Should I just stick to Cardio

Perfectdiamonds1
Perfectdiamonds1 Posts: 347 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I started this journey in mid April with food moderation and walking with great results. I understand that most of it was water weight. I join curves in mid May. My exercise activity is walking 3 days per week and Curves Circuit 3 days per week with a rest day on Sunday. Some days if I work late or have something to do and can not exercise I will do both on the next day. Today when I got on the scale I had actually gain 3 pounds. This was so discouraging to me. I was in tears, I felt like was doing good and exercising. I know as women we sometimes retain water and maybe that is it, but I just can seem to get past this and feel like I am failing.

My question is: Should I just do the walking or do both?

Replies

  • Cyndieann
    Cyndieann Posts: 152 Member
    Here's my thoughts - At first you lose water, then some true weight. Next, the exercise you've been doing has been building muscle (which weighs more than fat) so the weight comes back...but you should be loosing inches. Have you been taking your measurements? A few weeks of a holding pattern, then the muscle you've built up becomes a fat burning machine. Don't do only cardio! You need the muscle to burn more calories!!!!! Strength training is super important. Works for me...1lb/wk for 10 wks in a row. Best of luck to you!:flowerforyou:
  • Ariana_75
    Ariana_75 Posts: 224
    Don't get discouraged! When I started my journey, it took six months before I started seeing results. You are likely gaining muscle and retaining water at the same time. I would suggest that you stick to weights to build muscle. Muscle helps you burn more calories throughout the day. And keep doing the cardio as well. You are not failing! You will only fail if you give up!!
  • Perfectdiamonds1
    Perfectdiamonds1 Posts: 347 Member
    ok, so this is normal. I'll continue and see what the next month brings. Thank you so much for replying
  • Perfectdiamonds1
    Perfectdiamonds1 Posts: 347 Member
    Don't get discouraged! When I started my journey, it took six months before I started seeing results. You are likely gaining muscle and retaining water at the same time. I would suggest that you stick to weights to build muscle. Muscle helps you burn more calories throughout the day. And keep doing the cardio as well. You are not failing! You will only fail if you give up!!

    So I will level out in a month or two. I dont mind sticking with what I'm doing as long as I know it will help me. I just got to get this 3 pound gain out my mine. I was really shocked this morning when I got on the scale. Maybe I should not use the scale for a while:laugh:
  • Perfectdiamonds1
    Perfectdiamonds1 Posts: 347 Member
    Here's my thoughts - At first you lose water, then some true weight. Next, the exercise you've been doing has been building muscle (which weighs more than fat) so the weight comes back...but you should be loosing inches. Have you been taking your measurements? A few weeks of a holding pattern, then the muscle you've built up becomes a fat burning machine. Don't do only cardio! You need the muscle to burn more calories!!!!! Strength training is super important. Works for me...1lb/wk for 10 wks in a row. Best of luck to you!:flowerforyou:

    ok, so continue and I will start burning fat as well as building muscle?. I am new to this and still trying to wrap my mind around it. Thank you so much for your help
  • katemme
    katemme Posts: 191
    I only do cardio, and I'm around 14% body fat. I run about 30+ miles a week though. If I do weights, its only a 5 pound weight for a couple minutes. I hate counting reps. My goal is not to be muscular, I don't understand the whole 'lift heavy' talk.
  • darrcn5
    darrcn5 Posts: 495 Member
    Definitely both! The weights will help keep you firm as you lose weight :) Strength training can cause water retention (the muscles hold onto water to help repair themselves). Keep it up, and check again in a few weeks.
  • mboktay
    mboktay Posts: 69 Member
    I think the exercise you are doing is great and strength training is so important for so many reasons. What does your food intake look like? Are you logging everything, including exercise? Are you drinking at least 6-8 glasses of water per day? You might want to get feedback on this. If you are not comfortable with making it public to MFP, then I'm sure your coach/trainer at Curves can help. Do NOT be discouraged though, you are doing a fantastic job and it will come together.
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
    Let me put it this way:

    I didn't really start losing weight until I started strength training and adding muscle. One month I got sick of lifting and took the month off. At the end of the month, I was down two pounds but my measurements had stayed the same or gotten bigger, so I hadn't actually gotten thinner.

