Weight Lifting while Losing Weight - Yes or no?

I would recommend doing both simultaneously. I started P90X 10 weeks ago and have seen big changes in my body. Realize though that lifting weights may slow your weight loss at first. Stay true to your lifting and exercise program and you will see the results. It may help to take other measurements like waist, etc. best of Luck!!!!!

Absolutely no doubt about it you must strength train while losing weight. You wll not bulk up you will actually shrink down even more as a woman. Weight lifting increasing metabolism, muscles burn more calories than fat and all clothes fit better!

Both. Muscle burns fat. When I lost 110+ pounds I wasn't lifting (I was afraid I wouldn't lose as quickly...idiot!) & I was doing very little cardio. I'm one of those 'skinny fat' people. No one wants to be 'skinny fat' :sad:

As others have said, this will really help your progress. I'd think more body composition than weight though. Measure starting inches at hips, waist, thighs, bicep, neck and chest and record. As you begin to lift and strength train, your muscles will store glycogen and water. This will either make the scale go up or stay level and you'll think you aren't progressing but you are! That's where the measurements come in. Check them every 2 weeks or so and you see them getting better even if the scale isn't. Eventually, the scale will catch back up but always remember that, in the short term, as someone else said on a different thread as day or so ago, the scale can be a lyin' b*tch! Measure inches! If they are going down but the weight is not for a little while, your body is recomposing to less fat and more muscle. That's a very good thing!!

Weight training helps that loose skin (if you have any!) have something else to form around! I can lose pounds all day long, but I know I'm not going to feel sexy with jiggly, untoned goo jumping around all over my body... Definitely lift weights during! I loooooove the days of P90X where I'm lifting. Not only does increased muscle mass increase metabolism, but it also makes me feel super powerful to be lifting away, doing what some people would think of as a workout only a man could/should be doing! ;P

People talk about "skinny fat" or something like that on these boards, and I think that if someone refuses to lift weights during the weight loss process, he or she is most likely going to end up in that "skinny fat" category. Of course, cardio is awesome and increases endurance, but strength is important, too.

Also, we women need to lift weights in order to have stronger bones!

Have an awesome weekend!!

I see a fitness trainer through a medically supervised program and they have had me doing strength and cardio together on the grounds that building muscle helps burn fat faster and has metabolic benefits when your not working out.

Yes, lift. As heavy as you can.Throw your scale away. Lift some more. Go buy smaller pants. The end

Absolutely YES. When I started on MFP last June, I also started weight training 3 days a week. I have only lost 12 pounds total since I began my new lifestyle, 10 pounds per MFP, but my body shape has dramatically changed. I look like I have lost at least 20 pounds.

Yes.

I lost about 50 lbs over about 5 months last year doing MFP, spin class 2x/wk, and lifting weights 2x/wk. Just real basic weights like 8 stations of core muscle groups, 2 sets of 8, I also ran a little (jog a mile or so -- difficult cuz I was so fat). When I stopped weights, my weight loss really slowed down. The next 25 lbs I lost took about 7 months. I'm back on the weights now for a week and I lost weight again after being on a plateau for a while.

Maybe weights was the reason, maybe not, but I'm thinking it was.

YES! I good mix of cardio and lifting will totally pay off!

BIG Yes for me!
Cardio and lift weights helps.

Lifting weights (heavy ones) at least 3x a week while you're in the process of losing weight will help improve your body composition. Weight loss through a combination of diet and cardio, or cardio alone, will result in a certain amount of muscle loss. It's inevitable. By lifting weights while you lose you can help offset this muscle loss.

Also, make sure your protein consumption is increased. It should be 1 g of protein per pound of lean body mass (eg. I weigh 145 lbs with a body fat % of 23% so my lean body mass is approx. 112lbs, which means I'll try to consume at least 112 grams of protein per day).

I agree with the others, do both, from the beginning. I have lost 130 pounds so far, and the ONE thing that I wish I had done differently would be strength training. I didn't start from the beginning, and it is very hard to change that habit, at least for me. I know that my body would be in so much better shape, had I done strength training regularly.

Totally agree!!

My doctor suggested that in the beginning concentrate the most on cardio than slowly add weights but make sure to keep the weights light and do more reps so you do not bulk up

Sorry, but this is nonsense. You do not need to fear bulking up if you're eating at a deficit. Bulking is a deliberate process used by body builders to gain mass. It requires eating a *kitten* ton of food and lifting very heavy weights. I can assure you that this won't happen to any woman who wants to lift heavy. Physiologically speaking it's practically impossible.

+1 Bodybuilders (male & female) spend hours each day at the gym to achieve their physiques.

My doctor suggested that in the beginning concentrate the most on cardio than slowly add weights but make sure to keep the weights light and do more reps so you do not bulk up

Sorry, but this is nonsense. You do not need to fear bulking up if you're eating at a deficit. Bulking is a deliberate process used by body builders to gain mass. It requires eating a *kitten* ton of food and lifting very heavy weights. I can assure you that this won't happen to any woman who wants to lift heavy. Physiologically speaking it's practically impossible.

+1 Bodybuilders (male & female) spend hours each day at the gym to achieve their physiques.

Most of the BBers I know don't spend hours in the gym each day. They do spend lots of money on drugs though.