Hi there!
I believe in weight training, and I believe that the same amount of muscle takes up less space than an equal weight in fat. I believe that muscle is more metabolically active than fat, and I don't believe I'll bulk up if I weight train.
BUT, I am afraid to start weight training because I am AFRAID that I'll be smaller, but not LIGHTER.
It is kind of hard to explain, but here goes. I have a fairly muscular frame under all this flabble. My DH says that I a really strong (for a girl! so he says...), and I don't weight train (I just do home construction projects ).
SO, because I have a fair amount of muscle under the flabble and I'm lugging around 180 lbs as it is, I worry that if I weight train, I'll be adding MORE muscle to my frame. Which means that I'll be smaller physically, but 180lbs of MORE muscle. Which would mean that as I reduce body fat and increase muscle mass, I would have to up my goal weight because you want low body fat and to maintain muscle mass. I don't want this. I would NOT be comfortable with being very muscular and 165lbs. And I see these body types all the time in the muscle mags -- women who are 165lbs and 5' 6". While their body fat is low, and their measurements are not huge, I personally do NOT want this. At ALL. I feel that body mass and waist measurement are the best measures for me of a healthy body weight, and at 165lbs and 5'7", my BMI would be 25.8. So, I would be happy with a fair amount of muscle while carrying 135 lbs.
So, should I wait until I am nearer my goal weight before I start adding to my already fair amount of muscle? Say, at 155lbs? Or am I being unnecessarily fearful?
Start weight training now! You will see the flab drop off. Trust me...I went from 230+lbs to 135 (in 1999) You will still get lighter...it is deceptive the amount of fat a body has...I was concerned with that too as I always was strong (I grew up on a farm and always worked out with hubby since highschool). Get a body fat test done and you can gauge more what amount of fat you have to lose. You are 5'7" (I am 5'6") I doubt, unless you get to bodybuilding proportions will you stay at 180lbs with a lean physique.
I guess my question is what does it matter what you way if your body is the shape/size you like?? Your weight is not tattooed on your forehead, no one but you and the scale (and okay probably your doctor) will know what you weigh.
I guess that, to me it matters to have my BMI in the middle of a healthy range. This is why my goal is to have a low body fat, a good amount of muscle, be cardiovascularly fit, and to be at the middle of the BMI range. I personally think this is the healthiest/optimal place to be!
Kira
No matter what method is used, a LBM (lean body mass) includes the weight of your bones, muscles and organs... basically the sum of everything other than fat in your body. You will lose some lbm when you lose weight. Unless you're seriously working on a hypertrophy style program... and even then you're still likely going to lose lbm. When I first started lifting weights I dropped about 1% bodyfat a month while maintaining the lbm number (although I'm using a tanita scale which is really only good for trending). Now I lose both bodyfat and lbm, but still a higher percentage of fat, which is what you're going for.
If you're only concerned about your BMI, it's kind of time to stop.
You're not going to look like the women in the muscle mags unless you diet down to about 10-13% bodyfat (I'm not 100% sure of that number, but I remember it's pretty low).
The thing to look at on both of those is the number of years they've trained to get to that point - more than 10. Unless you're taking drugs you won't get that way in 6 - 12 months.
If you're only concerned about your BMI, it's kind of time to stop.
You're not going to look like the women in the muscle mags unless you diet down to about 10-13% bodyfat (I'm not 100% sure of that number, but I remember it's pretty low).
Agreeing with what she said. It sounds like you are more concerned with the number on the scale and the BMI chart then with how you feel or what you look like. At the end of the day, those numbers don't mean much. You can have low body fat and be on the high end of the BMI chart. Does that mean you are too fat? Does it mean you need to stay in bed and not eat so you lose muscle? No! It just means you are a healthy person with a healthy amount of muscle. BMI is not the best measurement of health. If you are set on that above all other things, I don't really know what to tell you.
Also, if you are eating below your maintenance level of calories you don't need to worry much about gaining muscle. It's HARD work. It doesn't happen by accident. It takes a lot of heavy lifting and a heck of a lot of eating to gain muscle mass.
Last edited by LandonsBaby; 05-09-2009 at 06:55 PM.
Whoa, there, Ms LandonsBaby! I was just ASKING a question!!!
Many of my friends who have been weight training for years have all said the same thing: get the bulk of the weight off, then weight train. I was hoping for some input with respect to this question, which is the only question I posed: should I start now or wait to get within 20 lbs of goal?