    The scale is a terrible way to measure your progress, especially if you're building muscle.
  • BexleyGirl
    BexleyGirl Posts: 102
    Keep doing what you are doing......you are going to do great. You have a Fabulous attitude......stick to it. It is a up and down battle.....but it is a lifestyle.
  • Perfectdiamonds1
    Perfectdiamonds1 Posts: 347 Member
    :laugh: Ok, I will check with the instructor at Curves. I'll stick to it. I just so so many post that people have lost 20 pounds in two months and so on..... Thank I look at the scale and said what is wrong with me. I think I will not go near a scale for a month.
  • Perfectdiamonds1
    Perfectdiamonds1 Posts: 347 Member
    Keep doing what you are doing......you are going to do great. You have a Fabulous attitude......stick to it. It is a up and down battle.....but it is a lifestyle.

    Thank you so much. Yes, I was look for the up and down, but I dont really think I was prepared for it. LOL. I am walking 3 to 5 miles when I walk and then doing the Curves Circuit. I thought I was doing well. LOL. That was the best I could do for someone almost 50 years old and work to. LOL.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    definitely do both. it's relatively easy for me to gain muscle and bulk (i'm a former athlete that's how i know :tongue: ) and i've been lifting heavy for several months as well as cardio. i've lost a lot of fat and been fairly consistent with the weight loss.

    you want to continue to do weights because that will will help you keep as much muscle as you possibly can while losing weight. the more muscle you lose then the lower your metabolism will be, which you dont want.

    oh and the people losing 20 pounds in 2 months probably are very very significantly overweight
  • kris4chloe
    kris4chloe Posts: 245 Member
    whats your goal? to be skinny and scrawny or healthy and fit?

    lift weights because having muscles helps speed up your metabolism and thus lets you eat more now and later on, it also means you are overall stronger and won't develop issues later on down the line.

    cardio is good for heart health, getting a good calorie burn and losing fat.

    the scale will go up and down as the water weight in your muscles shift back and forth but as long as there is a downward trend you are good.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    oh yeah dont forget that weight loss is more about the food you eat than your workouts. think of it this way walking a mile only burns around 100 calories. if you're using that as the only way to lose weight (and not controlling your diet) then you'd have to walk/run 350 miles a week to get a 3500 calories deficit that will equal a pound of fat. much easier to eat 500 less calories a day than to walk 50 miles a day
  • just4u_cara
    just4u_cara Posts: 100 Member
    Strength training can cause water retention (the muscles hold onto water to help repair themselves).

    Really?! I did not know that. I have recently upped the weight on leg presses last week. And my scale seems to be up as well. Very distressing.

    Trying to keep an open mind while struggling to continue water intake. Such a hard job this losing weight business!
  • xcmtnracer
    xcmtnracer Posts: 426 Member
    Eating less is good, eating right, better, but keeping cardio in your daily regime will make you feel better and strengthen your heart. I've been doing cardio for 23 years almost daily, it has become a part of my life, some say I just have a high metabolism, they think I'm naturally thin; maybe, but the way I eat...I'd never stay trim without cardio. Use a heart rate monitor, find your fat burning zone, and put at least 20-25 minutes in that zone 3-4 times per week in any cardio you can manage to do daily as a part of your lifestyle, invest in you.
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    Strength training does cause water retention (the muscles hold onto water to help repair themselves).

    Really?! I did not know that. I have recently upped the weight on leg presses last week. And my scale seems to be up as well. Very distressing.

    Trying to keep an open mind while struggling to continue water intake. Such a hard job this losing weight business!

    There, I fixed it :).

