I am an avid reader. I am also a hundred pounds overweight and throughout my long journal of weightloss the readings have told me that it is best to lose the majority of the fat loss one desires and then do weights to tone. I've read some conflicting info and the biggest loser has me even more confused.

Can anyone please help? Is it okay to do weights say for the arms and ab workouts when one still has a lot of fat to lose?

Thanks!

Girlfriend, all I can say is that I'm kicking myself in the ass for not starting weights when I started my weightloss and exercise regimen.

KICKING MYSELF.

I too wanted to "lose the weight first" and then "tone" second.

Well god damnit, if I would have done both at the same time, I would be where I am NOW a HELL OF A LOT SOONER!

The only bummer about weight training and losing weight at the same time, is that your scale readings won't be so hot.

So throw the $(^&! thing in the trash and take MEASUREMENTS instead.

I've been 118 since April, but have lost SO many inches it ain't even funny!

So my vote (i'm no expert) is to weight train right along with everything else. You'll be happy you did, you'll be stronger and be able to LIFT MORE LATER if you start now, AND you'll have a pile -O- muscles under your fat WAITING for you!

Off to kick myself some more... tee hee.

Good luck!

Julia

I don't know if I can actually 'settle' the debate, but I can give you my opinion.

Weights can be done as long as the joints can support them. Many exercises are 'weight bearing' and extra weight may put too much stress on the joints. As an example, an individual may have a body weight and makes walking possible, but not running because of the extra stress on the joints that the running provides. In general, though, arm and ab exercises are not weight bearing and can be done without over-stressing the joints.

BTW, those with lots of body weight get exercise just by doing normal activities. The problem they have is getting enough rest to allow the muscles to fully recover and grow. Just moving around 300 pounds in normal activity is hard work and results in the person being tired all the time. Imagine if a 150 pound person had 150 pounds of weights strapped to their body 24 hours a day. That person would soon decide that just doing normal household chores was exhausting and additional exercise not needed.

I would say start light and listen to your body.

Everyone is different.I am 290 right now with 37% bodyfat.I compete and have no issues.But I worked my way up to it.

Doing the strength training is the best exercise for losing fat and starting it right along with weight loss is ideal. Dodger is right that the fatter you are, the more strength training you are already doing due to body weight. However those of us who are that fat are used to that weight (not necessarily comfortable, but just used to it). For that reason, I advocate that the goal for the obese (and any dieter for that matter) is to maintain the muscle they already have, and not to worry about building more muscle. Strength training is the best way to maintain muscle while dieting.

What you are doing when you start is getting your body used to the moves. The first 3 months or so are really spent just getting comfortable with the various types of exercises and to get to know what you are capable of. I would recommend doing full body workouts over just doing a few body parts, like the arms/abs. You can split this into multiple workouts, but don't just ignore the rest of the muscles.

Not only is it ok, it's desirable. Here's what my mentor (Built, aka Marianne Anderson) had to say about it, when asked the same question:

"You have a lot of LBM (muscle mass) NOW - you have to, to carry the extra weight. Lifting at the moment won't "do" much for you, but it's prep work; you're setting yourself up so that by the time you've dropped oooooh say fifty pounds, you'll have also built up considerable strength and work capacity. This means that by the time you actually NEED to worry about protecting LBM, you'll actually be strong enough to stimulate enough microtrauma. You'll get killer afterburn right when you'll need it most.

At the moment, lifting won't do this for you. You're simply not able to work intensely enough to make this happen. But by doing the lifting you're doing NOW, you're setting yourself up so that you WILL be able to make it happen more and more as you progress along your conveyor belt."

I just wanted to chime in here to say Built is my mentor too. She knows her stuff, and has accomplished wonderful things in her own body and helped hundreds of others with her understanding and generousity. I can't say enough good things about her.

Mmmm Deb, you just reminded me I forgot to include her author/info link. http://www.wannabebig.com/author.php?author=54

The women on this thread (Dane, Julia, Diemde) are inspiration. I started lifting in June, and like Julia, my weight loss has been slow. However, I've gone from a size 14 to a size 8 in just over 4 months. I've lost over 35 inches weightlifting just 2-3x a week (and doing cardio sparingly-I freakin' hate it).

I wish that I had known about weightlifting when I first did Atkins back in 2003! All those hours wasted on the elliptical!

Way to go Kathy....you've done GREAT!

I feel you do not need to start light..just don't set any records from the get go. You do need to challenge yourself and progress to a more difficult and strenuous excercise routines..

Have you seen the Biggest Loser? They are out of the gates with "intense(sometimes wacky) excercise. Yes I know they have trainers and have a staff look out for them, but they are kicking ass from day one...and these people are morbidly obese.

So challenge yourself from the start, don't be comfortable,get out of that comfort zone and if you do, I promise you, you will make improvements faster than you could imagine.

Thanks! I just wish the scale would move faster, but I need to get over that.

I've ripped the battery from mine and shoved its candy ass in the closet.

If I'm 118 and a size two, then I really shouldn't freakin' CARE what the scale says - so BYE BYE IT GOES!

But it still bugs me nonetheless.

Stupid thing!

You put yours up too Miss Kathy!

Kathy, dropping sizes like you have is the most important thing. That said, I'm not thrilled with my scale lately either. Ideally, I want to see both scale and measurements drop! Like, yesterday!

I have no hips and butt so it's easy for me to drop sizes on the botton. I'm an 8 or Medium (sometimes Small) on top, but can also be a 10 in a jacket if it's a cheap quality.

We're all kind of stalled with the scale, so we must be building muscle. Right?