I think that most of us who have hit into the morbidly obese category, where I started at, are definitely concerned about the numbers, and this is normal. Especially since one of the BMI-dependent weight loss options I was offered was WLS.
I am not ONLY concerned about the numbers, but about achieving the best state of health that I can achieve. This is why I mentioned cardiovascular fitness, a reasonable amount of muscle mass, a lower body fat level, waist measurement (optimal is less than 32 inches) and in the normal range of BMI in my earlier post. I think that for the VAST majority of people, BMI can serve as an INDICATOR (note: I just said INDICATOR) of general health and conditions, as the VAST majority of us aren't competitive athletes (for whom the BMI may not be an accurate indicator). And, I really don't think that LOW body fat and HIGH musculature is necessarily an indicator of health, either. I don't think that bodybuilders, who pump up with steroids, severly restrict their diets and dehyrate pre-competition, are necessarily healthy even if they look great. So, like my earlier post said, I am trying to find the best way to get a healthy, balanced body.
And, I don't believe that I said that BMI was my ultimate and only goal. Sheesh!
Kira
When you've carried over 100lbs in excess on your frame
Guess I missed the part of whether to start now or later. My opinion - and it's just that Mine - is to start now. Without weight training you'll lose muscle along with fat, and muscle is our friend. It's more metabolically active than fat, i.e. it burns calories. And your nice strong, developed muscle will be there waiting when the fat is gone. You've lost over 60 pounds - congrats! - and I think should be doing some weight training. You'll end up with a body you're likely to be more pleased with. And yes, the heavier you are the higher your BMI - but it's only one measure of your health and fitness, and fails to take into account how muscular people are. Most athletes have skewed BMI's. Body fat is a better thing to track for fitness.
Many of my friends who have been weight training for years have all said the same thing: get the bulk of the weight off, then weight train.
I really don't know why they would tell you that. Especially when it's extremely helpful for helping you shed fat.
You can of course do whatever you want to do but if you wait or let your fear of numbers inhibit you, then you may miss out. And I'm sorry if I came across as rude. I'm just confused as to what you really really want.
Whoa, there, Ms LandonsBaby! I was just ASKING a question!!!
Many of my friends who have been weight training for years have all said the same thing: get the bulk of the weight off, then weight train. I was hoping for some input with respect to this question, which is the only question I posed: should I start now or wait to get within 20 lbs of goal?
Kira
I've heard the opposite -- that if you work and build your muscles at the start, you'll have more muscle mass to burn calories, keep the resting metabolism higher, etc. which makes the fat loss just a tiny bit easier than going straight cardio or not exercising at all. To me, anything that can help in a healthy way with losing weight (and, coincidentally, tighten up my body, give me more strength to get through my day, and generally do good things for me), I'm pretty much for it.
However, at the beginning (i.e. before the fat starts to really drop off), you might feel bloated or a little bit bigger due to the muscles repairing themselves (I've heard this causes water retention temporarily) and still carrying the fat shield. But that would be a temporary thing.
Just thinking about this a little more...of the friends that I have who have lost weight, I've seen a few not do weight lifting at all and complain about being skinny-fat....I've seen one or two start late and say that if they had started sooner, they'd be more fit by now...but I've never heard anyone who started weight-training immediately say, "Gosh, I wish I waited until I was much thinner before I started this!"
The only advantage I can see in waiting is that if your body adjusts to the routine that you're in and you find yourself stalling, you have a pretty strong "alternative" down the road to shake things up. But you can make changes to any routine and shake things up, so that isn't much of an advantage, I think.
Start now! You don't need to go for lifting records! And home construction projects aren't the same as a program for muscle fitness.
Some people actually gain fat in their muscles when they are putting on weight, and so you might find that as you do some weight training, you slim down faster as far as measurements go.
Plus you may find that you really like the way you feel when you have fit muscles.
I'd also suggest you look into some core exercises. These will not "bulk you up," but they will strengthen some key muscles for balance and stability.
Awesome! Thanks, guys. I remember that when I was at my fittest, of course as a 20-year old, I was 145 lbs and wore a size 6 and size 29 jeans. But I remember being horrified by the NUMBER (145! Gaak!)...which is silly and tragic, but still haunts me, so I'm trying to redefine what "success" is in a healthy way. But as silly as it sounds, the numbers are still important and I wrestle with this constantly as I inch (and I mean INCH) towards goal...
Kira
I'm scared that I won't get "lighter"
). 
You don't need to go for lifting records! 
And home construction projects aren't the same as a program for muscle fitness. 