For the Noobz: Don't Ignore Strength Training, You will Lose More Weight
For those of you just starting out at the gym and think because of our size that cardio is the best way to burn fat I am here to tell you to not ignore strength training, particularly on the biggest muscles in your body (thighs, hamstrings, calves chest, biceps, abdominals). Here is why. The more muscle you have the more calories you will burn. Don't get me wrong, cardio (fat burning heart rate) is important and you should probably do it every day. But every other day or you should work on a muscle group (upper body, lower body, abdominals). For those of use who are still pretty big, something as simple as getting out of bed in the morning and doing 10 squats (use your current body weight to your advantage) will help to burn calories throughout the day. In addition to bigger muscles burning more calories we get the added benefit of calories being burned as our muscle rebuild while we sleep.
At a minimum you should be walking 30 minutes every day and doing at least 15 mins of something with your muscles and there are lots of easy home exercises that in a few minutes can benefit you so much and really shift your weight loss in to high gear.
This is so true! I weigh myself daily and I notice on the days I do some thing with the weights are the days the scale moves a bit faster.
One home exercise I love is doing leg lifts at home with my toddler sitting on them. She weighs 23lbs. She absolutely loves it and it works out my legs.
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Surgery 10/15/12 - HW-263lbs GW-150lbs CW- 170.8
Amazing post, thanks! I have not started strength training, but would love to if I had the energy. However, I am walking. I have a difficult time getting in my water and food, which leaves me with minimum energy. I really have to push myself daily, but my doc. said this will get better. On a positive note: I'm no longer on blood pressure meds
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You can get some simple strength training in every time you get up off a chair or the couch is even better. When you are watching TV when a commercial comes on, stand up and sit down 10 times before you fast forward through it. That is essentially 10 squats (which use the biggest muscles in your body the ones you really want to be using because they will burn the most calories). If you do that through 3 or 4 commercial sets that 30-40 squats a day and that is a good amount of work. Also try some door frame pushups just 10 a day until you get your energy up. Nuts are great for getting your energy up and they are low carb and very calorically dense. They are a bit high in calories so don't go crazy but 10-20 almonds a day provide you with some good essential fats and the calorie punch to give you a burst of energy.
I do my cardio and strength training thank you very much! You will burn more fat!!
HW: 235, SW: 227, CW: 152.0, 83 lbs lost since 10/22/12 --Fear less, hope more, eat less, chew more, whine less, breathe more, talk less, say more, hate less, love more, and good things will be yours.
I think exercise is often under looked in this process. I'm such a big believer in doing both cardio and strength training and while the scale is not always moving my body is looking fit and I'm finding that I don't have too much of an issue with loose skin. I'm glad that my surgeon really focuses on exercise as part of our plan and at every appointment I have to report to him what I'm doing along those lines.
