Are you working with a trainer consistently or was this just a one time event? This is unsolicited advice but if you are working with a trainer on a regular/semi-regular basis, I'd look for a trainer that avoids machines.

Other than that, no weight lifting doesn't hamper weight loss. What you may notice is the scale may not move how you want it to some times because weight lifting can make you retain water while you are losing fat. So it is possible for you to lose inches, lose fat and the scale remain the same. It'll eventually catch up. Some people see this as hampering weight loss but obviously it isn't.

My only issue with weight lifting with regards to weight loss is the mental impact it has, but it is SO worth getting over!! Yes, you pretty much have to ditch the scales. I have been known to drop an entire dress size with a one pound loss. And then I ask...which is more important? The number on the scale? Or the dress size?

Strength training sculpts the body and does good things to the bones! Weight bearing exercise becomes MORE important as we age, not less.

And carrying in the groceries is just easier!

Muscle weighs more than fat, BUT that makes you look thinner. A pound of muscle is half the size of a pound of fat. So if you are worried, start tracking inches. When I use to do lots of weight lifting and cardio, I'd sometimes gain a pound but lose an inch and things like that.

I have an orientation to learn about the equipment. I get 3 free sessions. I can't afford ongoing sessions. I wasn't planning on any weight lifting at all, but now I am curious. She set this up for me to do on my own. She said the free weights would take alot more time to learn. Not to totally avoid them.

Weight training speeds up FAT loss. It may look like slowed WEIGHT loss because you build muscles. But you want muscles. And really you want FAT gone, right? I love how strong lifting makes me feel

Ditto a thousand times.

muscle

does

not

weigh

more

than

fat



A pound of muscle and a pound of fat both weigh one pound.

Muscle is more dense than fat, so one pound of muscle takes up less space than one pound of fat. If you are a 200-pound woman with 5 pounds more muscle and 5 pounds less fat than another 200-pound woman of the same height, you will be smaller. Weight lifting can make you the woman who has more muscle and less fat, and who is thus smaller.

Do not fear weight-training. Weight loss is not truly the goal, FAT LOSS is, as Lyn says. Weight-training is incredibly beneficial for fat loss.

I have only lost about 8 pounds since January, but many people have told me I look slimmer, and I can tell that I am slimmer. And this is due to weight-training.

A one-cubic-foot box of muscle weighs more than a one-cubic-foot box of fat. i.e., the same volume of each material has different weighs due to their different densities. Kind of like how lead weighs more than titanuim by volume.

Amen!!

My goal: Be a lead-a$$ rather than a lard-a$$

Look soon for my new video series, "Abs and Buns of Lead!"

ROFL! I will DEFINITELY buy your video!!

<pet peeve> WHY does there seem to be a notion that when the statement "muscle weighs more than fat" is made that "pounds" are the default unit? The statement "Muscle does NOT weigh more than fat" is equally incorrect. Without the definition of unit, both statements could either be correct or incorrect. I prefer to read the statement as "(Size 4 jeans filled with) muscle weighs more than (Size 4 jeans filled with) fat" </pet peeve>

Katy, a pound of muscle on your body is smaller than a pound of fat. So....to look thinner...you want the muscle instead of the fat. Also, more muscle speeds up your metabolism. It's all good! Just don't rely on the scales only as a measure of your success. For a time, the scales may not show a loss even though you're getting thinner.

As far as the tummy, increasing your cardio exercise and eating clean...no processed foods, healthy fats, no added sugars, no refined starches....will help you to lose the internal fat around your organs. This can show up as as decrease in the size of your abdomen and can happen fairly quickly. I can see a major change in the way my waist bands fit in as little as 2 weeks. But, overall, it's not possible to drop fat in any one specific spot first. Your body will take it from anywhere it wants. We don't get a choice.

If I have not said so already, welcome to 3FC! Please feel free to ask any question you may have without fear of not knowing the "correct" terminology around this place. Who cares if someone has a pet peeve! LOL. We all have questions and we all knew exactly what you were asking.

Thank you all you answers. I now am going to jump in head first.

Girly: Thank you for the welcome! Sofar pretty much everyone has been great!