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I have been losing weight pretty steadily and already scared of having excess skin, especially on my arms which ideally I DO NOT want to operate on to remove excess skin. Trying to minimize the risk as much as I can. My mom and I both gain weight in our arms so I guess its hereditary how I put on weight, but from my mom's experience, she didnt have excess skin...but she only had 30 lbs to lose anyways vs me needing to lose 100 lbs.
A lot of people (almost everyone) that I asked who lost more than 100 lbs strongly suggest lifting weights. They are the people who I came across online though and probably due to busy lives, havent really been on here responding to my questions so thought I would open this thread to get as much answers as I can. So I guess, I'll just list them so it'll be easier to read. Thanks for all responses.
1. Being so overweight (223 lbs) should I just focus on doing cardio first and losing the weight until I get closer to my target goal AND THEN begin lifting weights to tone up?
2. How many reps should I do? I am have been doing anywhere from 3-5 reps of 10 at a time, a few times a day.
3. Do I actually have to use proper weights or can I use the machines at the gym? (Trying to avoid the men's section, since when I looked over there I only saw men hehe).
4. Are 5 lb dumbells adequate, as well as the rope (kinda forgot what they are called, but its the rope that causes resistance) or do I have to make my way up to lifting 20 lbs?
5. I've heard that for obese people, lifting weights too soon in the game will cause us to look bigger than we are because there will be muscle UNDERNEATH the fat. Is this true?
I recently came across Lou Schuler's book, 'The New Rules of Lifting for Women' and it has changed the way I look at lifting. I used to lift lots of lighter weights per set and then lots of sets per exercise. This is endurance/cardio lifting. However, Schuler builds a very good argument on how strength lifting builds your muscles and strength better and improves weight loss. Strength lifting is where you lift fewer weights but the weighs are heavier. He shows lots of exercises in the book that you can do wth either free weights or a machine. He stresses that unless you're an athlete who will use a specific muscle frequently (e.g., tennis), it's far better to do those exercises that work multiple muscles and not waste time on specific smaller muscles. It's also important to rest your muscles too. So rather than lift every day, lift every other day or every two days--because not resting can actually undo the benefits of lifting. The book lists a diet plan too but I haven't followed it because it requires 7 small meals which seems like a maintenance. What. Ed get from the diet section though is that if you reduce carbs, increase protein and increase slightly the good fats (nuts, olive oil, avocado), then this will help you feel full longer. I've lost several pounds shifting my lifting from endurance to strength lifting. I still do some cardio (cycling, stepping, rowing) but I do these on the rest days when I'm not doing the strength lifting. Also, on the days that I lift (3x/week), I replace one of my meals with a protein shake and then I can sometimes skip the second meal as well (or eat a much lighter second meal).
Keep it simple! Make exercise simple and easy enough that you'll want to continue to do it. Once you get into the habit of going to the gym then you can experiment. Stick to cardio first i personally find an hour on an exercise bike helps alot with losing weight.
I like weights. Because you look more compact, even at a higher weight. And when the scale foesn't move, the amount of weight you can lift usually does for quite a while.
You may also find, with increased muscle mass, you need to lose way less weight to hit your goal.
I recently came across Lou Schuler's book, 'The New Rules of Lifting for Women' and it has changed the way I look at lifting. I used to lift lots of lighter weights per set and then lots of sets per exercise. This is endurance/cardio lifting. However, Schuler builds a very good argument on how strength lifting builds your muscles and strength better and improves weight loss. Strength lifting is where you lift fewer weights but the weighs are heavier. He shows lots of exercises in the book that you can do wth either free weights or a machine. He stresses that unless you're an athlete who will use a specific muscle frequently (e.g., tennis), it's far better to do those exercises that work multiple muscles and not waste time on specific smaller muscles. It's also important to rest your muscles too. So rather than lift every day, lift every other day or every two days--because not resting can actually undo the benefits of lifting. The book lists a diet plan too but I haven't followed it because it requires 7 small meals which seems like a maintenance. What. Ed get from the diet section though is that if you reduce carbs, increase protein and increase slightly the good fats (nuts, olive oil, avocado), then this will help you feel full longer. I've lost several pounds shifting my lifting from endurance to strength lifting. I still do some cardio (cycling, stepping, rowing) but I do these on the rest days when I'm not doing the strength lifting. Also, on the days that I lift (3x/week), I replace one of my meals with a protein shake and then I can sometimes skip the second meal as well (or eat a much lighter second meal).
And I meant 'What I get in the diet section though...' not 'What. Ed get...' (These typos created by the iPhone spell-check can be annoying.)
My dilemma is that I feel like when I'm lifting weights I'm building muscle under my layer of fat that I need to get rid of. I'm a former college athlete and already have the bulk. My problem is the layer of flab over it. I understand it's 90% diet, but I felt like I get no where. Even with cardio, I've lost a little, but still really getting no where. Probably need to just keep exercising and doing whatever and get the diet together.
Yes, start a modest strength training program. Stop focusing on this skin concern.
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