My husband and I have decided to ban together and finally get healthy and have more energy to keep up with our 2 active toddlers. He has no weight to lose and I have about 100 pounds I'd like to lose. He has been going to a gym and lifting weights (with his boss) and I've been staying home using walking videos and a tredmill. I'd really really like to jump on the weight lifting wagon. Not only to spend more time with him but it's something I've always wanted to get involed in. Boxing as well. My question is...is it to early for me to being lifting? If I do start now will I see any weight loss?? He thinks I should continue with more cardio stuff until I lose more weight then begin lifting. I plan on continuing the cardio but would like to add to my workouts. I feel like if we do some lifting together not only will it give us something in common to do but it will keep me active and not give up on my weight loss journey if I have a buddy to help me. Soooo did any of you use weight lifting as a weight loss workout or just toning after losing your weight?

Thanks for any advice!

Weight lifting has not only augmented my fat loss, it allowed me to blast through a major plateau. You can most definitely lose fat while building muscle. I would say: Start now!

Have a fun time!

I started lifting weights on Day One of the last diet. Building and preserving my muscle mass kept my metabolism running high, helped with fat loss, AND made me smaller and tighter when I reached my goal weight. I highly recommend that you start now!

Dieting+Cardio+Lifting is a proven winning strategy for weightloss, strongly endorsed by this forum.


Is your husband doing cardio? The best situation would be if you both did cardio AND lifted. My wife and I lift at the same time, but we do different exercises, so our strength differences and goals are not a factor. I have tried to get her to do cardio with me, but she has too many joint problems to use the elliptical machine or bikes with me.

Hubby does do some cardio. It's not something he does often. He only really does it to push me to do more. He knows I am very competitive and when I tell him I did a mile on the elliptical he will do a mile and a half to give me a push and a new goal. Strange way to encourage me but it works!

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to get started tonight!

Start now! Then as you lose the fat you'll already have a strong, buff frame underneath! Seriously, I wouldn't have lost the weight I did without the lifting in my program.

I also echo everyone else's sentiment here. There is no reason to wait until you have lost a significant amount of bodyfat before you begin weightlifting. Something else to consider, the more variety you can add to your workout routine, the more likely you will continue with your program. There is less chance of become stale or bored with the same old workout. Weightlifting/strength training provides many many many opportunities to learn/change/grow both physically and mentally. Jump right in, read up, and have a great time!

Stop thinking in turns of "weight loss." Doing so puts the loss of fat tissue and the loss of muscle tissue on equal terms as if they are both desirable goals to achieve. Fat loss is great. Muscle loss....not so great. We want to lose the fat and keep the muscle. Unless, you are in an all out weight loss competiton and don't care about looking like a skeleton with a deflated fat suit over it, then your goal is "Fat Loss."


Resistance training is vital to provide the stimulus to keep that muscle. When in a caloric defecit, the body thinks the "ship is sinking" and is looking and will gladly toss your muscle tissue overboard if you do not convince it that you need it for survival.

It's a LOT easier to keep your muscle than it is to rebuild it after a long stretch of dieting. There is "muscle memory" which will make it easier to regain lost muscle than for someone who never had it before to build it, but it is still much, much harder to rebuild than maintain.

Now, how much you want to lift is totally up to you. To retain your muscle, two good, fairly heavy (12 RM or less), full-body sessions would be the minimum. If you want to do more or go to a four or five day body part split, that will work as well.

No doubt, start now. But fair to say - don't be overly concerned with the numbers on the scale. Your number loss may slow, or even bump up by two, but all of us here can guarantee you that with proper nutrition/calorie intake as well, you will feel thinner after week one. Waistbands looser, increased flexibility, even standing straighter. We're all probably the "heaviest" healthy women (and men) walking around the grocery stores!

I know you already decided to start but I thought I would still add that I see the most progress when I am consistently weight training. So..have fun!