amount of cardio doesn't have its place in getting/staying healthy. Would you believe if I told you that you can actually lose body fat by diet and strength training only NO CARDIO. But you have to make sure you consume the right amount of daily calories and those same calories must be divided up into a certain percentage of carbohydrates,protein, and fats. Also your calories must create just enough of a deficit for you to slowly lose the weight.

    I would start by consulting with someone who understands the daily calorie intake necessary for you specifically. If you just guess at the amount of calories you need you could short fall or exceed them.Take the guess work out of the equation and you will see you can change your body. I could go on but I'll leave it at that...and just so you know I followed this approach of proper dieting and weekly strength training and I did zero CARDIO and I went from 25.4% body fat down to 19.2% in about 3.5 months. It felt incredible to see my body change before my own eyes. Best wishes and keep us posted on your progress.
  • Bghere1
    Bghere1 Posts: 78 Member
    Lift. more muscle, and density burns more calories. Also eat less than 1500. continue cardio as well

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