Lose the last 10lbs with Cardio or Weights?

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  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I still do cardio because I love running. Strength training made my running even better.

    Plus, I love eating, and cardio allows me to eat an obscene amount of food. :laugh:
  • shiseido_faerie
    shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
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    Throw the scale away! What most people mean when they say they "want to lose weight" is "I want to lose fat."

    This was me at 5'4" and 130 lbs at ~23% body fat:
    photo-7.jpg


    And this is me at 5'4" and ~129 lbs at ~16-17% body fat:
    6022dcc9.jpg

    holy crap, i'm 5'2 and 128-130, super inspirational! I need to lift weights!! You look awesome!
    THE SCALE LIES! Lift heavy, eat clean, and dont starve your body!
  • smlamb33
    smlamb33 Posts: 342 Member
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    I just started strength training so I'm hoping to start gaining some muscle and get toned. I am starting out small though and working my way up. I just started a kettlebell routine and I am alternating with cardio. Although, kettlebell routines also involve cardio! M,W, F = kettlebell and T, Th, Sat. = Cardio

    I don't know how long it take to start seeing results but, I want to by skinny fit, not skinny fat. :smile:
  • mj4x4s
    mj4x4s Posts: 2 Member
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    I need some guidance. I am currently doing the Couch Potatoe to 5K running program. I am watching what I eat. I need to do weights for the 2 days in between. Can someone provide me a weight schedule for the 2 days a week. I am clueless when it comes to that....

    I am currently 5'5 170lb. I have been on this program for 5 weeks. I feel better but have not stepped on the scale....
  • mckant
    mckant Posts: 217 Member
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    So what do you all consider "lifting heavy"? (Sorry - I'm not trying to hijack your post :laugh: )
  • Ender928
    Ender928 Posts: 16 Member
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    So what do you all consider "lifting heavy"? (Sorry - I'm not trying to hijack your post :laugh: )

    Generally lifting heavy weights like dumbbells, bench press, dead lift, squats, with low reps like 10-12.
  • muffintopminx
    muffintopminx Posts: 541 Member
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    So what do you all consider "lifting heavy"? (Sorry - I'm not trying to hijack your post :laugh: )


    Well I'm going to do ChaLEAN Extreme, an at home DVD, since I don't have a gym membership or cool weight machines.
    It's a program where you try to choose weight that will cause you to fail between 10-12 reps for the first month and fail at 6-8 reps in the second month. So for arms I'll attempt to start with 10lb DBs and hope to work up to 15lb DBs. For Legs, I'm gonna start with 20lb DBs and hope to get up to 30lb DBs. Keep in mind, I'm a beginner and this amount of weight is probably pathetic for more seasoned weight lifters. But it will challenge me and I know I'll be SORE! That's what Heavy Lifting is to me for now. I have read the book, "New Rules of Lifting for Women" and hope to be able to follow that program later - need a bit more equipment/weights tho.
  • cyncetastic
    cyncetastic Posts: 165
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    So what do you all consider "lifting heavy"? (Sorry - I'm not trying to hijack your post :laugh: )

    I get asked this a lot – “what is heavy?” Heavy will vary from person to person. My heavy might not be heavy to someone else. Or my heavy might be TOO heavy for another. Here’s how I gauge heavy…

    Think about your rep range. If your program/routine calls for 8-10 reps, then you want the weight to be light enough that you can get to 8 reps, but you don’t want it to be TOO light that you can do more than 10. If you get to rep 10 and you think to yourself “Man, I could probably do a few more!” then you’re not lifting heavy enough. In contrast, if you get to rep 6 or 7 and think to yourself “I can’t possibly make it to 8!” then chances are you’re lifting too heavy. You want to challenge yourself. You want to really work for those last couple reps because those are the most important ones! Don’t be afraid to grunt or groan or exhale loudly to get them in!

    The first time you do a movement, you’ll just have to guesstimate what weight you should be using. Picking something up and give it a try. If you don’t make it to your minimum rep, then go a little lighter on the next set. If you got to the maximum rep easily, increase your weight on the next set. Once you do this a couple times, you’ll have a good idea of what is “heavy” for you.

