How often should i lift weights if my main goal is to lose weight?

Question

I already do 45minutes of cardio 3x a week. Just not sure how often i should add in the weights

Answer 1

Val,
The key here is a combination of weight/resistance training, cardio and diet.

Before we get into that, one thing to address. Usually when people say they want to lose weight, what they really mean is they want to lose fat. Excess fat is unattractive and unhealthy, and muscle is sleek and lean. So I suspect that what you are really trying to do here is increase your ratio of lean muscle to fat -- not just lose pounds.

If fat loss is your goal, you'll want to combine cardio and weight training. In the process of doing this, you'll burn fat and add some additional lean muscle. This means that over the short term, your weight will likely INCREASE. This is temporary. Ignore it, because in the coming weeks you'll start to lose fat as well, and the scale will start to drop.

Remember, weight is a terrible indicator of body composition. There are female fitness models who at 5' 4" weigh 128 pounds, but their body fat level are in the single digits. No one would ever describe them as fat or heavy. Abdominal fat levels is a much better indicator. If you are losing belly fat, that's a good sign. It's a much better indicator than weight loss.

Also, don't worry about bulking up from weight training. Without using steriods, women don't have enough free testosterone to add the kind of freaky muscle that men do. Instead, you'll get tight and lean and toned and it will be easier to stay that way because unlike fat, muscle burns calories even at rest.

I would recommend training your entire body three times a week with moderate to heavy weights (aim for a weight that lets you do 8-15 reps.) Do big, compound, multi-joint movements, like squats, lunges (great for the glutes), bench presses, shoulder presses and pull-up/chin-ups (use assist if you need to at first.) This will rev up your metabolism, build lead muscle, and help you burn fat up to 48 hours after your weight-training. For descriptions of exercises, check out the links at the bottom.

On your non-weight training days, do 30-60 minutes of cardio (elliptical, treadmill, stationary bike, etc.) If 60 minutes is too long, try doing 30 minutes, but up your intensity. For example, jog at a medium pace for two minutes, sprint as fast as you can for one minutes, jog at a moderate pace for two minutes, sprint for one minutes and continue repeating. This type of training allows you to torch a lot of calories in a short period of time. There is also research to indicate that it actually burns for fat than lower impact "fat burning zone" cardio.

Finally, figure out your calorie requirements and get religious about keeping track of what you are eating. I've included some good tools for this at the bottom.

If you have any other questions as you progress, drop back by and ask them and I'll do my best to help you out.

Answer 2

Losing weight is not as much about exercising and burning calories. It's more about consuming fewer calories. If you want to lose weight more effectively, then read this:

Here’s all you need to lose weight. First, you have to realize there is no quick, long lasting weight loss plan or pill that is going to do the trick. It’s purely mental. You have to learn to “Eat to live, don’t live to eat”. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? It is, if you understand that you are going to be reprogramming how you think about eating for the next few weeks. Old habits die hard, right? Not really. You get rid of bad habits by replacing them with good habits. If you learn to count your calories, keep calorie intake lower than output, exercise moderately, and eat only healthy food, you will lose weight. That’s a fact. All it takes is repetition. All success stories have this in common: The successful folks among us know how to be patient, persistent, and consistent. Set a goal and stick with it. The benefits of feeling good will outweigh any sense of sacrifice you might feel about having to push away that cake and ice cream. Here are some helpful and healthy links to help you get started on your way:
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http://www.chetday.com
http://www.drmcdougall.com
http://www.phifoundation.org

Answer 3

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Answer 4

The way to loose weight is to eat less. More good food and less junk. Lifting weights- light weights, many reps builds muscle tone. Few reps of heavy weights builds muscle mass.

Answer 5

i'm no expert, but i was always under the impression that weight loss requires some sort of cardio conditioning. i guess if you used light weights and did your reps fast enough, that would count. at least three times a week for thirty minutes each time ought to do it.

Answer 6

make an office snack box of your own so you re not tempted by your colleagues candy bowl fill it with small individually packaged portions of soy chips almonds and dried fruit

Answer 7

if food was your only source of pleasure make sure to reconnect with other things you enjoy music sports volunteer work or movies for example

Answer 8

decrease caloric intake increase caloric burn....

lifting alone wont do it for you. add some cardio and eat better food with smaller portions

Answer 9

turn off the lights at night because more darkness at night will make your body lighter

Answer 10

I love what Matt C says,