I'm getting a little confused... about weights

tig3rang3l
tig3rang3l Posts: 270 Member
edited September 19 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey, I'm hoping someone can answer this for me once and for all... because I thought I knew the answer, but now I'm reading all sorts of conflicting evidence.

How do I make sure to burn FAT vs MUSCLE?

I'm 5'2, 152 pounds. I have no clue what my body fat percentage is, I'm going to go have that checked properly next week. I'm trying to lose weight and tone muscle... what the heck is it that I should be doing? I started strength training today (thanks to some great encouragement I got off of here :drinker: ), but I want to make sure I'm burning fat, not muscles.

If someone could clarify, in layman's terms, that would be fantastic :bigsmile:

Replies

  • tig3rang3l
    tig3rang3l Posts: 270 Member
    Hey, I'm hoping someone can answer this for me once and for all... because I thought I knew the answer, but now I'm reading all sorts of conflicting evidence.

    How do I make sure to burn FAT vs MUSCLE?

    I'm 5'2, 152 pounds. I have no clue what my body fat percentage is, I'm going to go have that checked properly next week. I'm trying to lose weight and tone muscle... what the heck is it that I should be doing? I started strength training today (thanks to some great encouragement I got off of here :drinker: ), but I want to make sure I'm burning fat, not muscles.

    If someone could clarify, in layman's terms, that would be fantastic :bigsmile:
  • shasha613
    shasha613 Posts: 9
    You cant lose muscle from working out you can only get stronger (gain) but if you start working out a lot for a while and you gain muscle you will probably gain some weight to becuase muscle weighs more than fat. I would reccomend that you take your measurments so you dont get discouraged by the numbers but then you could just measure your stomach or any other place and you would be able to see if its smaller (lost fat there).
  • Coach2010
    Coach2010 Posts: 209
    Yeah...I'm hip. Not easy...but I do agree that there is a correlation in your heart rate.

    Let's try the following sites:

    http://exercise.about.com/cs/cardioworkouts/l/aa022601a.htm

    http://www.naturalphysiques.com/tools.php?itemid=2

    Hope that helps!

    Cheeers!!! :drinker:
    Coach
  • msarro
    msarro Posts: 2,748 Member
    Try to exercise around your target heart rate to maximize fat loss.

    With strength training, if you're looking purely to tone you want to focus on getting high numbers of reps with low weights.
  • mrsyac2
    mrsyac2 Posts: 2,784 Member
    Just hit the weights- It is good to do some form of weight training and don't be afraid of lifting more weight- Having more lean muscle burns more and looks better too-


    You can be 115lbs and have a High Body Fat % because you don't have alot of lean muscle-

    Hit the weights- There are great magazines out there that have workouts in them that you can take to the gym or you can google some--


    Alternate between 10-12 reps with manageable weights (not too light to where you can do more than that last #12) And do reps between 6-8 with heavier weights-

    You don't want to become stagnate with your weights you want to keep challenging your muscles-
  • mrsyac2
    mrsyac2 Posts: 2,784 Member
    If you suspect you are losing muscle there are four likely causes:

    1. You are not eating enough protein. Protein is the only nutrient that is actually used to build muscle. To stay anabolic you must eat five to six protein containing meals. Each meal should be spaced out approximately three hours apart. Research has proven that if you are physically active, you need a minimum of .8 grams to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.

    2. Your carbohydrates are too low. Low carb diets are often used for fat loss, but it is a mistake to cut your carbs too drastically. Carbohydrates are protein-sparing, so even if you are eating large amounts of protein, you can still lose muscle if you your carbs are too low.

    3. You are not eating enough calories to support muscle growth. This is the most common cause of muscle loss. When your calories are too low, your body goes into "starvation mode." Your metabolism slows down and your body actually burns muscle tissue to conserve energy. Muscle is metabolically active tissue, requiring a great deal of caloric energy just to maintain it. That's why your body will shed muscle if it thinks you are starving.

    4. You are not training with weights. It is a common misconception that if you want to lose weight, you should start with cardio only and add the weights later - another big mistake! It is the weight training that keeps you from losing muscle while you are dieting.
  • tig3rang3l
    tig3rang3l Posts: 270 Member
    That clears up where I was confused... thanks!
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