    Ladies...you will not build significant muscle while on a calorie deficit, unless you're a former athlete at a relatively elite level, or extremely, extremely overweight (and even then...it's not very much and levels off quickly). You're not replacing fat with muscle in just a week, or two, or three, or even a month or more (again, assuming a calorie deficit). What you ARE doing is stressing the crap out of muscles that have never been used to lift heavy things and put them down again. This causes your body to store additional glycogen (which has a primary component of water...read: heavy) to help repair those muscles. You may see modest muscle swelling as well, from both the glycogen and neuromuscular adaptation. What neuromuscular adaptation is...is when your brain and muscles become better at communicating...this is solely responsible for your strength gains while lifting on a calorie deficit as well...and in the end, will make those muscles firmer, denser (harder) and stronger. It will not significantly increase size.

    One other thing I feel is ABSOLUTELY critical to mention. Growth hormone. When you lift weights at a heavy enough level where you can only complete 5-8 good form reps (it doesn't matter if it's 5lbs or 50lbs...only that it's too heavy for you to lift one more time past that number), your body produces both adrenalin, and growth hormone. What these hormones do, is protect your lean mass. Fat is a MAJOR endocrine organ...if your body can protect (simply put) it during times of stress (read: exercise), it will. Those two hormones direct your body to burn fat almost exclusively. They are primary components in the method your body uses to burn fat. So basically, strength training, and the hormones produced...are lighting a fire to burn the fat away, that NO other form of exercise produces.

    I seriously, seriously hope this helps you girls. Strength training is incredibly simple...and the results are absolutely AMAZING...but there's so much misinformation out there...that it's nearly impossible for a normal person to sift through. I give you ALL props for sticking with it...despite it being way, way out of your comfort zones!
  • nikkiprickett
    nikkiprickett Posts: 412 Member
    try some strength training...and I recommend getting new rules of lifting for women to everyone, very informative and
    tells us our bodies aren't much different than men's when it comes to muscle and how we get it. Muscle burns more calories than fat and it also says that cardio isn't the best way to go...maybe start doing planks, lunges, jumping jacks etc...stuff that uses your own body weight as resistance. Also I take measurements and pictures-it's a great way to see progress when the scale isnt moving...people can stay the same weight and drop sizes because of gaining muscle and losing fat instead of the other way around.
  • nickbart
    nickbart Posts: 3
    really I am going through the same thing as oyu and keep up the fitness because we need it regardless for our health but in the end it will come off and I find food changes are just not enough!!
  • Perfectdiamonds1
    Perfectdiamonds1 Posts: 347 Member
    whats your goal? to be skinny and scrawny or healthy and fit?

    lift weights because having muscles helps speed up your metabolism and thus lets you eat more now and later on, it also means you are overall stronger and won't develop issues later on down the line.

    cardio is good for heart health, getting a good calorie burn and losing fat.

    the scale will go up and down as the water weight in your muscles shift back and forth but as long as there is a downward trend you are good.

    Thank you so much for your reply. My goal is to be healthy and fit. OH NO, not skinny and scrawny :laugh: I do feel better doing the cardio 3 day per week for 60 to 90 minutes each time. The strenght training is on opposite days 3 times per week with a rest day on Sunday. I will continue my journey. Its only been 45 days. Maybe I'm just looking at the quick weight loses on here that have been achieved in a few months.
  • Perfectdiamonds1
    Perfectdiamonds1 Posts: 347 Member
    definitely do both. it's relatively easy for me to gain muscle and bulk (i'm a former athlete that's how i know :tongue: ) and i've been lifting heavy for several months as well as cardio. i've lost a lot of fat and been fairly consistent with the weight loss.

    you want to continue to do weights because that will will help you keep as much muscle as you possibly can while losing weight. the more muscle you lose then the lower your metabolism will be, which you dont want.

    oh and the people losing 20 pounds in 2 months probably are very very significantly overweight

    Thank you for your reply. I will continue. Maybe this is just a bump in the road for me, It was just so disappointing when I was losing weekly. I just have to calm myself down and take my time.