    Hope this helps!
  • Miss_Stefanie
    Miss_Stefanie Posts: 14
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    Wow, you look amazing. Sorry, not part of the original post, but I just had to ask... how long did it take for you to get to that lower body fat?
  • cyncetastic
    cyncetastic Posts: 165
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    Wow, you look amazing. Sorry, not part of the original post, but I just had to ask... how long did it take for you to get to that lower body fat?

    Roughly 6 months. I started in September 2011.
  • Miss_Stefanie
    Miss_Stefanie Posts: 14
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    LOL... that's interesting. I started putting on body fat and weight since September; ate the same, did everything the same, but put on weight. So, I know how much difference six months can make. SIGH. I am the heaviest I have ever been and nothing fits me anymore. Gained 10 lbs.! Now I am dieting and hating life because I am afraid to eat. I run/bike three days a week and lift heavy twice a week for a month, and lost ONLY two pounds. Feel like giving up.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    LOL... that's interesting. I started putting on body fat and weight since September; ate the same, did everything the same, but put on weight. So, I know how much difference six months can make. SIGH. I am the heaviest I have ever been and nothing fits me anymore. Gained 10 lbs.! Now I am dieting and hating life because I am afraid to eat. I run/bike three days a week and lift heavy twice a week for a month, and lost ONLY two pounds. Feel like giving up.

    But that's perfect progress! If you only have about 10 pounds you want to lose, a half pound a week is what's recommended. You're right on schedule. :smile:
  • cyncetastic
    cyncetastic Posts: 165
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    But that's perfect progress! If you only have about 10 pounds you want to lose, a half pound a week is what's recommended. You're right on schedule. :smile:

    Agreed!
  • marbly
    marbly Posts: 103
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    Wow, you both (cyncetastic and LL) look fantastic.

    I'm of similar height (slightly taller) and weight and am focusing on lowering my BF% to 18% or less. Originally, I wanted to get down to 120lbs in weight and losing that last 10lbs is, like what the OP said, a complete nightmare! So, after consulting Helloitsdan, I changed my goal to lowering my BF% to where you are at.

    Oh boy, thanks for posting the pictures. This is real motivation for me.
  • gxm17
    gxm17 Posts: 374
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    Wow! You ladies look great. Very inspirational! That's exactly what I'm trying to do, turn this last 10 lbs. into muscle instead of fat. Thanks for posting your pics.
  • muffintopminx
    muffintopminx Posts: 541 Member
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    So what do you all consider "lifting heavy"? (Sorry - I'm not trying to hijack your post :laugh: )

    I get asked this a lot – “what is heavy?” Heavy will vary from person to person. My heavy might not be heavy to someone else. Or my heavy might be TOO heavy for another. Here’s how I gauge heavy…

    Think about your rep range. If your program/routine calls for 8-10 reps, then you want the weight to be light enough that you can get to 8 reps, but you don’t want it to be TOO light that you can do more than 10. If you get to rep 10 and you think to yourself “Man, I could probably do a few more!” then you’re not lifting heavy enough. In contrast, if you get to rep 6 or 7 and think to yourself “I can’t possibly make it to 8!” then chances are you’re lifting too heavy. You want to challenge yourself. You want to really work for those last couple reps because those are the most important ones! Don’t be afraid to grunt or groan or exhale loudly to get them in!

    The first time you do a movement, you’ll just have to guesstimate what weight you should be using. Picking something up and give it a try. If you don’t make it to your minimum rep, then go a little lighter on the next set. If you got to the maximum rep easily, increase your weight on the next set. Once you do this a couple times, you’ll have a good idea of what is “heavy” for you.

    Hope this helps!


    ^^ Well said - perfect explanation.

    So I tape measured my whole body last night and attempted to measure body fat with calipers, which confused me further.
    Calipers: 22% Tanita Scale: 32% Online Calculator - 34%

    So I have no idea what to believe but I'll just track all three, I guess, and hope they ALL move down. I already have some "before" pics that I took this past December and nothing has changed there, so they'll work.

    Going to follow the ChaLEAN Extreme program and stick to the schedule like glue! I'll remeasure in 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days. Hopefully there wil be a nice difference.

    And I'm going to TRY to stay off the scale - maybe just weigh once a month. :ohwell:

    THANKS EVERYONE!!!

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