Advice on how to lose and gain weight at the same time.. I know.. Confusing.. (lifting, gym)

[CaptainNJ]

Originally Posted by stan4

Where do people come up with this old chestnut?

i think its more a convenient excuse for not lifting weights rather than something they truly believe is legit. they want to believe it because it gives them an out.

[Luckyd609]

It is virtually impossible for you took look manly by lifting weights unless you devote hours on end in the gym and eat a very strict diet.
This is one of the biggest misconceptions women have about weights. We do not have enough testosterone in our bodies to develop muscles like men. Lifting will enhance your body in the best way, plus make your body strong.
If you do both cardio and weights you will get the best from both. Clean up your diet if it needs to be cleaned up. Another to remember is that you need to accept your body shape for better or worse. You can do the best you can with diet and exercise but your body shape will be your body shape no matter what.

[lcouncil]

@CaptainNJ- That's quite the assumption you're making..
Convenient excuse? No fat slob over here and far from lazy! Let me be clear, I ASSUMED lifting weights would lead to becoming muscular since my arms and legs are already extremely lean. When I was younger, people used to always say I have really broad shoulders and naturally look muscular or "fit" in the upper part of my body.

I am simply trying to get the best advice on how to GAIN weight while LOSING weight in my midsection. (If that's even possible..)

Thank you for you unnecessary input..

[Luckyd609]

You cannot gain weight in one part of your body and lose it in another.

[lcouncil]

So would you suggest for me to gain weight and after I reach my goal, begin working out? Such as focus on weight lifting exercises that focus on my back or some other form of work out that focuses on my abdomen area?

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by lcouncil

So should I still take the protein shakes which is supposed to help gain weight while doing certain weightlifting regimes and cardio?

I used to attend zumba and kick-boxing classes 3 times a week as well as jog daily. This just made me dwindle away though..

I would talk with the personal trainer and consider working with s/he.

[stan4]

If you put on muscle, you will gain lean weight.

[Opsimathia]

Are you sure its not just excess skin?

I understand what you say by looking manly or stocky. A lot of people in here don't see athletic thick as stocky but I personally do. If you don't want that, start your resistance/strength training with body weight and resistance bands only. This will prep you for heavier weight lifting anyway if you choose to do so. If you do pick up weights later on your plan will most likely be lifting more days in the week at a moderate weight. You will have to do trial and error to find your perfect weight for your strength level. If your plan moves into wanting to gain a lot of muscle in a scrawny area you are going to have heavier weights with less frequency during the week.

Do only low intensity minimal cardio. Walking is perfect. "Lots of cardio" can backfire on you because it can take lean tissue with the fat if it is intense or if it cuts your calorie deficit too low. Its better to be cutting the excess through dietary control.

I personally would just try to maintain your weight but change your body composition by exercise and diet. Then once you get leaner, start to try to make gains. Some fat can come on with gaining so that could snowball if you just tried to gain now. And the higher fat you are the harder it is for your body to shed fat. Yeh...lovely...i hate that is true. LOL

Use this site for food and exercise guidance: (free)
SparkPeople: SparkDiet

Just wanted to add a little tip that when you make your calorie goals to try to eat no lower than your BMR ever. Fat comes off best when the body is not stressed out.

To speed it a long it is ok to throw a lower cal day or two in the week.
This is zig-zagging:
Calorie Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs
Under the advanced option.

Use those two tips along with spark's site and you will see a difference. Remember its going to take at least 3 months of dedication to see big results. Don't get discouraged the first month or two.

And if you do just go with weights and get too big go down a level. The muscle will shrink up. You won't blow up overnight so you won't be stuck at thick muscles unless you keep training them.

Do not blame your mom for the skinny fat. That comes from a history of poor diet and lack of physical activity. Which...maybe you can blame mom for the bad eating habits passed down.

Good luck!

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by Luckyd609

If you do both cardio and weights you will get the best from both. Clean up your diet if it needs to be cleaned up. Another to remember is that you need to accept your body shape for better or worse. You can do the best you can with diet and exercise but your body shape will be your body shape no matter what.

Take this advice, and your issues will sort themselves out.

[lcouncil]

Thanks for the tips!
What's unfortunate is the fact that this has only become my body shape since I had a child. I gained 40 lbs throughout my pregnancy and a month after birth, drop 32 of thoe lbs. This left me w/ a "skinny fat" body that I cannot seem to get rid of ever since then.

Ofcourse I was naturally used to pigging out and not having to worry about anything because my weight was proportionate and no "fat back" to be found. This has led to me trying every type of workout to no avail..

I will try the resistance training and ofcourse a healthier eating habit. If this doesn't work, I'll just cough up the money to hire a trainer to help me tone my undesirable areas and worry about gaining weight sometime down the road..