Question about Exercise
Hi everyone. I am approaching my 5th month post-op, and I am
thrilled with the results thus far. I started out weighing 324
pounds, and so far I’ve lost a little over 100 pounds. I already
feel like a completely different person.
I joined a gym about a month ago. I go 4-5 times a week for about an
hour each time. I’ve only been doing cardio activities so far–
treadmill, bicycle, elliptical. My question is this: should I start
working with weights too? I’ve only been doing cardio because I’ve
heard several people say that if you start working with weights when
you’re still pretty overweight, your body will get too bulky and it
will be harder to lose actual weight. I still have a lot to lose, so
I’ve just been exercising to boost my metabolism and burn additional
fat, not necessarily to build muscle yet. I want to eventually
include weights into my regimen, but I figured I’d wait until I lost
about another 40 pounds or so if what I’ve been hearing is true.
Does anyone have any advice or input on this?
Thanks a bunch!
November 28th, 2004 at 7:48 pm
I’d start weight training now. Building muscle is a great way to
increase your metabolism. The weight training itself kicks your
metabolism up, and then the muscle mass burns more calories than the
same amount of fat weight. AND it takes up less space. So while it
MIGHT slow your weight loss, it will no doubt increase the rate at which
you shrink.
That thing about your body getting too bulky and it being harder to lose
“actual” weight is only partially true. Your body won’t get “bulky” -
it will get smaller. It’s possible that you might lose less “actual”
weight, because as you build muscle mass, muscle weighs more than fat -
but it takes up less space. So while the scale numbers might not go
down, the tape measure numbers will definitely go down. And that equals
… smaller sizes.
I’d go for the firmer smaller body myself.
HTH
Pam