I have 150 lbs to lose. How can I incorporate weights without gaining?

[Chicago2]

I have a total of about 150 pounds to lose. I'm on Weight Watchers and I currently do 1 hour of cardio 5-6 days/week. I've started with walking for one hour at 2.0 miles/hour. I'd like to start other cardio methods like the elliptical, etc.

My question is: I know I need to incoporate weights but I do not want it to prevent me from losing actual scale pounds. It's not like I only have 10 pounds to lose and turning fat into muscle is a fine thing to do. I need to keep losing pounds. even though I'm a woman and plenty of people say women can not builk up I will tell you that is not true. I do bulk up and I don't want to.

My goal is to use weights to help keep my body toned as I lose the many pounds I need to do to help prevent as much loose skin as possible.

Can someone help me with a program, what weights to do, how often, when, how many reps, how much weight. Also, is it true that for my situation it's best to do low weight but high reps?

Thanks for any help with this!

 

[SarahPT]

Hi there,
first off, you are focusing way too much on scale weight. The numbers on the scale are not what is most important. If you are on a calorie deficit, which it sounds like you are, and doing that much cardio you will not gain much. But if you haven't ever weight trained then your body is not conditioned and it's likely that you will gain a little. But don't let that stop you! Muscle is metabolically active tissue, so it takes more calories for muscle to maintain itself. This means gaining muscle can cause your metabolism to increase, even if only bad a little bit. Also keep in mind that muscle is much denser than fat. If you put one pound of fat and one pound of muscle beside each other the pound of fat looks bigger because it's less dense.
Weight training is a very beneifial form of exercise, and intense weight trianing burns a heck of a lot of calories. Please let me know if I can help at all.

Sarah

 

[Villy]

I have said it many times to people I know, and I will say it again.

Do NOT go just by the scale. Its a guide. Go by your measurements. Have a goal "size" rather than a goal "weight". Especially considering msucle is so much denser than fat, 140 pounds of muscle looks a lot better than 140 pounds of fat.

Also, never never never forget that you CAN NOT, under ANY circumstances, "turn" fat into muscle. It just doesn't happen. You can't "convert" it. Losing fat and gaining muscle are two completely different things.

I actuallly use Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds DVDs, which are good, low impact exercises for someone with kneee/foot problems like me.

I also use kathy Smith's Lift Weights to Lose Weight. I was getting decent results for what it is, but then my work hours changed and made it much more difficult to keep to my routine.

I would getting something like that, as a starter. This way, you can be guided somewhat instead of just doing random exercises.

The BEST way to go, though, would be to get a personal trainer at a gym or something, if you can afford such a thing.

 

[M2M]

Chicago,
I just want to congratulate you on taking the steps to get fit and healthy!!

I'm not a trainer, I can only speak as someone who has been working off 102 extra pounds, and I'm not even half way yet...I know that the cardio and the calorie deduction is what has helped me lose weight and inches, but that strength training and exercises is what will tone up the muscle that is under all my weight.

I am a big woman, I started at 257, am 5'9" and have a large frame with a lot of muscle mass - but I'm not worried about 'bulking' up. I know that as the weight and fat come off, if I continue to work out and do the exercises, then what will be left will be well toned muscle.

Take it one day at a time, don't eat too little, keep up the cardio and start with some low impact toning exercises, I'm sure you will see some positive results without bulking up.