I have a question for all you knowledgable people out there...

My sole goal is to lose 15 lbs of fat. I don't care about building muscle, although I am aware that muscle burns calories. I just want to get down to a weight I am most comfortable at.

My question is, should I be spending valuable gym minutes lifting wieghts?
I've been happily doing 30 minutes of cardio 5 days a week and cutting my calories to 1200-1700 a day. I didn't question the routine until I started reading other posts and noticed that the "trainers" on the site seem to be telling people to add resistance training to their routines. Is this truly important for everyone, and why?

Thanks in advance for any insight you can give me!

Go into the On Topic Section
Open the Stickied thread Words of Wisdom
and you will find a link that answers your question

I myself am a firm believer in weight training. There are so many articles will tell you this if you google this same question. Also read up about the effects of calcium vs calcium supplements for weight loss. I learned alot about that issue on google too.


It boils down to the shape of your body. Cardio will shed unwanted pounds, but resistance training will transform your body. For example...some one with a pear shaped body who wants to get that hour glass shape every one is after will not get it from cardio alone. They will just become a smaller pear.

So if you are happy with the shape of your body, Cardio will shed the pounds.

Any way that is my opinion only!! There may be certified trainers who dissagree, but I doubt you will find many.

I will head over there right now, Thanks!

Here's a follow up question. How will resistance training transform your body?

I read steve saying (correct me if I'm wrong) that you can not lose weight and build muscle at the same time. So would that mean that weight training is not going to yield results unless I am increasing my calories and stopping the fat loss?

Thanks again for the input!

Now remember that I am not a certified trainer.

The theory is that by developing muscle tone from resistance training you change the way your body looks by shaping the muscles into that hour glass figure. You do gain weight from the muscle that you build, but the whole goal should be to get your body into the shape that you are looking for. You do not have to lift heavy weights like the body builders do, but low weights with high reps will give you tone, and that is what will define your body's shape. Think of something like circuit training where you are moving rapidly between exercises.

There are also several articles on the internet that will tell you that the fat burning results of resistance training last up to 2-3 days after you work out and cardio only lasts a few hours after you are done.

Also if you weigh 10 lbs more than your "ideal weight" and had a killer body, at a low body fat ratio, would that bum you out very much?

Stretching is also very important!!

Here is a good article to read:

[URL="http://www.fantasyfit.com/view.php?page=resistancetraining"]

Sorry I missed that last question. The answer is no. If you want to gain alot of muscle mass then you need to increase your calories. You will still strenghthen your muslces with the resistance training. Push ups, pull ups, and those types of exercise are also considered resistance training.

I've seen the untrained individual lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously.

However, in general it's not going to happen.

Weight training will, however, add in maintaining the muscle you currently have. Where without it there's a chance of losing a good bit of muscle mass (especially if you don't have that much weight to lose).

Also, weight training is a great energy expenditure. Many think cardio is great. They don't factor in the "after-burn" that anaerobic training such as weights provide.

There are a bunch of benefits coming from weight training that go beyond fat loss.

Doomed Lenore,

I have found that weight training has been far more effective for me at shedding fat and shrinking my body than any cardio. I usually do total body circuit weight training 3X/week for about 45 minutes and that is about all I need. I might add a little interval cardio training on the off days for 15 minutes if I am feeling like it.

Right now I am using the Fit Moms For Life home DVD and workout program. It is intense, but it works!

If you want to check it out visit FitMomsForLife.com "FREE Video Reveals The #1 Secret To How These Busy Moms Went From A Size 18 Down To A Size 4, And How You Can Do The Same!"

-Fitmommy