    I do walk 3-5 miles 3 times per week. I am on 1580 calories per day. I realize that I need to cut back on my daily cal. intake with the current weight lose according to MFP. So it now 1480.
  • kcoftx
    kcoftx Posts: 765 Member
    The scale fluctuates. In the beginning it looks awful because you lose and gain back the same 3-5lbs. Over time you will see it being 4-8lbs, then 7-12lbs, etc. (It generally fluctuates 1-5lbs and during TOM, some report 10lb gains!). My point though is over time you will see the loss but over a month, it is harder because you are still seeing early losses and "gaining those back." It's not that you are gaining, you are seeing natural fluctuations due to other factors. You've read some of those factors already.

    My advice, find multiple ways to measure. I have the scale, body fat calculators, pictures (seriously love these), and body measurements. Not all of them may show differences at once but seeing some kind of result out of all those measurements keeps me encouraged.

    Also know that later, you might some weeks with no loss then suddenly drop the weight. That's normal too. It's not a linear process.

    What you want to look at is progress over time.

    Dieting though is 80% of the process. Do that right, you've won a significant part of the battle. Make sure you are measuring and logging consistently. Educate yourself on how much to fuel your body, particularly if you are adding exercise.

    But yes, do both. Don't freak out over the scale.
  • fluffysexyme
    fluffysexyme Posts: 104 Member
    I was doing just cardio in the beginning and lost 17 lbs. When I added weights and yoga I gained back 7 lbs, but I'm 4 inches smaller in my waist and over all I think I've lost like 11 inches in 2 months. It's hard to watch the scale act a fool when you know you're doing the work. I just figure she'll get her act together eventually, but as long as I'm slimming down I'm happy.
    Plus, you'll want to make sure your activity level is correct in MFP to be sure you're eating the right number of calories. Prior to my weight gain I was stuck for over a month because I was in starvation mode. Fixed that and now the inches are back to falling off.
    Good luck!
  • Perfectdiamonds1
    Perfectdiamonds1 Posts: 347 Member
    The scale fluctuates. In the beginning it looks awful because you lose and gain back the same 3-5lbs. Over time you will see it being 4-8lbs, then 7-12lbs, etc. (It generally fluctuates 1-5lbs and during TOM, some report 10lb gains!). My point though is over time you will see the loss but over a month, it is harder because you are still seeing early losses and "gaining those back." It's not that you are gaining, you are seeing natural fluctuations due to other factors. You've read some of those factors already.

    My advice, find multiple ways to measure. I have the scale, body fat calculators, pictures (seriously love these), and body measurements. Not all of them may show differences at once but seeing some kind of result out of all those measurements keeps me encouraged.

    Also know that later, you might some weeks with no loss then suddenly drop the weight. That's normal too. It's not a linear process.

    What you want to look at is progress over time.

    Dieting though is 80% of the process. Do that right, you've won a significant part of the battle. Make sure you are measuring and logging consistently. Educate yourself on how much to fuel your body, particularly if you are adding exercise.

    But yes, do both. Don't freak out over the scale.

    Thank you for your reply. Yes, this is a lifestyle change for me for health reasons. I will stick to it. The replies have been so motivating and this is just a bump in the road for me. I just have to get over it and continue to do what I'm doing.
  • Perfectdiamonds1
    Perfectdiamonds1 Posts: 347 Member
    I was doing just cardio in the beginning and lost 17 lbs. When I added weights and yoga I gained back 7 lbs, but I'm 4 inches smaller in my waist and over all I think I've lost like 11 inches in 2 months. It's hard to watch the scale act a fool when you know you're doing the work. I just figure she'll get her act together eventually, but as long as I'm slimming down I'm happy.
    Plus, you'll want to make sure your activity level is correct in MFP to be sure you're eating the right number of calories. Prior to my weight gain I was stuck for over a month because I was in starvation mode. Fixed that and now the inches are back to falling off.
    Good luck!

    :laugh: Yes, the scale really acted a fool on me yesterday. She really showed out. I just have to remember this is a lifestyle and not a quick fix. I'm not scheduled for measurements for another two weeks. The scale is just a part of it and not the last word. Thank you for your reply

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